Event of the Day: Melbourne Cup
Our event of the day is the Melbourne Cup which is Australia’s biggest horse racing festival. The event takes place at Flemington Racecourse in the state of Victoria where a public holiday takes place on the day of the Melbourne Cup. In a nod to the great horse racing traditions of Great Britain, the festival is about much more than just the racing, with fashion, entertainment and celebutantes all aspects that take centre stage at this prestigious event. The race itself is run over 3,200m, which converts to just under two miles. It is a flat race, with the record time of completion being 3:16:30, set in 1990 by Kingston Rule of the USA. The total prize pool for the race is just over $7 million, with the winner picking up $4 million. Of the 24 horses set to compete for the cup, Yucatan is the favourite to be victorious, trained by Aidan O'Brien. Last month, Yucatan won the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne and did so in some style. This will put the horse in good stead to compete at today’s main event.
However, many critics have pointed out the fact Yucatan has never competed in a race longer than a mile-and-a-half and question whether the bay colt horse will have the stamina to go all the way today. Aidan O’Brien and Yucatan will be looking to make it two wins in a row for Irish horses, following the famous victory of last year’s winner Rekindling, trained by Aidan’s son, Joseph O’Brien. However, favourite going into the Melbourne Cup is often an unwanted designation as the favourite to win the cup hasn’t been victorious since 2013 and Aidan will be looking to buck that trend this time round. In what is the biggest Australian flat race of the year, be sure of some memorable entertainment and nail-biting action whoever you choose to back!
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Champions League fixture between Inter Milan and Barcelona at the Giuseppe Meazza. A win for Inter will all but secure their place in the last 16, but with Lionel Messi likely to return to the Barca squad after a fractured arm, victory tonight will be no mean feat. In cricket, it is the 1st day of the 1st Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the Galle International Stadium. England go into this series on the back of a 3-1 ODI series win against the hosts and will hope for a similar outcome in the Test series. There is an all-Pacific Division clash in the NHL today as the Los Angeles Kings face the Anaheim Ducks in a California derby, as the Kings look to win two games in a row for the first time this season. In EFL League Two action, Notts County hosts Oldham and even though Notts are winless in four league games, a win will take them above relegation rivals Grimsby Town. Finally in the NBA, second in the Eastern Conference take on third in the West as the Milwaukee Bucks face the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in Portland.