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Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse, one of racing’s great ambassadors, says she’s totally against allowing men to wear shorts in the members’ area at Flemington during Cup week.
For the first time, the Victoria Racing Club will allow male members to wear tailored shorts to the races, in a move to reflect evolving fashion norms.
Gai Waterhouse is not a fan of the VRC’s new dress regulations, allowing men to wear shorts in the members.Credit: Getty Images
The VRC showed off eight models at their official Melbourne Cup Carnival launch on Monday, including one male model who donned dark tailored shorts, paired with a white shirt and light maroon tie and blazer.
But Waterhouse, who turned 69 in September, said that was not her cup of tea.
“It’s ridiculous, I think it’s the silliest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said.
“I’m not going to Bondi Beach, or Altona. You’re coming here, you’ve got to dress for the occasion.
“I saw the bloke [model] with the shorts on, and I thought, ‘you’ve got to be joking’. Maybe I’m old-fashioned.”
VRC ambassador and Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse.Credit: Getty Images
The last time the VRC made a change to its members’ dress code was in 2018, when it removed the need for men to wear socks.
Though the rules state that shorts must finish below the knee, there is some flexibility around that length. However, they must be no shorter than the pair that were modelled on Monday, which finished just above the knee.
Jumpsuits, playsuits, bike shorts, stretch shorts, board shorts, sports shorts and any casual short will not be accepted in the members.
The VRC does not have dress regulations in general admission areas.
Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones has gone on the record encouraging the metropolitan clubs to loosen dress codes to make racing more accessible.
“Why don’t we let people wear what they want?” Jones asked delegates at the Asian Racing Conference in March.
“No one calls up a restaurant and demands a dress code, they wear what they want.”
Waterhouse, a long-time VRC ambassador, said the Flemington carnival meant a lot to her.
“I came here as a teenager,” said Waterhouse, the daughter of legendary trainer Tommy Smith.
“My mum wouldn’t let me come as a kid, I came as a teenager, and my first trip to Flemington was in the back of an old-fashioned Rolls-Royce, I think.
“A man called John Newton and his mate took my girlfriend and me to the races, and we sat up the back having a glass of champagne and a chicken wing, and we stopped by the police, and they had a bit of the chicken and a glass of champagne. That wouldn’t happen nowadays, but it was a happy memory just from the start.
“I love it, I think it’s one of the great racing events of the world, and they do it so well, the VRC, and Racing Victoria backing them.”
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