Verry Elleegant (NZ) ridden by James McDonald wins the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse. Photo / Getty
Kiwi horse Verry Elleegant has won the Melbourne Cup in a massive boilover.
It is a famous day in Australian racing with the 160-year Barrier 18 curse finally coming to an end.
It is the only barrier in the great race to never produce a winner.
No longer.
The victory gives New Zealand trainer Chris Waller his first ever Cup after fellow Kiwi jockey James McDonald piloted the six-year-old mare to a perfect position before she exploded down the final straight to blow the field away.
"I just can't believe what's just happened," an emotional McDonald said after the race.
It is an astonishing 10th Group 1 career victory for the Kiwi horse. The connections of the horse are now celebrating a staggering AU$4.4 million payday and trophies worth a combined AU$250,000.
The race unfolded with a series of dramatic shuffles at the front of the field.
Incentivise, who was a red-hot, short-priced favourite, was six-deep as they crossed the post for the first time, but pushed up into second behind Persan on the back straight.
Incentivise was in front as they turned onto the straight, but Verry Elleegant was positioned perfectly to make her run past the grandstand and shot ahead of the race favourite with more than 300m to run.
Incentivise finished a very distant second with Verry Elleegant humiliating the rest of the field as she left them in her wake.
Spanish Mission finished third, with Floating Artist fourth.
Incentivise jumped as one of the shortest-priced favourites in the history of the race ($2.80) and had briefly been the shortest-priced runner in the Melbourne Cup since legend Phar Lap 80 years ago.
Only 10 previous runners started the race with a price less than $3.
A maximum of 10,000 fully vaccinated spectators were on hand to cheer home the field down the famous Flemington straight this afternoon.
Melbourne Cup final results:
1st: 4-VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ).
2nd: 2-INCENTIVISE.
3rd: 3-SPANISH MISSION (USA).
4th: 22-FLOATING ARTIST
5th: 6-THE CHOSEN ONE (NZ)
6th: 16-GRAND PROMENADE (GB)
7th: 7-DELPHI (IRE)
8th: 9-SELINO (GB)
9th: 21-TRALEE ROSE (NZ)
10th: 19-SHE'S IDEEL
11th: 1-TWILIGHT PAYMENT (IRE)
12th: 17-MIAMI BOUND (NZ)
13th: 23-GREAT HOUSE
14th: 24-SIR LUCAN (IRE)
15th: 5-EXPLOSIVE JACK (NZ)
16th: 14-MASTER OF WINE (GER)
17th: 15-PONDUS (GB)
18th: 13-CARIF
19th: 11-KNIGHTS ORDER (IRE)
20th: 12-PERSAN
21st: 18-PORT GUILLAUME (FRA)
22nd: 10-JOHNNY GET ANGRY (NZ)
23rd: 8-OCEAN BILLY (NZ)
How the action unfolded:
'I am collecting these medals as a legacy for my whānau for generations to come.'