All the blokes are out today, in their best suits, horsing around. They outnumber the gals about twenty to one! And all the good horses are out today too, with lots of strappers. Glass Harmonium, Green Moon, Ethiopia and Ocean Park all had two strappers, which is usually a very positive sign. I picked the wrong one – Green Moon! In the Vase I was keen to lay the odds on pop It’s A Dundeel, but couldn’t get connected to the server, which was very frustrating. I don’t know who to blame – Moonee Valley, Telstra or Betfair! The horse had a very suspicious looking black bandage on its near hind pastern. Very hard to see, but covering one white sock. So I backed Super Cool for the place instead in a seven horse field and was rewarded with a very satisfying $2.80 dividend.

In the end I got three out of five to at last get ahead for the spring. Bring on Derby Day!

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I spent a couple of hours out the back looking at the cup horses. The biggest crowd was around the two previous Melbourne Cup winners, Dunaden and Americain. The crush was so big it was hard to get a good picture of the winner, totally relaxed in his stall. Americain was imposing, has a nice positive French strapper, but had the concussion plates on. It is hard to photograph the feet, but if you look carefully you can make out the thin strip of black rubber beneath the plate. And lucky I did take the photograph because he lost both front plates in the running! He obviously doesn’t like the hard ground! Alcopop had his pony there and would have been the lightest looking horse in the race. From behind he looks totally wasted! Lights of Heaven was hand held by the strapper and relaxed. My Quest for Peace looked a nice horse, but was a bit agitated, pawing and lifting his off hind to kick. The Gai bubble has certainly burst and there wasn’t a soul checking out Glencadam Gold in his stall. Gai didn’t even appear to saddle him!  December Draw had a dream run but sweated up before the race. I took a box trifecta, but missed the third horse Lights Of Heaven. A pity Americain didn’t keep on coming!

And the Spring Carnival can be deemed to have officially started with my first sighting of Francesca. She’s a chip off the old block, wouldn’t you say, and both of them probably need a good feed.

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The first day of the Spring Carnival, but I don’t feel the usual sense of anticipation and excitement. The buzz of years gone by seems to be missing. The fillies are out but don’t seem arouse me. Maybe my life force has diminished? Maybe the crowd is down? Maybe it’s the club’s fault. They have replaced the outside betting ring with an owners and trainers bar, complete with fake green grass! What are they thinking? Don’t they want people to bet? And the tote. They used to have caravans with people and machines. Now they have portable totes just with machines. The humans have been given the flick. It’s just like the pokies, but in fresh air!

I’m trying to build up my photo collection of gear combinations and scored a good one with Lone Rock. Cross over noseband and nasal strip! Glass Harmonium took my eye and looked spiffy in his black ear muffs. I wonder if he picked them up at the S&M counter in an adult shop?  Gai was doing her best to enthuse the punters about Pierro, but I thought he just looked like a horse. I had Epaulette on top, but didn’t bet. Only two bets for the day. I showed admirable restraint until the seventh when I backed Exceptionally, who managed to weave through traffic for third at $2.60. But then I did a backflip and reverse somersault and gave some back on Aerobatics in the last.

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Too cold and wet.

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