| Melbourne Cup | |
 The 1866 Melbourne Cup trophy, currently held by the National Museum of Australia | |
| Location | Flemington Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 November 1866 |
| Distance | 2 miles |
| Winning horse | The Barb |
| Winning time | 3:43.0 |
| Final odds | 6/1 |
| Jockey | William Davis |
| Trainer | John Tait & James Ashworth |
| Owner | John Tait |
| Conditions | Good |
| Surface | Turf |
| Attendance | 18,000 |
The 1866 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Thursday, 1 November 1866.
Contents
This year was the sixth running of the Melbourne Cup. The race was won by 6/1 favourite The Barb, nicknamed 'The Black Demon', beating Exile. Falcon was placed third by the stewards the day after the race. [1] The race saw two horses named Falcon take part and the VRC judge failed to recognise its colors which were different to the official program. The Barb became the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup and the AJC Derby as The Barb had won the race back in September. The AJC Derby now takes place in the Autumn. [2]
Fifty-three horses nominated for the race, with 44 horses accepted. Following acceptances, 31 horses paid the entry fees, although two were scratched before race day. [3] This year marked the return of Sydney-trained horses to the race, following the controversy surrounding the non-acceptance of Archer's nomination in 1863. [4]
The Barb, one of three horses owned by John Tait in the race, started as the favourite ahead of stablemate Falcon, with Tim Whiffler, Lady Heron and Seagull the next fancied runners. Of the Victorian-trained horses, Exile had attracted a number of bets, while 1865 Melbourne Cup winner Toryboy was one of the more fancied runners. [4] After the morning scratching of Volunteer, 28 horses started the race. Following a false start where Seagull broke away and was not stopped for some time, [3] Cowra and Minstrel missed the start and after the rest of the field got off to a strong start, The Barb and Glenyuille went ahead at the first turn, followed by Tim Whiffler and Barwon. Glenyuille's race was done at about the mile marker, leaving Tim Whiffler to try and catch The Barb. [4] Exile went up to the leader before the final turn and it was a two-horse race down the final straight, with The Barb holding firm to win by little more than a head. [5] It was reported that the jockey aboard Exile lost the whip which might have affected the final result. [3]
