Melbourne Cup: glammed up racegoers let loose after watching the ‘race that stops the nation’

• Melbourne Cup parties underway, short suits topped the new fashion trends
• Without a Fight, ridden by Mark Zahra, won the big race on Tuesday afternoon
• READ MORE:  Unbelievable new trackside fashion trend revealed at Flemington 

Thousands of glammed up racegoers will be a little worse for wear after a long day living it up at the Melbourne Cup.

Revellers let loose for the race that stops the nation, showing plenty of skin on the stunning 30C day at Flemington Raceway as Western Australia-born jockey Mark Zahra rode Without a Fight to victory on Tuesday.

But the wild celebrations took their toll on some racegoers.

Two women in designer dresses were photographed going head over heels as they laid back in deck chairs.

Others passionately kissed trackside while one woman was even pictured licking her friend.

Here, Daily Mail Australia takes you inside the aftermath of the glamorous event.

The Melbourne Cup, the race that stops a nation, is an iconic event and clearly a good chance to share a drink with your mates

Racegoers tumble from their chairs as drinks continued to flow on Melbourne Cup day, but the woman on the left showed special skills to avoid spilling a drop

The day’s celebrations clearly started to take a toll on punters as the afternoon went on at Flemington

By late afternoon, keeping your chair upright had turned into a challenging exercise that not everyone was winning at

Some revellers made sure to stay upright in their chairs, finding it helped other raceday activities, such as passionately kissing a friend

A lucky racegoer flashes a huge grin after making successful picks at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday

Sun’s out, tongue’s out: The partying was already getting interesting for some before the sun set on the day’s racing

Late on Tuesday afternoon a few revellers looked a little worse for wear after along day trackside in Melbourne, with fatigue setting in. Some made their own fun, with activities such as mock wrestling or just laying down and sleeping 

Some racegoers earned a bit of a rest after a long day of exciting racing, culminating in Without A Fight’s win in the big race, and they took the chance to take a nap on the hallowed Flemington turf

A racegoer at Flemington gets horizontal as he contemplates the day’s racing in Melbourne as the celebrations continued, while two men go shoeless as they share a drink while relaxing on the grass

With the racing over at Flemington, enthusiastic punters found other ways to amuse themselves. Pictured: a young racegoer takes a tumble as friends look on

Glamorous Melbourne Cup racegoers nervously clutched their betting slips as tensions mounted ahead of the big race.

But once Without a Fight crossed first about 3.03pm Melbourne time, tension eased and the partying really began.

It was Western Australia-born jockey Mark Zahra’s second successive Melbourne Cup winning ride, after he took Gold Trip across the line first in 2022.

He is only the ninth jockey in the Cup’s glittering 163-year-history to score back-to-back wins.

In 2023 Soulcombe stormed to second, with Sheraz also pulling clear of the pack to fill the places, and for the lucky few, to complete the trifecta, which paid a handsome $10,668.10.

The wife of Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra, Elyse Zahra (pictured left) embraces his sister Claire (pictured right) after Zahra won the big race on Without A Fight just after 3pm on Tuesday

Tense racegoers turned into happy revellers after Without A Fight crossed first in the Lexus Melbourne Cup on Tuesday

With the big race over, a lucky few flashed their winning smiles trackside across the nation. The trifecta paid over $10,000

Sunnies, a killer dress and a bottle was all hundreds of racegoers needed to have a great time on a sunny day at Flemington

One lucky punter put a massive $140,000 on the nose for Without a Fight, ridden by Mark Zahra. 

He got $7.50 for the win, meaning his courageous punt paid out over a million dollars.

The way the drinks flowed at Flemington and across the nation you’d be forgiven for thinking there were new millionaires everywhere. 

While the beers, wines and spirits – and waters – flowed trackside from late morning, celebrations kicked into high gear in the late afternoon at racetracks in Melbourne and Sydney and around Australia.

Some punters had hundreds, and even thousands of reasons to celebrate, while for others disappointment filled their modest plastic cups.

The celebrations kicked into high gear once the big race was over and looked set to go on into the evening in Melbourne

The Melbourne Cup is about more than horse racing. Music, dancing and partying is always part of the appeal. Pictured: a brass band entertains punters at Flemington

Jockey Mark Zahra celebrates winning on his horse Without A Fight in the $8.4million race that stops a nation

The customary kicking-off-of-the-heels followed the exciting conclusion of the main face, with well-behaved punters turning into barefoot partygoers

Thousands of punters were in the mood to party before during and especially after Australia’s biggest race, the Melbourne Cup

Whether the choice of tipple was water or wine, the celebrations were enthusiastic at the Melbourne Cup at Flemington

Sydney’s chart-topping singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem performed ahead of the main event at Flemington 

But it hardly mattered for those surrounded by their mates at Australia’s biggest and most glamorous mid-week party, being serenaded by Australia’s golden girl of pop, Delta Goodrem.

Seated at a white piano and wearing a flowing blue dress Goodrem performed her hit Born to Try. 

Australian-British pop star Natalie Imbruglia, who made her name on Neighbours, performed the national anthem, although her performance didn’t delight everyone.

The 48-year-old’s version of Advance Australia Fair wasn’t to everyone’s taste, with viewers sharing mixed reviews on social media.

The customary kicking-off-of-the-heels followed the nail-biting finish in the main race, with well-behaved punters transforming into barefoot partygoers en route to post-race festivities.

Some racegoers found it all a bit much in the end, tumbling out of their fold-up chairs as the drinks continued to flow. But one woman showed world-class skill to avoid spilling a drop despite toppling over.

Rain dampened spirits late in the day, but earlier fine and warm weather gave revellers the chance to show some skin.

The fashions are always a noteworthy of the Spring Racing Carnival and the calendar’s biggest race day, but this year saw a huge shift.

A group of racegoers break into song at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon after Without A Fight crossed first

The tension ramped up as the field turned for home before Without A Fight, with Zahra on board, broke clear to win easily

Not everyone can be a winner, but there was still plenty of reason to smile at Australia’s biggest and most glamorous mid-week party

Australian-British pop star Natalie Imbruglia performed the national anthem, though it wasn’t to everyone’s tastes

‘I think on a day like this [37 degrees] when it’s really hot, it’s okay, but I think there should be a temperature [gauge] on it. If it’s a cold day I don’t know if the men should wear shorts,’ Kate Waterhouse told Daily Mail Australia 

In a trend not always widely embraced, a handful of Australian men opted for suits, but with shorts instead of traditional long pants

Punters and celebrities swapped modest frocks for daring cut-outs, sexy sheer skirts, shorts, suits-with-short-pants and, perhaps the most surprising, sneakers. 

Instead of the usual heels and dress shoes usually seen, sneakers are now acceptable at Flemington, with those in possession of general admission tickets asked only to ‘dress suitably in your favourite racewear’.

There was no official dress code for GA punters.

As a result, many opted for comfy shoes and shoes instead of the usual dressy attire, raising eyebrows in a few more traditional circles.

Those in the members area and Birdcage, however, were expected to adhere to stricter regulations.

When it comes to casual attire like shorts and sneakers, style guru and daughter of horse trainer Gai Waterhouse, Kate Waterhouse, says ‘it’s okay’.

‘I think on a day like this [37 degrees] when it’s really hot, it’s okay, but I think there should be a temperature [gauge] on it. 

‘If it’s a cold day I don’t know if the men should wear shorts,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.

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