{"id":298492,"date":"2023-11-07T08:38:57","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T08:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=298492"},"modified":"2023-11-07T08:38:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-07T08:38:57","slug":"the-stylish-sunburnt-and-sozzled-punters-of-the-melbourne-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/horse-racing\/the-stylish-sunburnt-and-sozzled-punters-of-the-melbourne-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"The stylish, sunburnt and sozzled punters of the Melbourne Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The day twins Rachael and Claire Schmidt were born, Makybe Diva won the 2005 Melbourne Cup in record time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to name them Makybe and Diva, but my husband had other ideas,\u201d their mum Miranda joked.<\/p>\n
Given their special birthdate, it had long been planned that when the twins turned eighteen, the family of five would fly down for the Cup weekend from their home of Carnarvon in Western Australia.<\/p>\n
The Schmidt family were among the 84,492 in attendance at Flemington Racecourse for the Cup on Tuesday, according to Channel 10, up 14.5 per cent on last year.<\/p>\n
On the track lawn late Tuesday morning, they agreed the birthday celebrations had already been a huge success \u2013 even before the main race.<\/p>\n
For Rachael, her highlight was beating her dad on the punt in the Victorian Derby on Saturday. She placed money on Riff Rocket, who pipped Apulia \u2013 her dad\u2019s choice.<\/p>\n
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Jockey Mark Zahra returns to scale on Without A Fight in the midst of punters.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Chris Hopkins<\/cite><\/p>\n Like many at Cup Day, the drinks started early: \u201cYou don\u2019t even drink, and you\u2019re having a martini at 10am,\u201d Rachael teased her mum.<\/p>\n The sport of drinking often took priority over horse racing for many. Empty bottles of G.H Mumm champagne were spotted by mid-morning, when snaking lines to the bars had formed. By 11am, people were waiting more than half an hour to reach the bar counter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Henry and Amanda Manzelmann from Queensland.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Carla Jaeger<\/cite><\/p>\n Others were feeling the effects of the packed crowd. Jake Lincoln from Perth arrived with a group of 20 an hour before the gates opened, but still didn\u2019t manage to nab a seat at the grandstand.<\/p>\n While many got a train or Uber to the Cup, Lincoln was among those who arrived by sea.<\/p>\n Henry and Amanda Manzelmann from Queensland also took the Melbourne Cup Cruise from Sydney, a six-day journey to Melbourne and back for the big day. Dressed in a matching rainbow suit and dress, the three-time attendees said it would be their hottest Cup Day yet.<\/p>\n Seats were all but abandoned by the time the big race arrived. The crowd in general admission flocked to the lawn and those in the grandstands were pressed up against the glass barrier. A giant whoop was unleashed by the thousands as the horses were released.<\/p>\n Those on the lawn stood on their tiptoes to get a view of the horses fly past \u2013 though not everyone quite understood what was going on.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s go the horses!\u201d an enthused punter yelled. His friend, laughing at his vagueness, responded with the same vigour: \u201cRacing!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Punters enjoy the festivities at Melbourne Cup Day.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Chris Hopkins<\/cite><\/p>\n The crowd reacted with a mix of sighs and cheers when Without A Fight won the Cup, before quickly returning to their seats, the bar, or the toilets.<\/p>\n By 4pm, an hour after the big race, the track lawn was littered with thousands of empty cans. People were littered on the ground too, some sustaining heat stroke, others sporting bright red sunburns.<\/p>\n Punters welcomed a late cool change with enthusiasm, with a few hundred heading to the stage to see The Corrs belt out a rendition of Fleetwood Mac\u2019s Little Lies<\/i> as light rain fell.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The seagulls begin to land at Flemington as Cup Day comes to an end.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Chris Hopkins<\/cite><\/p>\n Others, meanwhile, made their way down to the train station, one man gleefully and drunkenly rolling down the hill.<\/p>\n Get the day\u2019s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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