Another year on and the cost of living crisis has finally arrived at Flemington, with the exclusive Birdcage enclosure a more subdued affair as corporate hospitality dries up and Australia’s corporate majors tighten their belts and slow spending on “non-core” affairs.
Not that there was much slowing in the consumption of bubbles and beer, as Melbourne put on a perfect day for Saturday’s Derby Day, where black-and-white outfits were de rigueur – not that everybody in the 80,000-strong race day crowd got the memo.
Comedian Andy Lee was the day’s Mr Everywhere, along with fiancee Rebecca Harding, with Lee sporting more costume changes through the event than your average Eurovision contest.
Crown Resorts boss David Tsai made his first public appearance since being confirmed as the troubled casino company’s chief executive, hosting guests at Crown three-storey pavilion in the Birdcage, where BGH Capital founder Ben Gray and wife Luba Grigorovitch, a Victorian Labor MP, were among the guests, along with former Victorian liberal leader Michael O’Brien and Melbourne Lord Mayor incumbent Nick Reece, still waiting on the result of a close count with former Carlton star Anthony Koutoufides, spotted next door at the GH Mumm marquee.
Over at Lexus the Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner AC made a big entrance in the early afternoon, accompanied by Victorian Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson (also the chairman of ASX-listed tech company Dubber Corporation, but perhaps the less said about that the better). Actress and model Abbey Lee, fresh from her role in opposite Kevin Costner in the western Horizons (not, sadly, in attendance), led the charge of the fashionistas, along with model Jessica Gomes, with a host of sporting personalities including Ricky Ponting and Mason Cox drifting through.
You might think the latest expenses furore would have given the politicians pause for thought, but the Furphy pavilion played host to more than a handful, led by Nationals leader David Littleproud and wife Amelia. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie was there (of course), along with Liberal MP Dan Tehan (who’s owned shares in a few horses along the years), Liberal Senator Jane Hume, Speaker of the House Milton Dick and outgoing Labor MP Brendan O’Connor.
Furphy also played host to Lion’s biggest hotelier customers, all hosted by Lion Australia managing director James Brindley, who was wearing his role of being the publican’s publican pretty well on the day. Also spotted at Furphy – the place for those looking to have a good time, rather than influencers just looking to be seen – was billionaire Adrian Portelli and a small circle of friends.
Also there was pretty much the entirely of the Australian Diamonds netball team, partying it up downstairs. At least a couple of whom, judging from the roar at the back of race 6, managed to get on Switzerland for the win at $6.
Though it might be the last call for the Furphy brand at the Spring Racing Carnival, amid talk in the tent that Lion might switch up its pavilion to the slightly more up-market Kirin for next year.
More Coverage
More wrongs than rights at the AHRC?
A case of curious priorities over at the Australian Human Rights Commission where hand-picked appointee Giridharan Sivaraman seems to prefer playing politics over action on anti-Semitism.
Freehills partner given notice over synagogue tweet
Herbert Smith Freehills leaders have voted to remove one of its longstanding partners, Damien Hazard, over a ‘deeply offensive’ tweet targeting Jeremy Leibler.