The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 meters race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races. Conducted annually by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, the event starts at 3pm (daylight saving time) on the first Tuesday in November.
The first race was held in 1861 over two miles (3.219 km) but was shortened to 3,200 meters (1.988 mi) in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric system. This reduced the distance by 18.688 meters (61.312 ft), and Rain Lover's 1968 race record of 3:19.1 was accordingly adjusted to 3:17.9. The present record holder is the 1990 winner Kingston Rule with a time of 3:16.3.
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