Yesterday we went to a TAB to place a bet. As we have no knowledge of horse races we just picked a horse with a strong name. For us this was "Master O'Reilly", on which we bet $5. Later we learned by watching the news, that there was an absolute favorit for winning the race: "So You Think". But of course that was not a horse we would have chosen because of its strong name...
Today we had a luncheon in school (everybody brought something to eat or drink and the hole class shared the meal).
We had also a sweep, which is when a number of people buy a set of tickets, each representing a horse. The tickets are given out randomly (we had to draw them out of a hat), and each ticket costs the same (for us it was $1), so there is no skill element involved, and odds are ignored completely. After the race the money is divided out to the holders of the tickets for the winning horses (place 1 to 3). The winner would receive half of the pot and the rest would go to second and third place.
 |
| Steffi draws the winning horse. |
At two o'clock (the race is at three o'clock Melbourne-time, but we have an hour time difference) the whole school assembled in front of the big screen (well it was a tiny "big screen") and we watched the thrilling race.
After almost four minutes of unbearable suspense, the race ended with a surprise. First place was the French "Americain", second was "Maluckyday" and the favorite "So You Think" made it only on the third place. "Monaco Consul" and "Master O'Reilly" were far behind on place 14 and 15.
In the end the Melbourne Cup Day hold a positive balance for us. We placed $8 in bets and sweeps, and won a total of $12. Awesome!!! :-D
