What a day!!! Everything I'd heard didn't hold a candle to actually being at the Cup. Always held the first Tuesday of November, it's a national holiday in Australia and known (aptly so) as The Race that Stops a Nation.
Cameras were clicking as we gathered in the hotel lobby. What a transformation with the men in suits and the ladies in their frocks and fascinators. For those of you who missed the Royal Wedding, fascinators are the whimsical hats British women love. Well, it's carried over to Australia and adorned every woman in every style imaginable. This woman was sitting in front of us and will give you an idea of one option.
We walked a short distance to the Yarra River and boarded a river boat for a leisurely one-hour driver to Flemington Racecourse, the site of the Melbourne Cup. Our group reserved a table in one of the marquees. The large tents were decorated in colorful decor with balloons, ribbons and flowers. Australian wines were flowing freely and soon a delicious lunch was served. Big video screens kept us posted on the other races being run at this track as well as others all over Australia. Today was truly a national day of horse racing.
After lunch and a bit of champagne, it was time for serious business -- placing our bets! I had never bet on a horse race so decided to carefully study the entries in the next race to be run at Flemington. I chose Competitive Kitty as she sounded like a fighter. She didn't fail me and came from behind to win!
I calmly celebrated my win.
Once I recovered my composure, it was almost time for the Emirates Melbourne Cup race (Emirates Airlines must be a major sponsor). We had reserved seats in the stands with a great view of the famous track. Quite an emotional moment when 150,000 people stood and sung the Australian national anthem.
The crowd was so much larger than I'd expected and all elegantly dressed and ready to cheer their favorite. I chose last year's winner, Americain, who was the favorite today. He was the only American entry and needed support from his countrymen.
The 23 horses were finally in the starting gate -- not an easy task with these high-strung animals. And then they were off. At first a tight cluster, then the leaders pulled ahead of the crowd. The stands exploded as everyone cheered their pick. I did my best for Americain but, alas, he came in fourth. The finish was the closest ever, and it was a couple of minutes before the winner, the French entry Dunaden(left photo,) was announced.
After a brief stop back at the Marquee tent for afternoon coffee and snacks, we boarded out boat for the cruise back to the city. Oh, I forgot to mention that I came out $5.50 ahead after subtracting losses from winnings. This money was used for fine dining --a McDonald's Quarter Pounder in the hotel's food court.
Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 4:30am so will sign out and finish packing. Hopefully, I'll send an update from beautiful Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
Linda
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