Calcutta Draw
Join us for a raffle and auction of the horses in the 2026 Melbourne Cup. Entrants will purchase raffle tickets for $5 from the sports bar and their name will be recorded. Raffle tickets must be purchased before 6.30pm on Monday 2 November. All takings from ticket sales will go into the prize pool.
At 7pm on Monday 2 November, the draw will be held. Raffle tickets will be drawn at random to determine the 'owner' of each horse in the race until each horse has an 'owner'. There will be a 15-minute break halfway through the draw.
The auction will then commence. Participants can bid to 'buy' each horse from the 'owner' whose ticket was drawn for that horse. Anyone who bought a ticket can bid, and the 'owner' can bid to retain 'ownership' of the horse as well. All bids are final once the auctioneer calls 'sold' and all money MUST be available at the time of the auction with no allowance for extensions; in the event that the highest bidder cannot fulfil their bid, the second-highest bidder will have the opportunity to 'buy' the horse. 'Ownership' of the horse transfers to the highest bidder. 50% of the winning bid goes to the original 'owner' (who may collect their winnings 30 minutes after the Calcutta auction is wholly completed) and the remaining 50% is transferred into the prize pool. If any horse receives no bids, the original 'owner' whose ticket was drawn for that horse will take it into the race.
The prize pool will be divided amongst the 'owners' of the winning horses of the Melbourne Cup, per the below proportions:
1st Place - 70%
2nd Place - 25%
3rd Place - 5%
