The Melbourne Cup

On the first Tuesday of November, The Melbourne Cup is held. It is billed as The race that stops a nation. In the city of Melbourne, it is a holiday, but not one that is recognized by all organizations. I had to work today, as Universities are open.

The Melbourne Cup is the culmination of the spring racing carnival. It is a marquee event that attracts over 100,000 people to Flemington Racecourse. Two big things that occur on this day are betting and dressing up.

About 80% of the Australia population will place a bet on the race. Either through proper betting organization or through home or workplace “sweeps”. In the workplace sweep, you place a small wager anywhere from $2 - $5 and draw a horse randomly like a raffle.

If you are lucky to attend the race it is a time to dress up. For men it is custom to wear a suit. For women it’s all about the dress and the hat. The hat is the focal point of the entire look.As for the race itself; 24 horses scheduled (3 years and older) race a distance of 3200 metre’s (or almost 2 miles) at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. The winning owner receives 5 million dollars. The first race took place in 1861, at that time the winnings was 170 British pounds and a gold watch.

The reason it is called the race that stops a nation is that no matter if you are working or not, at 3pm you will stop for 5 mins to watch the race, if you have access to a TV.

The 2007 Melbourne Cup

The winner of this year’s Melbourne Cup was #6 Efficient, ridden by Michael Rodd at 15-1 odds. In second place was Purple Moon and in third Mahler.

21 horses ran for the cup with 3 scratches earlier in the day. Master O’Reilly had been favoured to win, along with Purple Moon and Zipping.

I took in the race with other University colleagues’ watching on a projector. I also entered into the office sweeps. I got the last horse on the $5 sweep, #24 Mahler. I have tripled my money, with a 3rd place finish.

Over 120,000 people attended the Melbourne cup this year and for the rich and famous it’s all about shoomizing and being seen. Various companies or parties have their tents (similar to Oscar parties) where people can visit, mingle, eat and drink. For the rest of people there is a segment of the crowd that wants to be noticed. They dress-up in loud colours and bold costumes.