Last week Sarah and I were invited to attend the Melbourne Cup, the race that famously “stops the nation”. In British terms it seems to be the equivalent of Ascot, the Grand National and the Derby all rolled into one. It’s an unmissable Aussie experience.
We were very fortunate to be able to join the Governor General, the Governor of Victoria, the Premier and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne at a small private lunch there. They told us about HM The Queen’s very successful visit to the city the previous week. It was impressive to have the Melbourne Cup itself sitting on the table whilst we ate.
Although we strolled in the Paddock pretending to be inspecting the horses, I’m afraid I’m such an amateur that I tend to choose horses mainly on the basis of their name. It was an approach that stood us in good stead, as I backed the winner, and Sarah backed the horse which came second in the big race. We wished we’d been betting more than $5 stakes. But then, if we had, they’d have probably lost.