There was a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday morning as the Melbourne Cup was rocked by some terrible news hours before the race.
Giddy up everyone, because it’s the first Tuesday of November and that means one thing — it’s Melbourne Cup time.
We’ll be bringing you live coverage as we count down to the race that stops the nation at 3pm AEDT.
Catch all the action from the Melbourne Spring Carnival LIVE on Racing.com, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
If you’ve left your annual flutter to the last minute and want to know who to throw your cash behind, check out our extensive runner-by-runner form guide.
Alternatively, if you’re a racing novice and that seems a little daunting, we’ve got a 60-second method to figure out who will win this year’s Cup.
For those of you wanting to remember what life was like at Flemington before Covid-19 restrictions, then these photos of punters letting their hair down after a champagne or six will give you a chuckle.
A maximum of 10,000 fully vaccinated spectators will be on hand to cheer home the field down the famous Flemington straight this afternoon.
‘Just very sad’: Disaster strikes on Cup morning
Future Score has been scratched from the race after being re-examined by vets this morning with lameness in his right foreleg, bringing the field down to 23 runners.
It is a devastating blow for trainer Matt Cumani and jockey Dean Yendall.
“Just very sad for the owners of the horse, we thought he was a better chance than 200-1, he was really peaking for this week,” Cumani told SEN on Tuesday morning.
Cumani has questioned the last-minute decision and is critical of the “ultra-conservative” stance from Racing Victoria. Safety measures for Cup runners have been ramped up this year as a result of an investigation into safety practices following six horses dying in the Cup in the past seven years.
Cumani said the strict measures went to far for his runner.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure on Racing Victoria to be ultra, ultra conservative. And for them it was a real margin call, it went down to 7.29am to make the decision,” Cumani said, according to racing.com.
“They decided to be ultra-cautious. I can understand their point of view when they don’t know a horse inside out. But for me and my vet, who know him inside out, and know he presented in the same way going into the Cranbourne Cup, which he won convincingly, it’s a bit frustrating.”
He said he expects Future Score to race again this month.
Meanwhile, Delphi ($21) has been given the all-clear to race in the Melbourne Cup after passing an extra veterinary test this morning.
Delphi presented signs of lameness in his left foreleg on Monday, but pulled up fine on Tuesday and vets have given him the green light.
Melbourne turning it on with record temperature
The 2021 Melbourne Cup will be run in the hottest conditions seen at Flemington since 2005 with the mercury set to reach 30C.
The heat won’t stop the crowd of 10,000 enjoying the day out.
Deleted tweet calls out Sydney ‘disgrace’
Renowned race caller Darren Flindell blasted the “unnecessary disgrace” that was the late finish to Sydney’s Golden Eagle meet on the weekend, suggesting it was part of a ploy to steal the limelight from the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
The final two races at Rosehill took place after 6pm on Saturday, with the final event being run after 6.45pm. It came at the same time as the Melbourne Cup barrier draw, which unfolded after the Derby Day races at Flemington had finished earlier on the same day.
Taking to Twitter, Flindell appeared to suggest the timing of the races in Sydney was to keep punters’ interest and discourage them from turning their attention to the Melbourne Cup barrier draw.
The rivalry between the racing scenes in Sydney and Melbourne is fierce — and it’s clearly no different as Cup Day approaches.
Punters.com.au reports Flindell on Monday tweeted: “6.48pm finish at Rosehill on Saturday in darkness was an unnecessary disgrace in another lattempt (sic) to disrupt the Melbourne carnival.”
The tweet was reportedly deleted later on Monday after garnering nearly 600 likes.
Who are the Melbourne Cup favourites?
Incentivise is the shortest-priced Melbourne Cup favourite since Phar Lap in 1930, paying $2.80 with the TAB to win.
Spanish Mission ($10) and last year’s winner Twilight Payment ($14) are also favoured by the bookies to be at the front of the field in the closing stages.
Click here for a full run-down of every horse’s odds and chances of winning.
Melbourne Cup 2021 field (horse, weight, trainer, jockey)
1 – TWILIGHT PAYMENT: 58kg, Joseph O’Brien, Jye McNeil
Barrier: 2
2 – INCENTIVISE: 57kg, Peter G Moody, Brett Prebble
Barrier: 16
3 – SPANISH MISSION: 57kg, Andrew Balding, Craig Williams
Barrier: 14
4 – VERRY ELLEEGANT: 57kg, Chris Waller, James McDonald
Barrier: 19
5 – EXPLOSIVE JACK: 54kg, Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, John Allen
Barrier: 4
6 – THE CHOSEN ONE: 54kg, Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman, Damian Lane
Barrier: 5
7 – DELPHI: 53.5kg, Anthony & Sam Freedman, Damien Oliver
Barrier: 3
8 – OCEAN BILLY: 53.5kg, Chris Waller, Damien Thornton
Barrier: 13
9 – SELINO: 53.5kg, Chris Waller, Ron Stewart
Barrier: 24
10 – JOHNNY GET ANGRY: 53kg, Denis Pagan, Lachlan King
Barrier: 22
11 – KNIGHTS ORDER: 53kg, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Daniel Stackhouse
Barrier: 9
12 – PERSAN: 53kg, Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, Luke Currie
Barrier: 11
13 – CARIF: 52.5kg, Peter & Paul Snowden, Blaike McDougall
Barrier: 8
14 – MASTER OF WINE: 52.5kg, Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes, Fred Kersley
Barrier: 6
15 – PONDUS: 52.5kg, Robert Hickmott, Rachel King
Barrier: 1
16 – GRAND PROMENADE: 52kg, Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, Kerrin McEvoy
Barrier: 21
17 – MIAMI BOUND: 52kg, Danny O’Brien, Patrick Moloney
Barrier: 17
18 – PORT GUILLAUME: 52kg, Ben & JD Hayes, Harry Coffey
Barrier: 23
19 – SHE’S IDEEL: 52kg, Bjorn Baker, Craig Newitt
Barrier: 20
20 – FUTURE SCORE: 51.5kg, Matt Cumani, Dean Yendall
Barrier: 15
21 – TRALEE ROSE: 51kg, Symon Wilde, Dean Holland
Barrier: 12
22 – FLOATING ARTIST: 50kg, Ciaron Maher & David Eustace, Teo Nugent
Barrier: 10
23 – GREAT HOUSE: 50kg, Chris Waller, Teo Nugent, Michael Dee
Barrier: 7
24 – SIR LUCAN: 50kg, Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Glen Boss
Barrier: 18
Flemington race times (all times AEDT)
RACE 1 (10:45AM): GROUP 3 DARLEY MARIBYRNONG PLATE (1000m)
RACE 2 (11:20PM): THE MACCA’S RUN (2800m)
RACE 3 (12PM): RESIMAX GROUP SUBZERO HANDICAP (1400m)
RACE 4 (12:40PM): LISTED TAB FURPHY PLATE (1800m)
RACE 5 (1:20PM): GRINDERS COFFEE ROASTERS TROPHY (1400m)
RACE 6 (1:55PM): THE SCHWEPPERVESCENCE PLATE (1000m)
RACE 7 (3PM): GROUP 1 LEXUS MELBOURNE CUP (3200M)
RACE 8 (4PM): GROUP 3 HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB STAKES (1400m)
RACE 9 (4:40PM): LISTED TAB TROPHY (1800m)
RACE 10 (5:15PM): MSS SECURITY SPRINT (1200m)
Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2021: Live updates, odds, tips, results from Flemington
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