Lockdowns, bubbles, venue changes… Melbourne Cup Day is likely to look very different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the festivities on the first Tuesday in November! Here’s a few tips on how to celebrate this Melbourne Cup Day.

Celebrate in style

The Melbourne Cup not only celebrates racing, it’s also an annual celebration of fashion. Dress for the occasion! While the competition is open only to those in Australia, you can keep up-to-date on the fashions across the ditch at Myer Fashions on your Front Lawn.

Tune in to racing on this side of the ditch

There’ll be plenty of action on this side of the ditch, with domestic races at Te Rapa and Wingatui. Featuring the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes at Te Rapa, there’ll be plenty of quality on display.

… And across the ditch

Stating the obvious here… Come 5pm it’ll be Cup time! Join millions of racing enthusiasts throughout the world as they stop for around 3 minutes, 20 seconds to watch the best stayers battle it out in the ultimate test.

Have a picnic!

Alert levels pending, enjoy a picnic with your nearest and dearest. Dress up, enjoy some bubbles and snap a few photos (be sure to tag us @LOVERACING.NZ!). 

Enjoy a cheeky flutter

For many, Melbourne Cup marks the one day a year they head off to their local TAB and place a bet (did you know: the Melbourne Cup is the most popular betting race on the Australian racing calendar?). This year, Incentivise is the favourite. Keen to back our own? Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, The Chosen One is the sole New Zealand-trained horse set to take his place in the 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup.

New Zealand-bred horses running in this year’s Cup include Verry Elleegant, Explosive Jack, Johnny Get Angry, The Chosen One, Miami Bound, Ocean Billy and Tralee Rose.

For more Spring racing action, visit spring.loveracing.nz.