Icons of the Cup
From the gold in the trophy to the car parks, these are some of the fixtures that make the first Tuesday in November what it is.
The Roses
Flemington’s rose garden, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, has bloomed since the 1960s under a strict seventeen week pruning program timed to peak precisely on Cup Week. Each day of the carnival carries its own colour – the yellow rose for Cup Day was said to have been the suggestion of a few VRC committee wives generations ago – worn now on lapels and buttonholes across the course.
The Barrier Draw
Held at the close of play on Derby Day, the draw sets the final field and starting gates in front of the owners themselves. No barrier has proven unbeatable since automatic stalls arrived in 1958, though five and fourteen have produced the most winners. The path to that field has shifted in recent years, too – the VRC has steadily expanded its list of ballot-exempt golden ticket races, meaning more of the 24-horse line-up now arrives pre-qualified than it once did.
The Scales
Long before the finish line means anything, the numbers are set months out by the chief handicapper, whose job is to load up the good horses and lighten the others until, in theory, they’d all cross together. On race day, it’s the Clerk of Scales who checks it’s been done right – jockey, saddle and ballast weighed to the gram, both before the race and in the anxious minutes after it, when a result isn’t final until the rider’s back on the scale.
The Clocktower
Built in the late 1930s, the tower gives Flemington’s chief steward and his team the best view in the house – a practical necessity long before it became a landmark. Race caller Matt Hill has made the tower a fixture of his Cup call, while jockeys not riding in the race have also been spotted watching from above, where the view is hard to beat.
Car Park Picnics
Flemington’s car parks have been turning into parties since 1922. Over time, they’ve evolved from a few eskies and fold-out chairs into the catered, beautifully styled celebrations we see today. But one thing has changed very little: the spread, which rarely strays far from the classics – chicken sandwiches and champagne.
