Certificate III in ESL (Access) – Reading (VBN472) Tasks Learning Outcome 4

Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup Day is Australia's most famous Tuesday. It's a day when the nation stops whatever it's doing to listen to the race call, or watch the race on TV, and even those who don't usually bet, try their luck.

At 3.10pm AEST, on the first Tuesday in November, Australians everywhere stop for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup.

In Melbourne, Cup Day is the peak of the Spring Racing Carnival, when champagne and canapés, huge hats and race track fashions sometimes overshadow the business of the day - horse racing.

The first Melbourne Cup was run in 1861 at Flemington race course and was won by Archer. It has run every year since. Through wars and depression, and the good times too, the Melbourne Cup racing carnival has been one of the stayers of Australian cultural experience.

The Melbourne Cup is one of the world's most challenging horse races, and one of the richest (total prize money in 2003 of $AU4.6 million), and the picking of winners an imprecise art at best. The race is run over 3200 metres and is a handicapped race. This means, theoretically, that the better the horse is the more weight it has to carry.

Phar Lap is Australia's most famous racehorse. Foaled in New Zealand in 1926 by Night Raid out of Entreaty he grew to 17 hands and over his career won more than 65 thousand pounds in prize money and won 37 of his 51 starts. From September 1929 he was the favourite in all but one of his races.

Phar Lap died in suspicious circumstances, some believing he was poisoned. After his death his bones were donated to Dominion Museum in New Zealand, his hide was mounted and put on display at the Museum of Victoria, and Phar Lap's big heart resides at the National Museum of Australia.

QUESTIONS:

1. When is this year’s Melbourne Cup at what time is the main race?

2. What can you see at the Melbourne Cup race (other than horses)?

3. When was the first Melbourne Cup and who was it won by?

4. How much money did the winner receive in 2003?

5. What is the length of the race course?

6. What was the name of Australia’s most famous horse and how many races did he win?

ESL3/Reading Learning Outcome4/Apr2007 7. How did this horse die?

ESL3/Reading Learning Outcome4/Apr2007