Melbourne Cup 2021: 160-year curse on Barrier 18 finally broken

A remarkable piece of history has been made at Flemington this afternoon, putting to bed a curse more than a century old.

James McDonald riding Verry Elleegant. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The Wallabies at Eden Park. Batsmen stranded in the 90s. Barrier 18 at Flemington.

Everyone’s a sucker for a good sporting curse. But now the myth that you can’t win the Melbourne Cup from Barrier 18 has been vanquished.

Verry Elegant pulled up to the gate with 160 years of results riding against it. But a miracle run saw the Chris Waller-trained mare trump Cup favourite Incentivise in the race that stops the nation, becoming the first entrant in the event’s history to win from the cursed position.

Before today, Barrier 18 was the only position never to have produced a winner.

The victory gave Waller his first ever Melbourne Cup after jockey James McDonald piloted the six-year-old mare to a perfect position before exploding down the final straight to blow the field away.

“I just can’t believe what’s just happened,” an emotional McDonald said after the race.

It is an astonishing 10th Group 1 career victory for the Kiwi horse. The connections of the horse are now celebrating a staggering $4.4 million payday and trophies worth a combined $250,000.

The race unfolded with a series of dramatic shuffles at the front of the field.

James Mcdonald riding #4 Verry Elleegant celebrates winning race 7, the Lexus Melbourne Cup.

Incentivise, who was a red-hot, short-priced favourite, was six-deep as they crossed the post for the first time, but pushed up into second behind Persan on the back straight.

Incentivise was in front as they turned onto the straight, but Verry Elleegant was positioned perfectly to make her run past the grandstand and shot ahead of the race favourite with more than 300m to run.

Incentivise finished a very distant second with Verry Elleegant humiliating the rest of the field as she left them in her wake.

Spanish Mission finished third, with Floating Artist fourth.

Incentivise jumped as one of the shortest-priced favourites in the history of the race ($2.80) and had briefly been the shortest-priced runner in the Melbourne Cup since legend Phar Lap 80 years ago.

Only 10 previous runners started the race with a price less than $3.

Barrier 18 has finally netted a win.

2021 MELBOURNE CUP FINAL FINISHING ORDER

1st — Verry Elleegant

2nd — Incentivise

3rd — Spanish Mission

4th — Floating Artist

5th — The Chosen One

6th — Grand Promenade

7th — Delphi

8th — Selino

9th — Tralee Rose

10th — She’s Ideel

11th — Twilight Payment

12th — Miami Bound

13th — Great House

14th — Sir Lucan

15th — Explosive Jack

16th — Master of Wine

17th — Pondus

18th — Carif

19th — Knights Order

20th — Persan

21st — Port Guillaume

22nd — Johnny Get Angry

Last Place — Ocean Billy

Scratched — Future Score

— with Tyson Otto, Nic Savage

Originally published as Melbourne Cup 2021: 160-year curse on Barrier 18 finally broken