Who won the Melbourne Cup race 2024? Knight's Choice defies the odds at Flemington

Knight's Choice has won a photo finish in the 2024 Melbourne Cup having defied the odds to defeat the heavy favourites. Buckaroo and Vauban were early favourites heading into the Race That Stops The Nation, but neither made the top three with Warp Speed and Okita Soushi wrapping up the placings.

Knight's Choice made sure the race favourites have not won in 12 years having started at $101 to win the race and $17 to place. Winning jockey Robbie Dolan was thrilled to have won and joked before the race he might retire if he wins. But the jockey said he would be back next year having been left in shock at the result.

"I won't be giving up. That feeling was too good," he said in the post-race interview. You have to go back as far as 2013 when the last favourite won the great race as jockey Damien Oliver claimed his third Cup on the Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente.

“I can’t believe it,” Dolan added. “I watched all the Melbourne Cups of the last 40 years last night and I thought my best chance were if I could get him to stay the trip and hopefully I could rattle home. He just proved everybody wrong. “This is the biggest race in the world and winning it is incredible.”

Australian John Symonds and New Zealand-born Sheila Laxon train Knight’s Choice and never doubted they could win the race, despite the odds suggesting it was a long shot. A Knight's Choice was Symonds' first win, while it was the second for Laxon who trained Ethereal in 2001.

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could win,” Symonds said. “What a great ride by Robbie. He took the risks, he went through the pack. I was worried he got further back than we talked about but it was a great ride and what a thrill.”

Melbourne Cup features record number of female jockeys

The Melbourne Cup featured a record four female jockeys, but they were unable to become the second woman to take out the great race. Michelle Payne won her historic Melbourne Cup in 2015.

Jamie Kah and British star Hollie Doyle, were aboard top contenders Okita Soushi and Sea King respectively in Tuesday's 164th edition at Flemington. Okita Soushi came third. While Rachel King rode The Map from the second-widest gate and Cup debutant, Winona Costin was unable to cause a massive shock aboard Positivity.

Onesmoothoperator was sitting as third favourite for the day on the betting markets having won the Geelong Cup over 2,400m. The horse then moved into equal favourite only moments before the race but fell down the pack.

Melbourne Cup favourites historically struggle

But if you go back even further, it makes for even uglier reading when it comes to the top-rated horses in the 3200m handicap race. In fact, since Makybe Diva stormed to her unprecedented third straight Melbourne Cup as favourite in 2005, Fiorente is the only other favourite to win the great race in that time. No matter which way you look at it, two favourites winning the Cup in 19 years is not great odds.

In Vauban's case, the Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old entered last year's Melbourne Cup as the favourite but became the latest to fall well short of expectations after finishing in the back half of the field. Vauban once again headed in as joint-favourite (at time of writing) on Tuesday, but failed to place again.

Buckaroo hoping to defy barrier to win Melbourne Cup

The other favourite heading into Race 7 at Flemington was Buckaroo, the top-rated horse of the five that legendary Winx trainer Chris Waller has running in the great race. Buckaroo's wide barrier proved too much for the star.