I love Melbourne Cup Day, it's a real Aussie tradition. They even give Victorians a public holiday for it! Of course this goes a long way to encouraging people to front up to Flemington and get drunk. Really drunk. I don't think a lot of them even watch the race.
We always have a flutter. In fact Melbourne Cup day 1984 was probably the first time I'd even been inside a TAB or put a bet on anything. And it's pretty much the only time now we put on a bet. When the kids were little we'd have a hat party at home while we watched the race. I'm no crafter, I'd just cut out the horses the kids had picked from the paper and sticky tape them on one of their sunhats. We'd have cucumber sandwiches on stalish bread and sweaty cheese and crackers because we always seemed to be broke on Cup Day. But the kids have nice memories of it. Nobody got drunk either. There have been a couple of times since they've been at school when we have gone to the club for lunch and had a few wines.
So the kids chose their horses this morning. I'd already picked mine, Shocking. Josh chose Illustrious Blue and when Em came in to have a look at the form guide she told me she'd had a dream about a horse winning that had something to do with lightning and when she saw the name "Shocking" she immediately chose that one too. So we'll go down to the club later and put on our meagre bets. I might get generous and take my husband out for lunch, I have a stash that he doesn't know about.
5 comments:
Have never heard of that race.
Hope you win.
Hubby and I watch the Kentucky Derby on our bedroom TV and chose our horse to win.
Society drinks Mint Julips, while
I drink my diet soda Tab and he drinks water.
We really live it up, huh!!!
Yours sounds like so much more a fun day :0)
I once put $50 on a horse called Maud because it was my grandmothers name..x wanted to put the money on the favorite(mine was like 11 to one or something) i refused and when I won wouldn't let him have any money to bet on any more horses..boy was he pissed.
I have picked the four horse superfecta twice at our local harness course. It's a combination of looking at the horses and assessing their perkiness as they do the pre-trot around the track and my lucky numbers.
Because of recent events I wanted 'Shocking' to win too, I nearly went into the TAB for the first time and placed a bet. Instead though I did the grocery shop in an empty supermarket - eerie. My husband won the office sweep though. I would like to involve my kids in some sort of race day tradition, love the hat idea.
I had "We were wild" and another one I can't recall - no winners or places but still - its the only day of the year I go into the TAB and put a bet down and its sort of special seeing people flitting about town with their fancy clobber on - and imaginng how they will feel a few hours after the champagne hits home
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