# It's....the Melbourne Cup! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689 "2005-10-31T07:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/1 "2005-10-31T07:36:56Z")
Melbourne Cup tomorrow, 3pm AEST. For those of you who don’t know, it’s [a horse race](http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/melbournecup/). So what do you think? Will it be Makybe Diva?..or Makybe Diva? Place your bets! ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2005, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/2 "2005-10-31T07:45:56Z")
What GG can be put up as a place chance against the wonder-filly, or ‘mare’ as the Aussies say? ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/3 "2005-11-01T07:12:31Z")
Wow. It seems we’re the only godless gamblers around here, Roger. My horsie came second! _On a Jeune_ - go you good thing! ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/4 "2005-11-01T07:30:53Z")
Wow, Makybe Diva won. Who saw that coming? ---
**Author:** ![Gerome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Gerome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerome)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/5 "2005-11-01T09:56:30Z")
Wait, I thought Diva wasn’t going to run unless it rained - it needed a soft track or something. What happened there? Did they water the turf? ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/6 "2005-11-01T10:07:09Z")
I forgot it was on! I can’t believe it. I wasn’t even in a crummy office sweep this year. I need to hand in my Australian citizenship papers. Then again, I managed to make it to the pub for drinks afterwards to celebrate, even though I didn’t give a toss about the race itself. That’s pretty Australian, right? So, apparently Makybe Diva won. Whoda thought? ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/7 "2005-11-01T10:13:02Z")
> [@Gerome](#): > > Wait, I thought Diva wasn’t going to run unless it rained - it needed a soft track or something. What happened there? Did they water the turf? Yes they did. I caught a news report on the way into work when they were talking to one of Diva’s trainers, and apparently yesterday and this morning they watered down the track for her. ---
**Author:** ![Gerome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Gerome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerome)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/8 "2005-11-01T10:32:25Z")
Ah, thought so. Three in a row, pretty impressive really. Although my useless horse only finished third. Dog food, I tell you what. Dog food and glue. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/9 "2005-11-01T11:47:07Z")
> [@Sierra Indigo](#): > > Yes they did. I caught a news report on the way into work when they were talking to one of Diva’s trainers, and apparently yesterday and this morning they watered down the track for her. Not for her, for the race. Most races try to have a track consistency that is “fast”, but sometimes it’s not, depending on weather or location or whatever. This is the biggest race of the year, so naturally they will work hard to achieve the ideal track consistency. Individual horses’ requirements are irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/10 "2005-11-01T17:49:21Z")
I know it’s very un-Australian of me, but even when I lived in Australia, I didn’t follow the Melbourne Cup at all. However, I see that Makybe Diva has now made history by being the only horse to win the Cup three times. (Of course, people outside Australia will have no idea what an achievement that is). ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-the-melbourne-cup/328689/11 "2005-11-01T21:41:34Z")
> [@Sarah Woodruff](#): > > Wow. It seems we’re the only godless gamblers around here, Roger. Not quite. There was another thread [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=342336)