🗞 Stuff of Dreams

G'day sports fans,

"By a certain time in the afternoon, one ceases to remember details." - TV’s Virginia Gay on attending the Melbourne Cup.

🏎️ LIVE F1: Following a red flag, Max Verstappen currently leads Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos. P2 Norris, P3 Alonso, P4 Hamilton, P5 Russell, P6 Perez.

⚽️ LIVE EPL: Luton Town 0-0 Liverpool (60’)

📧 P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

🐴 Australians have shown once again that when it comes to letting loose, we cannot be beat.

The Melbourne Cup Carnival — the annual horse racing extravaganza headlined by the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday — kicking off with Victoria Derby Day with fans cramming into Flemington.

The 168-year-old race for three-year-olds over 2500m was run and won in a photo finish for the Chris Waller-trained Riff Rocket on Saturday, but the star as usual were the revellers.

Victoria Racing Club expects to host more than 250,000 people across the four days of racing, including Melbourne Cup day.

Melbourne Cup favourite Vauban has on Sunday been a marked drifter in betting for the race that stops a nation — but his stablemate has been heavily backed.

Vauban was $3.30 on Sunday morning post the barrier draw however, as at 8pm, drifted to $4.40.

His stablemate, Absurde, to be ridden by Zac Purton, has been the big shortener in the race, firming from $21 into $12.

The Willie Mullins stable has been adamant since Saturday night there is not much between both horses.

🤓 Irish galloper Vauban looks set to run favourite in the great race, but who will be the toughest to beat? Explore this interactive form guide (ABC)

🐴 This is the easiest way to organise your office sweep. (FOX SWEEP)

💰 One punter will be having some sleepless nights as they wait for the Melbourne Cup, with an almost million-dollar collect waiting for them if the favourite Vauban salutes.

A Ladbrokes customer put $1000 on a five-leg multi on September 23 and has nailed the first four legs.

• Collingwood AFL Premiership @ $1.70 ✅

• Without a Fight Caulfield Cup (AIl In) @ $8 ✅

• Imperatriz Moir Stakes (Pre-Nom) @ $2 ✅ 

• Ace Impact Arc De Triomphe (All In) @ $4.33 ✅

• Vauban Melbourne Cup (All In) @ $7

🏏 Cameron Green says he’ll lose his spot in the red-hot Australian side for Tuesday’s World Cup clash with Afghanistan.

After five consecutive wins, the Aussies are a victory away from clinching a spot in the semi-finals, where they’re set to come up against India or South Africa.

With Glenn Maxwell (concussion) and Mitch Marsh (personal reasons) to be available for the upcoming match it means two changes are expected to be made.

“We want the best team out on the field, and unfortunately, I’m missing out,” - Green said after his 47 off 52 balls against England.

📺 YouTube has removed Robelinda2, the channel of Australian YouTube archivist Rob Moody, after receiving several copyright infringement complaints. Social media users expressed their displeasure at the news of the termination of the much-loved YouTube channel, almost certainly the biggest archive of cricket videos on the internet. Apparently the ICC have been in touch to see if they can help.

🏏 Virat Kohli equalled the record of fellow India great Sachin Tendulkar as he hit his 49th one-day international century in a dominant 243-run win for the hosts against South Africa in the World Cup.

Kohli, on his 35th birthday, hit 101 not out from 121 balls, sending the crowd at Eden Gardens into a frenzy.

His superb knock helped India post 326-5 from their 50 overs in Kolkata.

South Africa were then skittled out for just 89 in 27.1 overs.

"Every opportunity to play for India is big one for me. To be able to do that on my birthday, in front of the whole crowd, it's stuff of dreams, something that as a child you wish had happened," Kohli said after his record-equalling innings.

⚽️ EPL: Nottingham Forest snapped a six-match winless run to beat Aston Villa 2-0.

🤬 In his first appearance since parting company with Rugby Australia, fans at Principality Stadium booed the Barbarians co-coach Eddie Jones every time his face popped up on the big screen.

👴🏼 All the years carrying the Welsh Rugby Team on his back finally caught up with Dan Bigger ⬇️

👊🏻 Brazil's Jailton Almeida claimed a unanimous points win over Derrick Lewis in their heavyweight UFC bout in Sao Paulo.

Almedia, taken to five rounds for the first time, was adjudged a 50-44 winner by two judges and 50-45 by another.

Almeida landed 120 strikes to American Lewis' 28 at the Ibirapuera Arena.

🏈 NFL: One of the games of the season took place in Frankfurt Germany, the Chiefs went up 21-0 into half time, and managed to hold on for an ugly win 21-14.

🎾 Novak Djokovic will head to the ATP Finals brimming with confidence.

The top-ranked Serb will take on his rivals at the year-end event starting next weekend on an 18-match winning streak, fresh from a 40th Masters 1000 tournament win.

Djokovic, who has not lost a match since his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July, won a record-extending seventh title at the Paris Masters on Sunday with a quick and easy 6-4, 6-3 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final.

🏉 After a Man of the Match performance in the Kiwis win over Australia it was revealed Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad played through a broken rib for the past 2 games! Showed his toughness just to play, let alone 23 runs (277 metres), 1 line break, 2 line-break assists & a try assist.

📺 With the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) once again taking the headlines in Europe and the UK after some questionable decisions, most notably Newcastle v Arsenal - Arsenal said they "wholeheartedly support" manager Mikel Arteta in a press release on Sunday. Liverpool reject Iago Aspas has had enough.

🏉 The Papua New Guinea Kumuls claimed the inaugural Pacific Bowl Championship after defeating the Fiji Bati 32-12 in the final at Port Moresby on Sunday.

The Kumuls flipped the script, having had 40 points put on them by the Bati in the group stage.

Undisciplined behaviour ran rife in both teams' games as tensions escalated in the second half.

⚽️ Manchester United are willing to offer Brazil winger Antony, 23, in a swap deal for 27-year-old forward and compatriot Gabriel Barbosa from Flamengo.

🏆 Marcelo has said that winning the Copa Libertadores with Fluminense is more "important" to him than any of the five Champions League trophies he won with Real Madrid after the Brazilian club's win over Boca Juniors (2-1) on Saturday.

TODAY

07:00 - NASCAR Cup Series, Round 36 (Fox Sports More)

07:00 - Spanish La Liga - Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano (Optus Sport 2)

07:00 - PGA TOUR - World Wide Technology Championship, Round 4 (Fox Sports)

08:25 - NFL - Las Vegas Raiders v New York Giants (7mate)

08:25 - NFL - Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys (ESPN)

10:30 - Sheffield Shield -  Victoria v Tasmania Tigers (Kayo Sports)

10:30 - Sheffield Shield - New South Wales Blues v Western Australia (Kayo Sports)

11:00 - Sheffield Shield - Queensland Bulls v South Australia Redbacks (Kayo Sports)

12:20 - NFL - Cincinnati Bengals v Buffalo Bills (ESPN)

13:00 - NBA - Portland Trail Blazers v Memphis Grizzlies (ESPN 2)

19:30 - NBL - Melbourne United v Perth Wildcats (ESPN)

19:30 - World Cup - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Fox Cricket)

TUESDAY

07:00 - Premier League - Tottenham v Chelsea (Optus Sport 1)

10:30 - Sheffield Shield - Victoria v Tasmania Tigers (Kayo Sports)

10:30 - Sheffield Shield - New South Wales Blues v Western Australia (Kayo Sports)

11:00 - Sheffield Shield - Queensland Bulls v South Australia Redbacks (Kayo Sports)

12:00 - NBA - Oklahoma City Thunder v Atlanta Hawks (ESPN 2)

12:15 - NFL - New York Jets v Los Angeles Chargers (ESPN)

15:00 - Group 1 - Melbourne Cup, 3,200m - HCP, 3YO & Up (Channel 10)

19:30 - World Cup Group Match - Australia v Afghanistan (Channel 9, Fox Cricket, GEM)