Fairfax
Blue skies greet race goers, with all signs the track is set for a perfect Melbourne Cup day at Flemington.
Today is Melbourne Cup day. The race that stops a nation, one of the greatest horse races in the world. Plenty of people head off to the TAB to place a bet, not knowing what they are doing.
So to help the novice punter, Fairfax Media has provided an alphabetical rundown of the Melbourne Cup which is sure to make you sound knowledgeable.
A - A race that stops a nation. First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup is one of the premier thoroughbred racing events in the world with more than 110,000 people attending.
B - Bart Cummings. The legend of the Melbourne Cup and the wily old grandfather of Australian racing. Cummings has won the Melbourne Cup on 12 occasions.
C - Colours - or silks. What the jockeys wear to distinguish them from other riders in the race. Usually these are trainers' colours but sometimes can belong to breeders and owners.
D - Distance. The Melbourne Cup is run over the ultimate distance of two miles, or 3.2 kilometres to be precise, making it one of the longest horse races in the world.
E - Easybet. The one-time-a-year-punter's best friend. A computer-generated bet, usually a trifecta, which enables you to invest some money without having to go through all the work of selecting your runners.
F - Fixed odds. A set price which you can back a horse at. With a fixed odds bet you get the price you pay for. For example, back a horse at $9 and it pays only $4 on the tote, the $9 odds is the multiplier at which the fixed-odds bet is paid out.
G - Green Moon. The defending champion, last year's winner, and one of the horses everyone will be out to beat this year.
H - Horses. A rather large part of the whole affair really, without them all we would have is undersized men and women running around in a circle whipping themselves.
I - Ibicenco. This year's Geelong Cup winner and a roughie for this year's cup. Trained by Peter Moody, the man behind Black Caviar.
J - Jockeys. The little fellas, or lasses, sitting on the back of the horses. A horse can be an equine superstar but still needs a top jockey on them to guide them.
K - Kiwis. This year New Zealand will have little representation with mare Silent Achiever scratched. But we can lay claim to wonder-boy jockey James McDonald who has picked up the mount on Voleuse De Coeurs.
L - Last place. Not where you want to end up, unless your work sweepstake is one of those which rewards people for failure. If that is the case, then you are fine.
M - Miles (Greg). Your commentator for the great race. The one person who can accurately tell you how your money is travelling.
N - Nose. All it takes for you to be a winner. A nose is the shortest possible margin a judge can use to determine a margin between horses at the winning post.
O - Overseas raider. An emerging trend in the Melbourne Cup is the increasing number of horses from overseas now travelling to compete, and they are compiling an impressive record.
P - Pacemaker. The horse in front. It is not generally a place you want to be in the Melbourne Cup as those who lead have a bad track record of winning.
Q - Quinella. A simple, yet sometimes difficult bet type. All it requires is the selection of first and second placing, and if successful you will take home a share of the quinella pool.
R - Roughie. A long-priced horse in betting, one who is given almost no chance of winning. 34 of 151 winners of the Melbourne Cup have been favourites, only three have won at odds of 100/1 or more.
S - Sprinter. Not the sort of horse you will see in a Melbourne Cup. Sprinters generally run over the short distances whereas the Melbourne Cup is a race for stayers.
T - Thoroughbred. The breed of horse which races in the Melbourne Cup. The New Zealand Trotting Cup, a week later, is for standardbreds.
U - Unlucky. What you don't want to be in a Melbourne Cup. If you are unlucky, it usually means you have been blocked for a run or checked at some stage.
V - Video replays. For the real form analyst. Races like the Caulfield and Geelong Cups can be key. Look for the fast finishers, as they are most likely to see out the distance.
W - Weights. In thoroughbred racing weights are used as a method of handicapping horses. The best horses will carry the most weight, while the least experienced or successful will carry less.
X - Xcellent. An unlucky horse not to win a Melbourne Cup. The New Zealand trained galloper ran third to the immortal Makybe Diva in the 2005 edition of the great race.
Y - Your tip. While most of this column will be of no use to you at all, hopefully we can tip you into a winner this year. Dandino looks to have a massive chance of winning on his lead-up form and will be at a great each-way price on the day.
Z - Zulu. The only horse beginning with the letter Z to ever win the Melbourne Cup. Now unless it comes up in a pub quiz one night, it is probably of no use to you and it won't change this year with no horses with a name beginning with Z starting. He won it in 1881 by the way.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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