Shocking cup win for the PM

Jockey Corey Brown celebrates after he rode Shocking ahead of the field, to win the Melbourne Cup race, in Melbourne, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. The $5.5 million Melbourne Cup is the highlight of the Spring Carnival. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)

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A SHOCKING poll result, followed by a Shocking victory - politics and horse racing are full of surprises.

Perhaps the most shocking result to come from Tuesday is that Kevin Rudd knows how to pick a winner at the races.

The prime minister's pick for the Melbourne Cup overcame a wide gate draw in barrier 22 to surge away on the straight and take out the race that stops the nation.

With Mr Rudd recently concerned with surges of another kind, the victory would be a welcome distraction.

The prime minister this week suffered his first significant hit in the polls since coming to office, with primary support for the Rudd government plummeting by seven percentage points.

In the preferred prime minister stakes - this was not a lead up event to the Melbourne Cup - he slipped by two points to 63 per cent.

Mr Rudd's handling of the asylum seeker issue has dominated politics over the past few weeks and has been blamed for the slump in the polls.

In politics, just like in racing, there are no sure bets, and form can be deceiving.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull's pick was the clear favourite in the weeks leading up to the Cup.

But as they rounded the last turn, Viewed was nowhere in sight, finishing well back in the middle of the field.

While the latest poll has seen Mr Rudd lose support, it has also failed to translate into a victory for Mr Turnbull, whose rating as preferred prime minister remained steady at 19 per cent.

Perhaps a portent to a future election - another day that stops the nation.

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Shocking wins Melbourne Cup