Off To The Races

It's New Zealand Cup and Show Week during November 8-16 here in Christchurch. It's a combined horse racing and A&P (agricultural & pastoral) show. From what I gather, this is the biggest Spring event in New Zealand and one of the biggest events of the year in Canterbury.  (Side note: Canterbury is the region Christchurch is located in. Similar to a state or county in the US.)

The event kicked off last Friday night with a party, but the real action began on Saturday at the Sothys New Zealand 2000 Guineas Day race at Riccarton Park racecourse, which happens to be just down the street from where we live.  My work friend, Quynh Tran, invited me to attend a charity luncheon followed by watching the horse races with some other girls from work.  

Imagine my excitement when I found out that you actually get dressed up to go to the races here! I'm talking about visions of Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.  Buying myself a fancy hat was about all I could think/talk about for two weeks.  Apparently I didn't have enough excuses to get dressed up before (lol)...but I certainly haven't had an excuse to buy this type of hat.

Lucky for me, I found the perfect hat that could go with any of the three dresses I was deciding on for race day. I finally settled on the dress I wore for Austin's wedding.  

I was quite proud of my hair before the hat smashed it. It was a pretty cool knot, but the bobby pins were murder!

We all met up before the event and took some group photos and then it was off to the races!  Well, more specifically we were off to the luncheon first.  

My fellow PwC buddies: Me, Quynh Tran, Michelle Harris, Nicola Green

All dolled up and ready to go!

We had a really nice time.  The food was excellent and they had a pretty good fashion show.  The charity supported Neonatal Trust so it was a very worthwhile cause.  The only disappointing part of the luncheon was the award for best dressed.  No one I talked to agreed with who they chose - there were far better dressed women there.  But what can you do?

When the luncheon was over, we wandered out to the race track where we checked on the bets we had placed (some of the races were already completed) and then watched a few of the races. It was a blast!  It was a little cold, but there were snippets of sun to warm us up a little. 

Jockeys strutting the horses around before the race

There were so many close races. I almost won my box trifecta bet, but the wrong horse edged in for 3rd place right at the end.  Good thing I don't make a habit of gambling!

Look how close were! I am literally standing on the other side of the fence from these horses as they come off the track...

Soaking up some sun in between races

Per instructions from both Brian and my sister, Ashlee, I did not yell out "Come on Dover!" during any of the races.  Unfortunately, there were no horses named Dover and I agreed that people probably wouldn't understand the reference.  I am an old lady inside with my love for old musicals.

Last but not least, while Quynh, Vicki and I were watching a race and checking our game books, a reporter approached us and asked for our names so he could put a picture of us in The Press. When we asked him about taking the picture, he said he had already taken it.  I found the following article Sunday afternoon.  This was definitely not a great candid photo! Oh well, it was still exciting to make the paper - I guess he really like our hats.  I know I did!!!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/9383429/Cup-and-Show-week-could-match-pre-earthquake-success

Another great memory down in the books.

Edit: I forgot to add in the picture of my little $1 bet I placed and won. Had to do it for the experience - and the bookie made a mistake. I tried to bet on two different races but she placed the same bet twice.  Lucky for me it was a winner haha!

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Day.  If you are unfamiliar with Guy Fawkes (or haven't seen V for Vendetta), here is a quick summary from wikipedia:

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.

This holiday has been carried to many British colonies, including New Zealand.  

So, my day started out as a normal work day, except that I got to leave at lunch to attend a charity golf tournament called The Pink Jacket.  It's an all women event in support of Breast Cancer research and PwC had four slots.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had a blast at the tournament.  My team came in 5th, which surprisingly landed each of us with a $50 food voucher to the Christchurch Casino. I'm glad it was for food and not gambling!  Sadly, I think I was the best distance golfer which explains why we only came in 5th.  We had too many extra shots on the fairway. But the networking and conversation made it all worth it.

Here is our team - It was fun to be dressed in pink for the event.  From left to right: Carrie Pritchard (PwC), me, Jane Campbell (Warren and Mahoney) and Christine d'Costa (BNZ).

These are the wonderful ladies from PwC that I got to attend this great event with.

Me, Wendy Somerville, Carrie Pritchard, Paula Taylor

Needless to say, after 5 hours of golfing and networking, I was much, much too tired to head out to the New Brighton pier for fireworks.  I have heard they are absolutely amazing - I will have to make sure to catch them next year. I hope you all had a great November 5th!