The Melbourne Cup winner typically receives about AUD 4.4 to 4.5 million in prize money, with the total purse commonly around AUD 10 million. The precise distribution can vary slightly by year, but the winner’s share is generally in the 4.4–4.5 million range, while the rest of the purse is allocated to other placings and connections (owners, trainer, and sometimes jockey depending on arrangements). Key points:

• Total prize money (purse) for the Melbourne Cup is commonly set at AUD 10 million in recent years.
• Winner’s prize is usually AUD 4.4 million, with some years listing AUD 4.5 million as the winner’s cut.
• Secondary placings receive progressively smaller sums (e.g., second around AUD 1.1 million, third around AUD 550,000, etc.).
• Jockeys typically earn a percentage of the prize money (often about 5% for the jockey) as their riding fee, with the remainder going to owners and trainers per standard splits.

If you’d like, I can pull the latest verified figures for the current year’s Melbourne Cup prize breakdown and provide a precise table with the exact amounts for first through twenty-fourth places, including jockey, trainer, and owner shares.