Melbourne Cup 2016

Photo by Eddie Jim

It's the Spring Racing Carnival once again in Melbourne, and today was the 156th running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse. This year's race was quite exciting as German horse Almandin chased down Irish horse Heartbreak City to win on the line, with favorite Hartnell (Great Britain) finishing third. This was owner Lloyd Williams fifth Melbourne Cup win, and the second for jockey Kerrin McEvoy, who first won 16 years ago. Weather wise it managed to stay dry for the majority of the day, but did start to rain as the horses galloped down the straight to the finish.

Expat Observations: Spring Racing Carnival

Photo by Robert Cianflone

It's currently the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne, which not only features horse racing but fashion, parties in the Birdcage and on the grounds, and lots of betting. I have been to a couple races over the years - Stakes Day in 2005 and the Melbourne Cup in 2008. The Melbourne Cup Carnival is a huge economic boon for Victoria, with $20.91 million in food and beverage, $13.67 in retail, $7.61 million in grooming and $31.4 million in fashion spending in 2014. Fashion spending included 75,000 hats and fascinators, 61,000 dresses, 59,000 pairs of shoes, 30,000 handbags, 17,000 shirts and 15,000 suits. As you can see, the Carnival is big business.

Today was the 155th running of the Emirates Melbourne Cup. Only in sports mad Melbourne would you have a public holiday for a horse race. This year's Cup was an exciting one with 100-1 shot Prince Of Penzance winning, ridden by the first female jockey to ever take the Cup, Michelle Payne. Her after race interview was refreshingly honest about the struggles female jockeys face:

"To think that Darren Weir has given me a go and it's such a chauvinistic sport, I know some of the owners were keen to kick me off, and John Richards and Darren stuck strongly with me, and I put in all the effort I could and galloped him all I could because I thought he had what it takes to win the Melbourne Cup and I can't say how grateful I am to them. I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world."

Max Dynamite finished second, with Criterion coming in third. Unfortunately Red Cadeaux, who finished second in three previous Cups, broke down and didn't finish the race. At this stage it looks like he won't have to be put down, but it's just a reminder of the brutality of horse racing.

Melbourne Cup Day 2014

Photo by Getty Images

Today is the 154th running of the Emirates Melbourne Cup and my first day off since the Queen's Birthday holiday in June.  While the weather is warm it is a bit overcast and windy.  There were twenty-four horses in the draw this year, but two withdrew before the race began- Sea Moon and Cavalryman.  The favorites going in were Japanese horse Admire Rakti, Fawkner, German horse Protectionist, Lucia Valentina and Derby Day winner Signoff.

My Ambivalent sprinted out at a cracking pace but was eventually caught by the pack.  As the horses reached the straight Protectionist broke free and won the Cup by three lengths, with Red Cadeaux finishing in second place for the third time, and Who Shot TheBarman finishing third.  Tragically the race favorite, Admire Rakti, finished last and then collapsed in the stalls and died.  Another horse, Araldo, got spooked by the crowd heading back to the mounting yard and kicked into a fence, breaking his pastern bone.  Vets operated to try and save him but he had to be euthanised.  It's a very sad reminder of the toll of horse racing- last year French horse Verema was put down on the field after snapping her cannon bone during the Cup race.

Melbourne Cup 2013

Photo: The Age

It's Spring Racing Carnival time again and today is the Emirates Melbourne Cup horse race.  The field was wide open this year but the favorite with the punters actually ended up being the winner- Fiorente, trained by Gai Waterhouse and ridden by jockey Damien Oliver.  Red Cadeaux came in second, with Mount Athos finishing in third place.  After all of Gai Waterhouse's years in racing this was her first Melbourne Cup win, and Fiorente made up for last year's second place finish.

Melbourne Cup 2012

Photo by Jason South

The first Tuesday in November for Melbourne means it's Melbourne Cup Day (and a public holiday).  The rain managed to hold off for the race that stops the nation, and the winner of this year's Cup was Green Moon, with Fiorente finishing second and Jakkalberry third.  Favorites such as Americain and Dunaden did not do as well as expected.  The Cup trophy was presented by the Duchess of Cornwall, while Prince Charles presented the trophy to the winner of the Diamond Jubilee Plate.  The royals added a bit of class to the day, and are off to Adelaide for the next stop of their Australian visit.

Melbourne Cup

Today was the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup, the race that stops the nation and allows those of us living in Melbourne to have a public holiday.  The weather for the Spring Racing Carnival has not been too kind this year, with all the big racing days so far having rain, including today.  So You Think was the big favorite going into the Emirates Melbourne Cup, but it was won by Americain, with Maluckyday finishing second and So You Think coming in third.  If only I had listened to my instincts and placed a bet on Americain!

Melbourne Cup 2009

Today is a public holiday in Melbourne as it's the Emirates Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse. Unlike last year where I actually frocked up and attended, this year I enjoyed the event from the comfort of my couch. At 3:00 pm the race that stops the nation began at a windy and overcast Flemington and it was Shocking who ended up winning- which was a shock because Viewed and Alcopop were the favorites. In the office sweep I had Zavite as my pick, so unfortunately I won't be getting any money when I go back to work tomorrow.

Melbourne Cup

Today I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Melbourne Cup horse race. Michelle's uncle allowed a group of us to use his corporate box for the day, so we got all dressed up and headed over to Flemington Racecourse. It was a fantastic day and amazing to have our own private space that overlooked the finish line. We had free drinks and a very yummy lunch with a variety of dishes. I felt so spoiled!

At 3:00 pm it was time for the race that stops the nation. The Melbourne Cup itself was a tight race with Viewed winning in a photo finish. Unfortunately the two horses I put money on didn't place, but in the next race I made back my bet plus $1 when The Fuzz finishing second. Some of the other girls had better luck with their bets and had a couple big wins. After the last race of the day we headed for the parking lot and although there was traffic getting out, it was nice to not have to face public transport or trying to catch a taxi to get home.

Jet Lag

"Wherever you are, it's 3am and I'm awake."
- Neil Finn

Ah, the joys of jet lag. It's going to take a few days for my body clock to adjust to Melbourne time. I did survive my flights back yesterday, although we had bad turbulence on the flight to Auckland which left me feeling less than stellar for the rest of the day. Entertainment wise I watched Hairspray, a couple episodes of Flight of the Conchords and This is England.

It was a public holiday yesterday due to the Melbourne Cup (won by Efficient) and the streets were relatively quiet. I am back at work today, so we'll see how things have gone over the past three weeks while I've been away.

Melbourne Cup

It's the race that stops a nation, and a public holiday for those of us who live in Melbourne. Delta Blues upset the favorites Tawqeet, Yeats, and Pop Rock to win this year's race. It was a one-two finish for Japan as Pop Rock came in second. The weather today has been overcast and cool, so many of those fashions on the field had to be covered up with jackets and hats held on heads tightly to keep them from blowing away.

A Day At The Races

Today was the last day of the Spring Racing Carnival in Melbourne, so I decided to head to the races. I walked over to Michelle's house in the morning and we packed up a picnic basket with lots of yummy food. Fashion is very important and Michelle was kind enough to let me borrow a hat to wear for the day. Once we were ready, we headed out to catch the tram.

It was Emirates Stakes Day at Flemington Race Course, and we arrived around 12:30 p.m. and met up with Felicia, Donna, and her husband Brenton. After buying a bottle of champagne, we staked out a place on the grass near the finish line. The weather was perfect- not too hot and a breeze blowing most of the day. I placed bets on horses in two different races, but didn't win any money. The others were luckier than I was though. Race 7 was the Stevie Nicks Plate, and yes, Stevie Nicks was there to award the winner. It's the most unique way of promoting yourself that I think I've ever seen.

Besides the horse races, it was amusing to check out what other people were wearing. There were a lot of girls in some unfortunate Paris Hilton-esque dresses. We also had a sunburn watch going on as some people became lobster red as the afternoon went on. I did pretty well and only got a bit sunburned on my shoulders. It was good that we had sunblock and a parasol to keep us protected.

After the last race we packed up our stuff and headed for the trains. After a bit of a wait we got onto the platform and traveled to Flinders Street Train Station. From there Michelle and I hopped on the tram and headed back to Brunswick. It was a great day even though the horses let me down.

Melbourne Cup Day

Who would have thought that a horse race could cause a public holiday, but that is the case today with the Melbourne Cup. They say that it is the race that stops a nation, and today was no exception as Makybe Diva became the first horse in history to win three Melbourne Cups in a row. It was an exciting race with 24 horses competing for the $5.1 million purse. Over 100,000 people turned out at Flemington race course in their finest dress to enjoy a day at the races.