Yesterday, on November 7, the Melbourne Cup took place at Flemington Racecourse in Australia. This marked the 163rd edition of the race and the winner was Without A Fight ridden by jockey Mark Zahra. The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s richest and most prestigious race which offers a prize of Australian $8 million. It is referred to as the “Race that stops a nation.”

However, amid all of the enthusiasm, Australians objected against the event since so many horses had died in it. The main causes of the protests are worries about how horses are treated and the dangers of racing, which include the deaths of seven horses in the last ten years. But this race changed the course of a homeless man’s life drastically, making him a billionaire in a matter of seconds.

Life-changing horse racing victory

Robert, a guy from New Zealand, bet $5 on a first-four combination without realizing it would earn him NZ$106,000. He was enjoying the event at a nearby tavern when he placed the bet the day before the race. When he stepped outside for a cigarette break and checked his ticket, he was left in disbelief.

The Melbourne Cup was won by jockey Mark Zahra riding Without A Fight, while the second-place finisher was the well-favored Soulcombe. The odds were in Robert’s favor due to an outsider named Sheraz coming in third and a long-shot named Ashrun securing the fourth position, which significantly contributed to his substantial win. However, this race was most unfavorable for the Australian people this year as only 11% of people were interested in it.

Melbourne Cup loses appeal in recent poll, generates concerns

A recent poll of 1,049 voters shows that the Melbourne Cup which was once most famous is now losing interest among Australians. Only 11% of people expressed “high interest”. According to Guardian.com, “27% said they had “low interest” and 35% said “no interest” in the race, a combined total of 62%.” Men were slightly more interested than women and young people were not interested at all. Additionally, about half of the respondents felt that the event promotes unhealthy gambling and more than a third believed it normalizes animal cruelty.

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Despite the declining personal interest, the Melbourne Cup is still considered a unique part of Australia’s national identity by 65% of respondents, though this figure has decreased by seven points. Younger individuals were less likely to agree with this sentiment. A few days back, during the Melbourne Cup event, people in Australia protested against this cup as it has taken the life of several horses over the decade. And recently, during the event, three horses were seriously injured and couldn’t perform in the race.

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