Melbourne Cup - Surprise!

[mike carey]

The Melbourne Cup is the biggest horse race in Australia, first Tuesday in November every year. This year the jockey on the winning horse was a woman, first time ever. Added to that, in 1915, the first time ever a woman owned the winning horse. The 1915 and 2015 winners both carried number 19.

 

The winning jockey, speaking to the media said that horse racing is a chauvinist sport and that if people thought that women weren't strong enough to be capable to ride the horses they could 'get stuffed'. A polite way of telling them to f*** off!

[+ WilliamM]

The Melbourne Cup is the biggest horse race in Australia, first Tuesday in November every year. This year the jockey on the winning horse was a woman, first time ever. Added to that, in 1915, the first time ever a woman owned the winning horse, The 1915 and 2015 winners both carried number 19.

 

Very Interesting. I know about Australia Day, Australian Tennis Open and the Sydney to Hobart boat race ( lucky to have been in Australia for those events), but did not know about the Melbourne Cup. So glad you are posting here, Mike. Sydney gets all the attention. But, Melbourne is a wonderful city also.

[Bargara Leatherboy]

Melbourne is a much more live able city than Sydney. Sydney has the harbour and beaches, Melbourne has the style .

[mike carey]

I should add another note to Michelle Payne's winning ride. She is one of 10 siblings and of those, five girls are jockeys (some of the boys too). Her brother, Stevie, has Downs syndrome and has worked in the racing industry since he was 15: he was the one who drew the No 1 gate for the race, he was the strapper for the horse (Prince of Penzance), and he shared the stage when she faced the media after the race, and in the inevitable TV interviews yesterday and today. And with considerable aplomb.

[swallows22]

Melbourne is a much more live able city than Sydney. Sydney has the harbour and beaches, Melbourne has the style .

 

Lord, help me. Someone from Western Sydney offering an opinion on style.

[mike carey]

Lord, help me. Someone from Western Sydney offering an opinion on style.

Now, now!