Video: Cross Counter wins Melbourne Cup for Godolphin

Marmelo was second and A Prince of Arran two lengths behind in third at Flemington.

English stayer Cross Counter, ridden by Kerrin McAvoy, gave Dubai-based Godolphin stables its first Melbourne Cup with a length victory in Australia's largest and most prestigious horse race on Tuesday.

This is what the #MelbourneCup winners final piece of work looked like ??#CrossCounter #TeamGodolphin pic.twitter.com/R5yXtza9Gd
- Godolphin (@godolphin) November 6, 2018

Cross Counter, a four-year-old bay gelding trained by Charlie Appleby and based at Newmarket, England, was quoted early at 10-1. It was only Cross Counter's eighth start, but he had missed a top-two finish only once.

#CrossCounter realises a dream come true for @HHShkMohd and #TeamGodolphin with thrilling #MelbourneCup victory ???? ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/LH1i0vo76E
- Godolphin (@godolphin) November 6, 2018

Marmelo was second and A Prince of Arran two lengths behind in third at Flemington.
It was the 158th running of the 3,200-meter (two-mile) race and had a purse of 7.3 million Australian dollars ($5.3 million).

This is what it feels like to win a #MelbourneCup #TeamGodolphin ?? pic.twitter.com/aVxe3iFIzg
- Godolphin (@godolphin) November 6, 2018

"I thought, mate is this happening again?," said an ecstatic McEvoy.
"I'm just lucky I can ride light on these lovely stayers prepared unbelievably well by Godolphin and Charlie Appleby. And third Melbourne Cup, woo!" he exclaimed.
It was the first win for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
"This is everybody's dream. It's sinking in now. This is all down to Sheikh Mohammed," said Appleby.
"He's the one that's given us the encouragement to take the chances in what we do.
"I'm just delighted. What a ride."
Fortunately for punters, flamboyant British billionaire Marwan Koukash's seven-year-old gelding Magic Circle didn't win despite being one of the favourites.
If it had, the former owner of the Salford Red Devils rugby league team had vowed to strip down to his lucky tie and skimpy underwear in celebration.
First staged in 1861, The Melbourne Cup has been run on the first on Tuesday of November since 1876 and winning it instantly makes the horse a household name in Australia.
So important is the race that it is a public holiday in the state where it is held - Victoria - although it has not enjoyed its usual central focus during the annual spring carnival this year.
That's because of increasing attention being given to the Sydney-run The Everest in mid-October. Now in its second year, it is world's richest turf race and was won for a second straight time by Redzel, also ridden by McEvoy.
And there have also been the exploits of the world's top-rated horse Winx, who smashed legendary sprinter Black Caviar's Australian win record in August and then late last month clinched a record fourth Cox Plate and 29th victory in a row.