Monday, November 03, 2008

The Race that Stops a Nation

Next Tuesday 4/11 or 11/4 depending what part of the world you live in sees a couple of races of national/international import.

The American’s are going to choose a president and the Aussies will stand with baited breath for 3 minutes around 3pm EST. The American race has been reported to death and if the pundits are anything to go by the result is known and historic.

In the land down under the horse race that stops the nation, The Melbourne Cup, the result is unknown until the Gee Gee’s pass the post. Although lots and lots of people, who barely known one end of a nag from the other, become instant experts and drop their hard earned at the Tote.

Throughout the wide brown land Fashions on the Field invade offices from Sydney to Perth, daily papers publish form guides that can be cut up for office sweeps and in Melbourne, the home of the race with a population of around 3 million, it is an official public holiday.

If Australia were to become a republic (bound to happen one day) and the leading contender for the Head of State was an Aborigine would it excite as much as the flashing silk?

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