Melbourne Cup

Did anyone just catch this race? 23 horses going 2 miles. The Japanese run 1-2. Darn good race. Good presentation as well. Also, the race was sponsored by Emirates---they sponsor everything.

Originally Posted by Cardus

I watched and wagered on the Australian races tonight.

Aussies are not happy today, but the entire day is an incredible spector that surpasses the celebrations of our great racing days.

For the record, the Japanese trainer favored the 2nd place finisher, but since he was beaten a head, he was spot on.

More tomorrow...

I really liked how they introduced the riders before the race. I think that would be great to do on Breeders Cup day so people actually get to see the Int'l jocks.

[kgar311]

I think yeats wouldnt have folded so badly if the dumb jockey didnt make his move at the mile pole.

[TalkToTheHoof]

Originally Posted by eurobounce

I really liked how they introduced the riders before the race. I think that would be great to do on Breeders Cup day so people actually get to see the Int'l jocks.

From what I could tell, they did introduce all of the jockeys before the BC races. Each jockey came out holding the flag of their home country. Gave it a real international flavor.

They started showing it on ESPN, and then stopped around 5 seconds into it. I was disappointed, as we only got to see a few of the participants.

There are pictures of all the jockeys lined up with their flags on the AP horseracing photo sites.

Originally Posted by TalkToTheHoof

From what I could tell, they did introduce all of the jockeys before the BC races. Each jockey came out holding the flag of their home country. Gave it a real international flavor.

They started showing it on ESPN, and then stopped around 5 seconds into it. I was disappointed, as we only got to see a few of the participants.

There are pictures of all the jockeys lined up with their flags on the AP horseracing photo sites.

I missed that completely. I was prob in line 227 people deep to bet and get coffee. I wish I would have witnessed that.

The announcers were building up pop rocks and it was a great race. And the only way to shut up a drunk Irishman is to get him to pass out.

Originally Posted by Cardus

It was a great, great finish! You had the sense that Pop Rock was going by Delta Blues, and he dug in gamely. Bad handicapping aside, I thought it was a fantastic race. The rest of the card was interesting, too. I wish it had one fewer sprint and one more route, but you have to like the inclusion of the 1 3/4 race.

As for the irish: tell him that you're from immigration. He'll simmer down, trust me.

I thought that Pop Rocks was the winner about 1 lenght, but Delta Blues did not give in one inch. I also would liked one fewer of the sprints. But heck, you really cant be picky with that day of racing.

I do have a question--why do they hold that event in the middle of the week and not on the weekend?

Originally Posted by Cardus

Tradition is the only answer that I have for you. I'll ask some Aussies and tell you their responses.

Cup day might be a national holiday of some sort (unofficial). The race really does "stop the nation." Nearly everyone watches or listens to the race.

I just read the main newspapers in Melbourne and Sydney. An awful lot of attention paid to the future consequences of a foreigner not only winning, but running 1-2 in the Cup.

Sound familiar?

Does sound familiar. Got to love those Int'l shippers.

I Cesario was a monster. What ever happened to that horse?