Tuesday, November 14, 2006
And They're Off
Last Tuesday was Melbourne Cup, the race that stops the nation here in Australia. It is a chance for all adults, young and old, to head down to the bookmaker and plunk down some money on an exacta box parlay. As the photo illustrates, these little betting shops become absolute madhouses. You'd think that Australia was being handed over to the Chinese and passports were being issued for one day only.Many corporations also see it as an excuse to have a Christmas party before the holiday season even begins. Another excuse as well for Aussies to get gussied up and borderline belligerent mid-week. Our office closed up at lunch and we rented out a floor of a pub to watch the event. It is a massive race as far as horse races go, 23 horses running 2800m. Gives one plenty of time to win and lose the race all in the course of the home stretch.
I took the 'shotgun blast' mantra of betting by putting down money on roughly a third of the field with hopes of getting some result. Even if I lost, all the bet tickets worked well as a makeshift fan for which I could dry my crying eyes. Alas, t'was not my day and Delta Blues gave me the blues, coming in at roughly 11 to 1 and leaving me in the cold.
posted by ncawthon at 8:06 AM
<< Home