THE world’s most glamorous racegoers – and Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson – lit up a rain-soaked Melbourne Cup… where punters had to stick to a ‘no thongs’ rule.
Winner Gold Trip, a 20-1 shot, bagged a £2.5million windfall for jockey Mark Zahra and trainers Ciaron Maher and English-born David Eustace.
Fergie looked to be having a wonderful time at the races
One racegoer looked simply sensational in a figure-hugging orange dress
Bright colours seemed to be the order of the day as another punter took a selfie in an eye-catching outfit
The winning connections of Gold Trip braved the ‘rain bomb’ to celebrate winning £2.5m
These racegoers went all out for the biggest day in Australia’s racing calendar
These punters get in the party spirit at the Melbourne Cup
And while that horse stole the show on the track, there’s no question the stunning racegoers hogged the limelight off it.
They wore their finest raceday gear despite the ‘rain bomb’ hitting Flemington racecourse in Melbourne, Australia.
It is thought some 100,000 punters braved the conditions, among them the Old Trafford legend.
Fergie, 80, cut a cheery figure as he posed for photos before the ‘race that stops a nation’ went off at 4am UK time.
He looked one of the lucky few to remain dry, loosening his top button and tie later on, as a double whammy of rain and the coldest Cup day since 1995 hit punters.
One memo sent to racegoers encouraged them to dress warm – but it was another of the raceday rules that fans noticed.
The famous ‘birdcage’ is home to celebs and VIP guests on raceday.
The equivalent of Royal Ascot here, a strict dress code is in place for the exclusive enclosure – including a rule that demands ‘no thongs’ be worn.
But it might not be thong you are thinking of – as Australian’s refer to flip-flops as thongs.
Flemington raceday rules even had a definition of thongs, in case punters weren’t sure.
It said that shoes that have ‘two straps which connect in between the first and second toes’ were strictly prohibited.
While some may have found that a bit stuffy, the drinks looked to be flowing as punters let their hair down afterwards.
Though as the party really kicks off let’s hope there is no repeat of the vicious six-woman brawl that hit one raceday last week.
The Melbourne Cup is famed for boozy antics but that horrific fight that took place in Brisbane left punters floored.
One woman attacked another with a flying knee, while another was pinned to railings and mercilessly smacked in the face.
More to follow.
