Over 70 evicted from Eagle Farm races

ALTHOUGH more than 70 people were ejected from the Melbourne Cup race meeting at Eagle Farm for being too intoxicated, police are praising the behaviour of the crowd.

The Eagle Farm racecourse on Tuesday attracted 12,600 people for "the race that stops a nation", with police evicting 13 people for intoxication and behaviour issues, while security officers evicted a further 61.

One person was arrested for seriously assaulting an officer and another person was issued with a Notice to Appear for assault occasioning bodily harm.

Other arrests were made for resisting eviction, obstructing police and being a public nuisance.

However, despite the arrests and evictions, Inspector John Flanagan described the crowd as well-behaved and thanked the patrons for making it a safe and fun day.

It is estimated that punters in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory bet $41.75 million on the Cup through UniTAB.