Point of Law is going to be a "superstar", says jockey Ethan Brown

Point of Law, a horse previously owned by King Charles, snatched victory in a thrilling 166th staging of the Melbourne Cup.

The three-year-old colt, who was bought from the King for an undisclosed sum earlier this year, reeled in Royal Supremacy for a win on just his sixth career start.

Ridden by Australian jockey Ethan Brown, Point Of Law emerged from the middle of the pack and raced clear in the final 100m to finish ahead of Zahrann and Juja Kibo as Ciaron Maher became the first trainer to saddle the top three finishers.

The Melbourne Cup, run in Australia since 1861 is often referred to as the "race that stops a nation". With a prize of A$10.2m ($7.04m; £5.3m), it is the country's third richest race, but is considered the most prestigious.

"Don't wake me up, this is every jockey's dream," said a triumphant Brown.

He added that he was telling himself "just stay cool, stay patient" as Royal Supremacy raced more than a dozen lengths ahead, before pushing Point of Law to overtake on the home stretch.

The King sold Point of Law to a group of investors including former AFL player Chris Judd and his wife Bec.

"He's going to be a superstar horse. He's something special," said Brown of the horse that won the Geelong Cup last month. "He's in the best of hands with Ciaron Maher."

Maher had a record seven of the 23 horses in this year's cup.

Brown, who grew up in Alice Springs, said he never dreamed as a kid that he would be riding the Melbourne Cup, but he had been given "a lot of great support" in his career.

Brown was "inches from losing my life" after a fall from his horse in a 2023 race sent him to hospital and kept him out of racing for six months.

Tens of thousands of people enjoyed sunny weather at Flemington on Tuesday, where they were also entertained by Robbie Williams. Organisers said the UK pop star's appearance, which included a 10-piece band, dancers and pyrotechnics, was the biggest pre-cup performance ever staged at Flemington.

The day was not without controversy. One horse, Asterix, was scratched from the race earlier on Tuesday, after it was discovered a stable worker had administered it the medication penetrene earlier that morning.

The medication is used to treat inflammation and muscle soreness, but no treatments of any kind are permitted on race day. Race stewards said the medication was applied in error but still constituted a "serious breach", the Age reported. Trainer Chris Waller was reportedly fined A$50,000 (£26,000; $35,000) for what he described as a simple mistake by a staff member under pressure.

Outside Flemington, crowds from the Australia-wide "Nup to the Cup" movement also gathered to protest against horse racing on the industry's most high profile day. Some held signs with slogans including "horse racing kills", "don't bet on cruelty" and "no more whips".

Interest in the race among Australians has been declining, according to a Guardian Essential poll, which this year found just 9% of people said they had high interest in the race, and 23% had moderate interest. However more than 60% said it was a unique part of Australia's national identity.

Last year the Melbourne Cup drew a record $382.5 million in bets.