Melbourne Cup 2015

Well it’s that time of year again, when the nation stops for a horse race – the Melbourne Cup.

In fact, the 2nd Tuesday in November is honoured with a holiday, but only in Melbourne. For the rest of the state it’s just another work day. But come 3 o’clock, TVs across Australia are tuned to the race, and for the next 3-4 minutes very little work is done. The Cup is the biggest race in Australia, with prize money of $6.2 million, and horses from around the world come with the intention of winning. This race holds great prestige in the industry and punters bet a fortune on it. However, it is one of the hardest races to pick a winner because every horse has earnt their place and has a good chance of winning. People use a variety of methods, from their favourite colour or jockey to thoroughly reading the Form Guide or getting a hot tip. Can astrology help us choose the winner?

Gambling, betting and horse racing is not my forte so I have scoured the internet in search of information. There are many astrological methods out there but I have selected one to “gamble” on!

The rules of John Addey’s system are:

1. Cast the chart for the date, time and place of the race, using the Campanus house system
2. Regard everything in the chart as standing still, but move the 5th cusp through its sign (anticlockwise) until it makes an aspect with a planet. The first planet it aspects shows the winning horse!
3. Identify the winning horse by name association, house rulership or association with the horse’s nature.

Let’s have a look at the chart:

The 5th house cusp is 8° 43′ Cancer and the first planet it aspects is the Sun at 10° 24′ Scorpio. The Sun is a masculine planet in the fertile sign of Scorpio, so the horse will be a stallion, not a gelding. Out of a field of 24 we are left with 13 horses. The Sun is connected with royalty, gentry and goldsmiths, the number 1, and it’s colours include gold, purple, reds and oranges, plus it’s in the 9th house of foreigners and knowledge. Scorpio’s colours are deeper shades of red to black and purple, it rules deep, dark places, and is associated with the number 8. Taking all this into account, there are 6 horses that fit this list: number 1, Snow Sky, won the coveted Hardwicke Stakes at this year’s Royal Ascot Carnival, and his trainer is Sir Michael Stoute but the name and the teal/pink silks don’t match;  #19 Prince of Penzance covers the royalty theme, and it sits at barrier 1; the silks on #3 Fame Game‘s jockey are black, red and yellow, and fame is another Sun-related theme; the silks on #4 Our Ivanhowe‘s jockey are red, purple and white; #23 Excess Knowledge‘s silks are black and gold; and those of #15 Preferment are maroon, gold and white.

Fame Game is promising, and is currently the Cup favourite.

Excess Knowledge is another good pick, and that logo looks regal.

And then there’s Preferment whose colours and name suggests a winner.

I like to choose four horses so I’ll take Prince of Penzance, even though he’s an incredibly long shot.

Good luck with your choices – let me know how you fare.