The 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup ran at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday the 5th of November 2024 as Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (AEDT) and was won in a stunning upset by the John Symons & Shelia Laxon-trained Knight’s Choice ($91)! 

2024 Melbourne Cup Results

Knight’s Choice winning the 2024 Melbourne Cup at big odds. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

• 1st: #11 Knight’s Choice
• 2nd: #4 Warp Speed
• 3rd: #12 Okita Soushi
• 4th: #14 Zardozi

The official Melbourne Cup 2024 results revealing the 2024 Melbourne Cup winner will be published right here once the race is run and won on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

The John Symons & Shelia Laxon-trained Queenslander, Knight’s Choice ($91), flashed home from the back late with Robbie Dolan aboard to score a thrilling upset in the 2024 Melbourne Cup results narrowly denying the Japanese raider Warp Speed in a remarkable finish.

Okita Soushi for Ciaron Maher ran third with the James Cummings-trained mare Zardozi briefly looking the winner before holding for fourth.

Melbourne Cup tips on which horses in the field for the world’s richest handicap to back in Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (AEDT) on the first Tuesday of November are highly sought after.

Each year punters are keen to get the insider Melbourne Cup tips to sort the pretenders from the genuine contenders in the $8.5 million Group 1 showdown.

Melbourne Cup Tips 2024

Our insider Melbourne Cup betting tips including the horses to back for the Melbourne Cup Trifecta on the first Tuesday of November will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned.

Early Melbourne Cup Tips are to watch the international stayers contending Royal Ascot races over the winter and the lead-up spring racing form of horses that performed well over the autumn carnival.

Punters can lock in their Melbourne Cup race selections at juicy all-in prices online right now with Ladbrokes, with big Flemington odds on offer for horses tipped to run in the Melbourne Cup field.

To Win: #13 Onesmoothoperator ($8 at time of publish) 

Onesmoothoperator is short in the Melbourne Cup markets and deservedly so regardless of the scare in the lead-up.

He had a heel cut but was reshoed and re-examined with RV vets passing him fit.

With how stringent they’ve been in ruling horses out, if this guy wasn’t right to run he wouldn’t be lining-up.

Brian Ellison-trained in the UK he made an immediate impact down under winning the Ladbrokes Geelong Cup by over two lengths.

Media Puzzle (2002), Americain (2010), Dunaden (2011) all did the Geelong Cup – Melbourne Cup double as visitors down under and there’s plenty to suggest this in-form Dialied In gelding, who is US bred as was Americain, can be the next.

He is down to just 51kg even with the penalty and big race specialist Craig Williams, who rode Vow And Declare to victory in 2019, retains the ride having locked in this mount right after the Geelong demolition job.

That’s a pretty great endorsement and one that’s seen the market react accordingly.

Looking at his form back home before arriving on Aussie shores, one of his top performances was a seventh in the Ebor. That is one hell of a form race (see Sea King in the Bendigo Cup).

To Challenge: #2 Buckaroo ($6.50 at time of publish) 

Trainer Chris Waller chases his second Melbourne Cup success saddling-up Tuesday’s one-time favourite Buckaroo who presents as the genuine danger despite being yet to win over further than 1800m.

He has been leading the markets for a few weeks but has eased out now post-barrier draw when getting posted out in gate 21 (into 20).

The ‘Magic Man’ Joao Moreira will need to slot in and find his position early from the alley, but the past six Melbourne Cup winners have all saluted from double-digits including Vow And Declare (2019) from this alley.

He looks very well weighted with 54.5kg in the compressed weights in a race lacking depth this year.

The distance is obviously a query, but the way he charged through the line for a Caulfield Cup second over 2400m last time out with the same weight was eye-catching.

The Caulfield Cup historically is the superior form line into the Melbourne Cup and could prove to be again in 2024.

You cannot say he’s not going great guns since being gelded.

Put 3.5 lengths on his closest rival in the Group 1 Underwood over 1800m with 59kg at WFA and then went down the barest of margins here in the Group 1 Turnbull over 2000m behind stablemate Via Sistina.

What she went on to do in the Cox Plate was astronomical and bodes very well for this guy.

If he runs it out, he wins.

To Feature: #12 Okita Soushi ($11 at time of publish) 

Okita Soushi lined-up as an Irish-trained raider for Joseph O’Brien in the race last year and returns now with top trainer Ciaron Maher.

Cannot believe the move on this guy since the field and barriers were locked in Saturday evening.

Preferred the better 20/1 offering but he has been absolutely smashed into $11 now, and still finding it hard not to follow that money trail with lots of boxes ticked by this guy.

He is more seasoned, acclimatised, and has the benefit of a year down under in his second attempt.

Eleventh last year from gate 20, he is drawn for a sweet run this season in barrier 9 (in from 10).

Some of the punters’ money is explained by the booking of Jamie Kah following her outstanding Saturday last weekend that included the VRC Derby victory on Goldrush Guru.

She is riding in outstanding style and this Galileo entire is going equally as good coming off a Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) win under the lights.

Has won over the two miles so no distance queries, comes back to 51kg, and the black silks statistically are a good thing!

To Improve: #4 Warp Speed ($23 at time of publish)

Warp Speed from Japan was one of the big hype Melbourne Cup hopes earlier in the season and one of the early favourites.

That was until he ran in the Caulfield Cup and performed like he was just having a barrier trial at best.

The Drefong six-year-old was flat, no arguing with that, when 13th beaten over 16 lengths.

Since then he’s been left alone in betting for the second leg of the Spring Cups in Australia, but still think he could give a much better performance at Flemington.

Delta Blues (2006) is the only Japanese-trained Melbourne Cup winner to date.

Not saying Warp Speed will be the second, but if you look back over his form at home that includes a fifth in the prestigious Tenno Sho with plenty of weight and winning form up to 3000m, then there’s plenty to indicate huge improvement at a price.

He’s shaken off the cobwebs and has settled right in at Melbourne and gets a sweet run from barrier two (in from three).

Got a Slow track at Caulfield and will appreciate the Good going for Australia’s biggest race day.

His trainer remains confident and think he’ll be right there when it counts.

To Surprise: #8 Land Legend ($20 at time of publish) 

Land Legend is one of five for Waller and he’s at an incredible price really considering he is more than double that of Buckaroo despite his form being equally as impressive this season.

The Galileo five-year-old beat Zardozi narrowly to win the Group 1 The Metrop (2400m) with a light weight in Sydney two back and then ran out of his skin for a Caulfield Cup third.

He might of been six lengths off the winner but he was finishing off strongly and there’s suggestions he might even see out the two miles better than his better fancied stablemate Buckaroo who was second in the same key lead-up race over the 2400m.

Hong Kong’s Zac Purton rides, barrier 17 might not be ideal but did produce Almandin (2016) for a win inside the past decade.

When a raider with James Ferguson last year he won the Sydney St. Leger over 2600m in record time by 2.7 lengths.

He’s building to something, and the odds are generous.