Punters light up Cup Day despite dreary backdrop
A colourful crop of racegoers has brightened a bleak Melbourne sky at Flemington Racecourse for the nation’s biggest horse race.
A gloomy day in Melbourne has failed to mute the colour and glamour at Flemington Racecourse as punters file in early to claim prime position at the finishing post.
A sea of sharply dressed Melbourne Cup punters packed the main entrance well before gates flung open at 9am, when racing fanatics made a break for the front lawn.
The world-famous event was a bucket list item for Queensland stablehand Ruby Pearse, who brought sunshine to the track in a bright yellow gown she bought at a formal shop.
She was accompanied by friend Lucy Philip, who snagged a ticket to the cup from her father after he won them in a footy tipping competition.
“It’s huge, the tracks in Queensland are nowhere near this size,” Pearse said.
“I’ve written out my form guide, I’ve got to put my bets on and we might have a few drinks.”
Fashions on the Field contestants Louise Seery and Fiona Schwarzinger travelled from Perth for the race that stops the nation, drawing inspiration from florals to fit the cup’s colourful brief.
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“We started with the fabric which are daisies, and then for the millinery the inspiration of the base is the centre of the daisy,” Schwarzinger said.
Schwarzinger overcame a dislike of flying to make the journey across the Nullabor for the event.
“Its incredible, it’s sensory overload at the moment,” she said.
Despite a cloudy top of just 17C and forecast morning drizzle, conditions were expected to clear by 3pm, when the field lunges out of the barrier for the $10.2 million race.
Champion trainer Ciaron Maher’s record-breaking stable of seven runners in the cup field is sure to excite the tens of thousands of racing fanatics expected to flood through the gates across the day.
British singer Robbie Williams is set to further boost spirits in the Mounting Yard in the cup’s biggest pre-race performance, with an hour-long show to follow the final racing event.
The Birdcage will play host to well-known faces including Jules Neale, who has the honour of striking a giant bottle of champagne inside the G.H. Mumm tent.
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Other celebrities set to rub shoulders with Neale include cup carnival favourites Marc and Jessie Murphy, designer Lana Wilkinson, influencer Adelle Petropoulos, and Brendan, Alex and Mia Fevola.
Racing royalty Emma Freedman and Kate Waterhouse will be hosted at Lexus, while Olympians Peter Bol, Harry Garside and Cooper Woods will mingle at Crown.
Attendance at the track dipped slightly to about 84,000 in 2025 after 90,000 people came through the gates in 2024.
Those numbers were still well below the record attendance of 122,000 in 2003.
A Nup to the Cup protest picnic is planned next to the racecourse, with attendees expected to take banners to the entrance of the Flemington precinct throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Chris Waller-trained Asterix was been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup by stewards, leaving a field of 23 contenders in Australia’s greatest race.
Racing Victoria confirmed the scratching at about 10.30am on Tuesday, after it was established Asterix was found to have the medication Penetrene administered to both forelegs in its stable on race morning.
“Penetrene is a topical product marketed as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic liniment,” Racing Victoria said in a statement.
“Penetrene is used topically on horses for symptomatic relief of muscle strains, sprains and muscle soreness.
“Any substance administered to a horse on raceday, including any topical application amongst any other route of administration is considered a medication.”
Stewards will continue their inquiries into the circumstances with Waller later on Tuesday.
Asterix’s scratching leaves Waller with only one contender – $21 fancy Soul Of Spain – in the Cup. Asterix had been a $51 chance.
It also leaves 2020 Cup-winning jockey Jye McNeil without a ride in Flemington’s $10 million showpiece.
McNeil rebounded from the news to finish second with Royal Press in the opening race on the card, behind Damian Lane on Amelia’s Affair.
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