Delta Blues (right) holds off stablemate Pop Rock to take out the 2006 Melbourne Cup, and become the first Japanese horse to win this race.
Melbourne
Cup
Melbourne's first race meeting was held
on March 6 and 7, 1838, less than three years after the first settlers
arrived. The first track was marked out on the present site of
the North Melbourne Railway Station. With few horses there were
only two races each day. Bullock trucks served as grandstands and
a clothes prop was stuck into the ground for a winning post. All
bets were made and paid with bottles of rum.
Two years later saw the birth of Flemington,
headquarters of The Victoria Racing Club, the controlling body
of racing in that state, on a site on the banks of The Maribyrnong
River. At first the site was known as "The Racecourse" but
it was later named Flemington after the local butcher, Bob Fleming.
The inaugural fixture was a three day event on March 3, 4 and 5
1840, with a total of twelve races.
From it's inception Flemington was destined
to become a great venue to attract the best horses for the richest
prize money. A succession of small clubs conducted the early race
meetings at Flemington and it was The Victoria Turf Club which
staged the first Melbourne Cup in 1861. This race, referred to
in Encyclopaedia Britannica as the "greatest all age handicap
in the world", has grown from strength to strength since the
formation of the Victoria Racing Club and is run on the first Tuesday
in November each year.
In 1865 the Government declared Melbourne
Cup day a half holiday and since 1866 it has been a full holiday.
Flemington is a magnificent racecourse
with the mile and a half (2400metres) start in front of the main
grandstands and a run from the home turn to the winning post of
more than two furlongs. Another feature is the "straight six" (now
1200 metres) which joins the main course at the home turn.
The birdcage area, sweeping lawns (which
extend the full length of the members stands), a tree lined lawn
section for the public at the end of the straight plus a public
grandstand complex make Flemington a show case spectacle. It is
among the best racecourses in The World.
Flemington during Melbourne Cup week
is a mixture of the carnival atmosphere of Epsom on Derby Day and
the fashionable elegance of The Royal Ascot meeting and is a truly
amazing experience!
