The Melbourne Cup is in a mess - we cannot blame them for wanting to clean it up

It was a love affair that began in bed. Pleased to report, it has endured quite wonderfully.

Still vivid in my head is the memory of lying under the duvet in the dark, listening to the live Melbourne Cup commentary on BBC Radio. I remember being particularly excited because in my wallet was a betting slip with Jeune's name written on it. That was a big win for a young me. Twelve months earlier there had been a much bigger win for an old event.

In 1993 Dermot Weld stunned a nation by capturing the race that stops a nation. No horse based outside Australasia had ever won the country's most cherished sporting event. Vintage Crop did not simply win, he won in a different way, competing off a far lighter preparation than that espoused by Bart Cummings and his compatriots. To put a seal on a remarkable triumph, Weld even recited Banjo Paterson during the victory celebrations.