2018 Melbourne Cup
{{Short description|Australian horse race}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox horse race
|name = 2018 Melbourne Cup
|horse race = Melbourne Cup
|image =
|caption =
|location = Flemington Racecourse
Melbourne, Australia
|date = 6 November 2018
|winning horse = Cross Counter
|winning time =
|starting price =
|winning jockey = Kerrin McEvoy
|winning trainer = Charlie Appleby (UAE)
|winning owner =
|surface = Grass
|conditions =
|previous = 2017
|next = 2019}}
{{Quote box
| quote = 300 to go, it's Finche, with A Prince of Aaran on the outside, Rostropovich is running on and Marmelo back to the inside too. A Prince of Aaran at the 200, Marmelo wearing it down, Marmelo gets up on the inside and here comes Cross Counter. Cross Counter coming at Marmelo, Cross Counter's flying, the blue army have done it at last!
| source = Commentator Matt Hill describes the climax of the race
| width = 25%
| quoted = 1
| align = right
}}
The 2018 Melbourne Cup (known commercially as 2018 Lexus Melbourne Cup) was the 158th running of the Melbourne Cup, a prestigious Australian Thoroughbred horse race. The race was run over {{convert|3200|m|mi|3}} on 6 November 2018 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
Lexus commenced a five-year naming rights sponsorship deal, taking over from Emirates.[https://www.racing.com/news/2018-02-13/lexus-melbourne-cups-new-sponsor Lexus Melbourne Cup's new sponsor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104050211/https://www.racing.com/news/2018-02-13/lexus-melbourne-cups-new-sponsor |date=4 November 2018 }} Racing.com 13 February 2018 It was the last Melbourne Cup broadcast by the Seven Network before Network Ten takes over in 2019.[https://mumbrella.com.au/ten-wins-melbourne-cup-broadcast-rights-from-seven-538503 Ten wins Melbourne Cup broadcast rights from Seven] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104050025/https://mumbrella.com.au/ten-wins-melbourne-cup-broadcast-rights-from-seven-538503 |date=4 November 2018 }} Mumbrella 31 August 2018
The race was won by Cross Counter, ridden by Kerrin McEvoy and trained by Charlie Appleby.{{cite news|title=Melbourne Cup: 2018 field, form guide and sweep|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-04/melbourne-cup-2018-field-form-guide-and-sweep/10441492|accessdate=6 November 2018|work=ABC News|date=4 November 2018|archive-date=6 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106065343/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-04/melbourne-cup-2018-field-form-guide-and-sweep/10441492|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Melbourne Cup 2018: Cross Counter takes out the Melbourne Cup|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/melbourne-cup-2018-all-the-races-fashion-and-colour-of-flemington-20181106-p50e7a.html|accessdate=6 November 2018|work=The Age|date=6 November 2018|archive-date=6 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106091144/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/melbourne-cup-2018-all-the-races-fashion-and-colour-of-flemington-20181106-p50e7a.html|url-status=live}}
Field
| class="sortable wikitable"
!Number !Horse !Trainer !Jockey !Barrier !Placing |
| 1
|Best Solution |Saeed bin Suroor (UAE) |Pat Cosgrave |6 |8thMatthey, James. [https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/melbourne-cup-2018-final-finishing-order/news-story/db798aaac8e69bf0c7fa9250e3f8b2b6 "Melbourne Cup 2018: Final finishing order"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106074409/https://www.news.com.au/sport/superracing/melbourne-cup-2018-final-finishing-order/news-story/db798aaac8e69bf0c7fa9250e3f8b2b6 |date=6 November 2018 }} news.com.au, 6 November 2018. Retrieved on 6 November 2018. |
| 2
|Aidan O'Brien (Ireland) |9 |Did not Finish |
| 3
|Magic Circle |Ian Williams (Great Britain) |17 |16th |
| 4
|Chestnut Coat |Yoshito Yahagi (Japan) |4 |14th |
| 5
|Muntahaa |John Gosden (Great Britain) |13 |9th |
| 6
|Sound Check |Jordan Childs |16 |18th |
| 7
|Who Shot Thebarman |18 |17th |
| 8
|Ace High |David Payne |Tye Angland |22 |20th |
| 9
|Marmelo |Hughie Morrison (Great Britain) |10 |2nd |
| 10
|Avilius |James Cummings |Glyn Schofield |11 |22nd |
| 11
|Yucatán |Aidan O'Brien (Ireland) |23 |11th |
| 12
|Auvray |Richard Freedman |Tommy Berry |1 |21st |
| 13
|Finche |15 |4th |
| 14
|Red Cardinal |Darren Weir |5 |23rd |
| 15
|Vengeur Masque |Patrick Moloney |2 |15th |
| 16
|Ventura Storm |7 |10th |
| 17
|Prince of Arran |Charlie Fellowes (Great Britain) |20 |3rd |
| 18
|Nakeeta |Iain Jardine (Great Britain) |Regan Bayliss |3 |12th |
| 19
|Sir Charles Road |Lance O'Sullivan (New Zealand) |14 |7th |
| 20
|Zacada |Murray Baker (New Zealand) |24 |13th |
| 21
|Runaway |Stephen Baster |12 |19th |
| 22
|Youngstar |8 |6th |
| 23
|Charlie Appleby (UAE) |19 |1st |
| 24
|Rostropovich |Aidan O'Brien (Ireland) |21 |5th |
Fatality
Irish colt The CliffsofMoher was euthanised after he suffered a fractured right shoulder.{{cite news | title = Melbourne Cup: The CliffsofMoher breaks down during run, unable to be saved | url = https://wwos.nine.com.au/horse-racing/melbourne-cup-cliffsofmoher-breaks-down-unable-to-finish/a6d01952-85e6-4cb1-b725-5f95aa616c33 | publisher = Wide World of Sports | date = 6 November 2018 | accessdate = 6 November 2018 | archive-date = 6 November 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181106095240/https://wwos.nine.com.au/horse-racing/melbourne-cup-cliffsofmoher-breaks-down-unable-to-finish/a6d01952-85e6-4cb1-b725-5f95aa616c33 | url-status = live }}
Horse naming
Overseas horses may be forced to be raced under a different name if horses with the same name are raced in Australia. Sound Check was renamed as Sound, Cliffs of Moher renamed as The CliffsofMoher and Prince of Arran as A Prince of Arran (raced as Prince of Arran on 2019 and 2020 Melbourne Cup). Sound Check was permitted to be raced with its original name in the Melbourne Cup.
Penalties
After the races, 6 jockeys were fined.
Hugh Bowman was cited on three separate charges in the $7.3 million race - an incident of careless riding at the 500m, excessive whip use prior to the final 100m and the fact that he weighed in more than half a kilogram over his prescribed weight of 55 kg aboard runner-up Marmelo.
Kerrin McEvoy was fined $3000 after using the whip nine times - four more than what is permitted under the rules - on Cross Counter in the final 400m of the race.
Jim Crowley and Christine Puls were also suspended for careless riding on the undercard at Flemington.{{Cite web|url=https://www.racing.com/news/2018-11-06/news-hugh-bowman-handed-hefty-suspension|title = Hugh Bowman handed hefty suspension}}