Wild pictures show Melbourne has moved on

In this blog, we brought you all the news and any shenanigans from Flemington throughout the day.

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’re after the latest odds, tips and results from the races, you can follow our live racing blog instead.

But keep reading for a breakdown of how the day unfolded.

Wild pics show Melbourne has moved on

What a day it has been in Melbourne.

The city has been locked down longer than any other, but today its residents came together to show the world what made it so special in the first place.

Whether they were into the horse racing or not, residents flocked out to meet with friends and family to celebrate a long weekend that was thoroughly deserved.

And judging by some incredible pictures emerging from the city today, Geelong’s waterfront is the place to be with large crowds setting up on Eastern Beach.

They show joyous scenes of a city, that has gone through so much in the past two years, coming together and moving on with their lives.

Verry Elleegant wins the Melbourne Cup

It’s all over in Flemington, and the Aussie-trained horse Verry Elleegant has won!

Entertainment underway

An orange-clad Delta Goodrem has just taken to the stage, with a heavily choreographed performance and a lot of back-up singers going ballistic.

The Cup is now being presented to a bizarre orchestral rendition of Here Comes the Sun, and the national anthem is being sung.

We’re not far from the big race.

Best pictures form the Cup so far

It’s shaping up to be a cracker of a Cup day in Melbourne, and the big race is only just over an hour away.

Here are some of the best pictures from Flemington.

Delta appears in bold outfit

Delta Goodrem has turned up at this year’s Cup in a striking outfit.

The 36-year-old singer who will be performing at the event is wearing a yellow flared jumpsuit with an enormous pink bow descending down her leg by designer Mariam Seddiq.

If you want to read more on the fashion at the Cup we have a dedicated story.

A warning for those of you on the sauce

It’s early days, but police in NSW have already issued a warning to those taking an early mark today.

The force posted a meme today comparing the citizens of NSW to a bird wading on the beach. It implied that some Aussies will be inclined to “take things too far” today as they let their hair down.

“If you’re kicked out or refused entry because you’re drunk, violent or disorderly, it is an offence to remain in the vicinity of the venue,” police warned. “A $550 on-the-spot penalty applies.”

Protest hits the cup

It hasn’t taken long for the Cup to be hit by protesters, who have stormed the gate yelling “nup to the cup”.

Images from the gates show police officers apprehending several of them.

Animal rights advocates have targeted the Melbourne Cup over many years, saying the sport is cruel for the animals involved. Seven horses have died on Cup Day since 2013.

ABC news presenter Michael Rowland tweeted saying he was still uneasy with the event despite the timing of it giving Victorians a much-needed boost.

“I am increasingly conflicted about the Melbourne Cup,” he said. “Yes, it’s huge event (and God knows Melbourne needs them at the moment).

“But I can’t overlook the fact seven horses have died on Cup Day since 2013. That really doesn’t sit easily with me. Genuinely torn.”

Incredible scenes from Flemington

Cup Day is really coming to life in Flemington where thousands are packing the racecourse for the first time in two years.

Vic records 989 cases on Cup Day

Victoria has recorded 989 new locally acquired coronavirus infections today — a day that sees huge crowds being allowed back into Flemington to celebrate the Melbourne Cup.

It is good news for the state as it’s the first time it has recorded fewer than a thousand cases since September, while its vaccination rate continues to climb.

The number of infections in Victoria has been bouncing around for a few days, with 1471 cases recorded in yesterday’s numbers.

Sadly in today’s figures nine deaths from the virus were recorded and there are 667 Victorians in hospital. Testing is also low, with 48,002 tests being carried out.

However, the drop in cases will be welcomed.

A crowd of 10,000 vaccinated people will be allowed into the racing grounds today.

On Friday, Victorian residents were given more freedoms just in time for the weekend prior to the Cup.

It is huge news for locals, with many taking the opportunity at this time of year to stretch the Cup into a four-day weekend.

Under the restrictions that will still be in place, spectators will be separated into different seating zones, with food and drinks only being served as part of table service. Masks will also be mandatory.

However, it’s a big step up from last year when no crowds at all were allowed at the event.

Victorian Covid commander Jeroen Weimar said the Cup will be a crucial case in deciding what restrictions will look like for major events planned for the rest of the summer.

“If we can see that these case numbers don’t go crazy, if we can ensure that we can keep the hospitalisation numbers as low as possible so we can keep Victorians out of hospital, and the way we do that is by getting more people vaccinated,” he said.

“If all those things happen over the coming weeks then we have a really good run in to see how that’s going to play and what it means for December and events like the Boxing Day tests.”

Thousands pouring into Flemington

Cup Day is officially underway in Flemington as thousands of masked punters steam through the gates.

Some are so excited they can be seen running to get a good spot once they pass through the turnstile.

Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2021: Wild pictures show Melbourne has moved on