Melbourne Cup

Editorial

When: Tuesday, 2 November, 2010
Where: Flemington Racecourse, Flemington

Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival is an annual event where the thrills, drama and excitement of horse racing mixes it up with fashion, glamour and celebrities, with buckets of champagne thrown in for good measure.

The Carnival is serious business for the jockeys, trainers and horse syndicates, but for everyone else in town it’s one huge party spread across 79 race meetings, drawing over a million punters to the track dressed in their best race outfits, form guide in one hand, a glass of bubbles in the other for a day of fashion, fun and of course, fillies!

The most famous race of Spring Carnival is The Melbourne Cup, universally known as ‘the race that stops a nation’. The highlight on Melbourne’s Spring Racing calendar, The Melbourne Cup dates back to 1861 when it offered a modest amount of money and a gold watch as a prize. Today the race is known as the Emirates Melbourne Cup and attracts racing syndicates from all over the world, with a truly international field of horses vying for the prestigious 18 carat gold Emirates Melbourne Cup Trophy, valued at $125,000. One of the most coveted prizes on the global racing scene, the chance of picking the Melbourne Cup Winner drives thousands of Aussies to place a wager on the race, from dusty outback pubs to city gaming venues and everywhere in between; it’s a tradition to place a couple of dollars on a Melbourne Cup tip with the hope of the long shot coming home and collecting a fortune.

The Melbourne Cup has become the greatest 3200 metre handicap race in the world with winning horses, like Phar Lap (1930) and Makybe Diva (2003, 2004 and 2005) achieving iconic status and a permanent place in Australian history. When Phar Lap died under suspicious circumstances in 1932, the nation mourned – his heart now sits in the National Museum of Canberra with the rest of him calling the Melbourne Museum home, where he remains one of the museum’s most famous inhabitants.

While the race itself stops a nation, in Melbourne they stop for the entire day thanks to an official pubic holiday to encourage sporting celebration. It’s one of the most anticipated public holidays of the year, and there are many ‘unofficial’ holidays around the country. No matter where you are on Melbourne Cup Day, you’d be hard pressed not to be caught up in the glamour and excitement. Whether you head down to the track in a spanky outfit and glamorous hat, party with your mates at a backyard barbie, or organise a big lunch with a sweep, everyone’s a winner on Melbourne Cup Day!

Judith Hatton, Citysearch