It's that time again

It's the first Tuesday in November. The whole nation comes to a stop to see the finish of a long, tough race.

I don't mean the US election. This is the Melbourne Cup, a group one 3200m handicap race which has been the centre of national attention since 1861. That makes it 14 years older than the Kentucky Derby. I've been lucky since I moved here to get completely unadvertised coverage of the great race on New York's OTB television station. I hope to see that once again tonight. For anyone who's interested, here are the latest odds. Remember that "place" in Australia means anywhere in the top three.

                      WIN       PLACE
1. Septimus            6          2.2
2. Master O`Reilly    26          7
3. Honolulu           21          5.5
4. C`est la Guerre    19          5
5. Nom du Jeu          9          2.9
6. Yellowstone       scr         scr
7. Zipping            14          4.2
8. Mad Rush            5.5        2.1
9. Ice Chariot        61         16
10. Viewed            34          9
11. Littorio          31          8.5
12. Bauer             21          5.5
13. Boundless        101         21
14. Gallopin          34          9
15. Guyno            126         31
16. Zarita           scr         scr
17. Newport           61         15
18. Profound Beauty    7.5        2.6
19. Red Lord         101         21
20. Varevees         101         21
21. Prize Lady        71         18
22. Alessandro Volta  41         10
23. Barbaricus        16          4.6
24. Moatize           31          8