The Caulfield Cup is one of the richest and most prestigious horse races in Australia, run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne. There is always a lot of interest in this great event, with hundreds of horses nominating each year for a chance to compete. The official Caulfield Cup field is made up of just 18 runners and 4 emergencies, with both local Australian and international horses allowed to compete since 1998.
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The field for the Caulfield Cup was restricted to 18 runners after the death of 25 year old jockey Donald Nicolson in 1885, when 16 of the 44 horses competing fell in what is widely believed to be the worst fall in Australian racing history. Each year the field of this event is decided by a ballot system, based on prize money received and wins and placings in recent and specific events related to the Caulfield Cup.
Every horse who is nominated for the Caulfield Cup is given a number that decides where they sit in the order of entry, with a number of factors going into the final decision. The prize money earned over the last two year period plays a lot of importance, as does the number of wins and placings in specific eligible lead-up events. The weight of each horse is also taken into account by the handicapper as this is an open handicap race.
Because the Caulfield Cup is a handicap event similar to the Melbourne Cup, allocated weight is included in the system to try and provide an even playing field for all the competitors. Some lead-up races are also more important than others in terms of how the final field is made up, with winners of the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes and Listed Mornington Cup allowed automatic entry to the Caulfield Cup.