DICK POWELL’S
MELBOURNE CUP BLOG
Monday at Flemington
“Cup Day, and Cup Day only, commands an attention, an interest, and an
enthusiasm which are universal — and spontaneous, not perfunctory. Cup Day is
supreme, it has no rival. I can call to mind no specialized annual day, in any
country, which can be named by that large name — Supreme. I can call to mind no
specialized annual day, in any country, whose approach fires the whole land with
a conflagration of conversation and preparation and anticipation and jubilation.
No day save this one; but this one does it.”
Those prescient words were written in 1895 by none other than Mark Twain in
his book “Following the Equator.” 114 years later, nothing has changed.
Cup fever is rampant. Today will be quite warm with a high around 90 degrees.
Tomorrow, thankfully after Saturday’s heat, will be in the 70s with a good
breeze. A few small showers are possible but you can go ahead and handicap the
card knowing that the ground will be good.
The only real Cup news is that starting highweight and defending champ VIEWED
came out of his third-place finish in the Mackinnon Stakes with a
scrape on his left-rear ankle that has been pronounced as nothing serious by
Bart Cummings. The bettors do not seem too worried as his odds have dropped to
$4.80 to 1 and he is now the betting favorite. Bart also trains the third choice in
the betting, ROMAN EMPEROR, who is $8.00 to 1, and ALLEZ WONDER, who is $26.00 to 1.
When I travel I like to go walking. There’s no better way to see a city than
on foot. Melbourne is especially attractive with many sights within walking
distance. Like Paris, most of the modern developments are on the perimeter of
the older, more historic core. I am a block from the Flinders Street rail
station which is right next to the Yarra river.
Yesterday, I walked around the city twice. The first time I headed west
toward the Southern Cross railway station and passed a couple of off-track
betting establishments that were run by the local TAB. There were a few minor
tracks offered as well as racing from Singapore and Hong Kong later in the day
which were also covered on TV here in the hotel.
Later in the day, I walked along the Yarra River and on the way back stopped
in the Australian Racing Museum in Federation Square. Bought a video about
MAKYBE DIVA and her three straight Melbourne Cup wins. If I can
avoid the temptation to watch it now it will give me something to watch on the
long plane ride back on Friday.
Got up at 5 a.m. (Melbourne time) Monday morning to try to follow my NY Jets’ game against Miami.
Made a healthy bet on the Jets on Saturday at the track with a bookmaker that
takes American football. After Teddy Ginn Jr. ran a kickoff back 100 yards, why
would you kick it to him again? I guess Rex Ryan’s phony motivational gimmicks
went up in smoke. Parcells had to be smiling.
The World Series will be on TV here in a few hours as the Phillies hope to do
to the Yankees what the Eagles did to the Giants. At noon, there is a Melbourne
Cup parade right outside the hotel on Swanston St. that proceeds down to
Federation Square. Tonight, I am going to a dinner sponsored by the Victoria
Racing Club and then it will be some serious handicapping for tomorrow’s card.
I’ll print out my past performances found in the “International Past
Performance” section on brisnet.com in the business office of the hotel and get
to work tonight.
There are many feel-good stories in the Cup this year. Then there’s the owner
of MOURILYAN — Ramzan Kadyrov, Kremlin-backed Chechen President.
Having just fought off a coup over the weekend and being investigated by the
British Horseracing Authority’s Integrity Department, Kadyrov will not be in
attendance but his participation has sparked a great outrage here.
Greens Senator Bob Brown is leading the futile charge to have him banned
before tomorrow’s Cup.
“The racing authorities did look at this fellow and went
on police record, but they’ve got to be able to do more than that. Dictators, by
the very nature of their positions, don’t have police records,” Brown said.
Brown went on to say that a win by Mourilyan would be “the lowest point in
Australia’s sporting history.”
Despite all this, Mourilyan has a huge shot at
winning tomorrow and is the ninth choice in the betting at $26 to 1.