The Caulfield Cup has long been the main race leading up to the Melbourne Cup, but that trend has changed in recent years as trainers tend to aim for either the Caulfield Cup or the Melbourne Cup with their horses. Some trainers will use the non-group one races as preparation instead of the usual ones of the past, such as the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and McKinnon Stakes.

The Geelong Cup has proven to be a valuable preparatory race since 2002 when Media Puzzle won that race and then went on to win the Flemington feature. Others who successfully followed the same route to the big career included American (2010) and Dunaden (2011). Bauer came close in 2009. These are all European-trained horses.

The WS Cox Plate in Moonee Valley has been a popular race for Melbourne Cup contenders, but this race, like the Caulfield Cup, is one that trainers tend to target on its own. Still, several recent Melbourne Cup winners had their most recent run at Cox Plate before Flemington. Recent Cup winners last racing at the Cox Plate were Makybe Diva (2005), Green Moon (2012) and Fiorente (2013). Longshot Prince of Penzance, who won the Cup in 2015 at odds of 100/1, last ran in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup where he finished second. Prince of Penzance was the first horse since the 1980s to have competed in the Moonee Valley Cup before winning the Melbourne Cup in his next race.

In 2016, the Cup was won by Almandín, who won the Bart Cummings Stakes in his most recent start in early October, while Protectionist, the 2014 winner, finished fourth in the Herbert Power Handicap in his most recent start before the big career. What these breeds have in common is that they are all at 2,400 meters or 2,500 meters. The Caulfield Cup, Geelong Cup and Lexius Stakes are also in that distance range.

The last horse to run on Derby Day and then win the Melbourne Cup three days later was Shocking, who won the Lexius Stakes in 2009, but that’s not to say the next Cup winner wouldn’t have run on Derby Day. Each Melbourne Cup must be taken on its merits by studying the form book, not all Cups will follow previous scripts.