Melham is finally the queen of Aussie racing, completing the rare Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double — exactly 10 years after Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win the race. Goodie Two Shoes finished second. Middle Earth was third and River Of Stars was fourth.

The 165th running of the great race looms as one of the most open in years, with Irish import Al Riffa and Caulfield Cup winner Half Yours — the only Australian horse in the race — battling for favouritism ahead of a host of genuine contenders.

Racing fans were left scratching their heads at the end of the Melbourne Cup with top contender Buckaroo nowhere to be seen in the final stages of the race. Buckaroo was one of the favourites for the $10 million race, with starting odds of $10, but finished way back in last place.

The 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup arrives as Australian racing’s ultimate test of stamina and strategy. Run over 3200 metres (two miles) at Flemington Racecourse, the Cup once again promises drama,

The favourite, Caulfield Cup winner Half Yours, drew perfectly in barrier nine ... but most of the favoured runners also fared well. See the field and barriers here. Earlier, unbeaten wonder mare Autumn Glow notched her eighth straight victory as she captured the $10 million Golden Eagle at Royal Randwick for trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald.

Half Yours heads into Tuesday's Melbourne Cup as short-priced favourite ahead of Valiant King and Al Riffa, setting the scene for a woman jockey to win Australia's "race that stops a nation" for only the second time.

Arsenal will face Crystal Palace in a London derby in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, while Chelsea travel to League One side Cardiff.