I write today with great sadness. In the lead up to this year’s Melbourne Cup, much ado was made about the grand old boy Red Cadeaux’s 5th assault on our great race. In previous years I had underestimated the red horse’s abilities while selecting our trifecta horses for myself and my sister, because in his 3 second placings I had left him out every time. This year, out of respect, I put him in. However deep down I felt a great uneasiness about this 5th attempt at the Cup. The horse was 10 years old by our standards. He was lining up for his 54th race start. Were his connections asking for too much?