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Married at First Sight groom Paul Antoine chose Ascot Racecourse for Melbourne Cup Day because of the trackside atmosphere: the crowd noise from the grandstand, the live racing, and the range of areas around the course. He said so in a PerthNow report by Hayden King, published on 4 November 2025. Antoine’s remarks are a personal preference, and the event details in that report describe the 2025 race day. Read them as a record of that event, not as a guide to the current one.
What Antoine said and why it matters
Antoine’s reason for choosing Ascot was specific. He did not argue that Ascot is the best Cup Day venue in general. He described what he enjoyed on the day. As PerthNow quoted him:
“I chose to spend my Melbourne Cup Day at Ascot because of the trackside atmosphere. The noise of the crowd cheering from the grandstand, live horse racing, and all the different areas around the course, it’s buzzing.”
That gives a reader three separate things to weigh: the crowd, the racing itself, and the variety of places to stand, sit or eat. Each can be checked on its own terms, which is more useful than accepting the endorsement as a whole.
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What was on offer at Ascot in 2025
The PerthNow report described a day built around hospitality, entertainment and racing. The details below are from the 2025 event as reported.
Hospitality areas
- Black Ruby Lounge: the lounge where several guests were expected, including Montana Criddle, Katie Mackenzie, Paul Antoine and Ben Roberts (Crafternoons).
- Treasury Precinct pamper suite: named in the report as one of the event’s features.
- Croser Garden Bar: also named among the event features.
Music, fashion and the racing program
The report described live music, a fashion element and race viewing across the day. Montana Criddle, quoted by PerthNow, said she was looking forward to the racewear and dressing up as much as the racing: “I’m very excited to be at Ascot’s Black Ruby Lounge, I always love the racewear fashion and getting dressed up and I can’t wait to see the horses race.” For readers who want the dress-up side of Cup Day, that is the clearest description of what the event was pitched on.
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The race program also included the Listed Burgess Queen Stakes, worth $125,000 and run over 1400m at Ascot. The report named Playin’it Sweet, Talkanco and Ourgirlcanrun among its runners, with prices quoted at the time of publication.
The attendance expectation
Perth Racing chief executive James Oldring was reported to expect about 12,000 people at Ascot’s event. That was a forecast given before the day, not a final attendance figure. The report does not include a verbatim quote from Oldring, so the number should be treated as his expectation as reported by PerthNow, and nothing more.
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The Mark Zahra and Al Riffa connection
Antoine also said he had watched WA jockey Mark Zahra win several races at Flemington on Derby Day, and that he would follow Zahra’s Melbourne Cup ride on Al Riffa. That gives him a personal stake in the race beyond the venue. The same report’s Cup preview put Al Riffa at $8 as a co-favourite with Half Yours. Those prices belong to the 2025 market and should not be used as betting information now.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to test the claim for your own Cup Day
The report does not compare Ascot with other Melbourne Cup Day venues, so it cannot tell you whether Ascot suits you better. Antoine’s reasons do give a practical checklist. Before choosing a venue for any Cup Day, check the following:
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- Travel and location: how far the venue is from where you are staying, and how you will get there and back on a busy day.
- Atmosphere: whether the crowd, noise and mood match what you want from the day.
- Live-race access: where you can actually see the horses from, and whether those spots suit your plans.
- Hospitality areas: which lounges, bars or suites are open, and what they include.
- Entertainment and dress code: the music, fashion and racewear expectations of the event.
- Current ticket availability: confirm directly with Perth Racing for the year you are attending, because sold-out status and hospitality packages change from year to year.
What the 2025 report does not establish
- It does not confirm the final attendance at Ascot. The 12,000 figure is an expectation.
- It does not rank Ascot against any other Melbourne Cup Day venue.
- It does not provide current lineups, hospitality offerings, services or ticket information.
- It does not provide current odds or any betting guidance.
The verdict
Antoine’s case for Ascot rests on the atmosphere he experienced: the crowd noise, the live racing and the variety of areas to move between. That is a reasonable starting point for a reader choosing where to spend Cup Day. It is not a ranking of venues, and the specific details from 2025 need to be checked against the current year’s program before you plan around them.
Quick Recap
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