The Melbourne Cup was initiated in 1861 and the history of how it attained 'legendary' status should also be a cameo study in business and marketing.
The patrons of that first Melbourne Cup witnessed a remarkable marketing campaign; the organisers gave two 'ladies' tickets to each member, calculating that where the ladies go, the men will follow. They were correct, as four thousand patrons watched that first Melbourne Cup race; out of a population of Melbourne at the time of about 125,000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cup
Today, around the whole nation, sweep stakes are the order of the day as ordinary folk in workplaces across the continent take this annual punt. The evening news reports the amount of money spent on the legal Totaliser (TAB) and with the bookmakers, who operate at race tracks far removed from Melbourne to take bets on this one race. Quietly, at dinner tables and pulpits, unheeded alarms are issued that it could feed millions of starving peoples around the world.
Perhaps, for the Christian, the most astonishing Melbourne Cup victory was in 1996 when the high profile Christian jockey Darren Beadman won on a horse named Saintly.
However, M V Tronson, a Baptist minister and long-term sports chaplain, asks a more fundamental question, that many Christians ask themselves: "is any horse racing, particularly such a high-profile race such as the Melbourne Cup which is bought to national attention, an appropriate pastime and leisure pursuit?"
The historical theological problem area for many evangelical Christians is two-fold.
First, the Puritan tradition with its work ethic places grave suspicion on any 'down time' as this leisure represents periods of idleness, which could more than likely lead one directly to thoughts and acts of wickedness.
Second, horse racing and gambling traditionally go hand in hand, and the question raised is whether this is an appropriate use of one's disposable income when it could be better utilised for Mission benevolence and winning the lost to Christ; or even something practical like buying more fresh food or 'extras' for the education of one's children; or perhaps even some type of 'treat' for the family as a form of respite in stressful times.
Yet, at the same time, there have been many evangelical Christians at the forefront in horse racing and equine ministry with 'soul winning' chaplains serving the industry in most Western countries.
One such racing chaplain said that the Strappers constantly remark, with great respect, that the chaplain is the only person who asks about their welfare rather than that of the horse.
It is also quite common to find professionals in the racing industry from horse trainers, strappers, jockeys, owners and administrators who simply love the horse racing industry – the horses themselves and the nature of the sport - and who do not 'gamble'.
This raises two additional issues associated with the seedy side of the horse racing industry.
First, there is the destructiveness to those who are unable to stop their gambling. Although not confined solely to horse-racing, this is undoubtedly an issue for our whole society and it applies equally to Casinos, poker machines and all the other insidious forms of easy gambling that one can buy at the local newsagent or through the Internet. Families bear the brunt of this illness.
Secondly, wherever there is the potential for large amounts of cash to change hands for a seemingly legitimate purpose (in this case, betting or winning on a horse race), there is the potential for organised crime to infiltrate the system. Although this is not confined to the racing industry, there is enough evidence in the history of our society to know that people who are involved in horse racing can become (unwittingly or otherwise) involved in surreptitious illegal activities.
However, Mark Tronson would like to ask one further question of evangelical Christians. "Would it benefit society more if Christians, rather than running away and wringing their hands in disapproval, got involved and worked toward making racing a shining example of righteous employment and a wholesome sport and leisure activity?"