Threatening weather in many parts of Queensland did not dampen Melbourne Cup day fever.
In Brisbane the threat of a thunderstorm did not keep punters at home with an estimated 200 Cup parties around the city.
Doomben hosted the biggest event with about 10,000 punters flocking to the course before 1pm.
There were none of the dramas of last year when a power failure blacked out Eagle Farm course for much of Cup day which caused an uproar.
Doomben was one of 14 race meetings held in Queensland with another dozen tracks having phantom meetings
Queensland’s major betting outlet UBET had plenty of winning and losing stories.
In the hour leading up to the Cup UBET processed 370,000 transactions.
UBET Media Manager Gerard Daffy said the UBET fixed odds team identified the winner Rekindling early in betting and kept him safe in the lead up to the race.
“Our biggest single winner was $4,000 on Rekindling at $15 moments before the jump for a $60,000 payout,” he said.
Daffy said another punter turned $100 into $14,450 with a two-leg multi of VRC Derby winner Ace High into Rekindling.
But it wasn’t all good news especially for a punter who outlaid $18 for a long range all up bet which would have paid $84,000 had Wall Of Fire won the Cup.
“The customer took Hey Doc at $21 to win the Manikato Stakes into Eptimum in the Red Anchor Stakes at $17 into Wall Of Fire at $13,” Ubet’s Gerard Daffy said.
Wall of Fire ran 16th without ever looking a hope.
