One final update from Brigid at Flemington
It’s just before 5pm and people are starting to leave the track to board a Flemington train bound for Flinders Street. It’s NOT a messy crowd, at least from near the members stand. Yes, women have taken their shoes off, but the height of the heels would tire the most hardy sole (sorry).
The biggest cause of casualty is the sunburn. It’s been beautiful, hot weather here. Melbourne CBD is massively hectic this time of year and tonight will be no exception. But right now people are exiting Flemington in a fairly orderly way.
More on Michelle Payne’s historic Melbourne Cup win atop Prince of Penzance
Here’s Bridie Jabour with a profile of the winning hoop, who might just be the biggest thing in Australian racing tomorrow morning if her brother Stevie hasn’t beaten her to it.
Well that’s it from me today but thanks for all your comments and contributions throughout the day, which has seen Prince of Penzance take out the race that stops the nation. I’m off for a glass of something fizzy and trust the rest of you are too.
Race 9 - Listed MSS Security Sprint
You have to keep a close eye on this race because it’s over in a flash at just 1200 metres. There’s almost a late scratching when jockey Luke Currie is hurt as he mounts his ride but eventually all horses settle and the race gets under way. Sea Lord takes it out in the end - another significant upset on a day for the outsiders.
Stephen Brown, one of Flemington's very own, wins the MSS Security Sprint with Sea Lord. @domjock the winning rider! pic.twitter.com/quGFyLFS4T
— FlemingtonRacecourse (@FlemingtonVRC) November 3, 2015
A final crowd figure for Flemington today
101,015 punters came through the gates in the end, a bumper result on Australian racing’s biggest day.
A brief update on Red Cadeaux
Seven are reporting that Red Cadeaux’s condition has been stabilised but there’s still no definitive word yet. Trainer Ed Dunlop and his wife Beckie are at the horse’s side now.
Jockey Frankie Dettori, meanwhile, has been charged with careless riding in the cup and before pleading guilty, said his record spoke for itself. But having heard his case, the stewards have found him guilty, suspending the Italian-born jockey for one month and fined $20,000 for his efforts today.
A little more from Brigid among the rich and famous
Have managed to blag my way into Lavazza marquee through a well placed contact (an academic at Monash, of all unlikely places) . Celebs ARE HERE. Chris and Rebecca Judd, who work in the football industry plus Megan Gale, who works in meta retail. She is wearing a tight emerald green lace dress with a skewiff black net thing on her head that looks like a horn.
Also here is Ryan Corr from Home & Away and Holding the Man. He isn’t holding the man, he’s holding a beer. To eat: watermelon with coffee and mint. Negronis and espresso martinis to drink. Giddy-up.
Gorgeous photograph. “@BAZAARAustralia: Congrats to Michelle Payne & brother Stevie Melbourne Cup! #WomeninSport pic.twitter.com/CCBOJGyzKc”
— Sandra Lee (@FitToPrint) November 3, 2015
Prince of Penzance was a rank outsider, it must be said
It was the largest priced horse to jump out of the gates today in fact; a $101 prayer. One Sportsbet punter threw $1000 at the winner at those odds and picked up $101,00 as a result, which is a decent day’s work. Another had $500 at $81, taking a cool $40,500 for a speculative punt.
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But more importantly, here’s an update from Helen at the Croc Races
The race that stops a nation had nothing on this. No one knew how it would turn out. Would the crocs race? Would they freak out in the heat and hide? Would they join forces and attack the nearest child?
Turns out they knew the quickest way to end the ordeal was to be quick. So speedy were they that this reporter nearly missed filming any of the heats, and we all know if it isnt recorded on social media then it didnt happen.
Shags took out the first race, and De Croco the third. (The second? Ask someone else please). Croc Of Shit was all talk and no walk but won our hearts nonetheless because who doesn’t love a good swear? Cane toad races are up next.
"He'll come good as a three year old" https://t.co/g8RLyeyGiO
— Helen Davidson (@heldavidson) November 3, 2015
Race 8 - the James Boags Symphony Stakes
This one’s a 1800 race and the third last of the day. Jacquinot Bay leads early from Awesome Rock, Garud and Sadler’s Lake. Jacquinot Bay maintains that advantage as they round the final bend but Malice makes a late charge and then Awesome Rock (with Stephen Baster at the helm) too and the latter strides out to win it by a length with a photo finish for the placings, which go to Malice and Garud.
The full final placings in the main race
1. PRINCE OF PENZANCE. 2. MAX DYNAMITE. 3. CRITERION 4. TRIP TO PARIS. 5. BIG ORANGE 6. GUST OF WIND. 7. EXCESS KNOWLEDGE. 8. THE OFFER. 9. QUEST FOR MORE. 10. OUR IVANHOWE. 11. WHO SHOT THEBARMAN. 12. SERTORIUS. 13. FAME GAME. 14. THE UNITED STATES. 15. HARTNELL. 16. BONDI BEACH. 17. HOKKO BRAVE. 18. ALMOONQITH. 19. KINGFISHER. 20. PREFERMENT. 21. GRAND MARSHAL. 22. SKY HUNTER 23. SNOW SKY.
Red Cadeaux failed to finish and there are grave fears for the champion horse.
Helen Davidson is at Berry Springs Tavern for the now apparently traditional crocodile racing
I’m at Berry Springs Tavern, in the rural area 50km from Darwin - far enough out of town for all the pubs to be called taverns. The fashion is... varied. You don’t even need shoes here apparently.
We’ve already had turtle races, and the crocs are coming soon. Promising to be bigger than the actual horse race, which was met with muted enthusiasm, baby crocodiles on loan from crocodylus park will soon battle it out for the title. Perhaps it’s: first across the line doesn’t become a handbag?
I’ve just met a competitor, Berry. I asked his trainer how he prepared the crocs for the race. “Ah, just put tape around the jaws really.” There you go then.
De Croco wins the final race! #croc races "shags is shagged." #melbournecup https://t.co/7e3IJqGANW
— Helen Davidson (@heldavidson) November 3, 2015
The first woman to win the #MelbourneCup congratulations to @mj_payne on Prince Of Penzance for making history today
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) November 3, 2015
Red Cadeaux was injured in the main race
And there are genuine fears that the champion horse won’t pull through, adding a sombre note to proceedings and underlining how dangerous the sport can be. The horse broke down near the finishing line and was taken away in an ambulance with a suspected fetlock injury. “We are waiting for the vets’ reports but it’s not looking good,” his owner Ronald Arculli was quoted as saying to the Herald Sun.
Red Cadeaux is being operated on at the moment. #MelbourneCup
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) November 3, 2015
Updated
Michelle’s brother Stevie Payne steps forward and accepts the Tommy Woodcock Trophy
And there is no more popular strapper in the sport, surely. Payne says he hopes everyone has a great night. There’s a little more about Stevie here and his battle to break down prejudice related to Down Syndrome.
The 2015 Melbourne Cup presentation
The final placings were as follows:
- Prince of Penzance. 2. Maax Dynamite. 3. Criterion. 4. Trip to Paris
“Of course it’s a dream to come on Melbourne Cup day and win it,” says owner Sandy McGregor, before paying tribute to Michelle Payne. Trainer Darren Weir steps forward and says, “I didn’t really have a speech planned but I’ll give it a bit of a go.”
“The old man will be home watching so a big cheerio to the old man.” He thanks the owners, especially the McGregor family, as well as his staff. He also has thanks for Michelle Payne, of whom he says, “Michelle, you’re an absolute credit to yourself...what a wonderful ride.” He says there’s a big party planned tonight.
Payne steps forward to and is a most popular winner with the crowd. “It’s nice to be able to dream and that’s what racing is all about,” she says of her hopes heading into the day. “I can’t believe that I’m a part of it and that we’ve just won the Melbourne Cup. I know that he’s [Weir] a man if you work really hard he gives you a go. I can’t thank him enough for giving me the opportunity today.”
Again she takes a swipe at the members of the ownership group who didn’t want her on the horse. “We just won the Melbourne Cup so now I hope they’ll be happy with me.”
She hopes her win will also spur on other female jockeys. “We sort of don’t get enough of a go and hopefully this will help.”
So happy for you Michelle Payne...what a day!!
— Shelley Ware (@ShelleyWare) November 3, 2015
A little more on Michelle Payne in her own words
This via a Saturday Paper profile on the female hoop:
“My sister said I was missing the best years of my life. She used to ride, then went to university and studied to become an accountant. You don’t really get to party with your friends or anything like that, but I guess that’s a sacrifice I was prepared to make to follow my dream. Racing is my passion and I’ve been able to have a good life anyway. I’ve been able to travel the world, so I’m not complaining.”
“My dad would have been happy to see me do something else. Stay at school, not do a job that was so dangerous. Obviously, he saw all the other kids have falls and he didn’t want [me to get injured]. But the more I showed how keen I was, the more helpful he was.”
“How did my dad raise 10 kids by himself? [Michelle’s mother died in a car accident when Michelle was six months old.] It’s something we look back on now and we just have such a respect for him and what he did. Obviously, at the time, we had to always work really hard. I remember thinking, “My friends don’t have to do this. It’s not fair.” But now we look back and think, “What an amazing man.” What an amazing job he did. He always had a good, positive outlook even when things were as bad as they could be.”
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'It's such a chauvinistic sport, some of the owners wanted to kick me off the horse..' @mj_payne Michelle, you rule. #womenjockeys #MelbCup
— DebbieSpillane (@DebSpillane) November 3, 2015
Giving a whack to the owners you've just made millionaires, an unorthodox technique but Michelle can do whatever she bloody wants today.
— Andrew (@andrew_54) November 3, 2015
Michelle Payne stops by for a chat
“I can’t believe it,” she says. “It panned out exactly how I thought it would. I seriously just can’t believe it’s come true. I dunno, it was like it was meant to be.”
“He just burst to the front and I’ve never yelled so loud at a horse in all my life,” she adds. “This is everybody’s dream as a jockey in Australia.”
And then a huge blast for those who doubted her along the way: “It’s such a chauvinistic sport and I know some of the [other] owners were keen to keep me off,” she says before thanking Weird and co. “I can’t say how thankful I am to them,” she says, before telling everyone else to “get stuffed.”
Incredible stuff. She’s the star of the day.
Updated
Trainer Darren Weir is appropriately rapt with the result
“You don’t want to go the early crow,” he says. “What an absolute thrill.” Of jockey Payne, who made history today as the first female winner of a Cup, he says, “I couldn’t thank her enough. What a beautiful ride and what a great family.”
Prince of Penzance takes out the 2015 Melbourne Cup!
Race 7 - the Melbourne Cup
As the nation collectively huddles around TV screens and cranes its neck for a better view, Fame Game and all of the other fancies take their place in the stalls. Big Orange is the last in and settles well.
Trip to Paris and Who Shot Thebarman both start well and Big Orange maintains his line. They’re really bunched together to start with and the pace is down a little, but the roar as they head past the members is unmistakably loud as punters cheer on their horses. Big Orange leads from Excess Knowledge and Quest for More as they make their way along the river side of the field and approach the 1600-metre mark.
Gust of Wind is a little back from the leaders on the rail but Fame Game is a good twenty lengths away from the lead as they near the final turn and has a lot to do. Trip to Paris makes a move as they bunch up around the turn and Fame Game is well out on the outside. Who Shot Thebarman makes a move too but Michelle Payne steers Prince of Penzance through the centre to take the 2015 Melbourne Cup! Sentational! Payne becomes the first woman to ride a Melbourne Cup winner! Brilliant! Max Dynamite is second.
“Unbelievable”, says Payne. She says she dreamed about this moment last night. “This horse is awesome, what’s he’s been through. This is just awesome.”
What an incredible result - the first female jockey to win a cup and on a horse that cost just $50,000 to boot. Payne is rapt.
Updated
The PM’s tie is back on in anticipation of today’s main race
.@TurnbullMalcolm having beers and selfies with punters ahead of #MelbourneCup in the seat of North Sydney. @abcnews pic.twitter.com/9T9v8ew71e
— Nick Dole (@NicholasDole) November 3, 2015
I take all my tips from 1990s NBL basketballers
My Melbourne Cup picks: 🙏🏾 1) Fame Game 2) Preferredment 3) Trip to Paris #Commission10% #MelbCup
— Bruce Bolden (@BruceBolden32) November 3, 2015
The field for this 2015 Melbourne Cup
1 SNOW SKY (GB) Trainer: Sir M Stoute Jockey: R Moore (16) Weight: 58kg
2 CRITERION (NZ) D Hayes & T Dabernig M Walker (4) 57.5kg
3 FAME GAME (JPN) Y Munakata Z Purton (12) 57kg
4 OUR IVANHOWE (GER) L & A Freedman B Melham (22) 56kg
5 BIG ORANGE (GB) M Bell J Spencer (23) 55.5kg
6 HARTNELL (GB) J O’Shea J McDonald (17) 55.5kg
7 HOKKO BRAVE (JPN) Y Matsunaga C Williams (20) 55.5kg
8 MAX DYNAMITE (FR) W Mullins F Dettori (2) 55kg
9 RED CADEAUX (GB) E Dunlop G Mosse (8) 55kg
10 TRIP TO PARIS (IRE) E Dunlop T Berry (14) 55kg
11 WHO SHOT THEBARMAN (NZ) C Waller B Shinn (6) 54.5kg
12 SKY HUNTER (GB) S Bin Suroor W Buick (7) 54kg
13 THE OFFER (IRE) G Waterhouse D Oliver (13) 54kg
14 GRAND MARSHAL (GB) C Waller J Cassidy (15) 53.5kg
15 PREFERMENT (NZ) C Waller H Bowman (11) 53.5kg
16 QUEST FOR MORE (IRE) R Charlton D Lane (21) 53.5kg
17 ALMOONQITH (USA) D Hayes & T Dabernig D Dunn (10) 53kg
18 KINGFISHER (IRE) A O’Brien C O’Donoghue (9) 53kg
19 PRINCE OF PENZANCE (NZ) D Weir Ms M Payne (1) 53kg
20 BONDI BEACH (IRE) A O’Brien B Prebble (18) 52.5kg
21 SERTORIUS J Edwards C Newitt (5) 52.5kg
22 THE UNITED STATES (IRE) R Hickmott J Moreira (3) 52.5kg
23 EXCESS KNOWLEDGE (GB) G Waterhouse K McEvoy (24) 51kg
24 GUST OF WIND (NZ) J Sargent C Schofield (19) 51kg
Updated
The big race is just over 15 minutes away now
“I know I’ve got a nice horse in the race...I’m not nervous at all,” says five-time winning trainer Lee Freedman. “We’ll give it our best shot. I’ve got one shot.” Our Ivanhowe is his runner today,
Farewell Jim Cassidy
Here is a scary thought; Cassidy rode his first Cup day horse two years before I was even born. What a stayer.
Jim Cassidy is presented to the crowd as a Melbourne Cup hoop for the final time! pic.twitter.com/DZaz41VAC9
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 3, 2015
Jennifer Hawkins apparently still hasn’t decided who she’s backing for the winner. Here she is chatting about her potential options and explaining her bold choice of dress.
I think we have reached peak Cup day Australiana
This update as the jockeys for the main race are being paraded in front of the members stand. There’s Craig Williams, the spookiest-looking man in Australian sport looking like a tape glitch in the middle of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. But that sight isn’t as captivating as the image conjured in my head from this scenario:
Bloke who ran the fish n chip shop grabbed a stick and started whacking the TV but it was too late, the horses had passed the winning post.
— Les Street (@official_lesdog) November 3, 2015
Updated
Flemington abuzz as Bart Cummings is honored ahead of the great race @abcgrandstand pic.twitter.com/3sJYx6a215
— Gerard Whateley (@GerardWhateley) November 3, 2015
Brigid has more live action from the Birdcage
Sports editor Mike Hytner and I are in the infamous Birdcage. So what goes on here? We get entry to the Schweppes marquee. There’s a roving photographer, a DJ playing a mash up of Simply Red, Kanye and Toto. The cocktail list includes a Flemington Fling - which is Smirnoff with schweppes blood orange, fresh mint and lime juice. Pimms is popular too. The vibe is part members club, part nightclub, part Chapel street. In other words, some people’s idea of hell.
#MelbourneCup is fun pic.twitter.com/63Nlz5kXT7
— Mike Hytner (@mike_hytner) November 3, 2015
Updated
statue of Bart Cummings unveiled in time for Halloween pic.twitter.com/kk2hl8KTo7
— keen online poster (@jonathonio) October 27, 2015
A fashion update from Brigid
Lining up for fashions on the field - our eyes were caught by two women in gorgeous ankle length gowns. What was the fabric? Raffia? Actually it was jinsin and Katrina Juchems and Waltrand Remls were wearing it head to toe on race day.
Waltrand said “It’s a fabric from the Philippines. Philip Treacy uses it. Melbourne Cip fashion has grown so big in Australia. It boosts the economy here - the hat, shoes, dress, all of it.”
What does she think of the fashion today? “You get in here and you see people’s boobs hanging out. I don’t want to be a victim. I want to be comfortable. I want to walk and move. When I go out I really want to be comfortable.”
And for our money, she is also the best-dressed person we’ve seen so far.
Updated
Race 6 - The Lexus Hybrid Plate
This is a 1400-metre race for 3-year-old fillies and the early running is with Tizz My View using the rail. Extreme races down the straight but as they round the bend it’s Don’t Doubt Mamma who streaks well clear of the field - a full two lengths from Indarra - to take it out with ease.
Elsewhere, Fame Game is still firm as the Cup favourite at $5 with most of the trackside bookies after shrinking in as much as $3.20 during the week.
Another update from Melissa Davey, this time from out in Melbourne’s suburbs
At the other end of the spectrum in the northern suburbs; away from the glamorous hats and the fancy suits, stiletto heels and expensive drinks of Flemington, people are gathering at the Brunswick Bowling Club, which doesn’t really have a dress code and is offering $4 champagne.
Aisling McCartney went to Derby Day once – the most prestigious day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival – and once was enough for her. The bowling club is more her style. “I went to Derby Day and I thought to myself, ‘I’ll never go again unless I get a free ticket’,” she says. “The idea of spending that much money and getting dressed up and sitting all day in the sun isn’t really something that appeals. I’d much rather spend the day off work doing something more laid-back with friends.”
Here, people have brought their own food; platters of Jatz crackers and cheese, bread rolls and sausages from the nearest supermarket, homemade potato salad and plastic plates. Kate Goodwin and her friends say they came “woefully unprepared” for the bowlo – they forgot to bring food. Her friend, Belinda Martin, says, “It’s okay. We can do a chip run, order some pizza, or both”.
Laid back Cup celebrations at the Brunswick Bowling Club. Not a fascinator to be seen. pic.twitter.com/4fE6r3zuCI
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) November 3, 2015
Club operations manager, Simon Ray Grout, says not everyone wants to place bets, get dressed up or drunk, but they still want to do something to mark the day. “We don’t have pokies here or any deal with the TAB,” Grout says. “We’re expecting more than 150 people, and we have a mix of families, people coming with their friends, and people who will just walk-in. Everyone is always pretty well behaved, it’s not really stressful.”
People stroll the grass, barefoot, in varying degrees of Melbourne Cup dress. Some have flowers in their hair rather than a fascinator; others wear jeans and singlets. No one is particularly interested in the race.
“It’s really relaxed, and it’s not an expensive day out,” Ruby Cumming, on the bowling green with two of her friends, says.
Horseome. #NotTheCup pic.twitter.com/wy6aE4q02X
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) November 3, 2015
Updated
Picking a Melbourne Cup winner – science or luck?
This is an interesting take from Dr Christopher Hunt from the University of Sydney’s gambling treatment clinic, who might not necessarily help you with your selections today but provides plenty of food for thought.
“A large part of what we call luck is how we perceive and interpret situations,” says Hunt. “People who consider themselves to be lucky are often more extroverted than those who consider themselves to be unlucky. This personality trait leads them to take more risks and from that they have more opportunities which is why they might be considered luckier.”
“In the short term, people who spend a lot of time researching the odds, jockeys and trainers do tend to pick more winners than those who don’t do their research. But in the long term they tend to make similar amounts of money than those who pick random selections.”
“What we call intuition actually has a basis in scientific fact. That ‘gut feeling’ people experience is often based on the outcomes of previous experiences, whether that be good or bad. It is a body memory of similar things that have happened in the past.”
Updated
I’ve just heard the phrase “Duchess Kate wedges”
Isn’t there security on hand to stop that kind of thing? I didn’t even realise she was in the building. Anyway, Mike and Brigid are now well ensconced in the Birdcage and they’ve spotted both Ricky Ponting (very exciting) and Alex Perry (only exciting to fans of fashion designers perching sunglasses on their head at all times, irrespective of weather or indoor/outdoor setting).
Question: does Perry wear the sunglasses on top of his head just to cover the tan outline from having the sunglasses on top of his head in the first place? And will the answer to that question upset my fragile cognitive equilibrium? That and more as our roving reporters work the room further.
Updated
Looks like Brigid and Mike have infiltrated the Birdcage
We are not on the door but they let us in anyway because we are looking like Millionaires in our journo clothing
— Brigid Delaney (@BrigidWD) November 3, 2015
Reporter Melissa Davey has an update from the city, where not all Melbournians are enjoying a day off work and not everyone is caught up in the festivities
Being one of a handful of people in the Melbourne CBD today, I decided to speak to some people who also are not celebrating the Cup, be it a deliberate choice or because they are working.
Jarrad Robb is one of those who will not place a bet or don a suit. He views horse racing as needlessly cruel. “While the way we farm animals goes from ‘respectful and kind’ to ‘hideous’, at least there is a practical reason to farm animals,” he tells me. “Sitting on them and trying trying to make them run fast is hugely removed from the relationship we may have had with horses in the distant past.”
Gambling was another aspect Robb says he could not support.
“It’s like the stock market except the market is even more ludicrously fake,” he says. “I honestly think gambling is kinda always bad. Melbourne cup makes gambling some kind of important cultural institution which is pretty repugnant.”
Meanwhile Trayce Forbes, who works in IT, says: “To be honest, I’m working today because a Tuesday seems a silly day for a holiday, and I get overtime pay for working, so I asked for Monday off on leave instead, and worked today instead. It’s been fairly quiet.”
And Melissa Plant says she stopped paying attention to the Cup when she began thinking about what happened behind the TV screen. The death of two horses in last year’s race in particular unsettled her. “An animal forced to run getting shot in the head so we can have free drinks and a punt?” she says. “Adding to the fact that gambling culture is such a problem in this country.”
“I ran out of ways to feel okay about it. It had been coming on gradually for a few years and then another horse fell and I just couldn’t anymore. People don’t participate to be cruel, so I don’t know how to challenge it. But it’s over for me.”
Updated
Race 5 – The Schweppes #FlemingtonFling
Okay, these race names are getting gradually worse now. A hashtag? If he even knew what a hashtag was, I’m sure WC Heinz would be rolling in his grave right now. Anyway, Spill the Beans is the favourite here. Is that name a reference to the fate of many Melbourne Cup breakfasts going down in the car park?
Spill the Beans is out quickly and makes its move to the inside early from the middle of the field. Prompt Return leads early from Parcel, but jockey Craig ‘Froggy’ Newitt gets inside running in this sprint and pilots Invincible Heart home for the win from Viceroy. The favourite manages only third place. “Another one for the good guys,” says Newitt in the aftermath. “She got there when it counted. I knew she was gonna give me a good little squirt when I went for it.”
I’ll say it again, can we just let the jockeys do all the talking?
Updated
Best excuse for not attending on Cup day
... goes to sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president of the Godolphin stable and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. “He’s the ruler of a country,” says one of his staff by way of explanation. Fair enough, I suppose. Hopefully he’s getting involved in the office sweep at the very least.
Updated
Gosford Anglican Church sign (ps there's a Gosford Church sign appreciation society page on Facebook!) pic.twitter.com/pBFqqY7RGm
— Peta Astbury (@forpetessakeprd) November 3, 2015
does johnny depp have horse in melb cup
— AusGov Googles (@GovGoogles) November 3, 2015
Another update from Brigid at Flemington
The glamour of the press room is taking visual inspiration from a police interrogation room or a regional bus station. This Flemington press room is all “bunker chic”.
There are banks of desks (I am squatting on the desk belonging to “TV Chosun”) with power points [This sounds incredible Brigid, I’m very jealous of this opulence and glamour - Russell.] Journalists sit facing the wall (my colleague Mike Hytner’s face dropped when he came in here – he thought there’d be a view of the track) and there are screens about the place showing the race.
We sit in our seats like students sitting an exam, frantically filing, and the photographers uploading images before racing back out to the track. But there are party pies and bottles of water (no champagne for us). It’s a different scene I suspect in the Birdcage. Who said the class system is not alive and well in Australia?
Updated
Fashion update time
Bachelorette Sam Frost is in the house with her, err, final selection, Sasha Mielzcarek. But what I want to know is: where is Michael Turnbull at the moment and is he really wearing the designer he says he’s wearing?
This is a good look too, I reckon.
Updated
Hard-hitting political update
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, now has a spot in the sweep and is doing a very good impression of someone having a great time.
Turnbulls pulls Red Cadeaux and sends love to the horse named after the beach in his electorate... pic.twitter.com/zl24eongdw
— BuzzFeedOz Politics (@BuzzFeedOzPol) November 3, 2015
Updated
Okay, time for Race 4 – the Lavazza short black
The what? Sheesh, I know racing is all about the money but that is absurd. Having said that, I will shamelessly accept Lavazza pod payola if the sponsors would like to get in touch today.
This is a 1400-metre race for four- and five-year-olds, and Malaguerra takes the early lead along the inside from Shintaro and Orient Liner. They’re coming hard at Malaguerra as they enter the straight but he streaks away to win it by near-on two full lengths as his owners go mad up in the stands. Good Project was second and Tashbeen third from a wide barrier.
Malaguerra’s jockey, Ben Melham, is pretty happy with the horse. “I was happy for him to dictate terms,” he says. “He never spent a penny more than he needed to.” Melham also sends his love to his son Lachlan at home, which is a nice touch.
Updated
Mike Hytner stops by again live from Flemington
The first thing that has become apparent at Flemington today is the sheer number of people. They say 100,000 will flock north-west of the CBD and it appears most of them are inside already: queues at the food and drink kiosks are sizeable, and walking from the gate to the media room – a tranquil haven from the teeming throng outside – isn’t the simple task it should be.
Add in the inevitable effects of alcohol consumption (which appears to be de rigueur) and that journey is going to get even more perilous as the day progresses.
Updated
Our first reader email of the day
And reader Wendy Cowling must be the only Australian other than me who is not on the sauce before lunchtime, because her email is full of insights about the floral arrangements at the course today.
“I hope you get your fair share of the champagne,” she starts. [I haven’t so far, Wendy. It’s a disgrace actually. All these people swanning around with glasses charged and all I’ve had so far is a Pepsi Max. Life is not always fair – Russell.] “For your information, there are 16,000 roses growing at Flemington racecourse, making it the biggest public rose garden in Victoria.
“One of the reasons roses are grown at Flemington (and not beds of pretty flowering annuals) is that a bed of roses is not a good place for a drunken punter to throw themselves into, whether in ecstasy or despair,” she says. “The apricot rose that is in the beds near the fence is ‘Crepuscule’ (meaning Twilight).
“There are a lot of the salmon-pink roses. ‘Grimaldi’ and ‘Red Fan’ is growing around Phar Lap’s statue. There is a white-pink climbing rose on the arbour called ‘Seduction’, and there are bed of the yellow rose ‘Gold Bunny’. A yellow rose is Flemington’s special symbol for Melbourne Cup day.”
Wendy, I sincerely hope that these beautiful flowers are not being watered in unconventional ways by the end of the day, but genuinely do fear the worst.
Updated
Brigid Delaney is back and she’s surveying the sea of humanity
If anthropologists wanted to study the ravages of Australian drinking culture, there’s probably no better place for them to be than stationed at the Flemington turnstiles at the start and end of race day.
At the start – about 11am – women can still walk in their heels. And their heels are on their feet. Men’s ties are straight and tight at the neck and their shirts are tucked in. By 5pm all is in disarray. Women, you’ll hate your shoes by now. And they will be off. Your blow-dry will be flat. Your Spanx will be compromising your organs.
Men, you will be sunburnt. And you will have left your jacket somewhere ... at that place ... you know the one ... where you saw race seven. Life at 5pm is cruel without sunglasses. Is that someone urinating on the train track? Getting on the train is an exercise in getting to know a tall man’s armpit. You are also the only thing holding up the drunk woman behind you. And in between there is a horse race.
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Our political reporter Shalailah Medhora has kindly stopped by with all the Cup tips from the pollies
Politics is all about the playing the field and backing a winner, so it’s no surprise that parliamentarians have weighed into the Melbourne Cup in a big way. The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, is backing Criterion, saying it’s a “good Aussie horse”. Apparently the criterion for Criterion is his nationality.
The chief minister of the Northern Territory, Adam Giles, has also put Criterion in his top three. He tweeted his picks earlier in the morning.
Tips for @melbournecup - #Preferment, #Criterion as second, #TriptoParis third & #RedCadeaux in the top four. #Racing #MelbCupCarnival
— Adam Giles (@adamgiles) November 2, 2015
The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, known to back a winner, has a taken a strategic approach to the race, backing Gai Waterhouse’s horse The Offer. “I want Gai to bring in an outsider, and of course Damian Oliver is the jockey, so I think that that’s going to be my tip. And if it comes home, well that’d be a tidy little sum,” she told Channel Nine on Monday.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is hedging his bets, backing two horses – Trip to Paris and Red Cadeaux – trained by his friend, Ed Dunlop. He’s watching the race from the Flemington racecourse, and yesterday posted on social media a photo of him meeting Red Cadeaux.
The sports minister, Sussan Ley, has risked electoral backlash by backing the Kiwi horse Preferment. She notes, tongue in cheek, that the Kiwis have been on a winning streak recently.
Rain's lifted! Seems the Kiwis are on a winning streak this week - one reason I'm going for Preferment in the Cup :) pic.twitter.com/aQxFis8bHz
— Sussan Ley (@sussanley) November 2, 2015
Politicians wouldn’t be politicians unless they had a dig at their opposition. The former independent MP Rob Oakeshott has drawn comparisons between the Melbourne Cup and the economy.
50% increase in GST to overcome Treasurer's spending problem? If Logic and Rhetoric where in the Cup today, it'd be Rhetoric by a mile...
— Rob Oakeshott (@RobOakeshott1) November 3, 2015
While some are playing politics, others are staying well out of it. Our prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, known more for his love of trams than race tracks, has declined to pick a winner. All options remain on the table, apparently.
No politicians have publicly backed the horse called Fame Game. Make of that what you will.
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Race 3 is upon us – the JB Cummings Tribute plate
And who better to honour with a race than the Cup’s King himself? Cummings took out 12 Melbourne Cups in his long career and on the first Cup day since he died he’s still synonymous with the big day. This is a 2,800-metre handicap race and the clear favourite in this one is Four Carat.
The latter gets away well but it’s $28.50 outsider Genuine Lad with the early lead from Spur on Gold, Gingerboy and Tremec. Genuine Lad holds firm to lead by a length at the 1,000-metre mark, then Falamonte starts to make a move as they round the bend at 600 metres and Jim Cassidy is looking for a way through on Four Carat.
Crafty Cruiser comes down the straight strongly and there’s a real scrap at the finish but it’s De Little Engine – ridden by Chad Schofield – who finishes strongly to cruise past the field at the post in front of Jim’s Journey. Schofield is rapt. “I got a nice run through, cut the corner and he was good at the end. His last two runs have been very good. He picked up strongly when I asked him.”
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Brigid Delaney is back with more fashions on the field
I’m tryng to work out what it is that makes a Melbourne Cup hat a Melbourne Cup hat, as opposed to an ordinary hat. I think it is this: a Melbourne Cup hat is a hat that would look bizarre anywhere outside a racetrack.
It’s the sort of hat that if you wore it to the beach, people would think you were eccentric or that a tropical bird had flown into your head. They don’t provide coverage from the sun or the rain, they require pins, elastic and tape to hold them down and they cost a week’s wages.
By the same token, those who try to sneak into the Melbourne Cup wearing an ordinary hat – the sort they might wear to the beach – look like imposters. Who do they think they are fooling with their wide-brimmed, floppy Sportsgirl numbers? They’re OK for Splendour in the Grass, but the Melbourne Cup requires a singular hat (that unfortunately has a single outing).
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Jennifer Hawkins has now arrived at Flemington
Did you know that the Victoria Racing club actually had it written into its constitution that a racing event cannot go ahead until J-Hawk has arrived? It’s a tough gig, hers – all that fussing over clothes and photo opportunities. Surely she’d sometimes be tempted to turn up in a tracksuit and moccasins to hang out in the car park and sink some Smirnoff cans.
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Mike Hytner is also still trying to get inside the course to join in the fun but has an update nonetheless
Crowds are arriving in their droves on the train. Outfits are ranging from high-end, expensive-looking clobber (as they don’t say in the fashion trade) to a pair of men dressed as Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber, who for me take out the early unofficial title of best-dressed racegoers.
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The Hewitts are in the house
Yes, racing royalty has now arrived and there’s plenty to take in here. Would Bec’s fedora be considered the move of a fashion maverick, or am I misreading the situation? M’Lleyton?
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Our first trackside update from Brigid Delaney as she enters Flemington
I’m standing at the Hill gate near the members’ stand and the crowds are starting to flow through the turnstiles. The weather is bright and sunny with a cool breeze. The look this year? So far I’ve seen lots of sandal stilettos (for women) and white loafers (men). Hats are small – a couple of crowns, but fascinators still rule at this part of the track.
What else? Spray tans: tick. Botox: tick. Gelled hair (for men): tick. Bare shoulders (women): tick. Groups of male friends in matching suits and pork pie hats: tick.
I’ll have more fashion updates from the Birdcage once I get into the arena. I’ve yet to get my accreditation lanyard, so right now I’m standing at the gate with many punters mistaking me for a ticketing supervisor.
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Our 2nd race of the day – the tab.com.au trophy
Zarzali is the $2.20 favourite in this one, a handicap race for mares over 1700 metres, which has a prize purse of $101,500. Zarzali jumps out of the gates well and establishes an ideal position early in the race, third behind Clear Direction and So Feesable but with the inside running.
Clear Direction leads by a length as they turn for the straight but Zarzali makes her charge and streaks away from the field and holds on for the win, half a length in front of Precious Gem and Lilly Dazzler. Was that ever in doubt? Glen Boss doesn’t have a ride in the big race today but did everything right atop Zarzali and she came up trumps.
“She gives you that big horse feeling,” says Boss in the aftermath. “It was all pretty painless to be honest.” Take that as you will.
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Have you seen our brilliant Melbourne Cup interactive?
You really should, especially if you want to know who’d win a race out of Anna Meares, a wombat, a T-Rex, a racehorse and Usain Bolt – and obviously you do. Nick Evershed’s masterpiece is right here.
He really should have included a Shetland, too.
#melbournecup #shetlandcup pic.twitter.com/B161PiugB7
— Nick Evershed™ (@NickEvershed) November 3, 2015
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For the statistics nerds
My betting activity never reaches further than a couple of tickets in the office sweep, but this gives you some idea of where Australians are throwing their money since the barrier draw. Poor Kingfisher - named after the perfect beer to consume with a curry but so far getting no love from the punters. Speaking of curry and beer, does anyone know how Gust of Wind will fare today? Not great by the looks of things.
Trip To Paris clearly the best backed since the barrier draw. (% of bets placed). @superracing @SkyRacingAU pic.twitter.com/FChTGVsQCE
— TABcomau Media (@tabcomaumedia) November 2, 2015
Not everyone is loving Cup day
There are plenty of celebs swanning about trackside but local pop stars the Veronicas are not among them. “Despite our conditioning, there is nothing prestigious or glamorous about the horrible abuse horses endure at racing carnivals #MelbourneCup,” the band’s Jessica Origliasso tweeted to her 220,000 followers today.
There’s also a protest taking place outside the gates, led by the coalition for the protection of racehorses director Elio Celotto, who I spoke to yesterday as his group demonstrated at the Cup parade. Today that group is having a vegan picnic as they continue their demonstrations.
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Our first race of the day - the Emirates Airline Plate
Stop Making Sense is the hot tip in the first race of the day after drawing an inside barrier, which is never a bad thing. Neither is naming your horse after a Talking Heads album, if you ask this racing expert.
Anyway, the 2-year-old’s are off and away with Motown Lil taking the early lead but coming down the straight she’s overtaken by Prompt Response and the Zac Purton-ridden Concealer and it’s the latter who shoots past down the straight to take it out. There’s a photo finish for third and Missrock actually pips Motown Lil for the final placing. “She’s very leggy, there’s plenty here to work with” says Purton of Concealer. Ooh err.
Everyone is happy to be a winner and none more so than the man behind the scenes. “She’s got great expression in her action...she really impressed me,” says winning trainer Tony McEvoy, smiling broadly.
Concealer (No4) is the winner in Race 1.
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Ther rag trade and race-calling records
If you’re put off a little by the obscene expenditure required to stand out from the fashionistas at Flemington, help is on the way via the local broadcasters’ tips for lads on a budget. First up is a young bow-tie-clad gent sporting a real bargain-basement ensemble that cost a smidgen under $1,000 at a local department store, which if you saw it you would agree is a small price to pay to look like Pee-Wee Herman’s apprentice.
It’s a day of records today, too. Veteran race caller Greg Miles will pass the historic mark of Bill “the accurate one” Collins for most Melbourne Cup calls. There’s an evocative moment where he describes the pressures of remembering the names of all 24 horses, their riders and the colour of the silks for the big race, a task that clearly requires absolute focus. “The whole grandstand could burn around me and I wouldn’t notice,” says Miles. He’s deadly serious.
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The obligatory Mike Baird live tweet update
My tip for the Melbourne Cup: Grand Marshal. Meanwhile, Kerryn’s bet seems to be offering me a tip for our marriage… pic.twitter.com/rwY3rojtya
— Mike Baird (@mikebairdMP) November 2, 2015
With a Dad joke thrown in there for good measure. Onya Mike.
There’s some actual horse racing on the way, I promise
First up we have the Emirates Airline plate, a race for two-year-old fillies over 1000 metres, who’ll vie for $151,500 in prize money. That’s a little under 20 minutes away.
In the meantime, it wouldn’t be a Guardian racing live blog without enjoying the genius of Alan Partridge’s race call, would it?
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Our man on the spot sets off for his first Melbourne Cup experience
Is 7.30am too early to be popping champagne corks? For 364 days a year, yes, probably. But normal convention seems to go out of the window on Melbourne Cup day. At least it did for the 20-odd strong group of middle-aged racegoers at my hotel in central Melbourne this morning, who complemented their eggs Benedict with a glass of bubbly, a scene that was no doubt replicated across the city.
A quick weather update: early cloud cover is dissipating and the sun is beginning to warm up Melbourne, which started out rather chilly. That’s relevant not only for racegoers worried their fascinators may get soggy, but also for the race itself, with doubts having been raised over the quality of the track given the recent damp weather.
Anyway, time to embrace the crowds on the train out to Flemington ...
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Elsewhere in Melbourne
The gates have already opened at Flemington but the city of Melbourne is otherwise deserted – parking is abundant and coffee desperately hard to source for those of us working on Cup day. But most people in the city this morning are tourists ready to head to Flinders Street station and Flemington.
With 100,000 people expected at the racecourse, the opposition spokesman on tourism and cities, Anthony Albanese, has written an opinion piece for the Huffington Post describing the Melbourne Cup as a coup for tourism.
“ ... Nearly 8,000 international visitors from over 43 countries descended trackside last year,” he wrote. “A repeat result at this year’s Melbourne Cup carnival will help deliver another $200m boost to the Australian economy over four days.”
He added that the race would attract 70,000 interstate visitors to Victoria.
“This is great news for jobs, with the carnival employing 18,000 staff and contractors at Flemington in the lead-up to and during the event,” he wrote. “Last year’s economic study found the fashion industry enjoyed a huge boost, with 75,000 hats and fascinators, 61,000 dresses and 17,000 shirts sold. Racegoers spent more than $20m on food and wine alone.”
Meanwhile, the federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has also weighed in on the Cup this morning. As we all know, Australia takes its biosecurity very seriously, and celebrity horses were not exempt. “The carnival, and the Melbourne Cup in particular, puts our nation on the world racing map and a lot of this is because of the quality imports it attracts,” the head of animal biosecurity, Tim Chapman, said. “They include superstar horses like the UK’s Red Cadeaux. But celebrity horses are no exception when it comes to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ responsibility to keep Australia free from exotic pests and diseases to protect our agricultural industries, economy and environment.
“We don’t just wait to check these animals when they arrive either – each horse that enters Australia has already completed 14 days of mandatory quarantine in another country. Then, when they arrive in Australia, the horses are inspected by our biosecurity and veterinary officers and stabled at the Werribee international horse centre for at least 14 further days of quarantine, observation and testing.
“They’re even kept at least 100 metres away from local horses for all that time. We’ve got to make sure none of these international racers pose any risk to domestic horses.”
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It’s Melbourne Cup Day!
Hello all, Russell Jackson here with the honour of taking you through all the live action from this 2015 Melbourne Cup at Flemington racecourse. First, some housekeeping on this beautifully sunny Melbourne day. If you’d like to get in touch throughout the afternoon and let us know how you’re celebrating the race that stops a nation, you can get me on russell.jackson@theguardian.com or on Twitter: @rustyjacko – I want pictures of your hats, sweepstakes celebrations and, if you’re standing out in the Flemington car park, details of what’s inside the esky.
I’ll also be getting plenty of updates today from our roving reporters, Mike Hytner and Brigid Delaney, who have the enviable task of assessing the car park carnage and all the action inside the Birdcage, that icon of Melbourne Cup debauchery. The theme of the Birdcage today – in case you were interested and I’m sure you are – is “modern china”. Social Darwinism? Inscrutable consumerism? No, mostly it just looks like tray upon tray of vodka shots, gaudy interior design and a lot of “Who are you wearing today?” I’m sure it’ll be a blast.
For my liking, the highlight of the local broadcast so far was the interview with 18-year-old Australian singer Cody Simpson, who appears via satellite from LA doing a very good impersonation of someone not reading straight from a PR company autocue. “GQ and Emirates Stakes day are both two amazing things,” he tells David Koch, who is almost blown clean off his feet by the revelation. And Simpson’s right, too. In what other two locations are you more likely to see someone wearing a wristwatch that cost more than your car?
I’ll be back with more glamour, luxury and maybe even some stuff about horses soon. They’re still going to race them around the track, right?
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Russell will be here shortly to take the controls and guide you through the day’s events at Flemington racecourse. In the meantime, here’s Scott Heinrich on the 2015 edition of Australia’s greatest race:
The field of 24 contains 10 individual Group 1 winners (an unusually high ratio for a handicap event) and a range of form lines that tie in most of the world’s great distance races. If 20 years ago the Melbourne Cup was a race a plodder could win, it is now unquestionably the staying championship of the world.
The reason for that is the influx of foreign bloodstock, either prepared by an overseas trainer or imported to Australia to be handled by a local. In the 2015 Melbourne Cup, 11 entrants call a land other than Australia home, and a further eight started their racing careers elsewhere.
Read Scott’s full race preview here.
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