Irish raider Twilight Payment won the coveted Aus$8.0 million (US$5.5 million) Melbourne Cup at an eerily quiet Flemington on Tuesday with the "race that stops a nation" run behind closed doors for the first time. With Jye McNeil in the saddle, the eight-year-old held off Tiger Moth and Prince of Arran in a thrilling finish to the gruelling 3,200-metre (two mile) handicap, considered the ultimate test of stamina and staying power. "There's so many emotions, it's such a big moment," said an emotional McNeil. "It's very overwhelming." mp/th