- Shocking has won this year's Melbourne Cup with Crime Scene second and Mourilyan third. Pre-race favorites Alcopop, Viewed and Roman Emperor were unplaced.
In a Melbourne Cup boilover, heavily-backed favorites Alcopop, Viewed and Roman Emperor were unplaced in the 2009 Melbourne Cup.
Shocking is trained by Mark Kavanagh and ridden by Corey Brown who rode second-placer Bauer in a tight finish in the 2008 Melbourne Cup.
Early favorites
A seasoned track veteran and a relative newbie were favorites to win the Melbourne Cup after the 24 runners in Tuesday's big race were announced after the last race on Victoria Derby Day, October 31.
Seven-year-old racehorse Viewed, winner of last year's Melbourne Cup and this year's Caulfield Cup, and a relative newcomer with a string of track victories, Alcopop, were at the top of the betting hierarchy.
Barely a day later, on November 1, Viewed had gained outright favoritism as supporters flocked to back last year's Melbourne Cup winner.
Viewed is trained by Cups King Bart Cummings who has 12 Melbourne Cup victories under his belt. Alcopop, who had won his last four races, is trained by South Australian Jake Stephens.
Third favorite in the big race was Roman Emperor, another Cummings-trained horse, who ran second to Viewed in the Caulfield Cup and was winner of the Australian Derby earlier this year at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse.
Together with Allez Wonder, Cummings had three runners in the Melbourne Cup.
And then there were 23
On the morning of Melbourne Cup Day, Changingoftheguard was scratched from the race.
Changingoftheguard is trained by David Hayes and was to be ridden by Glen Boss who rode Makybe Diva to three consecutive Melbourne Cuo wins.
At 7.30am on race day, Viewed remained favorite for the Melbourne Cup followed by stablemate Roman Emperor and the lightly raced Alcopop. By early afternoon, Viewed and Alcopop were neck-and-neck in favoritism with Alcopop having the edge.
3200m handicap race
The Melbourne Cup, a Group 1 handicap race over 3200 metres, is run at or close to 3pm, Australian eastern daylight saving time. It has a total prizemoney of more than A$5.6 million, including trophies.
Unbroken tradition
The Melbourne Cup has been run each year without fail since 1861. The 2009 Melbourne Cup is the 149th in an unbroken series.
The 24 horses running in this year's Melbourne Cup are made known after the running of the last race on Victoria Derby Day, the Saturday before Melbourne Cup Day.
Lead-up Races
Lead-up races to the Melbourne Cup during this year's spring racing carnival included the Caulfield Cup at Caulfield Racecourse on October 17 and the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racecourse on October 24.
The Victoria Derby on October 31 was the feature race in the last major Melbourne race meeting before the Melbourne Cup.
The 2009 Melbourne Cup field
Number, Horse (Barrier), Trainer, Jockey, Weight
- Viewed (9), B Cummings, B Rawiller, 58kg
- C'est La Guerre (7), J Sadler, N Hall, 55.5kg
- Fiumicino (24), M, W & J Hawkes, S King, 55.5kg
- Master O'Reilly (16), D O'Brien, V Duric, 55kg
- Mourilyan (14), H Brown (Dubai), G Schofield, 54.5kg
- Roman Emperor (15), B Cummings, H Bowman, 54kg
- Ista Kareem (23), C Alderson, L Nolen, 53.5kg
- Crime Scene (11), S bin Suroor (GB), K McEvoy, 53kg
- Munsef (5), I Williams (GB), Z Purton, 53kg
- Zavite (3), A Cummings, M Zahra, 53kg
- Alcopop (12), J Stephens, D Tourneur, 52.5kg
- Harris Tweed (20), M & B Baker (NZ), C Newitt, 52.5kg
- Kibbutz (8), J McLean, C Symons, 52.5kg
- Newport (18), P Perry, P Wells, 52.5kg
- Warringah (17), C Waller, D Oliver, 52.5kg
- Gallions Reach (6), R Yuill (NZ), D Dunn, 52kg
- Spin Around (4), S Cooper (NZ), M du Plessis, 52kg
- Basaltico (10), L Cumani (GB), D Nikolic, 51.5kg
- Capecover (19), A Fieldes (NZ), N Harris, 51.5kg
- Daffodil (21), K Gray (NZ), C Munce, 51.5kg
- Shocking (22), M Kavanagh, C Brown, 51kg
- Allez Wonder (13), B Cummings, Ms M Payne, 50.5kg
- Changingoftheguard (1), D Hayes, G Boss, 50.5kg — Scratched
- Leica Ding (2), D Weir, C Williams, 50.5kg
Melbourne Cup winners
Melbourne Cup winners and placegetters since 2000:
2000 - Brew, Yippyio, Second Coming
2001 - Ethereal, Give the Slip, Persian Punch
2002 - Media Puzzle, Mr Prudent, Beekeeper
2003 - Makybe Diva, She's Archie, Jardines Lookout
2004 - Makybe Diva, Vinnie Roe, Zazzman
2005 - Makybe Diva, On a Jeune, Xcellent
2006 - Delta Blues, Pop Rock, Maybe Better
2007 - Efficient, Purple Moon, Mahler
2008 - Viewed, Bauer, C'est la Guerre
2009 - Shocking, Crime Scene, Mourilyan
