The Caulfield Cup is one of 10 quality betting races, which also includes the Caulfield Sprint and Ethereal Stakes.

The Cup is the only Group 1 on the feature card.

The Caulfield Cup is one of the oldest Group 1 races on the Australian racing calendar. It was first run in 1879 when taken out by Newminster and it has since become one of the most popular races in Australia.

It became a Group 1 in 1979 when Mighty Kingdom was successful and the winners since have only elevated its status on the world stage. Names such as Ming Dynasty, Let's Elope and Northerly all grace the trophy.

Held at Caulfield, the Cup was run at Flemington during World War II and the 1943 race was run in divisions, but Caulfield has played host to the race in every other edition. The track has been tricky to navigate for some runners, due to its shape but there has been a long history of international winners.

After being opened for international competitors in 1998, there have been five international winners. Let's Elope and Mongolian Khan represented New Zealand and other offshore winners included All The Good for Godolphin, Dunaden and the ill-fated Japanese star Admire Rakti, which later died when running in the 2014 Melbourne Cup.

Australian great Scobie Breasley rode four consecutive Caulfield Cup winners, which included a win in both of the 1943 divisions. He rode a total of five Cup winners, which is the current record.

Legendary trainer Bart Cummings holds the record with seven winners, most notably Ming Dynasty, which scored two Caulfield Cup wins. 

It is typically a cleanly-run race but the 1885 Caulfield Cup resulted in 15 of the 44 horses falling. The incident resulted in the death of a jockey and the field is now limited to 18 horses plus emergencies.

There was also plenty of drama in 2007 when hot favourite Maldivian caused havoc in the stalls and was subsequently scratched, along with second favourite Eskimo Queen.

The staying events are a better guide, as opposed to the mile races and the Caulfield Cup winners typically have fitness under their belt. 

It also pays to look for the runners that are targeting the Caulfield Cup and not the Melbourne Cup. Trainers can use it as a warm-up run so identifying which runners are primed for the run is key.