WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MELBOURNE CUP:

HISTORY

* First run in 1861 And won by the Etienne de Mestre-trained Archer who beat the favourite Mormon by six lengths. It was the same result a year later.

* Trainer Bart Cummings claimed the first of his 12 Melbourne Cups in 1965 with Light Fingers. He won it again the following year with Galilee. Cummings' other winners are: Think Big (1974, 1975), Gold And Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Kingston Rule (1990), Let's Elope (1991), Saintly (1996), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008). This year he and his grandson and training partner James send out Precedence.

* In 1972 the race was altered to the metric distance of 3200m, 18.7 metres or 61.5 feet short of two miles. Kingston Rule holds the metric race record of 3:16.30.

* The first million dollar Cup was run in 1985. The owners of What A Nuisance received $650,000 and a $23,000 Cup. This year's winning owners get $3.6 million and a $200,000 trophy.

* Four-year-olds and five-year-olds have the best record of any age group in the race with 43 winners each. Six-year-olds, including the past four winners, have won 32. The only age not to win the Cup are the nine-year-olds with four running this year. The oldest horses to win the race were eight-year-olds Toryboy (1865) and Catalogue (1938).

* Japanese horse Admire Rakti is trying to become 12th horse to win the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in the same year.

* Heaviest weights carried to win the Cup:- Winners - Carbine 10.5 (65.5kg), Archer 10.2 (64.5kg), Poitrel 10.0 (63.5kg), Redcraze 10.3 (65kg).

TRAINERS

* Robert Hickmott (Fawkner, Sea Moon), Mike Moroney (Araldo) and Bart Cummings (Precedence), are the only trainers with runners on Tuesday who have won before.

Hickmott won with Green Moon in 2012, Moroney with Brew in 2000 and Cummings has 12 wins from 1965 to 2008.

JOCKEYS

* Gerald Mosse (Red Cadeaux), Glen Boss (Who Shot Thebarman), Damien Oliver (Mutual Regard), Michael Rodd (Precedence) and Kerrin McEvoy (Lucia Valentina) have all experienced Cup wins.

Mosse won on Americain in 2010, Boss won three on Makybe Diva from 2003 to 2005, Oliver scored on Doriemus in 1995 and Media Puzzle in 2002 while McEvoy's Cup was on Brew in 2000.

WINNING BARRIERS

* Since the introduction of starting stalls in 1958, barrier 11 is the most successful. This year it belongs to German visitor Protectionist.