Melbourne Cup key information and statistics for the great race

The race that stops the nation, the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, will be run on 7 November 2017. As per tradition, the 3200m handicap is held on the first Tuesday of November, and plays host to an international field of quality horses.

Celebrities, racing royalty and sports stars flock to Melbourne (where they get a public holiday) to witness history being made in the race that stops a nation.

Here's Wide World of Sports' guide to the day including the start time, key statistics, winning omens and how you can get the most out of your Cup day experience.

» Melbourne Cup preview and expert tips

Melbourne Cup start time

Start time: The Melbourne Cup jumps at 3pm, Tuesday November 7.

Very rarely they will jump late, due to a horse misbehaving getting into its barrier, but 3pm is a pretty sharp deadline for the barriers to open. 

Track: Flemington racecourse, Melbourne

Melbourne Cup statistics and information

Melbourne Cup - Group 1 Handicap (3200m)

Runners: 24

Age of winners

Three year olds: 23

Four year olds: 44

Five year olds: 43

Six year olds: 32

Seven year olds: 11

Eight year olds: 2

Sex of winners

Entires: 68

Geldings: 50

Colts: 21

Mares: 13

Fillies: 3

Best and worst barriers

Barrier 5: 8 wins

Barrier 10: 7 wins

Barriers 11, 14 and 17: 6 wins

Barriers 1, 4, 6, 8, 19 and 22: 5 wins

Barrier 18: 0 wins

Winning weights:

54.5 kg: 8 wins

53kg and 52.5kg: 7 wins

52kg: 6 wins

Winning numbers

Numbers 4 and 12: 11 wins

Number 1: 10 wins

Number 8: 8 wins

Prize money

The Melbourne Cup divides $6.2 million among the 24 runners. That's a lot of money, when you consider the winning horse and trainer get $3.6 million of that you can see why more and more foreign entrants are rushing to Melbourne, only increasing the quality of this field.

It isn't the richest race in Australia anymore though, with that honour going to the newly-created Everest race in Sydney.