|
Punters
ready to splurge as countdown to the cup begins, by
Danielle Teutschs - 5th Nov 2006
(Credit:
The Sydney Morning Herald)
Betting by NSW punters on Tuesday
should top the record $91 million they wagered
on Melbourne Cup day last year.
That
was the prediction yesterday by TAB Sportsbet
media manager Glenn Munsie.
"There's
not a headline horse, but there's a high level
of awareness of the Melbourne Cup thanks to Makybe
Diva," Mr Munsie said. The Diva's third successive
cup victory last year was the catalyst to get
more people interested in the race, he said.
Mr
Munsie said racegoers were a lot better informed
than five years ago.
Tawqeet,
trained by David Hayes, has emerged as the firm
favourite after winning The Metropolitan and the
Caulfield Cup.
Yesterday,
bookmakers had Tawqeet at $4.50, ahead of Irish
horse Yeats at $5.50, and Japanese pair Pop Rock
and Delta Blues at $7.50 and $11 respectively.
The field was confirmed last night and betting
opens today.
Victoria
Racing Club spokesman Terry Clifton said the $5.1
million Melbourne Cup prizemoney was the reason
for the strong showing of international horses
this year.
But
Centrebet spokesman Gerard Daffy said the unusually
high number of international horses among the
top favourites had "muddied the waters"
for punters.
People
were strongly backing Tawqeet because it was a
locally trained horse, and because of Mr Hayes's
winning streak this season, Mr Daffy said. Mr
Hayes also trained the winner of the W.S. Cox
Plate, Fields Of Omagh.
"Most
Aussie punters want to bet on David Hayes because
he's on form. He just seems to train every winner,"
Mr Daffy said.
The
Melbourne Cup is the highlight of the Victoria
Racing Club's annual four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival.
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend
the event at Flemington racecourse. American crooner
Chris Isaak will warm up the crowd before the
race.
The
Bureau of Meteorology is predicting early morning
showers, clearing in the afternoon, with a top
temperature of 20 degrees.
Horses
and betting aside, the Melbourne Cup is an excuse
to uncork the bubbly and party hard. More than
100,000 bottles of champagne, 18,000 litres of
tap beer and 900 kilograms of salmon are expected
to be consumed by Melbourne Cup racegoers.
Caterers
plan to serve more than 30,000 bottles of wine,
400 dozen oysters, 800 kilograms of lamb and 2000
kilograms of cheese.
It
is not only the Flemington race course that attracts
the big crowds on Melbourne Cup day. Tuesday will
be the second biggest day of the year for Royal
Randwick, with more than 40,000 expected.
WANT
TO BET?
-
The Melbourne Cup is held on Tuesday at 3pm.
- The race favourite is Tawqeet.
-
Royal Randwick Sydney has a race meet on Tuesday,
at which 65 bookmakers will take more than 150,000
bets.
Profiles
Horse
Racing
Australian
Jockey Club
Gaming,
Gambling and Betting Directory
Melbourne
Online
Betting
|
