[Picture: Google Images]

I am one of the last of the big time gamblers. NOT. The ten bucks I usually spend on The Melbourne Cup in November is the full extent of gambling I ever do. And that’s more about having a bit of fun with friends in Cup Lunch sweep then any desire to take a punt. Possibly because I don’t want to take the risk that I might lose! Perhaps if I was blessed with a bank balance that could stand to lose a few bucks I might feel differently, but it’s just never been high on my radar of fun things to do. I don’t play the pokies, buy scratchies, play Lotto, OzLotto, Powerball or any of those kinds of things for the same reason.

However.

When it comes to fundraising for something I really care about, then I will buy tickets in raffles and lucky dips with the best of them. I love supporting a good cause. And this includes going to a rugby trip fundraising race day like the one I attended yesterday in the far reaches of western Sydney. Who’d miss a chance to get dressed up and go out for lunch? Not me, that’s for sure.

I thought I looked fascinating enough without the fiddly headpiece!

I know next to nothing about betting on horses, something which became fairly obvious to me after casting an eye over the race book. I’m sure all those numbers mean something, right? The full extent of my equestrian expertise is limited to how nice the horse looks as it parades around the ring before racing, the colours of the jockey’s silks or whether or not the horse’s name resonates with me at all.

This would explain my exorbitant bets of $2.50 each way on horses such as Our Happy Hearts (jockey had gorgeous blue and white silks, same colours as our rugby boys),  Rad (Well, DUH – and he was too, he won!), Showpony Express (you’d have to love a horse with a name like that, wouldn’t ya?) and Don’t Put It There (this name was the cause of a running joke at our table, very funny).

Tools of the trade!

The highlight of my day though was winning a bar fridge chock full of alcohol! I know, right?! This NEVER happens to me. But I’m so thrilled it did this time. It was one of those ‘buy a key and if yours unlocks the padlock, you get the contents AND the fridge’ kind of deals. I bought three keys, easily the best return on any bet I had all day. The timing of this win could not be better – we have two football code grand finals this weekend (AFL & NRL) not to mention my All Blacks are playing Argentina on Saturday as well. She looks, she shoots, she SCORES!!

Cue a rather shocked looking winner…

As you can imagine, I had a great day spent in the company of some wonderful people. The Provider was very impressed with my ‘winnings’ and has already eyed off several of the contents for consumption this coming weekend. Personally, I think the bottle of champagne in there has my name written all over it.

Have you been to the races recently? What’s the best thing about the day? And what’s the most unusual horses name you’ve ever heard?