Melbourne Cup | The biggest winners and losers

REPORTS are pouring in of punters coming away with huge Melbourne Cup purses. This one in particular is just insane.

CROSS Counter has edged out the field to take the 2018 Melbourne Cup, sending punters around the world wild as the race that stops the nation gripped Flemington.

The star gelding stunned the field late in the race to claim the incredible $4 million top prize.

Marmelo, who was the key player in news.com.au’s $100 betting guide before the race, came in second after being pipped from the throne with A Prince Of Arran (third) and Finche (fourth) following close behind.

Race favourites Yucatan and Magic Circle bounced around the odds table in the hours leading up to the final gun with the former finishing at $6.50 after stretching from $5.50 to $8. But the pair were never in contention for the top prize after falling behind early in the piece.

Melbourne Cup: Full Finishing Order

An eye-watering $50,000 wager at $10 for Cross Counter to reign supreme was placed on Monday, becoming TAB’s biggest bet received for the iconic race, which was tipped to turn over $250 million on raceday.

The unknown racing fan will return to the bookie with a receipt for half a million smackeroos. He (or she) topped a list of gutsy Cross Counter backers. One fan plonked $6000 at $11 odds, while another placed $4500 on the gelding to bring home $42,750.

One punter who put money down long before race day and took home a ridiculous $76,440 from a $10 multi bet.

The TAB customer partnered Brooks Kopeka to win the US PGA Championship ($21) with The Autumn Sun to win the Caulfield Guineas ($14) and Cross Counter at $26 odds to take out a happy November payday.

But the day’s biggest grinner was a punter who picked the First 4 in order on a $3 punt. The outrageously lucky gambler took home a freaky $114,062 from an amount too small to buy the morning’s coffee.

Cross Counter brought home the beef.

Another jaw-dropping victory went to a Sportsbet customer who came away with a massive $270,000 after combining $90 on Cross Counter and Shillelagh to win the Myer Classic.

Another placed a $50 wager on Jungle Cat to win the Rupert Clarke Stakes, Winx to win the Cox Plate and Cross Counter to win the Melbourne Cup, winning them a neat $42,315.

BIGGEST CUP FLOPS

Everyone likes to think they have an idea, but at the end of the day, a lot of the final result comes down to chance.

One especially gutsy punter placed a whopping $17,000 on Finche to win at $31 odds. The stallion, who threatened to snag the win before falling back to fourth, would have brought in an eye-watering $527,000 if it crossed the line first.

A massive $35,000 went down the drain after one punter backed Yucatan with all his might. The race favourite finished 11th, making his receipt as useful as a shard of toilet paper.

One punter had $200 on race favourite Yucatan — who finished 11th — back when the Irish racehorse was paying $201, yielding a potential win of $40,200.

It all went a little chaotic for online bookmaker Sportsbet, which was experiencing technical difficulties an hour away from the gun. Betfair was also reported to have been struggling under the mass of punting traffic on racing’s biggest day.

Sportsbet down. Unexpected demand on Cup Day? pic.twitter.com/7Nd22eKKI0

— Snert Underpant (@SnertUnderpant) November 6, 2018

TRAGEDY STRIKES THE CUP

Tarps were pulled up trackside.

The Cliffsofmoher ($17) swept a host of punters out of the mix after the first kilometre, breaking down and falling behind early. The UK-bred horse was immediately put down after veterinarians rushed to the fallen horse and deemed it unsayable.

Tragically, the five-year-old stallion had to be put down after the race, ending a strong career with a 47.1 place percentage.

Veteran Seven commentator Bruce McAvaney said the situation was a “tragedy”

Unfortunately the TV is above my desk in the office. I still feel ill after seeing Cliffsofmoher sustain what is likely to be a life ending injury. There's no words 💔

— Kia Handley (@kiahandley) November 6, 2018