Friday, November 6, 2009

How not to bet on the horses...

I’m back. The internal thermostat has at last righted itself and I lost again on the Melbourne Cup. Life has clearly returned to normal. And not without a lesson learned:
When making your once annual flutter on the GGs, find a friend who has a clue and take your tips from them. 
Good advice. Thanks. I’ll do that next time.
I picked my winner because I liked his story. So while my brain shifts back into writing gear, I’d like to share it with you.
Exactly this time last year I was talking to the man who bred 2008 Melbourne Cup winner, Viewed, and asked him how he came up with the future champion’s name.
While your average punter may not question it, a significant amount of cryptic consideration went into its choosing.
The story goes that Viewed was sired by Scenic out of Lovers Knot.
The first three letters of the word Viewed spell the French word for ‘life’ and the second three spell ‘wed’.
Wed for life – Lovers Knot. Scenic. Viewed.
Aah, love a good play on words. Pity he only ran seventh this year.
The people of Africa believe that a name is not simply a random sound applied to a person, animal or thing. To indigenous Africans your name is your soul. Your symbol. And it possesses magical qualities that are bestowed upon you the moment you are named.
Hmmm… anyone got the inside tip on how this year’s winner got his name? 

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