The 2015 Emirates Melbourne Cup was the 155th running of the

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

, a prestigious Australian

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse race. The race, run over , was held on 3 November 2015 at

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...

. The date is a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history, ...

in the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The final field for the race was declared on 31 October. The total prize money for the race was A$6.2 million, the same as the previous year. The winner was

Prince of Penzance Prince of Penzance is a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred race horse who won the 2015 Melbourne Cup. He was trained by Darren Weir. In the race, he was ridden by Michelle Payne, who became the first female jockey to win the race. Background Prince ...

, ridden by

Michelle Payne Michelle J. Payne (born 29 September 1985) is an Australian jockey. She won the 2015 Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance, and is the first and only female jockey to win the event. Early life The youngest child of ten of Paddy and Mary Pa ...

, who became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. He was trained by Darren Weir, who has since been banned from horseracing & charged with animal cruelty offences. Max Dynamite ran second and Criterion third.

Background

Prior to the race, racehorse advocacy groups and

animal rights activists The animal rights (AR) movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...

attempted to highlight the number of racehorse deaths due to injuries sustained during a race. The death of two horses in Melbourne Cup 2014 race has called into question the use of the whip and whether it results in unnecessary harm to the animal. Racing Australia has since amended its rules governing the use of the whip, effective from 1 December 2015.

Race summary

, ridden by jockey

, won the race. He was trained by Darren Weir, who has since been banned from horseracing & charged with animal cruelty offences. Max Dynamite ran second and Criterion third. Prince of Penzance pulled ahead of the front-runners only around 100m from the finish of the race, surprising many, including Payne. Payne's technique focused on galloping, due to her belief that doing so was key to winning.

Field

† ''Indicates race favourite''

Fatalities

Three-time cup runner-up

Red Cadeaux Red Cadeaux (6 March 2006 – 21 November 2015) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was a triple runner up in the Melbourne Cup in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Racing career Notable performances by Red Cadeaux include: * June 2011 - 1st in ...

did not finish, suffering a suspected fracture in the left fetlock, a joint above the hoof similar to an ankle in humans. The gelding was taken to a veterinary clinic for surgery. Red Cadeaux's trainer initially announced that the horse would likely recover, but retired from racing. However, on 21 November, Red Cadeaux was euthanised, due to complications from the injury.

References

{{MelbourneCup

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2010s in Melbourne November 2015 sports events in Australia

Background

Race summary

Field

Fatalities

See also

References