(CNN) Vow and Declare has won Australia's most prestigious horse race, the Melbourne Cup, giving Australian jockey Craig Williams his first win at the event in 17 attempts.
The Australian-bred horse saw off rivals in a field of 24 to take the Cup, at the annual blockbuster event at Flemington Racecourse.
Trained by Danny O'Brien, Vow and Declare gave Australia a much longed for victory at the 3,200-meter (1.98 mile) race after a decade of foreign winners.
Williams and O'Brien take the top prize of AU$4.4 million ($3 million), according to News.com.au. Total prize money, including trophies, came to a record AU$8 million ($5.5 million) this year.
Always held on the first Tuesday of November, the Melbourne Cup is one of the world's most revered races and the highlight of a week-long carnival of racing, fashion, food and culture.
Disputed finish
This year's race ended in dramatic fashion following a dispute over the second and third spots resulting in a change in order after an initial photo finish.
A protest lodged against Master of Reality jockey Frankie Dettori alleged that he blocked fourth-place Il Paradiso in the final 200 meters (218 yards). Stewards upheld the protest, meaning Master of Reality was pushed down to fourth place, with third place finisher Prince of Arran promoted to second and Il Paradiso taking third.
Italian Dettori, 48, who was banned for eight race days in Victoria, has never won the Melbourne Cup in an otherwise glittering career.
"I feel like crying," he told reporters at Flemington.
Veteran jockey Williams came close to winning the three major Melbourne races in 2011, after claiming victory in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate. Tuesday marks his first Melbourne Cup win.
"I was lucky enough to sit on Vow And Declare. A credit to Danny O'Brien," Williams said, according to CNN affiliate Nine News. "It was a privilege to ride him today. We had a difficult barrier draw. The instructions, we trusted him. We know what we can do."
"Great to be associated with a great horse like this horse ... I'm so grateful to be given the opportunity."
Trainer Joseph O'Brien, son of esteemed Irish handler Aidan O'Brien, won the 2017 Melbourne Cup with Rekindling and he said he was disappointed for Dettori,who was second in .
"I'm more gutted for Frankie than I am for myself. I'll be back. I don't know if Frankie is ever going to win this race," he told The Age.
Melbourne Cup: The race that stops a nation
The Melbourne Cup on display at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia.
Australian model and personality Tegan Martin carries the Melbourne Cup trophy during the 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival launch at Flemington Racecourse.
Former Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jimmy Cassidy kisses a parade horse during the 2019 parade in Melbourne, Australia.
Performers dance during the parade through the streets of Melbourne, which takes place the day before the famed "race that stops a nation."
Roving stilt performers wow the crowds at the Melbourne Cup Parade.
The parade features a pageant of racing royalty including retired race horses, such as 2007 winner Efficient and 2015 champion Prince of Penzance.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp (left) and Victoria Racing Club Chairman Amanda Elliott hold the Melbourne Cup during the Parade.
Last year's winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy, who triumphed on board Cross Counter, arrives on a horse as his wife Cathy McEvoy carries the original Melbourne Cup trophy alongside their children.
Models on stilts stand at the entrance of The Park, the lively, family-friendly area at Flemington Racecourse.
The trendy Birdcage hospitality enclave is where the rich and famous go to see and be seen. A new feature for 2019 is the Bird Bath Bar area.
Fashion is a big part of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Huge prize money is up for grabs for the Meyers fashion award winners.
Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt is one of a host of celebrity visitors at the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
The Birdcage corporate hospitality marquees try to outdo each other for style, luxury and "experience." Sweets from pastry chef Darren Puchese are seen at the Tabcorp marquee.
The Melbourne Cup never fails to attracts large crowds
Fans in bright outfits gather to celebrate ahead of the races.
Glenn Boss rides Melbourne Cup contender Constantinople (left) and Jye McNeil rides Huntly Castle (right) during a trackwork session at Flemington Racecourse.
Horses jump out of the gates to begin Race Seven, the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Craig Williams rides Vow and Declare (right) to win the 2019 Melbourne Cup.
Craig Williams celebrates after riding Vow And Declare to the win the Melbourne Cup.
Billy Egan on Bravo Tango won the Grinders Coffee Roasters Trophy in race two.
James McDonald (in second) rides Akari to win the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes.
Jockey Glen Boss crosses the line in first place on Makybe Diva during the 2005 Melbourne Cup. Boss and Makybe Diva won three Cups in a row between 2003 and 2005.
Michelle Payne rides Prince of Penzance. In 2015 she became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.
Bart Cummings (left), the most successful trainer in Melbourne Cup history with 12 wins, poses with jockey Blake Shinn their horse Viewed ran to victory in 2008.
Horses race past the crowd during the Melbourne Cup.
The Melbourne Cup attracts celebrities from all over the world. Here, supermodel Naomi Campbell poses with the Melbourne Cup in 2013.
Even royalty partake in the revelry. In 2012 Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall greets racegoers.
Jim Cassidy rides Might and Power (right) to a dramatic victory in 1997 by a nose ahead of Greg Hall on Doriemus in one of the tightest finishes in Melbourne Cup history.
The crowd walk past spring flowers during the 2004 Melbourne Cup.
Punters cheer their favorites forward in 2017. Last year, one punter turned a $3 bet into $114,000 in winnings.
Horses burst from the blocks. This year's purse is valued at A$8 million.
Flemington, which has hosted the famous race since 1861, welcomed about 81,000 spectators for Melbourne Cup day, which is a public holiday in the state of Victoria. More than 2.5 million were expected to tune in on TV across the country.
The 2018 event contributed a record $309 million in gross economic benefit to the state of Victoria. Of that, $47.9 million was on retail spending including fashion and grooming, according to a study commissioned by organizer the Victoria Racing Club.
Craig Williams rides Vow and Declare (right) to win the 2019 Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
Sprinter Usain Bolt was one of a host of celebrities at the Melbourne Cup.
Following Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, Racing Victoria said last-place horse Rostropovich pulled up lame and was transported to a veterinary clinic with a cracked pelvis. Rostropovich is in a stable condition and being closely monitored, according to Nine News.
Animal welfare in the wider Australian horse racing industry has recently come under fresh scrutiny.
A two-year investigation by Australia's ABC 7.30 TV program released in October alleged that hundreds of race horses were being sent to slaughterhouses and mistreated in contravention of racing rules.
In response to the scandal, Racing Victoria pledged a AU$25 million ($17 million) welfare plan to care for Victorian thoroughbreds that includes a re-homing program, improving traceability of horses, and responsible breeding efforts.