BEN'S BEAT: A CUP DAY WITH A DIFFERENCE

By Ben Saunders | Sunday, November 10, 2019

In this edition of Ben’s Beat, the personal blog of Ben Saunders, Ben talks about his Melbourne Cup day experience - one that was far removed from normal race-day activities of the masses and many times more inspirational. This is Ben’s Beat, which appears exclusively on HRO.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Melbourne Cup day although it was probably a little bit different from the one most racing enthusiasts would have experienced.

I was actually at the PA hospital … don’t worry, not for anything bad. It was a lovely day.

Because I was involved in the racing industry and it was Melbourne Cup day I’d actually been invited there to give a presentation on the day by Spinal Life Australia who try to involve as many ‘ex pats’ … if I could call them that … from the spinal unit by giving them the chance to come back and be given a little bit of insight on the progress that can be made so that everybody can understand and embrace the ‘need to achieve’.

They thought my presentation would be an appropriate one for Melbourne Cup day.

I put together a three-quarter-of-an-hour talk and I showed some pictures of my life in the horseracing business showing what I did before, right up to the time I fell at trackwork. I then detailed just how much the industry helped me after the fall … through work-cover, all the support of the racing participants and that of Racing Queensland, who helped me find a job.

I was able to show that I am very happy where I’m at now.

Out of a catastrophe I have been blessed with such great support. I was lucky from the outset because I am a person with a very positive mindset … I just don’t know any other way of going about things … but, having said that, if I didn’t have my family and this industry to support me the way that it has through its participants and Racing Queensland, I doubt whether I would be as far ahead as I am.

The support of my wife Yvonne and my boys Josh and Aaron and my immediate close family has been tremendous … and when I say that I can also include the whole of the Toowoomba racing community who I consider as family.

So, just in the telling of my story there was a lot for me to be grateful for and, when I looked around, it also brought home the fact how really lucky I am.

My presentation ended just before the Melbourne Cup They have a little bit of a dress up day at the PA Hospital in the spinal unit. People don the hats and they give away prizes and they do a sweep.

It really gave me just another view of how the Melbourne Cup is all embracing in terms of the way the general public, literally where-ever they are, get involved in the race. Whatever anybody says, the Melbourne Cup is embedded in the psyche of the nation.

Melbourne Cup day is Melbourne Cup Day and I can tell you it was celebrated in the spinal unit of the PA Hospital.

And the other good thing was there was no protesters in the spinal ward … nobody stuck up their hand and said I was harsh on a horse.

Did I pick the Melbourne Cup winner?

I did. In fact, I had them in order … until the protest.

Frankie’s let me down again!

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