The Melbourne Cup is the world’s most popular 2 mile race, and you can watch the 2012 Melbourne Cup live online below.

The Melbourne Cup is often referred to as “The Race That Stops a Nation” because people all over the nation of Australia stop to watch 24 thoroughbreds race 3200 meters (just under two miles) around the Flemington racetrack.

The hype surrounding the 2012 Melbourne Cup is higher than it has ever been, with speculation ramping up this morning heading into the race (as of the now, it is 8:00am in Australia). All eyes are currently on Luca Cumani, who is expected to take the Melbourne Cup trophy to England for the first time.

Cumani’s talented stayer Mount Athos is believed by many experts to completely fit the bill for a Melbourne Cup winner this year.

“Luca Cumani started his quest to win the Cup back in 2006 with Glistening who ran 10th behind Delta Blues,” said form expert Gary Crispe. “He then trained two close seconds with Purple Moon in 2007 and Bauer in 2008 and more recently Manighar has run seventh in 2010 and fifth last year.”

“But this year Cumani has bought a higher-rated horse than all those in Mount Athos who boasts a Timeform rating of 123,” Crispe continued. “Mount Athos only joined Cumani’s yard at the start of this year and remains undefeated in three starts taking his Timeform rating from 112 to 123+ with authoritative performances.”

Second in the odds is the Team Williams stayer Green Moon. Though a former European galloper, experts have placed Green Moon as the best change of a “local” success at the 2012 Melbourne Cup.

“Green Moon’s Cox Plate effort is best overlooked as he had little luck and was not well suited under the weight for age conditions,” Crispe said. “If he has fully recovered then he is much better placed under the handicap conditions.”

“At his previous start he won the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington from stablemate Seville,” said Crispe. “While the Cox Plate did not go to plan, this could be a different story. It will be his fifth run back from a spell, significant because he ran second in the Caulfield Cup last year in that state.”

You can read more about the 2012 Melbourne Cup odds predictions here, or watch it live for yourself below. WARNING: regional restrictions apply to the live feed. You can also listen to ABC live radio coverage here.

The full video can be found here:  racingnetwork.com.au

If the above does not work, you can sign up for a solid stream of the 2012 Melbourne Cup here, here, and here.

Watch The 2012 Melbourne Cup Live Online [Streaming Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr