1862 Melbourne Cup
| Melbourne Cup | |
Illustration of 1861 winner Archer | |
| Location | Flemington Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 November 1862 |
| Distance | 2 miles |
| Winning horse | Archer |
| Winning time | 3:47 |
| Final odds | 2/1 |
| Jockey | John Cutts |
| Trainer | Etienne L. de Mestre |
| Owner | Etienne L. de Mestre |
| Surface | Turf |
| Attendance | ≈5000 |
The 1862 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Thursday, 13 November 1862.
This year was the second running of the Melbourne Cup and Archer's back-to-back wins would not be repeated again for over 100 years, until Rain Lover's wins.
On a sunny spring afternoon at Flemington, 20 horses started the race after Shadow had broken down the previous day. 1861 winner Archer started as favourite. Following the fall in the race the previous year, the starting point on the course had been shifted further along the main straight in front of the grandstand.
After the field spread down the riverside straight, Archer took the lead of the race before the final turn, winning by a reported six to eight lengths from Morman, with Camden in third place.
It was reported that the unplaced finisher Dun Dolo pulled up lame following the race.