Twilight Payment wins Melbourne Cup marred by tragedy

Twilight Payment (right) of Ireland, ridden by Jye McNeil, won the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Brett HOLBURT RACING PHOTOS/AFP

MELBOURNE (AFP): Irish raider Twilight Payment won the coveted AU$ 8 million ($ 5.5 million) Melbourne Cup on Tuesday in a race run without spectators and marred by the death of English Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.

With Jye McNeil in the saddle, the eight-year-old gelding held off a charging Tiger Moth and Prince of Arran in a thrilling finish to the gruelling 3,200-metre (two miles) handicap, considered the ultimate test of stamina and staying power.

However, Anthony Van Dyck, one of the pre-race favourites at Flemington, broke down with a leg injury and was later put down – the seventh Melbourne Cup horse to perish on race day since 2013.

McNeil, one of the rising stars of the sport, triumphed in his maiden Melbourne Cup, which was held behind closed doors for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There’s so many emotions, it’s such a big moment, it’s a miracle. It’s very overwhelming. There was a lot of hard work getting to this stage and I couldn’t be more impressed with how everything played out today,” said McNeil.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since before I could ride,” he added. “It was a very surreal feeling crossing that line.” 

Veteran owner Lloyd Williams’ seventh Melbourne Cup win came against a top-quality field, heavy with overseas runners, mostly Irish and British, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Racing out of barrier 12, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Twilight Payment led for much of the race with Ireland’s Tiger Moth charging late alongside Britain’s Prince of Arran, last year’s runner-up, ridden on Tuesday by female jockey Jamie Kah.

First staged in 1861, the Melbourne Cup has been run on the first Tuesday of November since 1876, and the winning horse instantly becomes a household name in Australia.

It is the highlight of Australia’s racing calendar and ordinarily up to 90,000 colourfully dressed and boozy punters would be trackside.