The 2023 Melbourne Cup Greyhound race is just over a week away, with the big race taking place at Sandown Park on December 2nd. The heats take place this weekend, with Flying Zulu (+700), one of three joint favorites. The racers will all be battling it out to win their owners a share of the one million Australian dollar prize pool. And in our latest Greyhound betting picks, we tell you what their chances of victory are.
- What; 2023 Melbourne Cup Greyhound Race
- When; Saturday, December 2nd, 2023
- Where; Sandown Park, Melbourne, Australia
Not the Horse Race!
Not to be confused with the Melbourne Cup horse race at the start of November, the Melbourne Cup Greyhound event is a dog race held at the start of December at Melbourne’s Sandown Park.
This is one of the elite Greyhound races from across the world. At a time when Greyhound racing is struggling to survive in its traditional heartlands of the UK and Ireland, to see a one million dollar prize fund up for grabs in Australia is a testament to how the annual event is backed Down Under. And if that’s not enough to convince you, household names like golfer Greg Norman have previously presented the winner’s trophy.
The race is now more than 50 years old, having first taken place back in 1956. The first winner was a dog called Rocketeer, with the most recent race won by Yachi Bale in 2022. Saskagay was the first bitch to win the race, that was in 1962.
Subtle changes have been made over the years, and in 1996 the race distance was adjusted to 515 meters, which is the distance it is run over to this day. In 2020, Hard Style Rico won in a time of 28.91. This is a track record that stands to this day. The dog was retired to stud just days after.
Betting to win the 2023 Melbourne Cup Greyhound Race
Three dogs lead the betting to win the 2023 Melbourne Cup greyhound race. They are Alpha Zulu, Big Energy, and Flying Zulu, all at +700. Close behind are Postman Pat, Rocket Riot, and Wow She’s Fast, all at +800.
Last year’s winner, Yachi Bale is a huge outsider at +6600. No Greyhound has ever won the race in two successive years.
A huge performance from Yachi Bale sees him win the 2022 Melbourne Cup! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/3adYfspk6B
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 26, 2022
More 2023 Melbourne Cup Greyhound outright winner betting is available on our odds table. We have used odds from the best Greyhound Racing betting sites. For more information about the sportsbooks on our Greyhound betting table, please visit our free bets and promotions page.
Qualifying for the Melbourne Cup
Qualifying for the Melbourne Cup isn’t easy. All dogs have to win what is known as an exemption race throughout the season. This could be a group 1 sprint race, a Victorian County Cup, or a group race at Sandown Park in the preceding 12 months.
Along with qualifiers from the shootout (which includes the previous year’s Melbourne Cup winner), the dogs all then take their place in the heats to try and qualify for the race itself.
Alpha Zulu +700
Alpha Zulu has been in plenty of action lately and will head to this Saturday’s heats in good form. The Jason Thompson-trained dog has won 15 of his 22 starts this year. He has also recorded three second-place finishes and two third places.
Only twice this year has Alpha Zulu finished outside of the top three. One of those occasions was his race at Sandown Park last Saturday, when he finished fourth, with Big Energy winning the Group 3 race.
Big Energy +700
Speaking of Big Energy, and as a result of that win last weekend, he also heads to his heat this Saturday in good form. The win was a welcome one after he finished 5th in his last Grade 1 race on November 11th. On that occasion, Transponder was the winner.
Big Energy has a racing record of 13 wins from 27 starts this season. On Saturday he is in Race 8.
Postman Pat +800
Another Jason Thompson-trained dog (all the favorites are), Postman Pat, is a far more experienced dog with 32 races across 2022 and 2023. Postman Pat has an overall record of 22 wins, five second places, and two third places from his 32 races. In his most recent outing, Pat finished second to Storm Stroller on this circuit last Saturday.
Our 2023 Melbourne Cup Greyhound Betting Picks
Making betting picks for the race ahead of this weekend’s heats may be a bit of a lottery. But it does guarantee far better odds, and if our selections make it to the final the following weekend, their odds will be far shorter.
We do like the look of Postman Pat (+800). He is an experienced dog with plenty of races behind him. As a result, he shouldn’t be put off by a large crowd, and with Jason Thompson training him, we know he comes to Sandown Park under the watchful eye of one of the elite Greyhound trainers.
We also think that Transponder (+1600) is worth a small wager. Again, a Thompson-trained dog, Transponder has had 41 races with 21 wins. Another experienced and in-form dog with three wins from his last six races, Transponder also shouldn’t be intimidated by the larger crowd and is worth a small bet.
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