But for many the highlight of the Melbourne Cup is the fashion.
This year’s carnival is the first full-scale event in three years, after a spectator-free carnival in 2020 and limited attendance in 2021.
It’s expected the carnival will have seen more than 300,000 racegoers through the Flemington gates by the time it concludes.
That’s a lot of outfits! See some of the best from the carnival’s big day below: