Rain fails to put a damper on Melbourne Cup Carnival

EQUINE influenza was the furthest thing from the minds of the sell-out crowd which turned out at Flemington Racecourse yesterday for the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

More than 120,000 people flocked to the famed course for the running of the Victoria Derby, undeterred by the cool weather and occasional showers.

Derby Day lifts the curtain on the spring carnival and is considered more important by racing purists than Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.

More than $140 million is expected to be bet on the Melbourne Cup race alone, making it a class act for the bookies as well.

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