Point of Law, a three-year-old trained by Ciaron Maher, won the 166th Melbourne Cup at Flemington under Australian jockey Ethan Brown after storming from the middle of the pack to take the lead in the home straight. The horse was bought earlier this year from King Charles by a group of investors that includes former AFL player Chris Judd and his wife Bec. Brown said after the race "Don't wake me up, this is every jockey's dream" and described telling himself "just stay cool, stay patient" as Royal Supremacy led before Point of Law overhauled the frontrunner. Point of Law had won the Geelong Cup last month and was considered an early favourite for the Melbourne Cup. The Melbourne Cup, run since 1861 and nicknamed the "race that stops a nation", carries a prize pool of A$10.2 million, and tens of thousands attended Flemington where Robbie Williams performed a large pre-race show. The day included controversy: Asterix was scratched after a stable worker administered the medication penetrene on race day and trainer Chris Waller was reportedly fined A$50,000. Outside the course, Australia-wide "Nup to the Cup" protesters gathered to call for an end to horse racing.
