Melbourne Cup Day was celebrated with style and aplomb at Raffles Hotel on Tuesday 7th November. With the race starting at 11a.m Phnom Penh time, the complimentary champagne cocktails were being quaffed at 9a.m and by 10a.m, many punters had moved onto the main cocktail list, spurned on by a ½ price deal organised by The Australian Business Association of Cambodia. Women arrived in fabulous dresses and hats and the Australian Women's Connection had jockey style silks made for the Le Royal staff so all in all it was a very carnival like atmosphere.
With a bookmaker running a tote ( an ANZ banker no less ! ) and many variously priced sweepstakes, there was no excuse for not having a bet and when the horses jumped at 11a.m, the crowd surged forward in expectation of a big win. As usual, there was a lot of nail biting and silence until the gallopers hit the final corner and the crowd erupted with glee "Come on you good thing!!" as the horses came down the straight. In the end there were quite a few winners on the day- and not just those that backed Efficient. One lucky lass won the door prize which was a night for two in a suite at Raffles valued at over $1000 and there was also a prize for best dressed lady. This one was a bit of a one horse show (pardon the pun). Whilst there were many lovely looking ladies, when you show up dressed as a jockey with whip and all, you can't really be beaten!
After the race it was out into the garden for a fantastic bbq. Australian beef, chicken and pork all prepared by one of Raffles' finest chefs along with salads and desserts. Tables were lined with white linen and it was a gloriously sunny Phnom Penh day-albeit a little hot. New friends were made, daiquiris were quaffed well into the afternoon and all in all it was a fine way to spend Melbourne Cup day as an expat in Cambodia.