I had a chance to attend Melbourne Horse Cup yesterday in Melbourne.  It was a first time experience for both me and Srikanth.  It was suggested as a must-attend event by my colleague in Melbourne.  Yes, it was worth it.  I have never seen so many formally dressed folks at a one place in a single event.  It was like a huge picnic, with everyone relaxed and chilled, and cheering the horses that they were betting on.

Despite such a huge sized event, everything was organised so perfect.   Women and girls were all dressed to the perfection, as if it’s a prom night event.  Men, Boys, and kids were all dressed formally too.  It looked a scene from Hollywood movie with horse races. Thanks to the alert in advance, we also dressed formal.  Entry fee was about $55 per person.  We took a cab ride to Flemington Race Course, which was not a good idea, as drive took about 25 minutes, and another 20 minutes to walk to the gate.  Train could have dropped right at the gate, and costed us lot cheaper, and would have been environment friendly and fun.

We randomly selected a horse “Emerald” (horse no. 3) for our bet, just for the experience.  It costed us about $25 for the bet.  It was the horse with low odds.   Our horse was leading until 95% of the race, and gave the lead to another horse.  Yes, we have lost it.  But it was fun, as you can see from the below clips and video.  Since I had to leave to Auckland same day, I could only spend just 2 to 3 hours at the event.  I am sure to come back again,  if I am in Melbourne during the same seasons, years down.