Knight's Choice wins Melbourne Cup at Flemington in photo finish ...

Robbie Dolan rides to Melbourne Cup dreamland

5 hours agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 6:28am

Race 9: Maybe Mahal Stakes, Group 3, 4YO, Mares, 1,400m

6 hours agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 5:25am

A day which started with many questions, now has all its answers.

Knight's Choice has stunned to win the Melbourne Cup.

With other big Group 3 races on today, there will be plenty leaving Flemington very happy.

This is where ABC Sport will end our live blog coverage of the 164th Melbourne Cup.

On behalf of Andrew McGarry, Madi Chwasta and ABC photographer Tara Whitchurch, we thank you for joining us.

You can keep up to date with the latest sport news on the ABC Sport website.

Goodbye.

Key Event

5h agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 6:28am

In 164 runnings of the Melbourne Cup, there have been a fair few surprise winners.

But there may not have been any upset bigger than Knight's Choice's win in the race that stops a nation.

A jockey, better known as a singer on an Australian reality show, riding an absolute outsider to victory ahead of the international raiders and star imported stayers?

For Robbie Dolan on board Knight's Choice, the biggest win of his career was a shock to everyone at Flemington — including him.

Key Event

5h agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 6:20am

While the jockey and trainers get much of the attention after a Melbourne Cup win, it is important to remember there is a whole team behind these gallopers.

Knight's Choice is trained by John Symons and Shelia Laxon of Symons Laxon Racing on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Back at the stables, assistant trainer Scott Edwards will go to bed tonight knowing he prepped a Melbourne Cup winner.

He spoke with ABC News journalist Jessica Ross after the Melbourne Cup win.

"We screamed him home every step," Edwards says.

"We've trained for this from August … today was the grand final and to see him come out and produce a result like that, it was ridiculous.

"He's a wonderful racehorse … we have very talented horses but Petey [Knight's Choice], he's just got that little bit of extra rock star factor."

Edwards says it was a great win for the Sunshine Coast horse racing community and their stables.

"We're a small stable ... and we've come out and taken the big prize, it's exceptional."

Bel Air has held on to win the final race on Melbourne Cup Day.

It JUST held on to beat Is It Me, Warnie and Marble Arch in a blanket finish.

The lucky last race of Cup Day at Flemington is a Benchmark 90 handicap race.

There are two last-start winners in the field — Warnie (12) and The Shaper (15).

The Shaper is a distance specialist, having won three times in five races over 1,400m.

Warnie, Bel Air (13) and Meridius (8) have all previously won at Flemington.

Jockey Joe Bowditch has ridden a terrific race to guide Fancify to victory in the Maybe Mahal Stakes.

Like most races today (with the exception of the Cup funnily enough) Fancify hit the front with about 400m left to run and could not be chased down.

That has been the mantra for today. Get to the front and hold on. 

Knight's Choice in the Melbourne Cup has really been the only horse to charge through and win late.

Key Event

6h agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 5:25am

Race 9 shapes as one of the most competitive of the day.

This Group 3 race for the four-year-olds appears to have several strong winning chances.

Konasana (4), Aviatress (5) and Miss Aria (9) should be near the front in the closing stages of this race.

Scratchings: 7, 11, 15 and 17

Our photographer Tara Whitchurch has been at Flemington all day.

Here are some great moments she's captured from the crowd.

We had some runaway brides earlier — here are some jockeys and pirates!

We return to the track with the third-last race of the day.

Catoggio has won the  VRC Springtime Stakes, half-a-length to Bosustow.

Trainer Gai Waterhouse is thrilled with the win.

Race 8 is a Listed Quality race for three-year-old horses over 1,400m.

Big Swinger (7) is unbeaten in two starts but has not raced at Flemington or over 1,400m.

Other last-start winners include Extremely Hardys (5), Marilyn's Edge (12) and Stage 'N Screen (13), while Komodo Dragon (9) has had three runs over 1,400m for two wins and a second.

Scratchings: 2, 3 and 11

The early leader, ridden by Jye Mcneil, for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, finished last in the Cup.

Key Event

7h agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:17am

Twenty-three years ago Sheila Laxon was the first female trainer to win the Melbourne Cup when Ethereal won the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.

Now Laxon, whose husband Laurie trained Empire Rose to win the Cup in 1988, has become a two-time success.

She told Nine her co-trainer, John Symons, had always been confident despite Knight's Choice's outsider status.

"He did, he did. He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn't give him instructions, he knew what to do," she said.

"I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I'm thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people's Cup, and that's what it is all about."

Knight's Choice becomes only the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare in 2019.

Key Event

7h agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:12am

Robbie Dolan was on an absolute outsider in Knight's Choice.

But now the Irish jockey, who was previously best known for a decent stint as a contestant on The Voice, has won the biggest race in Australia!

He's talking to Channel Nine, and you can imagine his reaction.

"Pinch me, I'm dreaming," he's said to Billy Slater.

"It is incredible. I can't believe it. I don't even know what to say.

"I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip, and hopefully he can run home and do the quick sectionals, he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong."

Key Event

8h agoTue 5 Nov 2024 at 4:09am

Knight's Choice, ridden by Robbie Dolan, wins the race that stops the nation!

Second was Warp Speed, and third was Okita Soushi.

The win gives NZ trainer Sheila Laxon her second Melbourne Cup!

It is time for the 164th running of the Melbourne Cup.

The horses and jockeys are being loaded into the barrier.

Listen live to the call on ABC Sport.

The Melbourne Cup is for the stayers — those who race over the longer distances.

Australia's most-watched horse race is 3,200m in length.

It has been that distance since Australia converted to the metric system in 1972.

Previously the race was run over two miles, which was 3,219m.

Sometimes people will refer to the length of the Melbourne Cup as "two metric miles".

The winner will usually complete the race in about 3 minutes and 20 seconds.