Hi everyone. I’m no gambler and I’m no racing expert. The following tips for this afternoon’s Melbourne Cup are based on phrases I think I may have overheard during the last few days, tweets by complete randoms, suggestions from friends in the know, and other stuff entirely made up by me based on nigh but guess work and favourable colour combos. Consider that fair warning.
MY PICK: MALUCKYDAY My money’s on Maluckyday (#24) based on my theory that the name is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
THE EXPERT PICK: SO YOU THINK Bookie and child of racing dynasty Tom Waterhouse told us: “If I was betting in The Melbourne Cup this year, and it’s a very tricky race, I would actually choose Bart Cummings’ horse So You Think (#3) which is the best horse in Australia by a million miles.”
TIP VIA EMAIL: AMERICAIN A friend emailed me this earlier today: I got an “insider” tip. Americain (#8) as it’s a heavy track and that filly LOVES HIM A HEAVY TRACK. Interesting.
PICK BASED ON PHOTO: MANIGHAR Look at the picture below of Manighar (#13). He (she?) looks like quite an unpredictable rogue. Sometimes the flighty scamps can get up and surprise everyone – hello, National Velvet.
DON’T GO TOO RANDOM Usually my strategy is to pluck a random number out of the form guide and hope for the best. Recently I tried to do that and unbeknown to me the horse had been scratched early that day. The TAB dude shook his head at me in disgust and people sneered. English stayer Bauer has been ruled out due to injury so DO NOT BET ON HORSE #18.
SARTORIAL PICK: HARRIS TWEED Harris Tweed (#12) is a classic woven luxury fabric that brings to mind pipe smoking, misty Scottish moors and moody Jane Eyre heartthrob Mr. Rochester. If you are coming from a betting background of flat-out ignorance this approach to picking horses is as good as similar unfounded methods such as selection based on lucky numbers, shirt colours and handsomeness of jockeys.
HIGH STAKES, HIGH RETURNS: ZAVITE Zavite has been described as “almost useless on soft ground”. It’s low odds at 160:1. Quite the pay day if it (miraculously) comes good.
Good luck and gamble sensibly.
