Melbourne Cup Day - a big day for Australia

@JudyEv (382104)

Rockingham, Australia

November 6, 2023 6:22pm CST

I guess I should tell you a bit about the Melbourne Cup as I’ve been mentioning it a few times. The Melbourne Cup is our premier horse race and the whole country seems to shut down while it is run. It is often called ‘the race that stops a nation’. The first Cup was run in 1861 with a break over the war years. It used to be a two-mile race for but was shortened to 3,200 m (1 mi 1,740 yd) in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric system. It’s always run on the first Tuesday in November and nowadays horses are flown in from overseas in the hope of winning the prestigious event. There is a luncheon at the clubhouse today and with luck we’ll be there. Hopefully, we’ll draw good horses in the sweeps. The photo was taken at the Irish National Stud in Co. Kildare, and is of one of the stallions that are kept there.

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14 responses

@Juliaacv (56257)

• Canada

7 Nov 23

I remember watching a movie about the first female rider in the Melbourne Cup. I got the feeling that it was a very well anticipated event. Have a good time at the clubhouse today.

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@Juliaacv (56257)

• Canada

8 Nov 23

@JudyEv I am sure that it is good for him to have a new day dawning today with his retirement. Now it will be time for someone else to take their turn in the winner's circle.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

@Juliaacv He is 51 now which is quite old for a jockey. His body will welcome the respite.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

I really enjoyed that movie. Such a feel-good movie. There is another called 'The Cup' which is enjoyable too. The jockey whose life features in that rode yesterday and then retired. He had won the cup three times but yesterday wasn't his day.

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@DaddyEvil (174482)

• United States

7 Nov 23

Good luck!

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

Thanks. I've written about how well we did. It was a fun day.

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@DaddyEvil (174482)

• United States

8 Nov 23

@JudyEv You're welcome.

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@RebeccasFarm (91297)

• United States

7 Nov 23

I pray your tickets come good Judy. So this is like the Kentucky Derby over here..similar I mean that big. That photo is beautiful of the lovely horse and no mistaking that green grass of Ireland.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

It's a very big occasion indeed but half the TV coverage is more about the fashions and the hats than about the horses! But it's all good.

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@wolfgirl569 (135770)

• Marion, Ohio

7 Nov 23

Hope you drew a winner

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

Between us we drew three placings and our friends drew a couple too. It was a very enjoyable day.

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@xFiacre (14785)

• Ireland

7 Nov 23

@judyev Do you think the horses have any idea of how much is riding on them? Other than the weight of the jockey of course.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

No, not really but they probably get the feeling that it's a bigger deal than most races.

Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (18198)

• Raurkela, India

7 Nov 23

Hope you get a good horse for the race. Where do you get the horse from?

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

There are 24 horses entered for the race. The names go in a hat and each person draws out a name.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

@aninditasen Yes, that's pretty much what it is.

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Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (18198)

• Raurkela, India

8 Nov 23

@JudyEv OH! I see. It's like betting for a horse at a horse race.

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@ptrikha_2 (49753)

• India

7 Nov 23

Sounds like an interesting event. I didn't knew that this was so famous in Australia. So you are ensured many busy days ahead where you would be taking tonnes of pictures!

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@ptrikha_2 (49753)

• India

8 Nov 23

@JudyEv Yes a remarkable match and Glenn Maxwell is all over the news, Twitter etc !!

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

It's a very big deal in Australia - but did you hear about Australia coming for way behind to beat Afghanistan in the ODI in Mumbai? What a match that must have been.

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@jstory07 (148734)

• Roseburg, Oregon

7 Nov 23

I hope your ticket will be a winner.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

We did really well thanks. It was a fun day.

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@LadyDuck (502491)

• Italy

7 Nov 23

I have read your more recent post first and I know you won some money. I hope you enjoyed luncheon at the clubhouse.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

We did enjoy the luncheon, thanks. Our entertainment committee does a great job.

@RasmaSandra (98004)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

7 Nov 23

What a handsome horse, Best of luck in the sweeps and I hope you enjoyed your lunch, I used to be a big horse race fan and always went to Belmont Park when I lived in NYC,

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

There is a magical atmosphere at a race meeting I think. I love hearing the thunder of hooves as the horses come down the track.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Nov 23

@RasmaSandra Sometimes seagulls invade the tracks here and can upset the horses.

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@Ronrybs (21497)

• London, England

7 Nov 23

Seems a long way to go just to run in one race, I am guessing after a rest there are other races to run.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

It's a normal race meeting to a degree. I think there were 8 or 9 races throughout the day. We don't have many races this long. Most are much shorter.

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@RubyHawk (99367)

• Atlanta, Georgia

7 Nov 23

That’s a beautiful picture. Hope your choice wins..

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

We just put our names down for the sweeps where you don't know which horse you'll be drawn but we did well thanks.

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@RubyHawk (99367)

• Atlanta, Georgia

9 Nov 23

@JudyEv Oh, nice that you did well.

@LindaOHio (222417)

• United States

7 Nov 23

Beautiful horse. I hope you do well in the race! Hope you and Vince are having a good day.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

We had a fun-filled day, thanks. The meal was really nice too.

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@LindaOHio (222417)

• United States

8 Nov 23

@JudyEv I'm glad to hear it.

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@Beestring (15372)

• Hong Kong

7 Nov 23

Good luck! The horse in the picture is beautiful.

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@JudyEv (382104)

• Rockingham, Australia

8 Nov 23

They were looked after very well at that stud.

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