Couldn't miss the Melbourne Cup

It seems like I update this blog in waves, and I think another one of those waves is coming.  My parents visited me in Melbourne for the past few days so I have plenty of activities to blog about.  First, though, I should write about the Melbourne Cup.

It’s described here as “The race that stops a nation” and it at least stops the Melbourne area because there is a public holiday on race day.  I wasn’t planning on going until the night before, but I figured that I shouldn’t miss such a spectacle.  I hopped on the computer and bought a ticket online for $58.

Front row standing room.

Sure enough it was quite a scene.  I think I arrived sometime between noon and one o’clock and the stands and grounds were packed.  The Australians I showed up with were all members of the track (there are some pretty well-off people at the residential college where I live) and I tried to get into the members section with them, but I couldn’t sneak in.  Rather than risk getting kicked out, I found some fellow Americans and took my place on the grass right next to the track with the rest of the plebs.  My account of the race is after the jump.

It was pretty chaotic down on the lawn and the steady drizzle didn’t help.  Everyone was decked out in Sunday finest, but that didn’t stop the crowd from getting collectively drunk under their umbrellas.  By the end of the races the ground was strewn with empty bottles and cans.

The crowd really cheered for the big one.

There was one longer race that was the “Melbourne Cup” and it was the race I didn’t bet on.  It turns out that a horse named Americain, bred in America, won the race.  I was immensely proud that an American had won, but at the same time I felt immensely stupid that I didn’t bet on the race, because of course I would have put money on national pride.  I think the odds were good too at something like 11-1.  Later in the day I started talking with an Australian and he really made me feel bad, chastising me thoroughly for not betting on my country’s horse.  “I’m here next to four Americans and none of them bet on their horse!” he said.  I had no response.

Good day on the whole, aside from the rain.  And the missed pay day.  The ladies’ hats of course were ostentatious and I only lost about $12 on bets overall.  And I can say I was part of the race that stopped a nation.