Covid-19 no match for the Melbourne Cup

The stands and lawns of Flemington were empty, the Birdcage deserted, and the strappers wore masks as they led their magnificent chargers around the parade yard. Not an outlandish hat was in sight. On a glorious spring day after a winter of discontent in Melbourne, the pandemic could not stop the race that stops the nation. Australians know it is something to celebrate that one of the annual events that unites us is not about a military victory or a revolution but a horse race. And celebrate we did, albeit COVID safely, in workplaces, pubs, halls and homes. We wagered millions in bets and bought sweep tickets in support of good causes — and for the sheer fun of it.

Yet again, the Melbourne Cup was an international event. But it remains as quintessentially Australian as it was when it was run for the first time in November 1861. As always, the experts were wise after the event. And there were plenty of good stories from every stable, joyful and sad. In Ireland, trainer Joseph O’Brien, 27 watched in the small hours as Twilight Payment delivered him his second Cup, beating Tiger Moth, trained by O’Brien’s father, Aidan, into second place. There was tragedy, too, as last year’s Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck, the topweight and trained by O’Brien Sr, broke down with a fractured fetlock and had to be humanely put down. The sport of kings was never risk free for beast or man.

Despite the absence of 90,000 cheering spectators as he returned to the enclosure on Twilight Payment after leading for almost the entire race, jockey Jye McNeil, contesting his first Cup, had “goose bumps”. Providing winning owner Lloyd Williams with his seventh Cup, McNeil found the experience “very overwhelming”. So did most Australians who love the Cup and who were reassured by the success of the event, however different it felt.