It’s the race that can restart the nation

Whether in a pub with 20 patrons or a house with two families, odds are Melburnians will still frock up for the Cup.

Designer Lana Wilkinson is a regular at the Birdcage but will spend the Melbourne Cup Carnival at home this year. Picture: Aaron Francis

This year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival will be without the trackside crowds, without the celebrities in the Birdcage, and without the barefoot women staggering or being carried to the train at the end of the day.

But whether it’s in a pub with just 20 patrons or a house with two families, the odds are that Melburnians will still frock up for the biggest party of the year.

Victoria Racing Club chair Amanda Elliott said the carnival was important for Melbourne and Australia as it provided “a sense of perfectly timed hope to drag us out of what has been a depressing year”.

“It will feel very different at Flemington without the roaring crowd that 90 years ago this year saw the wonder of Phar Lap thundering down the Flemington straight to lift the spirits of a nation during the Great Depression,” she said.

“And we think those 24 lucky Lexus Melbourne Cup jockeys will feel the nation behind them, even if it has to be virtually this year. They have an important job in bringing hope and unity to all Australians in a year when we really need it.”

Ms Elliott said her own experiences of participating in a sweep and listening to the Cup over the radio at school, or in the middle of the night overseas, was one many Australians would relate to, and this year’s carnival has a digital hub to ensure the 750 million viewers worldwide can feel the magic.

“Whether you’re celebrating at a backyard BBQ, the local pub, or a regional racetrack, this year everyone will have a ticket to Cup Week,” she said.

Stylist and shoe designer Lana Wilkinson is a racecourse veteran, having been a young member of the VRC and an ambassador for some of the Birdcage’s main marquees, as well as styling racegoers.

“What I’m missing about Melbourne this year is (looking at the outfits and seeing) creative spirit fly the nest,” she said. “Racegoers do the things you wouldn’t do going out on a Saturday night.”

She said the races weren’t just about fashion, food or even the horses, and the easing of restrictions would help people get into the spirit.

“I think for me it’s about getting together with people and connecting again,” she said.

“Getting dressed up and feeling good, because God knows we need it.”