2023 Melbourne Cup day RECAP: All the updates, race results and celebrity news from Flemington

Thanks for clicking on Daily Mail Australia’s live coverage of Melbourne Cup Day. It’s been one to remember – a stunning victory for Without a Fight as jockey Mark Zahra makes it two from two after winning on Gold Trip last year, no horses seriously hurt in the event, plus a big increase in the crowd at Flemington.

Keep checking our website for rolling coverage throughout the night – including stories on how the racegoers finished the day, which you will NOT want to miss.

Jockey John Allen gets a win on Cup day as his mount salutes in the Paramount+ Trophy and pays a very nice $40, with Bermadez second and Chorlton Lane third.

The race that stops a nation is run and done – and now there’s no stopping racegoers from celebrating at Flemington.

There’s a small possibility that in about 12 hours from now some of the punters who are enjoying themselves will wish Melbourne’s Cup public holiday was scheduled for tomorrow instead of yesterday…

Mark Zahra didn’t back up his big win with victory in Race 9, which was taken out by Skew Wiff, with Foxy Cleopatra in second and Forbidden City third.

The final race of the day is the Paramount+ Trophy, which is scheduled to run at 5.15pm.

It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that the Cup day keeps rolling on after the big show is run and done…

Roll on High has won Race 8, the Howden Desirable Stakes, with Joliestar in second, followed by Kimochi.

Race 9 sees Zahra on Revolutionary Miss in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes.

A fairytale win on Alenquer wasn’t to be for the legendary Aussie jockey, who was hoping to win his fourth Cup today. Instead, his horse came in 21st – ahead of only one other nag, Magical Lagoon.

At least he can console himself with the fact he did ride a winner on the day as he took Wiggum to victory in Race 4.

She looked so exited she could have fainted as she reunited with the victorious jockey’s sister Claire after the win…

The seven-year-old was pulled up by jockey John Allen with approximately 400 metres left to run because he was struggling to deal with the heat. Here he is being hosed down after the race… apparently he’s fine.

According to Channel Ten’s Eddie McGuire, the official figure of 84,492 is up almost 15 per cent on last year’s figure.

To celebrate, here are a few more of the most eye-catching looks racegoers pulled off today, including the winner of the inaugural tightest shorts award…

‘Vauban was a little disappointing alright. He was beaten too far out for my liking,’ said Irishman Willie Mullins.

‘When I saw him at six furlongs out with Ryan [Moore, jockey] having to give him a little niggle I thought that’s too far out for him to be niggling him.

‘He just flattened out and ran very disappointing … but that’s the nature of this game.’

Getting to the rail early in the race was one of the keys to the victory – not to mention his horse’s incredible speed and stamina, which meant he could wait as long as he needed to in order to spot his chance.

‘I reckon winning one [Cup] helps you out a lot. You’re just so much more confident,’ he said.

‘If I stuff it up, I’ve still got one to go home to.’

After briefly emerging up front with the leaders, the overseas raider briefly ran in first place before dropping back badly to finish 14th.

Yet another example of Australia’s biggest race proving too big an obstacle for the most heavily backed nag in the field.

Right You Are’s jockey John Allen pulled the horse up before the finish line.

That’s the NSW dividend for picking the first four in this year’s race. Not a bad earn for outlaying a single gold coin!

Here’s the moment Mark Zahra crosses the line to win the race that stops the nation for the second time in a row.

He admitted that he gave his mount from last year’s win, Gold Trip, ‘a wink, but I’ve moved right on’.

The winner’s sibling couldn’t contain her joy when she was interviewed by Eddie McGuire straight after the win, embracing him as she found the time to give him a bit of a good-natured sledge.

Asked what he’s like as a brother, Claire said, ‘A real pest. He’s the youngest of the four of us … fun, loyal, awesome.

She also explained how they found out which horse he’d be on.

‘He sent us a message and said “I’m picking Without a Fight”. We trust him.”

He takes out his second Cup in a row after riding Gold Trip to victory last year.

Trainer Sam Freedman branded his effort an ‘extraordinary ride’ after the race: ‘The horse is a freak, he went like a sprinter at the 400 metre mark.’

‘Jeez, unbelievable,’ is Zahra’s reaction.

‘He [Without a Fight] was just an absolute gentleman for me today.He’s got an electric turn of foot and he pulled me all the way to the line.

Asked about the gesture he made as he won, he explained, ‘I was giving the two fingers for two winners. I don’t know what I was thinking – idiot!’

He’s referring to the fact that the two-finger salute he gave the crowd is the ‘up yours’ gesture – not the V for victory Winston Churchill made famous in World War Two!

Jockey Mark Zahra takes his second Melbourne Cup in a row!

Future History follows, then Magical Lagoon

Serpentine is your early leader…

‘A couple of these horses just a little bit stirred up with the windy conditions,’ says Channel Ten’s commentator. Breakup is late into the gate, same as Alenquer.

Vauban remains the favourite at $5.50, with Gold Trip at $7, and Without a Fight at $7.50

The countdown is well and truly on now as the competitors mill about near the barriers…

Jockey Regan Bayliss took the Sara Ryan-trained mount to victory in Sydney. It paid $22, with Cepheus ($5) coming second and Super Helpful ($31) finishing third.

Less than a quarter of an hour to go until the horses jump at Flemington…

The last contest before the main race, the MSS Security Subzero Handicap, has been won by Maggstar, which paid out a handsome $27.

Some of the biggest names in sport and television turned up to the Birdcage on Tuesday, dressed to the nines for the most famous event in Melbourne’s spring racing calendar.

And while many put on a daring display that pleased the eye, others didn’t quite nail their ‘fit for the big occasion.

Police used pepper spray on a group of pro-Palestine activists who blocked one of the main entry points to the track today. Footage on social media showed the demonstrators being surrounded by cops on Racecourse Road, with officers at one point forming a wall on the footpath in an attempt to keep the protesters at bay.

The jockey was very emotional after winning Race 5 on The Map, which is trained by Oopy MacGillivray (pictured with Kah after the win, below) and Dan Clarken.

‘This honestly feels like I just won the Melbourne Cup for these people,’ she said as she took the horse back off the track.

‘Dan and Oopy, they have looked after me my whole life. They let me live with them for many years and they’re like my second parents.’

The champers (and cans of pre-mix) are well and truly flowing in the general admission areas at Flemington as racegoers soak up the sun on a brilliant day in Melbourne. You couldn’t ask for better conditions – here’s hoping the forecast of a possible thunderstorm this afternoon doesn’t come to fruition… unless you’re a fan of watching punters come back through the gates with their finest clothes covered in mud.

The talented hoop (pictured below at this year’s Derby Day) took The Map to victory in Race 5, The Macca’s Run. That’s her third winner of the Cup Carnival so far and continues her comeback after a fall left her in a coma back in March. Watch out for her on More Felons in the main event. The horse has been tipped to win by Michelle Payne, the only female jockey to win the Cup.

No, not Vauban – it’s Absurde, his stablemate, which will be ridden by Zac Purton. He has gone from $21 on Sunday to $12 yesterday, and is now paying $10 at the TAB.

If Dianne McDonald’s horse Virtuous Circle doesn’t get the chocolates shortly after 3pm she’ll still be happy if one of the big chances for the win, returning champion Gold Trip, salutes with her son James in the saddle.

The legendary jockey took his mount Wiggum to victory in Race 4 at Flemington, the Schweppervescence Plate.

Now he’ll be hoping to back that up by recording his fourth win in the country’s biggest race, to go along with his triumphs on Doriemus (1995), Media Puzzle (2002) and Fiorente (2013). Oliver is on Alenquer in the main event.

Talk about a riot of colour. This year’s entrants have gone all-out to impress…

Kate Waterhouse has given her opinion on a startling change to some racegoers’ footwear, which is sure to raise eyebrows in some circles.

Race 1: Maribyrnong Plate

Winner: Warmonger (pictured below)

Next up is Race 4, the Schweppervescence Plate

Cortnee Vine kicked the winning goal against France in Australia’s dramatic penalty shootout win at the World Cup, and she provided a counterpoint to the outfits many other celebs are wearing when she posed at the Birdcage today.

Footage posted on social media shows one protester holding a lit flare as they stand on top of a minibus with ‘Free Palestine’ spray painted on the roof. Police were dragging other demonstrators away as they tried to get traffic flowing again.

Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, and ridden by John Allen, he has suddenly gone from around $60 to $29 with bookies.

The songstress has opted for a striking yellow outfit after turning heads last year, when she arrived in a figure-hugging Dolce & Gabbana floral two-piece that was the focal point of her $4,000 outfit.

She’ll be performing her hit song Born To Try at Flemington before Natalie Imbruglia has the honour of belting out the national anthem.

It’s not just blokes wearing shorts with matching ties and coats in the members’ area – big changes have also been made to the rules governing what female racegoers can wear this year. However, fashionistas still aren’t allowed to go all-out in search of a striking look.

Nothing succeeds like excess, the saying goes – and that holds true for this year’s Fashions on the Field at Flemington, which features a riot of colour thanks to eye-catching outfits like one racegoer’s polka-dot suit – and of course, that can-be-seen-from-space all-purple Scottish ensemble.

Jockey Blake Shinn – who has just won the Furphy Plate on Forgot You (pictured below) – says the Flemington track feels ‘quite rain affected’ after it was watered with sprinklers overnight.

Jade Jillings made headlines when she was pictured straddling a wheelie bin after the Cup seven years ago – and nowadays she’s still involved with racing, but in a very different capacity.

The expected attendance of around 85,000 for this year’s Cup is well down on record numbers for the race, but the crowd on the public lawn at Flemington looks strong just under four hours out from the main event.

Top hoop Zac Purton has ridden Dublin Down to victory (pictured) in the Maribyrnong Plate, coming in ahead of Blue Stratum. He’ll be chasing his first Melbourne Cup victory on Absurde at 3pm.

The former AFL WAG won’t be seen at the race today – and she explains why in the below story.

Some of the big names are front and centre at Flemington already

Pictured, from top to bottom…

Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer

Kate Waterhouse, husband Luke Ricketson and their children

Daily Mail Australia has recorded its first sighting of a shorts-wearing male racegoer, who was on his way to Flemington when this photo was taken. Not sure if he’s ticking all the boxes in the new Cup dress code, though: tailored shorts that sit on or close to the knee, combined with a matching tie and jacket. He’ll have to get the green light for all of those requirements if he wants to be allowed into the members area.

Vision of the moment the gates opened at Flemington – kicking off the dash to secure the best spots at the track – has shown one unlucky punter getting stuck at the turnstile. And there was obviously no ladies first policy in Melbourne this morning…

Zac Purton, who is regarded as the best hoop in the racing mecca of Hong Kong, has arrived with his wife Nicole – and they both look like surefire additions to the best-dressed list.

Purton is riding Absurde, which is paying around $21 to win – and has been tipped to take out the title by none other than legendary jockey Frankie Dettori.

We’ve collected the top five most controversial moments in the history of the race – going right back to the first running of the Cup in 1861, which fell flat thanks to the deaths of two very famous Australians.

The history of the Cup is littered with stories of gamblers with incredibly deep pockets taking on the bookies – and sometimes cleaning them out. Kerry Packer was known to put down as much as $4million on the race and shorten bookmakers’ life expectancies in the process.

This year a punter has been knocked back after attempting to have a huge flutter – although the amount pales in comparison to what ‘KP’ used to outlay.

Men and women will be allowed to wear shorts in the members’ section for the first time in the race’s long history this year, with the change putting a few noses out of joint before the gates even opened at Flemington this morning. But that should pale in comparison to some of the biggest rule-breaking moments for fashions in the field over the years…

Daily Mail Australia’s photographers have already spotted several women arriving with sneakers on at Flemington this morning – and the super-casual look might not go over too well with more traditional racegoers.

In previous years we’ve seen women wearing runners as they enter the track in order to save their feet from the pain of wearing heels all day, but going on what we’re seeing here, that isn’t the case.

Another fashion development to keep an eye out for is men wearing shorts, after the dress code was changed to break with more than a century of tradition. Gai Waterhouse was NOT happy with that move, calling it ‘the silliest thing I’ve ever seen’.

If there’s one aspect of the Cup that attracts more attention than the action on the track, it’s the fashion statements being made by celebrities and racegoers – and judging on the early evidence, this year’s effort is shaping as a real eye-opener.

We’d like to make a special mention of the gent in the all-purple Scottish get-up, complete with kilt and sporran. If his mates lose track of him in the crowd chaos after the race was over, he won’t exactly be hard to spot.

The racing great recently rode the horse he believes will take out the $4.4million prize on offer for the winner. Dettori pointed out that his tip will be carrying 2kg less than the outright favourite, Vauban – something he believes will make a big difference come 3pm.

The nine-time Group 1 winner is one of the country’s most highly rated hoops as she attempts to become just the second woman to ride a Cup winner after Michell Payne in 2015.

But she’s lucky to be in the saddle at Flemington at all, after she was left in a coma with a serious brain injury after a shocking fall at the Melbourne track back in March.

Then, just a day after she announced her return to action in August, she was charged by stewards over photos that appeared to show her rack up a line of a mysterious white substance surfaced on social media in June.

She’s riding the five-year-old import More Felons today, with the horse’s trainer Chris Waller branding her the ‘world’s best’ jockey ahead of the race.

Melbourne is due for a balmy 29C spring day – but staff in charge of the track at Flemington are worried about a thunderstorm striking this afternoon.

Victoria Race Club Senior Track Manager Liam O’Keeffe is keeping an eye on the situation as a medium chance of showers around race time has also been forecast.

That would obviously make for a huge change in the fortunes of many horses in the field, with the nags that run well in the wet – also known as mudlarks – sure to benefit.

The track has been well watered in the lead-up to the race (pictured below) and now Mother Nature is a chance of turning on her irrigation system, too.

Hope all the spectators came prepared…

Around 85,000 people are expected at the track today and they’re already filing through the gates – and in some cases, literally running through them as racegoers try to grab the best positions at Flemington.

Top stayer Cleveland won’t be running at Flemington today after being suddenly scratched from the race overnight. The horse was paying around $30 after winning the Moonee Valley Gold Cup just a couple of weeks ago but was withdrawn after vets noticed it was running a high temperature.

If you’re one of the millions of Aussies who only bets on one race a year, we’ve got you covered when it comes to picking a winner.

Our form guide rates every horse in the field, from the favourites to the value bets to the long shots – with some tips from one of Australia’s best bookmakers thrown in for good measure.

It’s the great hoop’s last Melbourne Cup and his horse, Alenquer, was in doubt after being made to pass a veterinary examination after pulling up sore after trackwork. The nag came through fine and now Oliver will be hoping for his fourth win in the country’s biggest race, to go along with his wins on Doriemus (1995), Media Puzzle (2002) and Fiorente (2013).

Welcome to Daily Mail Australia’s live blog for the 2023 Melbourne Cup.

We’ll be here with you all day to keep you up to date with all the action both on and off the track as we build up to the running of the famous race at 3pm.