Fan favourite Verry Elleegant wins a famous edition of the Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is staying in Australia after fan favourite Verry Elleegant won one of the most famous edition’s of the race.
Trained and raced in Australia in Australia by Chris Waller for Australian and Kiwi owners, 6-year-old mare chased down hot favourite Incentivise to claim a comprehensive victory (four lengths) with Sydney jockey James McDonald aboard.
It was Waller’s first Melbourne Cup after years of training dominance, including star mare Winx.
Verry Elleegant’s victory cements her as one of Australian racing’s great champions.
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She won the Caulfield Cup last year, followed by a fourth in the2020 Melbourne Cup, along with great success in Sydney. Those efforts earned her the title of Australian Racehorse of the Year.
Today’s win comes after she ran a brave third in the Cox Plate last start.
Verry Elleegant is raced by a group of Australian and Kiwi owners who also own second-placegetter Incentivise. Inernational raider Spanish Mission placed third.
ONE OF THE FAMOUS EDITIONS
It will go down as one of the most famous editions of the $7.75m Melbourne Cup for both the appointment of an Australian racing champion in Verry Elleegant, but also the race’s place as a key moment in the re-opening of Melbourne post-vaccination.
10,000 patrons were permitted on-course — 10,000 more fans than 2020, and the largest sporting event attendance in Victoria since the Delta wave of the coronavirus.
Above image: Getty