How I found love at the races

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Nursing a broken heart and a lost soul in the spring of 2006, a friend of mine called me one Saturday morning to say “There’s a bunch of us going to the races today, want to come with?”

I’d been to the races before and knew what to expect; sore feet, an empty wallet and a potential hangover. “Look on the bright side” she said, “It’s a beautiful day, plus there’ll be fun friends, fantastic frocks, feathered hats and fit men in suits. What’s not to love?”

OK so she had me with ‘fit men in suits’, and she was right after all – what’s not to love about the upbeat atmosphere on a sunny afternoon track side on the lawn, surrounded by gorgeous aristocracy in their best dressed, sipping Champagne and sharing race tips.

I reminded myself that the calibre of gentlemen at the races raises the bar far higher than when you are out at a bar on a Saturday night. There’s something about a clean shaven man in a three-piece suit and leather shoes that sings ‘I care about my appearance’, which makes a refreshing change from stubble, ripped jeans and thongs.

Related: How to dress for the races

Regular punters and race goers seem to always have plenty of spare cash, and they don’t mind spending their winnings on a bottle of bubbly in exchange for a light hearted chat with a pretty lady or two.

I’ve never pretended to know anything about horses or betting or odds or handicaps. But on this particular day I was looking for a sign that all love was not lost, so I looked down the list of horse’s names in the next race to find one of them that affiliated with me. It was a black stallion, and its name was ‘Romeo’.

The trumpet starts, the gun goes off, people are shouting and preying and holding their breath as the crowd watches the track and unites in anticipation. As the horses round the corner and gallop towards the stalls you can hear their hooves punching the grass like the rumble of thunder.

The excitement builds, the stand is electric, people are out of their seats and the commentator is speaking so fast he’s inaudible. The crescendo envelops, the climax peaks, three horses cross the line at the same time and hundreds of people are gasping to know outcome.

Paying 18 to 1 he was not the race favourite, but as luck would have it my bet on love paid off. I had landed a $180 win from a $10 bet! Thank you Romeo! So with my hopes resurrected and my purse fattened, I trotted away from the bookie with a smile on my face and spring in my step. The day was looking up after all.

Related: How to bet at the races

I traced through the crowd in a bid to find my friends. Pushing past the bar the barmen are frantic, “More Champagne” they shout to each other, “More ice!”, “Change the keg!”

Everywhere I turned were stunning women in gorgeous hats adorned with protruding feathers of all colours. Lavish jewels, frills and flowers, pearl necklaces, diamonds earrings, matching bags, beautiful shoes, designer dresses, glamorous sunglasses, and I’m sure I spotted a few celebrities too.

There’s really nothing like being at the races.

At last I spotted them before noticing they were chatting to a group of new faces, a group of ‘fit men in suits’, one of whom caught my eye. He was striking; a chiselled jaw, great hair, straight nose, good physique, nice shoes.. the important things, of course!

Too shy to introduce myself directly, I huddled around behind my friends who were talking quite charismatically about something I’m sure was insignificant whilst trying to steel glances at him through the netting of my head piece. Although it covered my face, it was not a very a very good disguise.

I tried to hide behind my glass of Champagne, but that didn’t work either. We exchanged looks for a while, I would look away first, so embarrassed he’d caught me staring at him, over and over again. We continued this eye catching dance for what felt like forever until all of a sudden one of my friends shrieked with laughter, tail-ending a punch line that I failed to hear.

The dynamic had changed, the whole group looked at me for confirmation, of what, I wasn’t sure. Ten sets of begging eyes were on me, mouth edges curled upwards, expecting a humorous response. Where is a whole in the floor when you need one? “Umm.. cheers!” I announced and proclaimed my glass to the ceiling, “Cheers!” everyone joined-in in unison, and with that I withdrew from the group.

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Exhaling I turned to walk away. The aromatic concoction of multiple designer perfumes meant I needed some fresh air, so I reached into my purse pretending I had some important phone calls to make, when BAM! – I almost walked straight into him.

“That’s a beautiful hat” he said. “It matches your eyes.” Blushing, I replied, “Thank you. Nice suit. Great day for the races isn’t it?” “Indeed.” He said.
Not sure where to go from there, I said “Have you had a win?”

“Yes” he had. And so had I.

And so it followed from there, we exchanged names, racing tips, personal stories and opinions. And before the day was done we exchanged phone numbers too.

Our first date was arranged a week later followed by many more. A few weekends away, some wineries, a ski trip and a testing three-week backpacking adventure through Vietnam were followed quickly by the decision to move-in together. We lived together no more than eight months before I got the shock of my life; he placed a bet on my heart and proposed.

We committed the rest of our lives to be together, and we couldn’t be happier in the knowledge that we had somehow managed to find each other to love.

The best man at our wedding wrote a poem as a tribute to the way in which we met. It nicely sums up the day I’ll never forget:

At the races they met, their eyes fixed to a stare
He admired her dress, and her long flowing hair.
‘Step to her’ he thought, the game had begun
What’s next for these two? They were both up for fun.

His expectations were high, was she up to the task?
Could she handle the man, was it too much to ask?
A man’s never complete, without the right girl
Could she be the one, would she rock his world?

‘How are you?’ he said, with a smile and a grin
‘I’m great’ she replied, ‘have you had a win?’
His heart in his hand, he replied ‘just a few,
But my day’s now complete, because I’ve met you’.

To those here today, we know how it ends
More than just lovers, these two are best friends.
Giving hope to us all, flying high like a dove
Congratulations to you, on finding true love.

Have you found love at the races? Share your story with us on our facebook page.

Related reading for racing fever:

What to wear

Zoe Foster: How to look your best at the races
Cheyenne Tozzi's spring racing style secrets
marie claire: Spring racing dos and don'ts

Food + drink

Better Homes & Gardens: Spring racing finger food
Bubbles: Tips for enjoying Champagne

Beauty

Beauty blog: Five golden beauty rules for the races
marie claire: Spring racing beauty guide

Betting

Check Yahoo7 Sport for all the tips you need to pick a winner.

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