…Without A Fight. The 7yo gelding yesterday became the first horse since Ethereal in 2001 to win both the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups in the same year. It’s the Freedman family’s 8th training win and 41yo jockey Mark Zahra became the first rider since Glen Boss on Makybe Diva to win consecutive Melbourne Cups (note: that team went on to win it 3 times in a row between 2003-05…). Zarah rode Gold Trip to victory last year, and his decision to change horses (almost midstream…) was made on the advice of a mate – and didn’t that pay off, with last year’s winner coming in 17th… As for the fashions on the field, shorts and sneakers were a popular choice this year. You can find a gallery of all the best looks here.

And while we have you, Australia has confirmed its spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-finals with a 3-wicket win against Afghanistan this morning. We were 91-7 in pursuit of 292 runs when Glenn Maxwell came to the crease and turned on 201 runs off 128 deliveries, breaking an Aussie record. He missed the last game after falling off a golf buggy…