Betting on the Melbourne Cup in Canberra was up, crowds at Thoroughbred Park were down and two ACT punters had the Cup trifecta 10 times meaning they each collected close to $100,000 in winnings.
On a hot, sometimes blustery, day when it seemed sunburn and exposed tattoos were the accessories du jour, a total of 11,986 people attended the Melbourne Cup race meeting at Thoroughbred Park, down from last year's figure of 13,131.
Thoroughbred Park chief executive Peter Stubbs said the corporate area had about 500 fewer patrons this year, a likely casualty of tight budget planning earlier in the year amid the global financial crisis.
''That probably followed on to the public as well,'' he said.
ACTTAB marketing manager Kevin Woolfe said in Canberra $2.465million was bet on the Melbourne Cup, up 4.76 per cent on last year.
The trifecta was the most popular type of bet, with $864,014 placed in Canberra, up 7.9 per cent. There were 87 winning trifecta bets of $9320, including those two lucky punters who had it 10 times.
Mr Woolfe said publicity around the Melbourne Cup must have contributed to the rise in betting.
The roar of the crowd at Thoroughbred Park as it greeted the start of the Cup was goosebump-raising, with 27-year-old Hackett construction manager Ben McNamara among the trifecta winners.
''How good is that?'' he yelled.
Protesters from Animal Liberation ACT, dressed as bloodied jockeys, greeted racegoers entering Thoroughbred Park, with claims including that 18,000 former racehorses were killed in Australia each year.
''Your ticket today is supporting animal cruelty,'' spokesperson Jo Morgan said over a megaphone.
Some racegoers yelled back, including comments such as ''How many cows are slaughtered each year?''
The crowd seemed mostly oblivious to any Melbourne Cup day interest rate rise blues. Sam Ciao, of Curtin, said the rise didn't affect his betting but he wasn't happy about it. ''We don't need it. The economy is just kick-starting,'' he said.
As to fashion, there was plenty of exposed skin and bondage-inspired stilettos on display, but others showed some class in their racewear, including Kingston sisters Margaret and Jane Dorrian. ''There are a lot of people possibly who need to dress down a bit, but a lot of people who also look very classy and very sophisticated,'' Margaret said.
Rather than having to enter fashions on the field, public servants Dave Ellem, 27, of Bruce, and Jo Hawke, 26, of Kaleen, were picked from the crowd and named Myer Gentleman of the Day and Lady of the Day for their style.
''It was a little bit embarrassing. I thought someone was taking the Mickey,'' Mr Ellem said. Ms Hawke, who wore a black and white dress, accented by a red belt, was thrilled.
The fashionistas ranged from five-year-old Chanel Rolfe, of Palmerston, in a natty beret, to 81-year-old Edna O'Connor, of Gowrie, in classic black.
Australian Institute of Sport athlete Brittney McGlone, 20, looked stunning in a purple dress with bright yellow accessories and a faux fur shrug.
ACT Ambulance Service paramedics assisted on-site first aid officers with punters who had had too much sun and too much alcohol. One woman didn't even make it through the front gates, refused entry at 12.30pm and looked after by security until she was taken home. Fields of litter, sunburnt men and women carrying their high-heels marked the end of another Melbourne Cup in Canberra.