The Story of the Melbourne Cup - Australia's Greatest Race is a beautiful coffee-table book produced after three years of planning, research and writing by racing's best contributors.Available from bookstores Australia-wide from August 1, 2010, this commemorative publication covers the key events of the Melbourne Cup - from its conception as an Australia-only race, through the involvement of New Zealand and finally its evolution to a prominent world-wide event.It tells of the champions (from Archer and Phar Lap to Makybe Diva on the track; from Positano to Zabeel in the breeding barn) and of the characters (trainers and jockeys from Etienne de Mestre to Bart Cummings and Darby Munro to Harry White) and of owners and families obsessed with the race, to the people's horse, Subzero.It delves into the controversies (Catalogue winning the 1938 Cup, but not in the name of trainer Hedwick Granny McDonald; the introduction of the photo finish camera in 1948; that dress Jean Shrimpton wore in 1965). It tracks the celebrities and the celebrations, and the gold cups displayed at home and abroad.Who would you put in your greatest Melbourne Cup field? And who would you make No.1 of your 24 top horses?
A controversial talking point is handicapper Greg Carpenter's rating of the greats in his hypothetical, but prestigious, field.And what were the most significant moments of each of the 15 decades since Archer won the first Cup in 1861? Who were the heroes of those times? Racing writers and historians tell to complete The Story of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's Greatest Race'. | 
