Say Nup to the Cup: What Young People Think of the Melbourne Cup

Should the race that stops the nation stop for good?

Trigger warning: this article discusses animal cruelty, gambling and alcohol consumption.

If you wound back the clock 15 years, the Melbourne Cup would be one of the biggest days on the primary school calendar. We’d all spend a week in art class, making our own fascinator to compete for a prize, then on the day, we’d draw horses from a hat. 

Come cup time, the whole school would meet in the assembly area and gather around the TV (the one that was on wheels) and cheer for a horse in a sport we knew nothing about.

Fast forward to now, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a school that does gather everyone together to watch the race.

In the time passed since millenials' primary school days, the conversation around horse racing has dramatically changed, with a growing consensus among young Australians agreeing that the sport promotes animal cruelty, gambling and alcoholism.

With the race that stops the nation less than 24 hours away, we spoke with some students to see what their thoughts on the Melbourne Cup are. 

What do young people think of the Melbourne Cup?

Young Aussie's responses to the Melbourne Cup was united: we don't like it.

"I do not support it. I don’t support horse racing at all. I don’t like using animals for racing and entertainment, so I’m against it," UWA student Brianna Marino told us.

"I didn't even realise Melbourne Cup was tomorrow."

Brianna wasn't the only one who didn't know the cup was tomorrow. This response was very common from the students we approached, with one group even replying, "what is the Melbourne Cup?"

That we find truly baffling, but it does speak to the growing trend of disinterest in the race.

Friends and fellow uni students Rosie, Sanjini and Bojan echoed Brianna's thoughts, drilling down on animal cruelty.

"I just think it’s pure animal exploitation," Sanjini said.

"People don’t realise how bad the conditions are for these horses and what happens to them after they’re done racing."

Sanjini is touching on a very real issue for the horse racing industry here. In the last six Melbourne Cups, seven horses have been euthanised after the event because of injuries sustained in the race. That isn't taking into account the rest of the horse racing calendar.

Agreeing with Sanjini, Rosie added, "I think it’s a cheap excuse to gather around and have festivities when you can gather around and have festivities other times."

"Basically, it's just an excuse to dress up and drink," Bojan added, "but they're using animals as an excuse to do so when they could just do it for any other event."

If it wasn't animal cruelty, it was money and gambling that drew the focus of young people.

"The only reason it [the Melbourne Cup] does exist is because of gambling money," Gok-Lim Finh said.

"I think it shouldn't exist. It's irrelevant."

Gok-Lim has a point too. Money is a massive driving factor behind the Melbourne Cup, with the event bringing almost $500 million into the Victorian economy. As for gambling, $221.6 million worth of bets were placed on last year's race.

Will public opinion force a change?

The message is very clear: young people don’t want the sport to be a part of Australian culture going forward. Because of that, they do not support the Melbourne Cup at all.

It's not just young people though. In a post on their Facebook page, political party The Greens highlighted that public opinion has swung in favour of banning horse racing, with 55 per cent of Australians agreeing that racing animals like horses for entertainment and gambling is cruel.

That statistic could spell the end for horse racing in the country.

As for the future, what will prove to be the real test of the Melbourne Cup’s longevity is how the event will look in 10 years’ time when Millennials and Gen Z will significantly outweigh the Baby Boomer population.

Everyone who celebrates the Melbourne Cup needs to know exactly what they're supporting.

Here's 5 things people should know if they're going to bet on a horse or dress up for the races this year.#HorseRacingKills #NupToTheCup pic.twitter.com/n9NvVxo3YQ

— Mark Pearson MLC (@MarkPearsonMP) October 27, 2021

What is the origin of the Melbourne Cup?

The Melbourne Cup is an Australian institution with the first race being held over 150 years ago.

Running on the first Tuesday of November and always at 3 pm, Melbourne time, the 3,200m race has been held at Flemington Racecourse since 1861.

Not just renowned for horse racing, the Melbourne Cup is equally known for its extravagant display of fashion, celebrity appearances and some of the trashiest alcohol-fuelled displays of public behaviour you will ever see.

Header Image: Melbourne Racing Club via Instagram