with honesty that it stops a nation. It al-
ways has. To give an American perspective
to the duration of that tradition, it was
inaugurated in the year Abraham Lincoln
became President. It has never missed a
year since.
Melbourne, now a handsome, sprawl-
ing, cosmopolitan city of 4.4 million peo-
ple, traditionally celebrates Cup Day as a
public holiday on the First Tuesday of No-
vember. Around the rest of Australia, Cup
Day sees 40 race meetings all about the
Cup. Australians make their own parties,
or just stop what they are doing to watch
the running of the Cup.
At the same time 100,000 people will
have made their way to the biggest party
of the year at spacious Flemington Race-
course, surely the oldest in continuous
use outside the British Isles. It is a gar-
