After ascending to pre-race favouritism at the Cup, Preusker's stable star Surprise Baby finished in 13^th place, 8.8 lengths behind winner Twilight Payment.

Preusker said he was ultimately happy with the six-year-old's performance, as it finished faster across the 3200 metres than it did in 2019.

"It's just like any other race - you need a lot of luck to win it," Preusker said. "(Surprise Baby) got back in the pack, got it a bit rough and couldn't make the markers up.

"You get locked away, and to me, it was show over at the 1400 (metre mark). You can't win from there."

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While Preusker was disappointed with the result, he said there was no time to lament what could have been.

"Racing is a tough game. There's plenty of highs and lows. You can't sook about it, you've got to get back up and going again," he said.

"We'll let the dust settle this week, and whether we give him another spin at Sandown or concentrate on the Autumn, we'll see that unfold in the next couple of days."

Horsham jockey Dean Yendall also had a part to play on Tuesday, riding Oceanex to a respectable 11^th place.

The five-year-old was an $81 outsider prior to the jump, and Yendall said he aimed to ride the mare to a top-12 finish.

Yendall - who was riding in his "fourth or fifth" Melbourne Cup - however lamented the absence of a crowd for the big race.

"To be honest with you, there wasn't much enjoyment out of it all because of the situation," he said.

"It's always a great race to be in, but there was no atmosphere there at all.

"It was just like riding every other day. There was no buzz. Normally there's 90,000 there screaming. It was a beautiful day. It's just a shame.

"My horse went really well, about as good as she could go. But it just wasn't the same as other Cups."

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Yendall said pre-race was when the lack of a crowd felt the strangest.

"Walking down the raceway, normally all you can hear is people yelling and screaming, and the sound of it is amazing," he said.

"This time, it was amazing how quiet and how eerie it was.

"I was obviously glad to be a part of it and thankful for that, but obviously it wasn't the same."

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