TAB set for record Melbourne Cup haul

Trainer Bart Cummings speaks to jockey Steven Arnold. Photo / Getty Images

TAB has announced today's takings for the Melbourne Cup were up 15 per cent compared to last year.

According to TAB Racing Operations Manager Michael Dore, betting had reached $3.4M by 2pm NZ time.

"I think the fine weather across New Zealand is bringing out the punters for today's race."

"A lot of them are getting behind the two Kiwi horses, Harris Tweed and Monaco Consul, or if they're first timers, they tend to remember Bart Cummings."

Mr Dore said the field was full of potential winners but added that the Cummings-trained horse So You Think has drawn the largest bet by a Kiwi punter so far, with $23,000.

"There are so many good angles in today's race. Usually you could draw a line between the top six and the rest but there's something for everyone today right through the field."

"We are very happy with the way betting has been tracking so far, at this stage it's equal to our second best ever, but a lot can happen in that last hour," says Mr Dore.

Picking a trifecta in today's famous Australian race would be tough, said the TAB spokesman, but he was able to predict takings would be on point to equal if not better than the TAB's 2005 record of $8.1M

Meanwhile, at central Auckland's Victoria St TAB punters were flowing in to take part in the big race.

University student Joseph Faumui from West Auckland was betting for the first time with friends, while semi-regular punters Brock Coleville, 23, and Nick Wilson, 28, were backing Descarado and Holberg respectively.

The branch manager was on the floor helping the influx of first-timers fill out their betting slips and at one stage had to clear out a punter for blasting the races out of a portable stereo.

Ellerslie racing boss Chris Weaver was in equally high spirits today, saying that a crowd of approximately 6000 had turned out so far at the Auckland races.

"We've got a great crowd here. The weather's beautiful and it's just fantastic."

"So far we've taken about $800,000 here at the betting stalls so it's a very big day to us and New Zealand racing."

"On the whole it takes around $18m across the country," said Mr Weaver.

Mr Weaver said there was a lot of interest around Cummings' Melbourne Cup winning pedigree and all would be waiting to see if he could do it again for the thirteenth time.

"Because of his influence on Australian sport, he's being compared to Don Bradman. He's an iconic man."

Mr Weaver noted that the Kiwi association with Cummings was closer than most people recognised.

"It's a lovely link to [Cummings] that many of his past winners are Kiwi horses. When you look at the field and know they were bred here, it's a sign we are highly regarded when it comes to horse breeding."