AAP
Nobody wanted it to rain on the Melbourne Cup parade but one man was pleased.
Star trainer Bart Cummings said he hoped for a wet lead-up to the world-famous race to soften the track.
"If it rains I'll be happy," Cummings said in Melbourne on Monday. "The tracks are always too hard these days."
Cummings, who has two horses (Sanagas and Precedence) running, was greeted with cheers and applause as he arrived for the Melbourne Cup parade amid grey clouds and drizzle.
Advertisement
When asked who he thought were the big threats to him claiming a 13th Melbourne Cup win, he was confident.
"I can't think of any threats," Cummings told AAP.
The horse-training doyen was among the dozens of members of racing royalty who turned out for the parade that stops a city, ahead of the race that stops a nation.
The team representing Cup favourite Americain was positioned behind rival Dunaden for the procession, but co-owner Kevin Bamford wasn't worried.
"We can live with it today," he said as the parade got under way.
Mr Bamford knows the defending Cup champion is his biggest threat. Dunaden took out last year's cup while Americain, who won in 2010, finished fourth.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he wasn't expecting the rain forecast for Tuesday to dampen racegoers' enthusiasm.
"Have a look at the crowd here. We put on something like this and Melburnians turn out in their thousands," Mr Doyle said.
"We get 60-, 70- to 75,000 people here just to see the cup."
Victoria Racing Club chairman Michael Burn offered a welcome prediction.
"Weather tip: becoming fine in the afternoon, perfect for when the race starts," he said.
The tens of thousands of people who lined the parade route weren't deterred by the weather.
Bess and Bryn Savage had staked out a front-row spot on the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets for nearly two hours.
They'd travelled from Western Australia as part of a group of 16 to watch the 2012 Melbourne Cup.
"We love it and we love Melbourne," Mrs Savage said.
Fashion designer Jeff Banks and TV presenter Fifi Box were tipping Americain and some neon hues among the crowd.
"I think we're going to see some pops of neon," said Box, who is hosting fashions on the field with Banks.
mlb trade rumors Misty May And Kerri Walsh Jake Dalton London 2012 field hockey Missy Franklin Hunter Pence NBCOlympics
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.