The history of Britain's journey to its first Melbourne Cup victory

Over the line: Cross Counter and Kerrin McEvoy win the Melbourne Cup

The Godolphin-owned Cross Counter was the first British-trained winner of the Melbourne CupCredit: Vince Caligiuri

Cross Counter's victory in the Melbourne Cup was the first ever for a British-trained horse. Below we list the Irish successes, the near misses and the trials and tribulations of Britain and Ireland's involvement in Australia's most famous race.

1993: Drum Taps is the first Melbourne Cup runner trained in Britain, but finishes ninth as Dermot Weld trains the first winner of the race for Ireland with Vintage Crop.

1999: The Saeed Bin Suroor-trained Central Park nearly creates history but the 50-1 shot is beaten by half a length.

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock

Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data

Already a subscriber?Log in

Published on 6 November 2018inAustralia

Last updated 18:13, 6 November 2018

Copy