Cup fans in race to TV sets

Brett and Vern Withey, of Hastings, nervously watch the Melbourne Cup on screen at the Hastings RSA. Photo / Paul Taylor

Offices around the region were hastily vacated before 5pm yesterday so punters could watch the biggest horse race of the year.

Jockey Michelle Payne became the first woman to win the Melbourne Cup in its illustrious 155-year history.

Sadly, however, famed Kiwi jockey Jimmy Cassidy's racing swansong ended in disappointment at the Cup.

The New Zealand Racing Hall-of-Famer and his horse Grand Marshal made a decent start at Flemington and were toward the front of the field before falling away and finishing 21st out of 24.

Cassidy had vowed this week that the big one across the ditch would be his final race.

Born in Wellington, he started his riding career in Hastings, apprenticed to trainer Patrick Campbell.

He recorded his first win aboard the Campbell-trained Tarlton at Hastings in August, 1978 and went on to win 257 races as an apprentice and has kicked home 508 winners on New Zealand racetracks.

He was awarded the titles of New Zealand Racing Personality of the Year and Hawke's Bay Sportsman of the Year in 1982.

There were approximately one million bets placed on yesterday's Melbourne Cup race, up from 828,000 last year.

TAB turnover for the 155th Melbourne Cup race was $10.39 million, which it said was on a par with 2014.