Glamorous Melbourne Cup punters faced ‘no thongs rule’ as Sir Alex watched on
The most glamorous racegoers managed to brighten up a rainy Melbourne Cup where they faced a no thongs rule while Sir Alex Ferguson was also in attendance.
There was plenty of drama on the course as 20/1 shot Gold Trip claimed victory, bagging £2.5million as a result for jockey Mark Zahra and trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. That was amid wild weather in Australia where the first day turned into a washout with some epic storms.
However, that did not stop the hardiest of punters with around 100,000 believed to have braved the conditions. And that includes a number of dazzling racegoers all sporting their finest clothes.
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While those attending were told to dress up warm and take the weather into consideration with temperatures set to plunge, another rule caught the eye. Within the VIP area known as the 'birdcage', there is a strict dress code in place.
That includes a rule that demands that no thongs can be worn in the exclusive enclosure. But before your tongues start wagging – the reality is a lot less sordid than one would imagine.
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That is because in Australia, thongs are actually flip-flops – while raceday rules even go as far as to clear up any confusion by handing out their own definition.
It stipulates that shoes that have 'two straps which connect in between the first and second toes' are banned.
Meanwhile, in the celebrity box was one Manchester United legend who has been renowned for his love of horse-racing. Ferguson was spotted in the stands looking on cheerily just before the race, which started around 4am UK time.
And winning pocket Zahra gave a brilliant post-race interview where the adrenaline was clearly still pumping in an x-rated talk. He said: "(I was thinking) just p**s off, no one come near me!
"I feel like crying. It’s unbelievable. What a day. He’s a horse that when you go, you don’t give him a chance to think about it.
"It’s just elation when I crossed the line. What an amazing feeling."
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