The race that stops a nation

Today is the first Tuesday in November and as such is Melbourne Cup day - the day of the most prestigious & best loved horse race in Australia. It's particularly loved by Victorians, who get a day off on Cup day! But it's a national institution and the rest of the nation also gets to take part. All over Australia there are Melbourne Cup parties, race courses nationwide will be filled to brimming with people watching the race on big screens and most offices will organise some kind of event along with several sweepstakes.

Our office has a 'luncheon' where we all bring in something to eat, project the race up on the wall and of course we all need to wear hats.

The race itself is on a flat course 2 miles long so after all the hype it's over in just a few minutes. And then it's just a case of handing out the winnings. Liz scored big this year, drawing the winning horse on the $5 sweep and the second place horse on the $2. I just about made my money back with a 3rd on the $2 sweep. Never mind, there's always next year...