Viewed wins Melbourne Cup
Andrew Garvey
November 4, 2008
Viewed (rail), ridden by Blake Shinn, and Bauer, with Corey Brown in the saddle, drive for the post in today's heart-stopping Cup finish. Viewed paid more than $40 in tote betting. Photo: John Donegan
Cups King Bart Cummings created yet more history when outsider Viewed, ridden by Blake Shinn, took out the $5.65 million Melbourne Cup after a photo finish at Flemington this afternoon.
Viewed gave Cummings his 12th Melbourne Cup winner after winning his first with Light Fingers in 1965.
The win also gave Cummings, who started training in 1953, his 250th group one victory.
After racing midfield as the Aiden O'Brien-trained Alessandro Volta set a hot pace, Viewed - a 45-1 roughie on the tote - moved into the race on the turn and took over with 300 metres to travel.
The Luca Cumani trained-Bauer emerged from the pack to challenge and looked set to get to him but under hard riding from Shinn, Viewed held on to win by a nose.
The John Sadler-trained C'est La Guerre ran on well two lengths further back in third position.
The favourite Mad Rush settled back in the field and ran on fairly without ever looking a winning chance.
At the presentation, Cummings said it was great to see an Australian horse win the Melbourne Cup as the international raiders again threatened to take home the trophy.
"It's great to see the Aussies succeed, not only in racing but in cricket," Cummings said, in reference to his horse edging out English horse Bauer.
"But I really thought it would have been a dead heat."
Where they finished:
1. Viewed
2. Bauer
3. C'est La Guerre
4. Master O'Reilly
5. Profound Beauty
6. Moatize
7. Mad Rush
8. Nom du Jeu
9. Zipping
10. Newport
11. Ice Chariot
12. Guyno
13. Littorio
14. Varevees
15. Boundless
16. Red Lord
17. Prize Lady
18. Septimus
19. Barbaricus
20. Alessandro Volta
21. Honolulu (last)
Gallopin failed to finish
- with Scott Spits
Bart Cummings wins his 12th Melbourne Cup with Viewed ridden by Blake Shin.  Bauer, ridden by C W Brown, was second after the photo finish, with C’est La Guerre ridden by B Prebble coming third. Honolulu was the last placed horse.

Cummings began training in 1953. His first Cup win was with Light Fingers in 1965. This win is his 250th group one win.   

Today's 148th Melbourne Cup field of 24 was reduced after the scratchings of Yellowstone and Zarita, withdrawn by its trainer Pat Hyland on Monday due to a respiratory infection. The English horse Yellowstone was scratched later in the day by a veterinarian after failing to recover from a hip injury sustained last week.

The race began with Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien's 3 horses Septimus (an early race favourite and $7 chance), Honolulu, and Alessandro Volta setting a cracking pace for a large part of the race before fading badly at the turn into the straight to occupy 3 of the last 5 places. From there Viewed stormed clear before Bauer pulled it back in the last 50 yards to go down by a nose, in one of the closest finishes to a Melbourne Cup in the race's history.

The race was watch by an estimated 105,000 at Flemington Racecourse with many more across the country stopping to watch the race on television.