The Melbourne Cup: The Race That Stops The Nation
Written: Oct 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A true example of Aussie culture and tradition. Anyone can win. Wonderful horses. Beautiful race course. Unforgettable experience.
Cons: You might lose a few bucks if your horse loses
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| mickp's Full Review: Melbourne |
Review Topic: Events & Festivals
Every year on the first Tuesday in November, The Melbourne Cup - The race that stops the nation is run at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
The race literally does stop the nation. From children and teachers at school to people who would usually be busy at work in offices, factories at building sites or in department stores, most everyone will have tracked down a radio or television set or walked into their local betting shop in preparation for the event. Just about every workplace will have it's own sort of sweepstakes competition for the race and it is very common for employers to stage special Melbourne Cup lunches for their staff.
It's a difficult thing to explain to a non-Australian the very special magic that is in the air at Cup time. Some might find it unusual that I am writing about something that is "only a horse race" in the travel category for Melbourne, so hopefully I can help those of you understand how important The Melbourne Cup is to the city of Melbourne and in fact to Australia as a whole.
The cup is steeped in tradition and has been won by many great champions including the mighty and legendary Phar Lap and Australia's love affair with the race can be traced back to the depression when people could throw off their day to day worries and have a flutter on one of the magnificent horses running in the Cup.
Today, the tradition continues with people who would otherwise scorn any sort of gambling rushing down to their local T.A.B. (Betting shop) to place their interest bets on their particular favourite which has more often than not been chosen out of liking for the name of the horse or the colours worn by the jockey rather than any sort of statistical studying of the form.
I myself remember exactly where I was for the running of just about every Melbourne Cup since I was about six years old, though I have never been fortunate enough to be on course for the day. Those who are fortunate enough to attend the days races at Flemington on Cup day are treated to a genuine spectacle. It is traditional for the ladies to wear an array of spectacular hats, from the tasteful, to the bizarre, weird and wonderful and the atmosphere is simply electric with anticipation.
Flemington as with all of the larger race courses in the capital cities of Australia is quite magnificent, with lush grasses and amazingly tended, almost manicured gardens full of all manner of attractive blooms adding to the wonder of it all.
Finally as race time draws near, the final bets are placed and the twenty four entrants, both from Australia and around the world parade in the mounting yard. As always, some are favourites and others rank outsiders, but simply qualifying for the Cup means that each and every horse involved is a champion so in reality almost anything can happen. This is another reason why the Cup is so beloved by the general population. Anyone can win at almost any odds.
Should you ever be fortunate enough to find yourself in Melbourne in the second week of November, whether you have an interest in horses and racing or not, head down to Flemington and treat your self to an event which is a national cultural icon of Australia. Seeing the running of the great race and the reaction of the crowd will not be an experience you will regret or ever forget.
Parts of this Epinion were formerly posted at my website. I have since deleted that page from my website and expanded on the original since I feel that this editorial is far better suited here at Epinions.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mickp
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Member: Mike Price
Location: Aussie in Las Vegas, Nevada
Reviews written: 432
Trusted by: 270 members
About Me:
An Australian living in Vegas - Eating too much buffet and writing too many Epinions.
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