A Melbourne Cup sweep is simple: everyone puts in the same amount, everyone gets a horse, and the people holding the placegetters split the pot. The only part that ever causes an argument is the draw. Somebody pulls names from a hat in the kitchen, half the office is in a meeting, and by 3pm someone is sure their horse was swapped.
This sweep generator does the draw where everyone can see it. Each name becomes a wrestler, the match decides who gets which horse number, and the result lives in one link that plays the same draw for every person who opens it.
How the Melbourne Cup sweep draw works
Paste the names
One per line. Someone with two tickets goes in twice. Up to 24, one per horse.
Run the match
Every name enters the ring. Last one standing draws horse #1, the first one tossed out draws the highest number.
Send the link
Post it in the office chat. Everyone sees the same draw, and refreshing it changes nothing.
The horse number is the saddlecloth number, the big number on the horse's back and the one printed beside its name in the form guide. It is not the barrier. Barriers are the starting gates and they are drawn separately on the Saturday before the race, so a sweep that went by barrier would be reshuffled halfway through the week.
Fewer people than horses
The Cup field is 24 horses. Most offices do not have exactly 24 people in the sweep, so the generator gives you the two ways sweeps usually handle it.
Share them out. Names are repeated in order until every horse has an owner. With 10 people, 4 of them get 3 horses and 6 get 2. The preview above the button tells you who gets the extras before you draw. The names at the top of the list get them first.
Leave them unsold. The leftover horses go to "Unsold" and nobody wins on them. If an unsold horse comes in, most sweeps either roll that share into the next race or split it between everyone. Agree which before the race, not after.
Scratchings and the final field
Horses get scratched during Cup week, sometimes on the morning of the race. The cleanest fix is timing: run the draw after final acceptances, once the field is set, and change the number of horses to match. If the field is 23, set it to 23 and nobody draws a horse that will not start.
If your sweep has to be drawn earlier and a horse is scratched, the usual rule is that its owner gets their money back or draws again from the horses still unsold. Either way, decide it up front and put it in the message with the link.
Who wins the money
That part is up to your sweep. A common split pays the winner, second and third, and some offices give whoever drew the last horse home their money back so the whole room stays interested until the end. The generator only does the draw. It does not take entries, hold the pot or pay anyone, so it works the same whether the ticket is a gold coin or a fifty.
Melbourne Cup sweep FAQ
Is the sweep draw random?
Yes. The draw comes from a seeded random-number generator tied to a match ID in the link. Nobody can predict it before it runs, and the same link always plays the same draw, so nobody can quietly redraw it afterwards.
Is horse #1 the best horse?
No. It is the saddlecloth number. Number 1 usually carries the most weight, not the best odds, so drawing #1 is no better or worse than any other horse.
Can one person have more than one horse?
Yes. Put their name in once for every ticket they bought. Sarah twice means Sarah gets two horses, and the result shows both.
How many people can enter?
2 to 24, one per horse. For a bigger office, run two sweeps with two links, or sell tickets in pairs.
Can the whole office watch the draw together?
Yes. Put it on the meeting room screen, or pick a start time when you build it and everyone with the link sees a countdown, then the same match at the same moment.
Do I need an account?
No. Drawing the horses and sharing the link are free with no sign-up.
When is the 2026 Melbourne Cup?
Tuesday 3 November 2026 at Flemington. It is run on the first Tuesday in November every year.
Drawing something else? The random order generator puts any list in order, and the giveaway picker draws a single winner.
Draw your Cup sweep
Paste the names, set the field, send one link the whole office can check.
Draw the Horses