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Delta Blues takes Melbourne Cup Delta Blues takes Melbourne Cup
(40 minutes later)
Delta Blues, trained by Katsuhiko Sumii and ridden by Yasunari Iwata, has won the highlight of Australia's horse racing year, the Melbourne Cup.Delta Blues, trained by Katsuhiko Sumii and ridden by Yasunari Iwata, has won the highlight of Australia's horse racing year, the Melbourne Cup.
The event is known as "the race that stops a nation" and is a holiday in the state of Victoria. In a frantic final 200 metres, 17-1 Delta Blue held off 5-1 joint favourite Pop Rock, also trained by Sumii, to win by half a head in a photo finish.
More than 100,000 had been expected at Flemington race course for the 146th running of the contest with millions more watching on television. The Australian 9-1 shot Maybe Better came third, but Irish challenger Yeats fell away in the latter stages.
Delta Blues is only the third foreign horse ever to win the Melbourne Cup.
"Very happy, very happy," enthused Yasunari Iwata, after he had maintained the edge over Pop Rock, ridden by Australian jockey Damien Oliver.
"I got to him," said Oliver, of the final stages, "but the other horse really fought when I came to him and he's just a bit more seasoned and a bit tougher than my horse."
"It's a fantastic day for Japan," Oliver added, "I'm full of admiration for the Japanese horses."
"Delta Blues is very strong, a champion," said trainer Sumii. "But Pop Rock is reaching his peak."
English jockey Kieren Fallon enjoyed a short spell in the lead, but faded well before the end on Yeats to come in seventh.
Frankie Dettori could only manage 18th on Jamie Osborne's Geordieland, while the fancied Tawqeet never found form and came in 19th.
The Melbourne Cup is known as "the race that stops a nation" and is a holiday in the state of Victoria.
More than 100,000 were at the Flemington race course for the 146th running of the $A5m ($3.85m, £3m) contest with millions more watching on television.
An estimated A$140 million (£57m) in bets was staked on the outcome.An estimated A$140 million (£57m) in bets was staked on the outcome.