A natural hill overlooks broad river flats.
The racing surface today is an immaculate
sward of turf, the running track wide. In
1890 the legendary Carbine carried the
record topweight of 145 pounds to vic-
tory in a field of 39. The Cup is now re-
stricted to 24 starters, still a spectacle.
To a rolling cheer from the crowd, the
horses start with a half-mile straight run,
thundering past the capacious lawns and
grandstands, then turn left to commence
a circuit of the wedge-shaped track. As they
return to the home straight they are hit
by a wall of sound, a roar from Flemington.
Champions have to carry penalties,
these days rarely more than weight for
age. They can and do win the Melbourne
Cup, and they become more than cham-
pions because of it. Phar Lap in 1930 was
the most famous. With his 37 race wins,
