INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It's the race that stops a nation, with the host state of Victoria celebrating a public holiday on race day each year
In the lead up, though, women would have found the best fascinators and dresses, while the men would have dusted off their best suit
Everyone else would be getting ready to party the afternoon and evening away.All this effort goes into enjoying three-and-a-half minutes of
speed, drama and the heated relationship between horse and jockey.While many would have tried to physically get to Melbourne's famous
Flemington Racecourse on race day, not everyone can do so
Those who can't need not fret as, like previous years, you can keep up with the horses on TV
In fact, if your office isn't equipped with a telly, you can stream Melbourne Cup 2019 on your computer or your mobile. What is the
Melbourne Cup?For the uninitiated, the Cup is Australia’s most prestigious – and richest – ‘two mile’ handicap race for
thoroughbreds aged three-year-old and over
The event is part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival that was first held way back in 1861.While it’s still referred to as a
‘two-mile’ handicap race, that’s not the actual distance the horses gallop
It was originally run over a distance of two miles (3.219km) but was shortened to 3.2km in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric
system.Winners of the Melbourne Cup have always pocketed a hefty bag of prize money and trophies that cost a pretty penny too, and that
purse just keeps growing each year
In 2018, the prize money was a whopping AU$7.3 million, over a million dollars more than 2017
That purse was taken by a young thoroughbred gelding from the UK called Cross Counter.The 2019 purse is higher still, weighing in at AU$8
million, meaning the stakes are at an all-time highLike last year, it's a 24-horse field again in the main event in 2019, with Mer de Glace
and Cross Counter being the bookies' hot favourites.For stat fans, a Bart Cummings-trained horse called Kingston Rule famously smashed the
record time back in 1990 with a 3 minutes and 16 seconds finish
Will that record be broken in 2019?When is the Melbourne Cup?The Melbourne Cup is always held on the first Tuesday of November each year
That means this year, the race that brings a nation to a halt will be held on Tuesday, November 5. While Victoria enjoys a public holiday
on the day, most Aussies around the nation drop whatever they’re doing and become horse racing experts for an entire afternoon.The race
begins at 3pm AEST, so Queenslanders will need to tune in at 2pm, while South Australia and Western Australia can set an alarm for 2:30pm
and 12pm respectively.How to watch the Cup on TV in AustraliaWhile the Seven Network has held the broadcasting rights for the Melbourne Cup
for 15 years, there's a change in 2019
This year, Network Ten takes over with race-day broadcast beginning on Channel 10 at 10am AEDT, and will include interviews and all nine
races.That said, Seven Network-owned Racing.com will broadcast the race on channel 78 (for metropolitan areas) and channel 68 (for digital)
Racing.com is also available on Foxtel on channel 529.If you do have a Foxtel subscription, the Cup will also be broadcast live on Sky
Racing 1 (channel 526).Live stream the Melbourne Cup in AustraliaIf you find the Melbourne Cup captivating but can’t get to a telly that
arvo, there are quite a few options for live streaming the event in Australia.The easiest is to watch the broadcast on Ten's online platform
–Tenplay – which is available on desktop and on mobile
The races can also be watched live on Racing.com’s own site, although this service requires you to set up an account.Another option is to
catch the Cup on bookmaking sites
Many betting sites – like SportsBet, CrownBet and Ladbrokes – offer free live streams during Melbourne Cup, but you will need to create
a user account to use their services
And if you are planning on placing bets during the Cup, please remember to gamble responsibly.While it might be tempting to watch the
Melbourne Cup races for free, there are other ways to live stream the event, but requires a paid subscription
As we mentioned earlier, Sky Racing and Racing.com on a Foxtel sports package will let you stream the main event live, as will Kayo Sports
– a relatively new sports streaming service that mirrors most of the content on Fox Sports.Kayo Sports Basic Package | 14-day free trial,
then $25/mKayo's Basic plan lets you stream sports across two devices simultaneously, with no lock-in contract
If you decide you want to stream to more devices at a later date, you can upgrade to the Premium package below for an additional $10 per
month.View DealKayo Sports Premium Package | 14-day free trial, then $35/mThe Premium package lets you stream all the sports you want across
three devices with no lock-in contract
It's the same content as the Basic package, with the same image quality
Sign up now.View DealheK5K6vAQEoWiKRvRkwa9Q.jpg?#
