2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival - The Winners

The late Widden Stud sire Sebring continues to serve up a reminder of what a loss he was to the breeding industry by being the leading stallion across the Melbourne Cup Carnival with three winners, highlighted by the G1 Cantala S. success of Superstorm.

He completed a stakes double for his sire on Derby Day, after Fangirl won the G3 Carbine Club S, while Our Playboy's success in the opening race of the final day completed the treble for Sebring.

The distribution of winners by stallions was remarkably widespread, with 32 different stallions represented across the 36 individual winners (Willowy (Kermadec {NZ}) was the only horse to win two races). That compares to 29 successful sires at the 2020 carnival.

Table: Leading stallion by wins at the Melbourne Cup Carnival

The other stallions with multiple winners were the late, great Galileo (Ire), who had imports Great House (Ire) and Team Captain (Ire) win, and the current Champion Australian Sire, Written Tycoon, who had Milton Park and Rich Hips both win stakes races on Cup Day.

The winners of the eight Group 1 races across the four days were all sired by different stallions and all eight also represented different broodmare sires.

Table: Leading damsire by wins at the Melbourne Cup Carnival

The broodmare sire statistics across the Carnival were very similar to the sire stats, with 32 individual damsires on the board, with Flying Spur the most successful with three, highlighted by G1 Coolmore Stud S. winner Home Affairs (I Am Invincible).

Encosta De Lago (Fangirl and Bend The Knee) and Anabaa (USA) (Bermadez {NZ} and See You In Heaven) had two winners apiece, while Quest For Fame (GB) is the damsire of G1 VRC Oaks and G1 Wakeful S. winner Willowy.

Bred in the blue

The 36 individual winners were represented by 29 individual breeders, in another sign of the diversity and health of the Australasian breeding industry. Godolphin, across its international and local operations, had four individual winners, Willowy, Colette (Hallowed Crown), Lackeen (GB) (Shamardal {USA}) and Alcyone (Teofilo {Ire}).

Arrowfield Stud was involved, either in partnership or in its own right, in the breeding of three winners, G1 VRC Derby winner Hitotsu (Maurice {Jpn}) as well as Flying Evelyn (Not A Single Doubt) and Bend The Knee (Snitzel), all by its own stallions.

Torryburn Stud had a brilliant week as two 3-year-olds it bred, Home Affairs and Espiona (Extreme Choice), were superb winners for Waller in their respective stakes races. Widden Stud was also involved in the breeding of two Flemington winners, Brereton (Zoustar) and Our Playboy.

The tally for the leading vendors, in terms of sales graduates, reflected the above, as is understandable, with Arrowfield and Widden both level with three winners each. It was a good week for many, however, with 16 individual vendors celebrating Flemington winners from their graduates.

Gallery: Two million-dollar yearlings won races during Cup week

There were two seven-figure yearlings who were successful through the four days, Brereton, who cost $1 million through this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and Quantico (I Am Invincible), who is a 2018 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate, where he cost $1.05 million.

The highest-priced horse to win through the week was actually Minhaaj (Exceed And Excel), who won the G3 Begonia Belle S. on Cup Day. She cost Rosemont Stud $1.8 million though this year's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

The most successful individual sale in terms of winning graduates was Magic Millions' Gold Coast Yearling Sale, which had eight individual winners, one more than 2020.

Trainers and jockeys

Waller had a brilliant week to be crowned top trainer with his seven winners, three of them in Group 1s, Home Affairs, Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) and Nature Strip (Nicconi).

But it was far from a one-act affair. James Cummings had an excellent week, with five individual wins, including the Group 1 victories of Colette and Willowy.

John O'Shea had three individual winners, while Anthony and Sam Freedman and Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr had two apiece.

There were 23 individual stables who had winners across the four days.

Table: Leading trainer by wins at the Melbourne Cup Carnival

McDonald's extraordinary week surpassed Brett Prebble's previous record nine-win hauls in 1999 and 2000 and it’s a mark which is likely to be the benchmark for some time.

Amazingly, between he and Damien Oliver, they won seven of the eight Group 1 races over the Melbourne Cup Carnival, with the only other Group 1-winning jockey being John Allen on Hitotsu in the Derby.

Oliver ended up with five winners across the four days, while Kerrin McEvoy ride a treble of Flemington winners.

All in all, there were 16 jockeys who tasted success across the week, even more concentrated than last year, when that number stood at 19.