1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Which means it's nineteen to five over in Melbourne. And 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: somebody who has been so generous getting up that early 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: ahead of a massive day is Aidan Rodley from the 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: tab morning. 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 2: Good morning to you leak to Yeah. No, it's one 6 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 2: of those sort of like Christmas mornings, so you don't 7 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 2: mind kind of getting up this early. 8 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: He's been fizzing. He barely slept. So you're there with 9 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: the tab at Flemington for the one hundred and sixty 10 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: fifth Melbourne Cup. What's the plan for you? How's your 11 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: day unfold? 12 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got to get out to the track fairly early. 13 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:36,519 Speaker 2: I've got our first cross back into New Zealand at 14 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,319 Speaker 2: eleven o'clock New Zealand time, so nine o'clock, so we're 15 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 2: out towards the track at eight o'clock and then we 16 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 2: just try and get sort of as much sort of 17 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 2: New Zealand flavor into the broadcast back home as we can. 18 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 2: Obviously taking into account there's not a lot of New 19 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 2: Zealand action on Melbourne Cup day, but it's such a 20 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 2: big day, not just for the New Zealand connections but 21 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 2: New Zealand punted. This is a once a year day 22 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 2: for so many New Zealanders who know from years and 23 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 2: years gone by that their grandparents and their great grandparents 24 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 2: used to bet on the Melbourne Cup and it's a 25 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: tradition that really has carried on and maybe even got 26 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 2: a little bit better in the last few years. He's 27 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 2: got a bit of a resurgence in New Zealand racing 28 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 2: and we're seeing it over here, like eighty six thousand 29 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 2: plus for Derby Day on Saturday on Track. It's the 30 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 2: biggest attendance on that day since twenty eighteen, and it 31 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 2: was a really vibrant, younger crowd that really enjoyed the 32 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 2: racing action. So we're hoping that really does have a 33 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 2: good flow on effect into Tuesday. And we are seeing 34 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 2: especially back home with the launch of the Beach of 35 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 2: brand that and obviously out the gates on a Thursday night, 36 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,279 Speaker 2: MIT's James coming on. There's some things that are really 37 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 2: resonating with younger New Zealanders that the sport of racing 38 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 2: has got a lot of attraction. There's a lot of color, 39 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 2: and there's a lot of appeel these days. 40 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: A local connection that we have is a guy named 41 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: Daniel Stackhouse, and you mentioned Derby Day on the weekend. 42 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: I can't remember the exact race you might know off 43 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: the top of your head, but I'm sure it was 44 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: worth over a million bucks. He came third, so that's 45 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: pretty impressive. And I've been given their heads up that 46 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: he's riding in about seven races outside of the Melbourne Cup, 47 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: but you know the whole festival today. 48 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, of course, Stacky. He was a prince fown there 49 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 2: in ash Burson and obviously he's come over to Australian 50 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 2: who rolled the diet. It's not easy to break in, 51 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 2: but he's broken in really well. He's done such a 52 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 2: good job. He's been a great ambassador for the sport. 53 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: Back home, I rolled past him, didn't see him. He 54 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 2: came up and tapped me on the shoulder and shook hands. 55 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: Is that type of bloke. He's a terrific worker, but 56 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 2: he's a very good job. He has developed this craft 57 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 2: so beautifully in recent times and he still can't take 58 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 2: the Kiwi boy out of him. He's got a block 59 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 2: of land down down Cramboin Way where he hops on 60 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 2: the tractor and does a bit of work. He just 61 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 2: loves the you know, the core country voice stuff. But 62 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 2: when it comes to race day writing, he's focused and 63 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 2: he's a jockey that you really can follow with a 64 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 2: bit of confidence. 65 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. Nice, mate. So what's a fun fact about the 66 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: Melbourne Cup something you'd like to impress buddies with? 67 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 2: Oh? Geeesh, probably if I'm kind of trying to impress 68 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 2: my buddies. You know. This would be my sixteenth Melbourne Cup, 69 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 2: the fourteenth one that I've covered as a as a 70 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 2: journalist or broadcaster. So that's probably it for me. When 71 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 2: you go back and have a look at Makybe Divers 72 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 2: third Melbourne Cup win, which is played here all of 73 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 2: time because it is, you know, one of the great 74 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 2: Melbourne Cup moments when Lee Friedman's getting interviewed on over 75 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 2: his back shoulder doing some work. That was my first 76 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 2: Melbourne Cup that I covered as a as a journalist 77 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 2: and I was racing editor at work at her times, 78 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 2: having left dash Girt and Garden in some sort of 79 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 2: seven seven odd years earlier. 80 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: Mate. That's an impressive run, super quick. What are track 81 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: and field conditions like? You've had a bit of rain, 82 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: haven't you. 83 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, there was a bit of rain yesterday and it's 84 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 2: meant to be a few extra showers today, but the 85 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 2: worst of it's passed by all accounts, so we'll be 86 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 2: looking towards sort of a soft track. I don't think 87 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 2: it's going to be as bad as it was initially 88 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 2: feared that it would be.