Biggest winners and losers from the 2017 Melbourne Cup

A MAN from Victoria was sitting on his couch preparing to watch the Melbourne Cup, when a phone call changed his life.

IT’S all over. This year’s Melbourne Cup saw Rekindling surge to victory after starting the race at $15 odds.

The horse, ridden by two-time Cup winner Corey Brown, won ahead of Johannes Vermeer (second) and Max Dynamite (third).

“I’m speechless, it’s a dream to even come out and race here — and to do it again, I’m lost for words,” Brown said after the race.

The four-year-old horse was the youngest in this year’s race.

Here are all the biggest bets from a massive day of punting on the race that stopped the nation.

‘I’M IN SHOCK’: LUCKY WINNER SNAGS $1 MILLION

A TAB customer scored the most improbable win of Melbourne Cup day after he turned a $10 punt into seven figures.

The man, who only wanted to be known as Dominic, from Mill Park in Victoria, entered a promotion which saw any TAB account customers who placed a bet on races 1 to 4 at Flemington entered into a draw.

After becoming the lucky customer to have his name drawn, Dominic was asked to pick the winner of the Melbourne Cup. If his selection crossed the line first, he’d win $1 million.

Dominic selected Rekindling and sat back at home to watch his dream unfold.

“I started the day working so I never could have imagined this,” he said. “I was laying on the couch about to have a few bets when I got the call that I won the draw. I was actually home alone so I had to call a few mates who rushed over to watch with me.”

Dominic entered the draw with a $5 each way bet on Land of Plenty in race three, which ran second. He said it was hard to describe his emotions after securing the life-changing haul.

“I was just numb. It’s a surreal feeling and I’m still in shock ... I never could have imagined this,” he said.

THE MOMENT DOMINIC (Mill Park) WON $1,000,000 ON REKINDLING!!!

Winner of the TAB #MelbourneCup Millionaire Promotion.#TABWeLoveABet pic.twitter.com/YGpKTmaY54

— TAB (@tabcomau) November 7, 2017

PUNTER LANDS $150,000 FROM $50 BET

Rekindling made a lot of people rich today.

The big winners were everywhere on Cup day. One lucky punter has come away with $151,255 from a $50 boxed trifecta. Another placed a $33 boxed trifecta for a return of $100,433.

Luck might not have been a factor for another punter who accurately picked the trifecta straight up, placing $20 to win $60,502.

“Hats off to those punters, Rekindling was an unlikely hero but no doubt they’ll celebrate their wins for a long time to come,” sportsbet.com.au’s Will Byrne said.

OTHER NOTABLE BETS ON REKINDLING

— $3,000 at $16 [to collect $48,000]

— $2,500 at $17 [to collect $42,500]

— $2,000 at $16 [to collect $32,000]

— $2,000 at $15 [to collect $30,000]

— $1,550 at $16 [to collect $24,800]

— $1,500 at $15 [to collect $22,500]

— $1,500 at $13 [to collect $19,500]

— $1,500 at $12 [to collect $18,000]

— $500 at $51 [to collect $25,500]

— $350 at $51 [to collect $17,850]

TAB’S BIGGEST FLOPS

Johannes Vermeer — $10,000 at $11

Wall Of Fire — $3,000 x $1,000 each way at $12/$4.25

Humidor — $2,000 each way at $11/$4

Almandin — $10,000 x $5,000 at $9/$3.15, $2,000 at $9, $3,000 at $9, $5,500 at $8.50, $4,000 at $8.50

Marmelo — $10,000 at $7.50

Big Duke — $1,000 each way at $21/$5.90 + $1,000 each way at $21/$6.35

Gallante — $2,000 at $71

Max Dynamite — $10,000 at $17

Libran — $5,000 at $61

Rekindling took home the world's biggest racing crown.