Keith attends 63rd Melbourne Cup – and he’s not horsing around

KEITH Harris says he lives for horse racing.
It appears the Indented Head man puts his passion into practice, as he has just attended his 63rd consecutive Melbourne Cup.
The 79-year-old has been attending “The Race That Stops The Nation” since he was 17.
“I’ve always liked horse races, and everyone is always so happy at the Melbourne Cup, no matter if they win or lose,” he said.
Mr Harris said each year he bought seats in The Lawn Stand, directly opposite the finishing post.
Even though he mostly attends the annual event solo, he always bumps into someone he knows.
When he was just a teenager, Mr Harris put his first bet on at Caufield Racecourse and walked away with 30 pounds, and also picked winner Straight Draw at the 1957 Melbourne Cup.
“After that I was hooked,” he said.
But Mr Harris said out of all the years he had attended the Melbourne Cup, he had only won money on about 10 of the main races.
“It’s hard to win on Cup Day.”
He also enjoys attending the horse races in Warrnambool and has attended the last 35 out of 37 Warrnambool Cups.
Mr Harris said one main difference he had noticed at the Melbourne Cup during the past few decades was the fashion.
“Back in the day people would dress up in costumes like clowns, nurses and firemen.
“These days the ladies put so much effort into their outfits that it must take them to the next Cup Day to pay them off.”
Mr Harris said the facilities at Flemington Racecourse were magnificent and he rated it among the best three racecourses in the world.
“The Melbourne Cup offers such a great atmosphere… I’ll be going until I die!”