s e v e n i s a j o u r n e y

Almost forgot to mention — it was the Melbourne Cup last week. I think it’s the biggest horse race in the Southern Hemisphere & folks on both sides of the Tasman get quite into it. In Victoria, the Australian state Melbourne is in, Cup Day is an official holiday. Anyway, there was the usual office pool, in which you toss in a two-dollar coin and they draw a horse for you out of a hat, and hey, I got the winner ! The winner turned out to be the favorite for the race, Makybe Diva, a seven year old mare who has now made history by winning the Melbourne Cup three times in a row. Her jockey was in tears after the race, in praise of the fabulousness of this horse, and the next three days’ talk radio was all about her. You know those conversations geeks supposedly have about “Who’s faster, Superman or the Flash ?” It was like that, only it was comparing Makybe Diva and Phar Lap.

I wonder if Breyer will make a Makybe Diva model ? The thing is, Phar Lap got the press in the Northern Hemisphere in part because his last race (before he was dramatically poisoned) was in the US. They’re retiring Makybe Diva now, so I don’t think her fame will spread as far (unless she turns out some winners as a brood mare).