Melbourne Cup Day 2022: See all the Birdcage pictures
Olivia Molly Rogers, Bec Judd and Delta Goodrem are among the celebrities stunning crowds with their style choices at the Birdcage for the Melbourne Cup.
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The prestige of the Melbourne Cup has brought the stars to Flemington, with guests in the Birdcage on Tuesday including Bec Judd, Delta Goodrem and Cody Simpson.
Bec Judd returned to her secret weapon to create a scene-stealing moment, going code red.
The model and business mogul wife of AFL legend Chris Judd stunned in a red ensemble as she walked to the Mumm marquee, where she was a guest.
Her friend, designer Nadia Bartel, said on social media: “I think this is my favourite races look from you”.
Judd has used red to make a statement in the past, most famously wearing a red Ruth Tarvydas dress to the 2004 Brownlow Medal.
“Some wonderful opportunities opened up from it, but life was just very different with things around privacy and having a partner who was seemingly public property, as well,” Chris Judd said in 2021.
“There were a lot of things to get used to and my memories are of a really special night and an exclamation point between life before then and life after it, as well.”
Bec also wore red to the AFL Hall of Fame dinner in June.
Delta Goodrem stunned upon entering the Birdcage, wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress and Nerida Winter headpiece. The pop superstar is a guest at the Melbourne Cup and will perform at Wednesday’s Kennedy Oaks Club Lunch at Crown.
“I’m not performing today so I can enjoy the day here with wonderful friends and have a glass of champagne,’’ she said.
“I always pick horses for different reasons. Whether it’s for a personal connection or a No.2 or No.11 or No.18.
“Last year I met so many beautiful horses and there were so many different reasons you connect.”
MasterChef Australia star Melissa Leong has spoken about her “game face” as a judge on the show.
“I’m always thinking about fairness and impartiality, and giving as much as you need to give, but, as in life, holding a little but back as well,” Leong, a guest in the Lexus and Paramount marquees, said.
Leong, wearing Gucci and a hat by Stephen Jones, arrived at the marquee to a warm welcome from her co-judges Andy Allen and Josh Zonfrillo.
“Isn’t it just disgusting that we love each other so much?” Leong said, laughing. “It really is the greatest of fortunes that we go through this journey together, and we can have a bit of a laugh along the way.
“I wish I had some dirt to dish, but I just don’t.”
Tayla Damir and new husband Nathan Broad will head on their honeymoon on Monday, but first Broad is hoping for a winner at Flemington on Saturday.
His horse, Soulcombe, is running on Stakes Day.
“I’m right into racing and have a few horses myself,’’ he said.
“Fingers crossed we have a win.”
The couple will head to Bali, Singapore and the Maldives.
Damir, a Myer Fashions on the Field ambassador, said: “I think it brings everyone together. Food, entertainment, fashion, horses, it’s a one-stop shop”.
Christian Wilkins downsized from Saturday’s showstopping headpiece in a Gucci suit and tiara.
The VRC ambassador was making no apologies for clapping back at a troll who used the word “re---d” to describe his ensemble.
“My eldest brother has Down syndrome and I just don’t think people should use that word anymore,’’ he said.
“I’d honestly prefer to be called a poof or a fag because that’s my community and I can defend it, but I’m not going to stand for that.”
Wilkins said he was supporting trainer Gai Waterhouse’s horses in the Melbourne Cup.
“She’s the queen of Australia in my opinion,’’ he said.
“My outfit is much more aerodynamic today, it’s nice I can walk through doors.”
The Australian Olympic swimming team was well represented at Cup Day.
Cate and Bronte Campbell, Cody Simpson and Jess Hansen were all guests in the Birdcage.
“If I’m being perfectly honest, the horses are less interesting to me than the people and their outfits,” Cate said in the Lexus marquee.
“I’m just here to soak in all the people, the colour, the fascinators, drink a couple of glasses of champagne, and celebrate the fact we are getting back to normality.”
Bronte added: “I have not backed a winner in my whole entire life. All I can say is, whatever tips I give you, do the opposite of that”.
Asked about the strong swimming team turnout, Cate replied: “We’re letting our hair down and enjoying life. Cody is singing the national anthem, so he’s on double duty today; he’s got to look pretty, and sound pretty. We’ve just got to look pretty.”
Cody wasn’t feeling any nerves ahead of performing the national anthem before the Melbourne Cup.
“I’m very excited, I’m just anticipating it as I haven’t sung in front of this many people for a couple of years. It’ll be nice to do so at such a prestigious event,’’ he said.
The singer-turned-swimmer was accompanied by his mum, Angie.
“I just came from training just now. No days off, but it’s good to be here in Melbourne.
“I came to the Cup to perform for the field in 2015 and that was my first one.
“I don’t get the opportunity very often to dress up so it’s nice.”
Brit Selwood was a late scratching from Cup Day after contracting Covid.
The pregnant wife of retired Geelong captain Joel Selwood just returned from their holiday in Hawaii on Friday.
“After 2.5 years it has finally got me,” Selwood posted on social media.
“I had the most amazing dress made for me by @eliyathelabel for cup day and I’m so shattered I won’t be able to wear it.”
The Selwoods were guests of Penfolds on Derby Day. She is due with their first child in February.
Former MasterChef Australia star Matt Preston says Flemington is always a reminder of his first day in Australia.
“I first came to Flemington, for Derby Day, 29 years ago,” Preston said. “I got off the plane from the UK, put a suit on and came out here.
“It’s one of those great Melbourne things; Boxing Day test, Australian Open, and Flemington.
“I met so many Australians in the UK, Flemington was my one chance to see all of those people in the one place at the one time. That was the loose old days of the nursery.”
TV and theatre star Rob Mills says he needs to look up the definition of “orgy” after writing about a three-way sex adventure in his book, Putting On A Show.
Mills, who is part of Ten’s entertainment coverage on Cup Day, and a guest in the Paramount marquee, said: “It’s one paragraph in the book, which is about a myriad of other things, but at the same time, it’s fine because it gives the book notoriety or publicity, which wasn’t my aim at all”.
But drag performer Courtney Act questioned Mills’ use of the word “orgy” in the autobiography, adding with a laugh: “He doesn’t know”.
At Flemington, Mills smiled: “So, three isn’t an orgy. Good to know.”
Mills said he wrote the book to “talk about my experiences, growing up, and the things I’ve learnt about being a man.”
That included reflecting on his confident persona as a competitor on Australian Idol.
“I had a lot of self-confidence, but probably not a lot of self-worth,” he said. “We pump ourselves up for self-confidence, but we don’t introspect enough as men. Women do self-reflection and introspection a lot better than men. We’ve got to get a lot better at it.”
Shoe designer Terry Biviano turned heads in a wonderful outfit by Australian couture queen Mariam Seddiq, and veil by Nerida Winter, in the Lexus marquee.
“All Australian designs, and I feel very lucky,” Sydneysider Biviano said.
“We love the Melbourne Cup Carnival It’s such a pleasure to be here. We’d do it every weekend if we could.”
Celebrity trainer Jono Castano and model Simone Holtznagel were hard to miss in the Lexus marquee.
The loved-up couple, who started dating in November last year, also attended on Derby Day. Holtznagel has lost 10kg since being with the fitness expert.
“People before were saying I was fat and now people say I’m too skinny,’’ she said. “I don’t care either way. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Castano said: “She’s done really well and we are happy”.
Cricket great Brian Lara is in town until the end of December.
He was with friends in the TAB marquee, and cleaned up.
“This is what I love — and making cash,’’ he said.
“Every time I do bets I make cash.”
He was backing Smokin Romans in the Melbourne Cup.
Alex Ferguson ticks off bucket list item
Legendary soccer manager Sir Alex Ferguson sang the praises of the Melbourne Cup on his first visit to the iconic Victorian event.
Manchester United legend Ferguson — who has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of the world game — said he was ticking off a bucket list item by being trackside for the Cup.
“I’m delighted,’’ he said.
“I’ve been trying to get here for years.”
Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two UEFA Champions League titles with the likes of David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs under his command, was not deterred by Tuesday’s rain.
“It’s like Scottish weather,’’ he joked.
Enjoying a glass of Penfolds cabernet sauvignon in the Lexus marquee inside Flemington’s exclusive Birdcage, Ferguson told the Herald Sun he was impressed by the size and scale of Cup Day.
“I’m really impressed with the set-up here,’’ he said.
“The hospitality is nice. You don’t get this many people in the crowds in England.
“Maybe at the Epsom Derby.”
Ferguson last week shocked Aussie A-League players when he turned up at training for the Macarthur Bulls, to support his former star striker Dwight Yorke who manages the Sydney team.
The 80-year-old met Aussie racing royalty on Tuesday, joining trainer Gai Waterhouse in the mounting yard on Tuesday afternoon before retiring to a private suite to watch the race that stops a nation.
Ferguson, in Australia for business interests, said he would be cheering English raiders in the Cup, including race favourite Deauville Legend.
Myer Fashions on the Field
A kaleidoscope of pink led the fashion field as the Flemington gates galloped open for the start of the Melbourne Cup.
“Pink is the colour of the season, but wow it’s definitely Barbie on steroids here,” joked milliner Kathryn Lee of the Sunshine Coast who had an entrant for the Best Millinery award with a hat she made moulded from a Bunnings planter pot and an Ikea lady susan. There was no denying creativity and over-the-top DIY designs were the order of the day after two years locked up.
The sunshine wanted to poke through as the fabulous and frilled flocked to the Park enclosure for the Myer Fashions on the Field awards.
Many were making the most of the Victoria Racing Club’s gender-neutral best-suited category, glamming up in tonal pant suits in colours from burnt orange and pastel violet, to, of course, neon pink.
Joel Parkinson, 21, of Melbourne, was following suit, turning heads in a hot-pink suit with black latex gloves and, as he described it, dripping in “pussy bows”.
“Pink is definitely the colour of the races this season,” Parkinson said. “But after two years in lockdown I wanted to be as extravagant as possible while being chic and a whole lot of camp,” he laughed as he sashayed to the registry.
Hats with wraparound headscarfs, as seen on international runways and worn by Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford on the cover of Vogue recently, were an inspiration for many entrants.
Amanda Smith of Brisbane brought some Little Bo Peep vibes in the dress of the racing season, the mullet pink Aje showstopper.
“Pink is strong,” Smith said. “The original supermodel Linda Evangelista was where I got my idea from.”
As the downpour started, some entrants were more wisely wardrobed.
Caroline Arthur, 45, of Berwick, who was entering the best dressed category said she changed her outfit to include a “weather dependent cape” and designed her outfit around her statement Rebecca Jane millinery.
Part of a race-going family for more than 160 years, Margery Mayall of Brisbane said she had been a regular fashion on the field entrant wowing with a statement floral dress with incorporated gloves.
Her daughter, Millicent van der Velde, 25, was instead entering the millinery award, wearing an SHR design featuring more than 1000 handsewn Swarovski crystals.
Her milliner, Stacey Hemera Roberts, said she was excited for her design to be seen by judge Stephen Jones, the royal milliner and “arguably the best in the world, it’s an honour for him to just see my design,” she said.
Finalists for the best-dressed and best-suited awards will be selected for entry into the Oaks Day national final.
The Lillian Frank Millinery Award final will be announced later on Melbourne Cup Day with Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann, Lillian Franks daughter, Jackie Frank, and world-renowned milliner Stephen Jones OBE judging.
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