The Melbourne Cup is part of Australia’s sport-obsessed fabric.

It is why it has long been referred to as the race that stops a nation.

And this Tuesday, Australians will pause again to watch 24 of the world’s best stayers race over 3200m thoroughbred racing’s most iconic prize.

To capture what this race means, look no further than the three feature films that have documented famous moments.

First there was Phar Lap.

Released in 1983, the film by the same name documented the legendary story of a racehorse that became a national icon in Depression-era Australia.

Among Phar Laps many achievements was winning the Melbourne Cup in 1930.

Then there was Damien Oliver and Media Puzzle in 2002, story scripted in heaven after the death six days earlier of his brother Jason.

Oliver flew to Perth to be at his brother’s bedside but Jason, also a jockey, never regained consciousness after a race fall.

Still grieving, Oliver made the decision to ride in the cup as a tribute to both his brother and father, wearing Jason’s breeches in the race.

Oliver blew a kiss to the sky and shouted, “My boy, my boy” as he crossed the line victorious.

Later he said: “I’d give it away right now to have my brother back. But I know it was the right thing to ride. Jason would have wanted that. This has made me think of how dangerous this game is but I knew my brother would have wanted me to be here.”

The heartbreaking triumph was later immortalised in the 2011 film The Cup, where Stephen Curry portrayed Oliver.

And more recently, there was Michelle Payne and her heartwarming triumph on Prince of Penzance, a 100-1 longshot, in 2015.

Payne, the first women to ride a Melbourne Cup winner, famously said post-race: “I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because they think women aren’t strong enough, but we just beat the world.”

Her story was also captured in 2019 film Ride Like a Girl, which told how Payne had overcome severe personal tragedy, heavy scepticism, and a male-dominated horse racing industry.

The thing all these stories have in common is hope.

It’s something sport can also deliver people even in the toughest of times.

With Australians battling a cost-of-living crisis, and the Reserve Bank expected to deliver another heavy blow with a fifth interest rate hike this year on Cup, people need hope at the moment.

While millions of dollars are tied up in prize-money and punting on the race, sometimes taking out the humble office sweep can give people just an important of an emotional lift.

And the stories of triumph themselves are equally uplifting.

So on Tuesday, take a moment as another chapter is being written into Melbourne Cup folklore, and remember that sport is a powerful and important part of our national psyche.