TWO jockeys were banned and one fined after racing in the Melbourne Cup.
But the winner Verry Elleegant had double reason to celebrate after finally breaking a 160-year curse.
Star rider Damien Oliver and rival Dean Holland were both suspended after pleading guilty to careless riding charges.
Stewards determined Oliver allowed his mount Delphi to shift out when not sufficiently clear of Carif.
Delphi finished seventh, more than 13 lengths behind the winner, at odds of 18-1.
Holland steered fancied Tralee Rose to ninth but was also brought up under a careless riding charge.
Both men accepted their fate, with Oliver suspended for 11 meetings in all and Holland 12.
Craig Williams landed a £308,988 cheque for connections after finishing third at 9-1 on Andrew Balding’s Spanish Mission.
The iconic Aussie jockey would have pocketed around £30,000 as his jockey fee, but handed a portion back after weighing in light on another runner.
Williams rode 25-1 In The Darkness to ninth in the TAB Trophy but the horse was disqualified after Williams weighed in more than 1kg under his declared weight.
He was fined £410 as a result.
There was nothing but joy for victorious Melbourne Cup jockey James McDonald though, who saw off red-hot favourite Incentivise.
And in addition to winning £2.6million for connections, McDonald and the Chris Waller-trainer superstar broke 160 years of history in front of thousands of fans all enjoying a massive day out.
Never in the Melbourne Cup had a horse won from stall 18.
Verry Elleegant was not meant to start there, but Future Score was scratched before the start and so all the horses drawn outside him moved in one.
McDonald, a 29-year-old from New Zealand, had a feeling the superstar six-year-old mare would win.
Writing before the race in his Herald-Sun column, McDonald said: “I galloped her on Saturday and she is absolutely humdinging.”
And speaking after his career-changing victory, he said: “It’s what dreams are made of. I can’t believe it.
“I have so much faith in that mare, I just love her to bits. I’m speechless really.”
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