Well, I went along, mainly to find out more about the bane of my life, the building site, also known as Flemington. The club was hosting a “Meet the Makers” event, where the architects responsible for the new stand report on progress to date and give us a squiz at some of the interiors of the ground floor. The interiors look very grand and plush and I do like them. It’s the exterior that worries me. The shape of the building is not my cup of tea and looks to me like a birthday cake, or one of those multi-decked Italian cruise ships. I talked to Kristen the architect after the meeting to ask about the three flying saucers that seem to have landed on the roof. They are really just decorative and the inspiration for them was that common fashion accessory– the fascinator! So there you have it. You will be able to spy the stand from a distance by its pieces of feminine frippery on top.

I’m off now for my winter break. There will be another “Meet the Makers” in July when we find out more about the replacement for the Island Bar, so maybe I’ll go along to that. Keep your eye out for a postcard. Otherwise, I hope to be back for the Guineas in the spring.

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I don’t pay much attention to coat condition, well, none really. After all there are so many factors that could affect it, including day length, ambient temperature, brushing, the use of unguents, and of course health. I have seen too many horses with glossy coats go under. But today, here is the favourite in the fifth, Kenjorwood, with a pretty dodgy coat. You would call it dull, with the winter coat starting to come through on the unders. What’s more his ears are back and he does a bright green sloppy poo right in front of me. Looks like lots of lucerne in the feed bin! You’d have to say a place lay at $1.53.

The horse laboured into eighth and was reported as pulling up lame in both front legs. A pity I don’t pay more attention to coat condition.

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Another no show. My attendance record is starting to slip, but I’ve got plenty of excuses. The forecast was dismal. Wind, showers, hail and snow flurries on the hills. And Flemington is no longer agreeable for horsewatching with no mounting yard access from a demolished Members Stand, and no bookies ring. And besides, I’ve got a heavy duty cold which has dived down into my lungs and I don’t want to end up like Bert Newton in Epworth Emergency with a lung infection. So I’ll sit it out. Didn’t even watch it on TV.

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