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Melbourne Cup Day is here again! The whole of Australia stops at 3.10 pm on the first Tuesday each November to listen to the race generally regarded as the most prestigious two-mile' handicap in the world. This is the race that "stops the nation" and is run at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

Since its inception in 1861, the Melbourne Cup has played a major role in Australia's cultural heritage. Cup Day is the peak of the Spring Racing Carnival, when everyone can join in the fun champagne breakfasts, fancy hats and fashions are the order of the day until everyone stops for the race. "Fashions on the Field" is a very popular event on Cup Day, with the "beautiful people" strutting their stuff, decked out in all manner of fabulous fashions and wonderful hats. In 1965, English model Jean Shrimpton caused a stir worldwide when she wore a mini skirt and no stockings to the Melbourne Cup.

Huge amounts are placed in bets and sweeps across the nation. The prize money totals more than $5 million. Melbourne Cup parties are held in every town and even non-race lovers join in to this great Australian custom. Sweeps are very popular at these events, and they make for lots of friendly rivalry and discussion as to who has drawn the most likely horse to win.

Even people who don't normally gamble buy a sweep ticket for Melbourne Cup. Methods of betting on the race are often whimsical with no thought as to the form or bloodlines of the horse. Instead, punters back their favourite by the colours of the jockey's silks, or the horse's name or some other equally strange method. It is all lots of fun on the day.

The Melbourne Cup is run as a handicap, in which the weight of the jockey and his riding gear is adjusted with ballast to a nominated figure. Older horses are given more weight than younger ones, and weightings are further adjusted according to the horse's previous results. These days, superior horses are given less severe weight penalties than would be the case under pure handicap rules.

The race is held over a distance of 3200 metres. The present record holder is Kingston Rule who won in 1990 in the time of 3 minutes 16.3 seconds.

In 1861, seventeen horses contested the first Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse for the prize of a gold watch and 170 pounds in cash. Archer was the winner two years in a row and there was a crowd of 4000 to watch the race. In comparison, the attendance these days at Flemington Race Course for the Melbourne Cup is well over100,000.

In 1930 Australia's most famous racehorse, Phar Lap won as the shortest price favourite at 8-11, the win paying the equivalent of $1.87. The following year, Phar Lap was given a 68 kg handicap which made it impossible for him to win.

Makybe Diva became the first horse to win the Cup three times, winning in 2003, 2004, and 2005, with ex Gympie jockey, Glen Boss riding her in all three races.

When American writer, Mark Twain, visited the Melbourne Cup in 1895, he was amazed and said "Nowhere in the world have I encountered a festival of people that has such a magnificent appeal to the whole nation. The Cup astonishes me."

Today the Melbourne Cup tradition continues, and whether you win or lose, it's a sure bet that you will be back next year to try your luck again. Come on down and enjoy the fun and "have a flutter" on the greatest Australian horserace The Melbourne Cup.

Learn more about this author, Patricia Young.
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