The Melbourne Cup has been run and gained on a — shock, shock — soggy day in Melbourne.

With scores of punters flocking and frocking to Flemington of their best, the race that stops a nation continued to divide and conquer an Australian inhabitants that both deplores or adores the primary Tuesday in November.

From the fashions on the sector to the unbelievable Jamie Melham creating historical past, listed here are the 5 fast hits from Melbourne Cup Day 2025.

1. It is known as vogue, sweetie

The fashions on the sector are one thing that this reporter is aware of as a lot about because the precise horses on the observe, which is particularly “not an entire lot”. And but, right here we’re.

Early photographs that began to drop into the image catalogue felt like we had been watching the opposite colleges from the Harry Potter universe rock up at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Cup.

After which these guys under arrived, and we discovered ourselves drawn into the motion, the colors, the Jamiroquai-esque journey of the Nineteen Sixties and the Nineteen Nineties smashing into one another in 2025, showing all of the sudden through a psychedelic wormhole subsequent to the Flemington straight.

We wished to look away but it surely was subsequent to inconceivable.

Like a Magic Eye you could’t fairly nail, we moved our nostril near the display, crossed our eyes and hoped that we may discover the that means of life within the colors.

However all we ended seeing was no matter is happening right here:

Is {that a} punter with an umbrella popping out her head?

We seemed once more, involved about how a lot of an impression our trippy suited buddies had on us, earlier than we realise that is simply the exceptionally modern milliner and DJ Ellen Patterson posing in entrance of brolly that simply occurs to be behind her.

No, she doesn’t have an umbrella popping out of her head, we whisper to ourselves.

We find yourself taking a break from trying on the fashions as a result of we’re beginning to lose our thoughts slightly bit.

2. McDonald’s gesture to his mate

Because the racing started below gray skies, Kiwi jockey James McDonald offered a ray of sunshine by means of the clouds.

A serial champion within the Melbourne Cup Carnival after driving a report 11 winners throughout final yr’s occasion, McDonald had saddled up for his first experience of this yr’s occasion within the fourth race. 

And he gained.

Driving the Michael Freedman-trained Pallaton, the win for McDonald had further significance because the champion jockey stated he was driving for a mate.

Within the lead-up to the race, he had introduced that he can be donating his winnings to Tom Prebble, who suffered a fall at Warrnambool in September and had been in a wheelchair ever since.

Prebble, the son of Melbourne Cup winner Brett, informed the 9 Community throughout Saturday’s Derby Day broadcast that he had no feeling “something under chest stage”.

McDonald stated his winnings would go in the direction of Prebble’s restoration.

“I have been very taken by how optimistic he is been. He is brave. He is been an absolute champion,” he stated.

“He is obtained a lot a lot forward of him, and yeah, if we are able to make slightly contribution to his fund and assist him out, I’d love that.”

3. Huge wager makes an enormous motion

Earlier within the day, the information that kicked this complete circus off was that there was a brand new favorite to win the Melbourne Cup.

Half Yours had been the horse on everybody’s lips when the sector first got here out, however a completely obscene wager of $500,000 on Monday morning modified your entire narrative, with famous moist tracker Al Riffa shifting into favouritism.

The half-a-million-dollar wager got here from Easygo, the dad or mum firm of stake.com, whereas $200,000 was placed on by Australian Bloodstock, an organisation that part-owns Al Riffa.

That is $700,000 in simply two fast bets.

Sufficient to maneuver the market, sufficient to persuade most likely 1000’s of standard gamblers and part-time punters to observe go well with and put their hard-earned on a horse they most likely hadn’t heard of earlier than Tuesday.

And it did not win.

It is a reminder that for all the color and the magic of the carnival, playing does stay a significant drawback for the overall Australian inhabitants.

For completely no cause in any respect, we’re going to leave a link to this story here and a link to this podcast here.

4. Horses damage, jockey falls

Talking of the darkish reminders of the truth of racing, concern was raised for winner Half Yours after viewers observed blood coming from his mouth.

Pictures straight after the race clearly confirmed the gelding bleeding as punters and homeowners and trainers celebrated round him.

Rightfully, these watching on had been involved, however vets fortunately confirmed the bleeding had been attributable to a minor laceration.

“A publish race examination by the race day veterinary workforce discovered that Half Yours had sustained a minor laceration to the within of its left cheek,” Racing Victoria stewards stated.

“The horse is okay and no veterinary therapy was required.”

Concern remained although for final place finisher Buckaroo, who was being checked for exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage, which is bleeding from the lungs from strenuous train.

There was additionally additional fear later within the day, when 2008 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Blake Shinn suffered a nasty fall within the ninth race.

Shinn was squeezed off his experience and tumbled to the turf, going below the hooves of a number of horses earlier than rolling out of display.

Footage later confirmed he was sitting up after the incident and sucking down laborious on the magic inexperienced pen. He was taken to hospital with was believed to be a damaged leg.

5. Melham makes magic in historic win

Finally, this whole day was about Jamie Melham.

The jockey previously often called Jamie Kah created historical past as the primary feminine rider to win the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup double — and it was a hell of a journey to get to that time.

The daughter of Olympic pace skaters, the South Australian was put in an induced coma in 2023 after a fall that noticed her break a number of bones and undergo mind accidents that some feared she might by no means return to racing from.

This was a victory for resilience, a victory for defying the chances and breaking boundaries.

And the naysayers will not prefer it, but it surely was a victory for horse racing.

“This is the reason we stand up each morning, 4am, work our arses off,” Melham stated after the race.

“This trade. It is robust. It is not all wonderful and excellent. As everybody can see generally.”

And when did Melham know she’d gained the race?

“Once I went previous Ben, truly,” she stated, having snuck previous her husband who was driving Smokin’ Romans (14th).

“The hole was [very] tight, and once you’ve obtained a horse that is travelling that nicely, it does not matter how massive the gaps are. He simply pulled me by means of.

“The subsequent hole was even tighter and the horse was that match, he was not stopping in any respect.”

Not stopping in any respect — it might be a match title for Melham’s inevitable autobiography.