Dolce Diva!

MOUNT Gambier held its breath along with the rest of the nation yesterday, as the Lee Freedman-trained Makybe Diva stormed home to win the coveted Melbourne Cup for a historic third time.

High fashion and elaborate hats were the order of the day though for more than 100 people attending the Women's and Children's Auxiliary fundraising luncheon at Commodore on the Park.

Event organisers were delighted with the generous support given on the day, helping to raise money to purchase much-needed equipment for the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide.

"We've had a great turn-up and people have been supporting the hospital by buying sweets and through the raffles," auxiliary secretary Karen Norman said.

"And it's nice to see some of the gentlemen attended too."

Cheryl Brown, who attended the luncheon in full jockey colours, said it was a fun way to get into the spirit of the Melbourne Cup while also fundraising for a good cause.

"We're all here to raise money but we're also having a good day and a great lunch," she said.

Many of the city's punters were off and racing well before the scheduled start of the $5.1m race, huddling around television screens wherever they could find them to watch all the action at Flemington.

Mark Lane, owner of the South Aussie Hotel, said it turned out to be a sensational day, with one lucky punter having a great day picking the Pick Four and the Trifecta.

"We've been packed all day with people even outside enjoying the race," Mr Lane said. "It's just a great atmosphere."

Racing fever also gripped punters at the city's TAB outlet, with staff run off their feet from the moment they opened their doors at 7.30am.

The Mount Gambier West TAB helped cater for the many people who placed casual bets on Cup Day, using a new simpler ticket system specifically for the big race.

"It's the busiest day of the year for us," TAB commissioned agent Lyn Lockwood said.

"We've been flat out with hundreds of people coming in since early this morning."

Ms Lockwood said many local punters went home happy, with about 90pc of the Mount Gambier faithful backing the sentimental favourite Makybe Diva to make history.

In all, Australians put more than $150m on the Melbourne Cup, including a record $8.1m bet on the big race alone in South Australia, up 13pc on last year.

In the end it was a one-horse race, with champion mare Makybe Diva jumping away to a good start before running away with what has been dubbed "the greatest Melbourne Cup win of all time".