It isn’t easy to earn the nickname “The Race That Stops a Nation”, unless of course that nation is Jamaica, then any race that Usain Bolt is competing in qualifies. Instead, we’re talking about Australia, and the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
This enormously popular two-mile thoroughbred race is held every November at Flemington Racecourse, and there are usually around 100,000 people in attendance. Tourists from around the globe flock to Melbourne to experience the event live, and hundreds of thousands more Aussies and Kiwis are glued to their television sets at home.
When you think of horse racing, you probably imagine guys smoking cigars and gambling away their children's college funds, frustratingly throwing losing stubs on the ground when their trifecta goes bad because “Hoof Hearted*” got off the gas in the final turn. This, however, is as much of an upper-class social event as it is a horse race. Everybody wears elegant clothes, and women even wear decorative, if ridiculous, oversized hats to the event. The best dressed man and woman are awarded prizes, and the fashion worn by the attendees sometimes draws as much global attention as the race itself.
*Say it fast.
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