2015 Melbourne Cup Results: Prince Of Penzance Wins

Prince Of Penzance has made history by scoring an upset win in the 2015 Melbourne Cup at Flemington this afternoon.

Prince Of Penzance upstages his rivals to record an upset win in the 2015 Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Prince Of Penzance upstages his rivals to record an upset win in the 2015 Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Prince Of Penzance went into the Melbourne Cup as an extreme outsider, but he was given an outstanding ride by jockey Michelle Payne and he hit the front at the 100 metre mark before racing away from his rivals to record an impressive win from a fast-finishing Max Dynamite and a gallant Criterion.

Payne became the first female jockey in history to win the Melbourne Cup and the win had even more significance for the Payne family as Michelle’s brother Stevie Payne was the strapper for the Melbourne Cup winner.

The talented hoop was always confident that Prince Of Penzance would give the Melbourne Cup a shake if he ever earnt a start in the race and she was clearly thrilled to have lived her childhood dream in the 2015 Melbourne Cup.

“It is unbelievable,” Payne said.

“I lied in bed last night and I thought about imagine if I am talking to you after this race.

“It is a dream come true and this horse is awesome.

Darren Weir is an unbelievable trainer to get him here and all of his staff got this horse here in the best shape that he could be in.

“I am just so grateful and thankful to them and all of the owners.

“This is just awesome.

“When I won on this horse as a three-year-old I thought that this is a Melbourne Cup horse and he just felt that he would run the two mile out so strong, but I didn’t think he would be that strong.

“He was still towing me into the straight and when he let go Darren Weir told me to count to ten and I tried to count, but I couldn’t and I was just hoping that would be long enough.

“He just burst to the front and he was powering to the line.

“It was just unbelievable.”

Trainer Darren Weir finished second in the 2003 edition of the Melbourne Cup with She’s Archie and he admitted after the race that he thought that might be the closest he would go to winning ‘the race that stops a nation’.

The typically modest trainer was quick to pay credit to the ride of Michelle Payne and he said that he was simply delighted to be able to celebrate the 2015 Melbourne Cup victory with the entire Payne family.

“It is an unbelievable feeling and you have to pinch yourself,” Weir said.

“I didn’t want to stand up and go the early crow, but I thought that he was trucking up beautiful and he got a beautiful run through.

“It is an absolute thrill and an absolute credit to the team that I have at home.

“I couldn’t thank her enough, what a beautiful ride and what a great family, they have been terrific to me at Ballarat.

“I can’t thank them enough.

“It has got harder each year and I keep saying to the owners that it is hard enough to get into the race, let alone win it.

“I thought that the horse was in good shape and there wouldn’t have been many horses that had better preparations than him.

“Soundness wise he was beautiful, he looked terrific in the yard and we had done everything possible and we thought we had him in great shape.

“We thought we were a realistic top ten chance.”

Max Dynamite made up plenty of ground in the final stages of the race to finish second, while Criterion showed that he was capable of running out 3200 metres to run a very tough third.

 

The 2015 Melbourne Cup results will be known in about six hours and there is still plenty of time left to find the winner of the Group 1 event at Flemington on Saturday.

Fame Game remains on top of 2015 Melbourne Cup betting markets. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Fame Game remains on top of 2015 Melbourne Cup betting markets. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Fame Game has been a dominant favourite in Melbourne Cup betting markets since he flew home late to finish sixth in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Japanese stayer got as short as $3.80, but he has been on the drift in the past 24 hours and he is now out to $4.60 to become the second Japanese winner of the Melbourne Cup.

Trip To Paris is currently on the second line of Melbourne Cup betting markets and he has been backed into $8 to deliver trainer Ed Dunlop a long-awaited victory in ‘the race that stops a nation’.

The English stayer stamped himself as a genuine Melbourne Cup contender when he outstayed his rivals to take out the Group 1 Gold Cup (4023m) during the Royal Ascot Meeting and he showed that he has the turn-of-foot required to win a Melbourne Cup when he finished a close second behind Mongolian Khan in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).

The only other horse that is available at single figure 2015 Melbourne Cup odds is Chris Waller-trained Preferment, who has been backed from $11 into $9.50.

Preferment showed his staying credentials when he took out the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) during the 2014 Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and he rocketed up Melbourne Cup betting markets when he took out the Group 2 Hill Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on September 19 and the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 4.

The Zabeel entire could finish no better than ninth in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24, but connections are confident that he will be much better suited by the step-up to 3200 metres and the return to Flemington.

While Fame Game remains a clear favourite in the 2015 Melbourne Cup betting market with Ladbrokes, the clear market mover has been Godolphin-owned Sky Hunter, who has been backed from $67 into $34.

Sky Hunter has only had two race starts in 2015, but he took out the Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold (2410m) at Meydan on March 7 before he was only narrowly denied by The Corsican in the Dubai Duty Free Legacy Cup (2217m) at Newbury on September 19.

Another runner that has received plenty of support in Melbourne Cup betting markets is Our Ivanhowe, who has been backed from $26 into $19 to take out ‘the race that stops a nation’.

Our Ivanhowe is yet to record a race win in Australia, but he has improved every time that he has stepped up in distance and he finished in the placings in both the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2520m) at Flemington on October 4 and the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17.

There has been a sprinkling of support in the 2015 Melbourne Cup betting market with Ladbrokes for Hokko Brave ($41 into $34), Max Dynamite ($14 into $12), The Offer ($51 into $41), Quest For More ($101 into $91), Prince Of Penzance ($101 into $91) and Sertorius ($201 into $101), while Criterion ($14 out to $16), Big Orange ($51 out to $61), Who Shot Thebarman ($17 out to $21), Grand Marshal ($34 out to $41), The United States ($19 out to $21), Excess Knowledge ($21 out to $34) and Gust Of Wind ($26 out to $34) have all been on the drift.

The 2015 Melbourne Cup will be run at Flemington at 3.00 (AEDT) this afternoon and you will be able to find all the Melbourne Cup results at horseracing.com.au.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.