Real stars of the Melbourne Cup we’re missing

We all knew that this year’s Melbourne Cup would be unlike any other – but these pictures show what’s so great about the big race.

For the horse boys and girls among us, the first Tuesday of November no doubt marks a day of pure adrenaline, betting, equine appreciation and cheering jockeys on until your throat is hoarse (hehe).

But for the rest of us, we get our adrenaline on the day of the Melbourne Cup from something else entirely: watching punters drunkenly stumbling around Flemington, mashing their bodies together, rolling in the gardens and unleashing sides of themselves (both physical and mental) previously unseen.

This year, the unbridled joy of scrolling through pictures of strangers making utter fools of themselves has, like many other things in 2020, been taken from us – with the Victorian Government declaring this year's race spectator free.

If you’ve ever caught yourself wondering what the race that stops a nation looks like without such moments of debauchery, take a peek below.

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The gardens of Flemington looks so beautiful … Picture: Jay Town

… without people sleeping in them. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

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The legendary Bart Cummings statue, looking mighty pleased to not experience … Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images for the VRC

… drunken strangers pulling on his cheeks like a plastic surgeon prepping him for a face lift. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

… or exposing their bare feet in his presence. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

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How nice for this police officer to walk this path … Picture: Alex Coppel

… without accidentally treading on a mating couple. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

… or interrupting this moment of intense passion – two people clearly overcome by the thrill of watching … horses race. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

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Trackside looking mighty peaceful this year, the green grass not strewn with … Picture: Reg Ryan/Racing Photos via Getty Images

… amateur Dancing With the Stars re-enactments. Picture: Jack Nowakowski

… or schoolyard games. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

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All in all, I think we can admit that while this year’s Cup Day gave Flemington a chance to show off its best assets … Picture: Reg Ryan/Racing Photos via Getty Images

… we miss these scenes of glitz and glamour that we’ll never witness anywhere else. Picture: Jake Nowakowski