Picking a Winner?

I wrote about how I backed the winner of the 2018 Melbourne Cup, #23 Cross Counter and won $540 back in this recent post -
See You on the Other Side Podcast #221 – THE IMAGINAL REALM: ACTIVE DREAMING AND SYNCHRONICITIES WITH ROBERT MOSS

My winning $540 Melbourne Cup ticket

I nearly talked myself out of backing that horse because of a dream I had that weekend which involved seeing a jockey wearing silks with pink stars on a blue background and hearing a song like John Farnham singing 'Playing to Win'.

But when I looked through the jockey's colours for the race I couldn't see anything close to what I saw in my dream.

The closest image to my dream were #6 Sound Check's silks, but only because of the stars, which weren't pink and not on a blue background.

There was something about the name that somehow struck a chord with me, but it didn't feel right that this horse was a winner.
I was nearly going to put my money on it because of my dream, but as I looked through the form I saw horse #23 was being ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, a jockey who I really respect and am still filthy with myself for not backing him way back in the year 2000 when he won on #24 Brew.

McEvoy on Brew and winning the 2000 Melbourne Cup

 As a kid growing up going with my father and Nan to local racetracks, my fantasy was to own a horse called "Brew", race it in the colours of my favourite  Rugby League club (Sharks) and win the Melbourne Cup with it.
So, in 1999 when I saw a horse named "Brew" in the colours that I wanted to race my fantasy horse in, running in the Melbourne Cup I couldn't believe it.
I backed it that year to win and it ran about tenth, I think.
When I saw it was going around again in 2000, I remembered my loss the year before and stayed off it ... and it won.
My wife backed it that year and won though, but I lost, again.
"Friends" gave me a consolation beer bottle holder, which stands next to my money tree in the kitchen mocking me, it would seem.

But when I saw McEvoy was riding a young horse this year with my birth number on the saddlecloth and that the horse had good form, I thought f#ck my dream of the jockey with pink stars, I'm putting my money on #23.  

On the Monday just before the Tuesday race I saw the above page in the local Brisbane newspaper with a barman dressed in the jockey colours for Cross Counter seemingly calling me "cross counter":-)
That image really resonated with me in 2018 seeing the girl in the water at the bar, as underwater themes had been big all year for me after buying this 2018 calendar (below) last year -

2018 and that Sinking/Synching Feeling?

Go Dolphin?!

The Tuesday of the race, Melbourne had so much rain hit the city that it caused major flooding throughout the city and the Wednesday paper had the photos and clever headlines to prove it.

By the time Wednesday had rolled around Kerrin had won his third Melbourne Cup and I was $500 richer. 
Thank heavens I ignored that stupid dream of mine about pink starred silks.

Kerrin McEvoy is the brother-in-law of Melbourne Cup winner, Michelle Payne, who won the Cup with Prince of Penzance in 2015.
What a Payne!?

Michelle Payne celebrates atop Prince of Penzance
alongside her brother Stevie

The year Michelle won I had backed #5 to win and it ran 5th:-)
BTTF and Off to the Races with Lana Del Rey on Melbourne Cup Day?

I see the director of the up-coming movie about Michelle's win 'Ride Like a Girl', Rachel Griffiths made the papers without having to go topless;-)

"Rachel Griffiths ran topless through Melbourne's Crown Casino on its opening night in protest. Was asked by media why she felt the need to do so and replied :"If I didn't flash my tits, you wouldn't have put me in the paper!"

I'm looking forward to seeing that movie at the cinema when it comes out, so I'm hoping it's a winner, too:-)

But, here's the kicker to my dream.

On December 2nd, 2018, I went to see John Farnham sing at 'A Day on the Green' and in-between acts a DJ by the name of Grand Master Baitz would come on stage playing songs and he was usually dressed as a 70s tennis player, but he changed into jockey silks at one point and I nearly choked on my wine when I saw the silks were pretty much the same as in my dream.

And John did sing 'Playing to Win' if my memory serves me better than my dreams do.

John Farnham on stage December 2nd, 2018

Who can win when it comes to dreams and just what they are supposed to mean?-)
And on the subject of winning, I have a question for Grand Master Baitz.

Why out of all the times I have attended 'A Day on the Green' that you have never hit a tennis ball my way, so I can try for a catch to win a prize, you great f#ckin' wanker;-)

'Whispering Jack'?-)