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The 164th champion of the ‘Race That Stops a Nation’ has been crowned with the Group 1 $8.56 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington won in a stunning photo finish upset by the Queensland raider Knight’s Choice who beat home the fast-finishing Japanese raider Warp Speed in a thriller.

A patient ride by jockey Robbie Dolan saw the John Symons & Shelia Laxon-trained Extreme Choice five-year-old, Knight’s Choice, come charging home late up the middle from the back to salute in the Melbourne Cup 2024 results by a half-head at 90/1.

“I can’t believe it,” an emotional Dolan told Racing.com after scoring one of the biggest Melbourne Cup upsets in history in his first ever ride in the event.

“This is the biggest race in the world and to win it (is amazing).

“He (Knight’s Choice) just proved everybody wrong.”

It was Jamie Kah aboard the Ciaron Maher-trained Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner Okita Soushi who looked the winner with a furlong to go in the world’s richest handicap.

Okita Soushi off an on-speed run and the Godolphin-raced Oaks winning mare Zardozi were fighting it out on the straight before two backmakers flashed out of nowhere to steal the show in a magnificent finish to the country’s most famous race.

Knight’s Choice was settled right back throughout as Just Fine, who eventually faded to run last, led this year’s Melbourne Cup field around.

For co-trainer Shelia Laxon it was her second Melbourne Cup success following the iconic 2001 victory by star New Zealand mare Ethereal that saw Laxon become the first female Melbourne Cup winning trainer.

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could (have won),” the Sunshine Coast-based trainer told the media post-race.

“What a ride by Robbie. What a thrill, what a thrill.

“What an amazing ride by Robbie. We didn’t give him instructions. He just knew what to do.

“The Australian horse has done it. I’m thrilled to win the Cup. It’s the people’s Cup and it’s what it’s all about!”

The shock Melbourne Cup winner posted his first win since December last year and relished the drop back to 51.5kg to salute from barrier five off his lead-up fifth to Sea King in the Group 3 Bendigo Cup.

“I thought he was a good thing beat at Bendigo the other day when he ran fifth and everyone was tipping the winner and I thought, well, if he’s the winner, we can beat him,” co-trainer Symons said.

“So, it’s all history now. We’ve won the Melbourne Cup!”

For Warp Speed it was a redeeming performance after his 13th in the Caulfield Cup results when debuting down under.

The best of the European raiders was the Willie Mullins-trained Absurde in fifth, two better than his seventh to Without A Fight in 2023.

Race favourite, the Chris Waller-trained Buckaroo, was unplaced running 3.52 lengths back in ninth position.

His stablemates Land Legend and Kovalica finished either side of him in eighth and tenth place respectively.

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