There was a shocking result in the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Race Course on Tuesday. The race was shown on TVG and HRTV, two racing networks in the US. All wagering outlets and off-track parlours simulcast the Melbourne Cup and took wagers on it.

Jockey John Murtagh rode the winner of the fifth race in the Melbourne Cup card. Hips Don’t Lie was Murtagh’s winning mount. The Melbourne Cup was the seventh race.

There was an elaborate ceremony to introduce the participating jockeys one half hour before the race. It was a sunny day and one could not have asked for better conditions. In American wagering, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Septimus, John Murtagh up, was the favourite. Mad Rush, the Luca Cumani trainee, was next in demand with Damien Oliver aboard. O’Brien’s other two runners, Alessandro Volta and Honolulu, were at long odds. Trainer Cumani had another runner, Bauer. Dermot Weld, twice winner of the Melbourne Cup, sent out Profound Beauty who had the legendary Glen Boss in the saddle.

The Melbourne Cup is a handicap race. Septimus, based on his Group I victories, carried top weight. The race is over 3,200 metres on the grass. There were two scratches. Twenty two horses went postward. Zarita was a scratch. The other scratch was Yellowstone. John Egan, Yellowstone’s rider, was fined several thousand (Australian) dollars for bringing racing into disrepute. In a TV interview, jockey Egan had made derogatory comments about Australian veterinarians. Yellowstone was deemed unfit to race.

The O’Brien trio broke away from the rest. At one point, they were, at least, six lengths in front of the others. Alessandra Volta called the tune with Septimus in second. Two back in third was Honolulu, Colm O’Donoghue up. The field began closing in and Honolulu was the first to beat a retreat. Septimus forged ahead and Alessandro Volta shot his bolt turning for home. Not a moment or two had passed and Septimus was tackled by Viewed, a longshot that very few had taken a second look at. Ridden by the 21 year-old Blake Shinn, Viewed began putting some separation between himself and the chasing group. With about 500 metres to run, Viewed was being hailed but the Melbourne Cup had not been put to bed yet. Emerging from the pack, the Cory Brown-ridden Bauer began gaining ground on Viewed. It was apparent that Viewed was getting leg-weary. The winning post loomed large as Viewed and Bauer raced past the line together.

Bauer had failed to catch Viewed. The official margin was a nose. Taking third was C’est La Guerre. Master O’Reilly ran fourth. All the fancied runners were out of the frame.

Viewed’s trainer, Bart Cummings is 81. This was the twelfth time that he was winning the coveted Melbourne Cup. Trainer Cummings said, “A friend said that I was getting into the habit of winning this race. It is a nice habit to get into.”

Owner Dato Tan Chin Nam heaped praise on trainer Cummings. “This is my fourth Cup. Only Cummings could have done this. I thought we had won. Then, I thought we may not have.”

Mr Chin Nam won the Melbourne Cup in 1974, 1975 and in 1996.

Jockey Blake Shinn was winning his first Melbourne Cup. “It has not sunk in yet. I had a dream trip. Viewed is a hard-running horse. He settled into a good rhythm and was travelling so well that I moved sooner than I wanted to. My horse ran the race of his life. I am thankful to Mr Nam and Mr Cummings for giving me this opportunity. My life has changed in three minutes. This is a thrill I cannot describe.”

Viewed, a five-year old, is by Scenis, an Irish stallion. On Saturday Nov 1 in a prep, Viewed had raced disappointingly and that accounted for the diminished enthusiasm for the Cummings runner. The payoff in North America for a $2 ticket was a whopping $186.00. The $1 Superfecta (the first four finishers) returned $17,601.10. In Australia, the win dividend was $46.50.

Bauer’s photo loss meant two heart-breaking losses for trainer Luca Cumani in two consecutive years. In 2007, Cumani’s Purple Moon looked a winner in deep stretch only to be headed by Efficient in the last few jumps. In 2008, Bauer, rallying late, failed to catch the leader. Cumani’s Mad Rush had every chance as the race developed but did not quicken when asked. No British runner has won the Melbourne Cup.

There are two more days of racing at Flemington that are part of the Melbourne Cup carnival. The fourth and final card will be on November 8.

The US election will be held today. In almost every poll, Senator Obama has the lead. It is a history-making event. The Democrats are expected to make big gains. The sitting President is very unpopular and the Obama coattails will help many Democrats.