The definition of a racehorse? An animal that can take thousands of people for a ride at the same time.
It’s time to dust off that fascinator or bowler hat and head to your favourite watering hole to toast the race that stops the nation…it’s Melbourne Cup time!
The most prestigious horse race in Australia’s history takes place on the first Tuesday in November every year – it’s all about the glitz, fashion and champagne as more than 46,500 bottles of bubbles will be consumed as we celebrate or commiserate in style.
The first Melbourne Cup was held in 1861 with the grand prizes being a gold watch and cash purse; it wasn’t until 1865 the first official cup was awarded as part of the main prize.
Take your place in the starting gates and get ready for action as we toast six more fun facts we bet you didn’t know about the Cup:
•Every Melbourne Cup Day, Aussies drink the equivalent of 25 Olympic swimming pools of alcohol.
•Horses wearing numbers 4 and 12 have won the Cup a record 11 times each, so these are your best bet if you’re not sure who to punt on.
•At Flemington, there are more than 16,000 rose bushes, which are pruned and tied during Winter months, totalling more than 1568 hours of labour.
•The youngest jockey to win the Melbourne Cup was Peter St Albans riding ‘Briseis’ in 1876 at only 11 years of age. The legitimate age of entry was 13, but Peter was just 8 days away from his 12th birthday.
•Over the course of the Spring racing season, Aussies will bet as much as $1.5 billion on horse racing; while up to $52 million is spent on fashion each year.
•90% of people tune in across the country to watch the races on television each year and those in NSW on average bet 22% more money than punters from other states.
