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Episode 38, Friday 31 October 2008
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For one day of the year, most Australians stop in their tracks, find the closest television and watch a horse race.
Niccole takes a look at the history of the mighty Melbourne Cup, on display at the Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Melbourne’s Federation Square. This is the nation’s finest collection of racing memorabilia, and the only museum of its kind devoted to horseracing in Australia. To her surprise, Niccole discovers that Phar Lap’s 1930 Cup (which has been missing for decades) is actually sitting there in a display case, recycled as the 1980 Cup! A racing historian has only just reached this conclusion from his exhaustive research.
There are temporary exhibitions and permanent ones that feature Carbine’s Melbourne Cup win, an animation of Carbine, trophies, and myriad objects associated with the Melbourne Cup, including fashion items that were worn to the races that date back to 1810 when the race started.
or more information: www.australianracingmuseum.com.au
