Giddy up, Penrith! The Melbourne Cup festivities are trotting into The Arms!
It's the race that stops the nation, and we're getting the celebrations off to a galloping good start with our annual Melbourne Cup Calcutta, hosted by the one and only TK!
Join us at the Australian Arms Hotel in the heart of Penrith on Monday 2nd November from 7pm for a classic Cup tradition, a little friendly banter and plenty of good old-fashioned pub atmosphere.
Whether you're a racing enthusiast or just love getting amongst the Melbourne Cup festivities, there's no better place to soak up the pre-race buzz than your favourite Penrith local.
EVENT DETAILS
📅 Monday 2nd November 2026
⏰ From 7pm
🎤 Hosted by TK
🎟️ Tickets $5 each
📍 Australian Arms Hotel, 351 High Street, Penrith
For more information and tickets, see TK or ask our friendly staff at the bar.
Saddle up, Penrith. We'll see you at The Arms!
TICKET DRAW RULES
The Ticket Draw (Sweepstake)
Buy tickets: Participants purchase tickets (for the Melbourne Cup Calcutta) before the event (Monday 2nd November 2026). These ticket sales create the initial starting prize pool.
Draw runners: Tickets are drawn out and matched randomly to each competitor (in this case there will be 24 tickets drawn on the night representing each horse running the Melbourne Cup). Holding a drawn ticket means you temporarily "own" that runner.
The Auction
Bid on runners: An auctioneer (TK) goes through every horse in the Melbourne Cup in sequential order, and anyone in the room (ticket holder or not) can bid to "buy" that runner/horse.
How the money splits: When the hammer falls on a sale:
If an outsider buys the runner, they pay the full bid price. Half of that money goes to the person who originally drew the runner/horse, and the other half goes into the prize pool.
If the original ticket holder wants to keep their runner/horse, they have to make the highest bid, but they only have to pay half the bid price (which goes into the prize pool).
New ownership: The highest bidder officially becomes the owner of that runner/horse for the event.
Payout After the Event
Once the race has been run, the total prize pool (combining original ticket sales and auction proceeds) is distributed according to a set payout schedule.
The Arms Hotel will reward the top finishers (70% to 1st place, 20% to 2nd place, 10% to 3rd place, after deducting 10% of the total pool which is donated to our beloved designated charity Westcare)
18+ only. Gamble responsibly.