How to say #nuptothecup and still have fun on the first Tuesday of November.

Camille Blyth
Nov 2 · 4 min read

We live in a ‘woke’ world. A world where people are starting to question social, political, ethical and moral norms which have existed for generations.

Nothing is sacred; fashion, food, energy, geo-politics, economic structures, and the privilege of being born white, male and rich. But this month, animal rights are front and centre as the ‘race that stops a nation’ sits very uncomfortably in the calendars of many Australians.

To kick off the 2019 Spring Racing Carnival and with a gestation period of two years, the ABC’s 7:30 Report on October 17 The Final Race(please note this is a distressing documentary and not suitable for family viewing)set the public a-flutter with outrage at the large part of the racing industry that doesn’t involve huge prize pools, large ostentatious trophies, fabulous fashion and floods of alcohol.

To put it in perspective, I explained it to my 12yr old aspiring gymnast like this:

“Only about 100 gymnasts make it to Olympic standard, and only a small number of those go home with a medal. MOST of them go home with no medal. Now, think about the number of people who go to your suburban gymnastics centre every week (we conservatively guessed about 500), then we multiplied 500 by 250 gymnastics centres in NSW (again a guess), which is potentially 125,000 hopeful little gymnasts dreaming of Olympic glory. Of which only a small handful will manage to even get close to achieving their dream. But the difference between gymnasts who don’t make it and horses who don’t make it, is the gymnasts go home, play with their friends go to school and generally live a long and fulfilling life, and horses do not.”

Regardless of claims made by the racing industry about the humane treatment of horses, the sheer number of animals bred, trained and discarded by the industry is staggering — and the bare fact is, the only way for the industry to deal with the excess is to destroy it. Whether it is done humanely or not is a moot point.

They shoot the horses.

The documentary hit home, and people, armed with the hashtag #nuptothecup, are pushing back at the racing industry by boycotting the day by simply not participating in a little flutter, the office sweepstakes or tuning in to watch.

However, nobody likes a party-pooper so we’ve come up with some ways to celebrate the day, stick to your ethical stand, and help horses end their life the way they should. Naturally.

3 subversive ways to help stop the race:

  1. Hold a (Nup to the) Cup luncheon
    Melbourne Cup Luncheons have taken place around the country for generations. The dress code is no less glamorous than if attending the actual race, bets are placed, alcohol consumed and for 2 or 3 minutes the room is frozen, tuned to the big screen as though a spell were cast across the land, the only movement, a small group of horses racing, literally, for their lives.
    Hold a luncheon, ask for donations, give the money to a horse rescue charity (there are some links below or do your own search). Dress up, serve alcoholic drinks from brands who do not sponsor the racing industry, and don’t watch the race.
    Everyone has fun.
  2. Run a sweepstake
    Sweepstakes are run in offices and workplaces everywhere — it is a legal form of un-regulated gambling. Low risk, low returns, all good fun.
    Run a sweepstake at your workplace, exactly as you would if you were ‘unwoke’ and actually interested in who wins the race. The person who’s horse runs last gets to choose the charity where all the sweepstake money will be donated (links below).
    Everyone feels good!
  3. Create a syndicate
    Owning a stake of a racehorse has been one of the ways aspirational people can feel more involved in the racing industry. “Ourhorse is racing this weekend!”
    You too can own part of a beautiful thoroughbred horse, and support it through it’s life after racing by regularly contributing to any of the horse rescue charities below — rescuing a horse is not a cheap exercise, (find out more here) and these organisations rely on the donations of people who care about horses and not profit. Get a group of friends together, and create a regular donation to support the rehabilitation and care of an animal who ‘wasn’t fast enough’.
    Everyone wins!

Be part of the Nation that stopped a race.

#nuptothecup

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