The 5 Minutes That Stop A Nation

Race week is one of the most exciting and anticipated weeks of the year for all of Australia, but in particular for horse trainers from around the world, and most importantly for the state of Victoria. The annual Melbourne Cup at Flemington Race Track is a tradition dating now 151 years and is the richest handicap race in the nation, and with prizes and trophies combined makes it one of the richest in the world. Bringing in over $200 million in betting dollars and over 350,000 spectators, the Cup is nothing but a high grossing gathering of some of the wealthiest and most influential high class of Australia (and a few world visitors as well).

Although Cup day is the biggest race, traditionally held on Tuesday of Melbourne Cup Carnival Week, there are 3 other large race of the week: Derby Day, Oaks Day and Stakes Day. Meyer, one of the largest retailers in Victoria is a main sponsor which lends itself to having to come to the races dressed to the T complete with to-die-for fascinators, exquisite cocktail dresses, funky jewelry, mile-high stiletto heels and the men in finely European tailored suits. The whole city of Melbourne turns up to not only watch the horses, but to strut their brilliantly pruned plumage and judge others’ ensembles simultaneously.

Derby Day, the “kick-off celebration” to race week is the day a group of us headed to the races. This first race of the week is traditionally known for all the women dressing in Black & White and then men wearing 3-piece gray suits. Think a My Fair Lady cocktail dress party and that is exactly what I walked into, on crutches. No stiletto heels for me, but I did my best to dress from heel to toe in a gorgeous white fascinator with black feathers, a slit-back dress and a black sock to cover my cast! We had a fantastic time watching and betting (I wont $20!) on the races, and just people watching, looking over all the other outfits keenly put together. 

The second race, always held on Tuesday of race week is the event of the year and a public holiday (because everyone would have taken the day off from work anyways). For a bit of Melbourne Cup history:

Ever since the running of the first Cup, the race has been popular with the public. Melbourne gives itself a holiday on Cup Day (as hardly anyone is likely to turn up to work) and a strange, eerie quiet settles over the city while the race is being run. The Melbourne Cup is rare among famous horse races for being a handicap event. This means that the best horses must carry not only their jockey, but extra weight in the form of lead bars in their saddle bags. Horses with a lesser chance of winning carry only their jockey. This has always been part of the Cup's popularity because it means, in theory, every horse has an equal chance, so it's possible for an unknown horse with a lightweight jockey to streak past the post and beat the favourite. It sits well with our national philosophy of giving the "little Aussie Battler a "fair go".

Although we did not attend the races again for the Cup, we did watch it on TV along with everyone else in all of Australia. After all, the Cup race has become to be known as The 5 Minutes that Stops a Nation. Every television set was tuned in, restaurants and pubs had race day specials, and the spectators at Flemington Race Course were wildly ecstatic as 24 gates opened and those 24 horses bolted out for a 2-mile sprint valued at $6million. Americain was favored to win, yet placed 4^th and the race came to end with Dunaden beating Red Cadeaux by literally a hair. The anticipation while the judges were gathering the photo finish images was painfully slow. As soon as the image flashed up on the television, not one spectator cheered because it was that close of a race, it was still yet to be determined. After deliberation, fill-in French jockey, Christophe Lemaire began to cheer as the announcement cried over the loud speakers that Dunaden, favoured 3^rd in the race had indeed won. Dunaden’s usually jockey, Craig Williams had to back out in the last minute due to legal issues, therefore Lemaire stepped in after flying into Australia the night before from Tokyo, and won!  This race certainly will go down in the books as one of the closest races of all time.

Oaks Day at the races is the ultimate fashion day of race week, therefore fittingly known as ladies’ day and is held on the 3^rd day of the Melbourne Cup Race Carnival Week. More about fashion than the actual races, all attendees are more concerned about winning the prize for their ensemble than betting on the horses. This year the big trend to follow is all about color blocking, the bigger and bolder, the better. We are talking, neon heels, different neon colored skirt, top, fascinator and lipstick! I cannot wait to see pictures from all the outfits from this Thursday.

Stakes Day is known as “family day” and is the ending event of Race Week. Activities are always planned for all ages throughout the day. This is also the day to see Black Caviar, the world champion’s sprinter horse run.

Being able to be part of such a spectacular event is a wonderful experience. The fact that a public holiday is based around a horse race still baffles my mind, but having a Tuesday off was quite refreshing (although I made up for it at work today with the amount of work I had to do).

Here’s a toast to Dunaden wining the 151^st Melbourne Cup, to Race Week, to great friends, beautiful fashion and gorgeous weather for the races!