Crowd numbers are in for Melbourne Cup 2019
It might be the most successful race in the nation, but this year’s Melbourne Cup numbers reveal a decline in attendance. What punters didn’t hold back on was downing champagne and party pies. Get the breakdown here.
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The Melbourne Cup Carnival has been hailed a success despite crowds being down at last month’s four day major event.
The Victoria Racing Club will on Thursday release results of its Cup Week festival, spruiking it as the most successful racing showcase in Australia.
Racegoers this year downed 17,546 bottles of champagne, 16,344 oysters, 30,596 party pies at Flemington.
More than 276,000 people attended Cup Week, making the Carnival the four best attended race days across the nation.
But crowds were down for all four days compared to last year and the Cup Day attendance of 81,408 was the lowest since 1995.
VRC chairman Amanda Elliott said the Carnival “continues to drive positive results for Australian racing, and the community more broadly”.
“Even with the cold and wet weather, and other industry challenges in the lead up to the event, the Melbourne Cup Carnival delivered the four most attended race meetings in the country,” she said.
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She said local, interstate and international visitors travelled to Flemington “to enjoy the racing, fashion, entertainment and hospitality of the world’s most vibrant racing event.”
The VRC saw international wagering up globally by 14 per cent for Melbourne Cup Day, including a 76 per cent increase in Japan and a 39 per cent rise in Hong Kong.
Victoria Derby Day, Oaks Day and Stakes Day wagering were up 36 per cent year-on-year.
An Australian TV audience of 2.9 million people watched the race that stops a nation on Network 10 and the Cup was screened at prime time into the US on America’s biggest network, CBS.
VRC caterers redistributed about 500kg of fresh food to people in need through the Salvation Army.