It’s the horse race that stops a nation. On the first Tuesday of November Australia’s biggest horse race takes place at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne with 24 horses and A$6.2m prize money, A$3.6m going to the winner.
Whilst form or colours could be a better guide, here are my four mental toughness Melbourne cup tips for 2016 using the horses names that correspond closest (in my opinion) to the MTQ48 4C’s framework of Control, Commitment, Challenge and Confidence.
I have boxed a trifecta (meaning any three from these four must come in to win) at $1 costing A$24.
CONTROL: GRAND MARSHAL
With Control meaning strong self esteem and sound emotional management, Alamndin had claims “a Turkish gemstone, as solid as a rock”; however, I’m taking the political rather than personal interpretation of Grand Marshal being a supreme court official in a government legislative branch, thereby exerting control and authority.
COMMITMENT: JAMEKA
In the mental toughness sense commitment represents reliability and focus and again there were two possibilities in the field with Assign “to designate or set something aside for a specific purpose” being a strong possibility, however I have chosen Jameka, which was named after Serena Jameka Williams, one of the most reliable, focused and committed female tennis players of all time.
CHALLENGE: HEARTBREAK CITY
Challenge describes our drive and desire to be the best we can be, seeing failure as a learning opportunity. Although Excess Knowledge is a possible I have gone for the widely fancied Heartbreak City here.
CONFIDENCE: SIR JOHN HARKWOOD
Confidence describes our self-belief and ability to influence others. Whilst Sir John Harkwood may not have been a particularly wholesome person, being an English mercenary living in Italy and in the becoming a commander-in-chief of the army of Florence in the 1390’s, it is wholly likely that he would have had confidence in his abilities and would have been able to influence others. He is the choice here.
Below is the race card and the odds
2016 MELBOURNE CUP FIELD AND ODDS
| 1. | Big Orange | 57kg | $17 |
| 2. | Our Ivanhowe | 57kg | $41 |
| 3. | Curren Mirotic | 57kg | $26 |
| 4. | Bondi Beach | 56kg | $10 |
| 5. | Exospheric | 56kg | $21 |
| 6. | Hartnell | 56kg | $5 |
| 7. | Who Shot The Barman | 56kg | $34 |
| 8. | Wicklow Brave | 56kg | $15 |
| 9. | Almoonqith | 54.5kg | $17 |
| 10. | Gallante | 54.5kg | $67 |
| 11. | Grand Marshall | 54.5kg | $41 |
| 12. | Jameka | 54.5kg | $8.50 |
| 13. | Heatbreak City | 54kg | $13 |
| 14. | Sir John Hawkwood | 54kg | $67 |
| 15. | Excess Knowledge | 53.5kg | $67 |
| 16. | Beautiful Romance | 52.5kg | $67 |
| 17. | Almandin | 52kg | $17 |
| 18. | Assign | 52kg | $67 |
| 19. | Grey Lion | 52kg | $41 |
| 20. | Oceanographer | 52kg | $7.50 |
| 21. | Secret Number | 52kg | $41 |
| 22. | Pentathlon | 51.5kg | $101 |
| 23. | Qewy | 51.5kg | $26 |
| 24. | Rose of Virginia | 51kg | $251 |