Stable Upbringing

Melbourne Cup Fans Shout Themselves Horse

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There is no bigger day in Melbourne than today. You see, the Melbourne Cup is held on the first Tuesday of November and believe me, they aren’t kidding when they say it’s the race that stops a nation. It is a 3200-metre race at Flemington Racecourse, and it is the focus of the whole country.

Whether you are at Flemington or not, whether you are in the corporate marquees or not, whether you are at the Birdcage or not, today is Melbourne’s biggest party.

In 1993, on a wet track, Michael Kinane rode Vintage Crop to victory, a historic moment for the Irish horse because it was the first time in history that the Cup had been won by a European horse.

Yesterday was a slow day, because most people take the day off to convert the Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday segment into a really long weekend, Schools are generally closed on the Monday before Cup Day, and it is the perfect opportunity to study the form guide.

Everyone has an opinion on the prospective winner of the Cup. Me? Er, I wouldn’t know the difference between a thoroughbred and a rocking horse.

So where did I take these photographs? At Flemington, during trackwork? Nope, I shot them on Friday evening, on Flinders Street. The horses in the first frame are just a close-up. Here, below, is the true view of the whole scene.

As you can see, it’s a huge hoarding at Federation Square in central Melbourne. The size of the two passers-by gives you an idea of just how all-encompassing the billboard really is.


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A Feather In Your Hat

Yes, Let Success Go To Your Head

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Today is Oaks Day in Melbourne, traditionally referred to in the horse racing calendar as Ladies’ Day. The Oaks was first held in 1861 for three-year-old fillies with set weights (today's horses all carried 55.5kg) over 12 furlongs or 2400 metres. The race is now run over 2500 metres at Flemington Racecourse and is generally accepted as the fashion high point of the Spring Racing Carnival.

The serious fashion devotees wear flamboyant hats, while those in favour of the less-is-more concept opt instead for fascinators. In case you’re wondering, a fascinator is a headpiece, fashioned from feathers, flowers and/or beads.

Here's another view of the wonderful creation (above), giving you an idea of what it looked lilke from directly behind. I asked this woman’s permission to photograph her very striking fascinator and she readily agreed, while confessing that she had bought hers rather than making it herself. Looks like she’s made a head start.