Happy Melbourne Cup Day!

Happy Melbourne Cup, everyone. I hope your horse won.

It was a public holiday here in Melbourne today, in honour of "the race that stops the nation". I don't have a tv (that is actually connected to an antenna) so I did not in fact watch the race - for perhaps the first time ever. I did have a lovely Tuesday (that felt like a Sunday) pottering about the house though. But just so the day doesn't entirely escape me... and to participate somewhat in the spirit of the Spring Racing Carnival, here are some horse stamps for your enjoyment (and mine):

The thing I especially like about this set of stamps issued in 2010 on the 150th anniversary of the Melbourne Cup, is that the crowd shots in the background reflect the era of the respective champion horse. I think they are a very nice set of stamps.

Compare the above issue of 2010 to this 1978 release - which do you prefer?

I often prefer the retro-appeal of stamps from the 70s, but in this instance, I think  the more recent 2010 stamps win out for me. By a nose. (Boom boom).

And just to demonstrate that this country is completely nutso when it comes to horse racing (if you weren't already convinced) here is a third set of stamps dedicated to the "Champions of the Turf". It is my least favourite of the three issues and is from 2002. What do you think?

I have mixed feelings about horseracing, but boy do I love a public holiday! I also love horse names, and once lost $5 on "May the Horse be With You" because I thought it was possibly the best name EVER.

And with that (stamps - tick; topical subject matter relevant to the day- tick; borrowed Star Wars pun - tick) I am done. Night folks and thanks for stopping by!