Tuesday, November 01, 2005

The Race that Inebriates the Nation

On this drizzly Tuesday afternoon, the biggest annual sporting event in Australia was held. We sauntered up to the Retired Serviceman's League to catch all the action of the 2005 Melbourne Cup. The favorite, Makybe Diva, won for an unprecedented third year in a row. The announcers drummed her up to be as great as the mighty Phar Lap and dubbed this race as one of the greatest events ever in Australian sport, surpassing the time a kangaroo was used to tote around a six-pack of beer during the lunch breack of cricket match. We're glad we changed out of our pajamas for such a milestone.

The R.S.L. was packed to the brim with intoxicated pensioners and the like, all drinking and punting in anticipation of the race. Hard to believe that at 3pm on a Tuesday so many people found the time to get so sloshed. Again, the R.S.L. is the best place in town to snicker at the incoherence of Aussie speech and slang. Goes up exponentially with age, too.

In our first attempt at betting on Australian horses, we failed miserably. But with 24 horses comprising the field over a two mile distance, you couldn't expect much success. We wagered $40 and won $15.90. Interestingly, no horse was favored less than 2-1 odds, even Makybe Diva. Not a great outing overall, but if it weren't for The Diva we would have been all out.

posted by Peggy C. at 4:33 PM