THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - BRING ON THE MELBOURNE CUP. THE PARTY WILL BE WORTH IT

By Graham Potter | Sunday, November 2, 2014

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

So here we are again … just two days away from that first Tuesday in November and all that day means to the racing industry.

No less than forty-four race meetings will be held across Australia on Tuesday and every one of them, albeit to different degrees, will host a feast of pomp and ceremony with accompanied glamour and glitz as the throng of Melbourne Cup race-day devotees form a rich tapestry of colour, sound and movement that translates into a very special atmosphere that only comes around once a year.

In essence it is an Australia-wide party and everybody has an invitation.

For locals that means, if you haven’t done so already, you should start planning your visit to Corbould Park, where six races will be held on Tuesday.

Be warned though, the Sunshine Coast meeting is strictly an 18 years and over event.

Apart from that restriction, which will disappoint some, and the will of the weather gods, it is almost guaranteed to be a good, social day out.

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Looking for a local form pointer?

The Sunshine Coast based multiple Group 1 winning jockey Damian Browne stays home on Tuesday to ride at the Corbould Park meeting instead of heading for Brisbane.

For regular race-goers Browne’s excellent strike-rate, particularly at his home track, is well-known, but the majority of those attending the meeting on Tuesday will be non-racing people … with a slight racing twist.

They also all want to back a winner.

Unlike the more serious punter who looks for value, the Tuesday outing to Corbould Park will be made sweeter for any of these once a year punters if they can find a winner, irrespective of the starting price.

So, if anybody asks who they should follow, just mention the name Damian Browne.

Just as it is almost guaranteed to be a good, social day out, the Browne followers are almost certain to have at least one collect on the day.

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Of course the cherry on the top would be to shout the winner of the Melbourne Cup home with a winning ticket in your pocket.

Would this perhaps be the time to leave local loyalty behind and to select a runner from the strong set of international entries?

We’ve already been given more than a hint of their strength this carnival with the Japanese contender Admire Rakti showing his staying prowess to win the Caulfield Cup and the Irish trained Adelaide stunning his rivals with a ridiculously, long, powerfully sustained run to claim the Cox Plate.

At the time of writing Admire Rakti is the ruling favourite for the Cup but they are all here … a multi-national thoroughbred army which includes the mighty international Godolphin operation who have not given up on their chase for that elusive Cup victory.

The fact is the international runners have become a serious force in recent years, both in numbers and results, and the chances are strong that the momentum is in their favour.

Or can an Aussie hold them out and take the roar of the crowd to a new level?

Either way it is going to be quite a day.

Time to join the party!

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