Melbourne Cup 2021: Glammed-up punters arrive at Flemington for the ‘race that stops the nation’

Glammed-up punters have begun spilling into Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse for ‘the race that stops the nation’ with a striking woman in a pink power suit setting the bar for fashionable arrivals. 

The iconic race will be fought out by 23 runners at Flemington Racecourse at 3pm on Tuesday in front of 10,000 fully-vaccinated racegoers after Matt Cumani-trained outsider Future Score showed signs of lameness. 

Around 70 per cent of attendees at the 161st Melbourne Cup will be Victoria Racing Club members with only five per cent of tickets offered to a few hundred members of the public. 

Punters will be separated into three zones they cannot stray from and will need to be fully vaccinated, wear a mask indoors and be seated to eat and drink.  

The glamorous punter wore a matching pink pantsuit with a blue tie and striking white hat 

Another glamorous arrival opted for a peach mini-dress and accessorised with a large pink bow and white bag

Flemington Racecourse will welcome back 10,000 vaccinated punters after the race ran crowd-less last year due to Covid-19

Earlier on Tuesday, Melbourne Cup outsider Future Score was ruled out of the $8 million race after failing a veterinary test.

One of two runners inspected on race morning, Future Score was withdrawn because of lameness.

Future Score’s defection leaves a field of 23 to face the starter in the famous race after Delphi was passed fit.

Delphi, who has met with betting support at longer odds, was lame on Cup eve but satisfied Racing Victoria veterinarians of his soundness before Tuesday’s scratching deadline.

The import will be trying to rebound after a Caulfield Cup disappointment and will be ridden by champion jockey Damien Oliver.

Oliver is chasing his fourth Melbourne Cup win.

Twenty-two Cup horses were cleared to race on Monday, including the UK stayer Spanish Mission.

Spanish Mission attracted additional veterinary scrutiny last week before given the all-clear to race ahead of an acceptance deadline on Saturday.

Spectators will soon start filling the Flemington lawns but will be required to stay within one of three designated zones

This woman chose a long white dress with frills and wore a festive red flower in her hair 

Another arrival opted for a simple hot pink dress with statement earrings and a pink broad-brimmed hat to keep off the sun

These women opted to wear brazen patterns to the iconic raceday with black headpieces – the hallmark of the 

Trainer Matthew Cumani has slammed Racing Victoria for the ‘ultra-conservative’ rules that meant his horse Future Score was pulled from the race after showing signs of lameness in his right foreleg. 

He claimed the seven-year-old gelding presented the same way going into the Cranbourne Cup, which he won.

The last-minute decision comes after safety measures for Cup Runners were ramped-up following the deaths of six horses in the last seven years.

‘Just very sad for the owners of the horse, we thought he was a better chance than 200-1, he was really peaking for this week,’ Cumani told SEN on Tuesday morning.