Posted on Nov 3rd, 2009
by 
Jenny
Yesterday was Melbourne Cup Day when all of Australia practically stops for a horse race. The first tuesday of November in every year. Its an institution and people who would never gamble or be interested in a horse race suddenly are experts and want to put $2 each way on the favourite.
I dont know how it ever got started. We are not particularly known for our gambling as a nation. I never gamble but one year I won $570 on the trifecta. The odds were so long. I paid bills and at the time it was a drop in the ocean of bills I had facing me but it was salve for my angst about the money I owed. I dont like owing money which is why I dont gamble except on Melbourne cup day.
It brings us together. It has become part of our culture, part of being Australian. I rang my parents to see which horse they were backing. They were going in a $2 sweep so didnt know. So you see we dont really care about the outcome we just enjoy the process. Today I'll ring my sister to see how she spent her Melbourne Cup day.
Colin put a few dollars on a trifecta for me. I didnt win anything. I watched the race on a 12" TV set with about 10 other people at my work and we all brought food to share. There was an old lady waiting to see a nurse in our waiting room when the race was about to start so we just took her in to watch the race with us and gave her cake. She had a lovely time.
We talked about things like how Marina's sister had twins one year on Melbourne Cup day just as the race started and her husband was listening to the race while she was in labour. He had a little transistor radio glued to his ear. He wanted to name the babies after the winner and runner-up but Marina put her foot down and said no.
This year the winner was a horse called Shocking.
http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/melbournecup/
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December 2009 
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