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Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse, one of racing\u2019s great ambassadors, says she\u2019s totally against allowing men to wear shorts in the members\u2019 area at Flemington during Cup week.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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Gai Waterhouse is not a fan of the VRC\u2019s new dress regulations, allowing men to wear shorts in the members.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But Waterhouse, who turned 69 in September, said that was not her cup of tea.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous, I think it\u2019s the silliest thing I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to Bondi Beach, or Altona. You\u2019re coming here, you\u2019ve got to dress for the occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the bloke [model] with the shorts on, and I thought, \u2018you\u2019ve got to be joking\u2019. Maybe I\u2019m old-fashioned.\u201d<\/p>\n VRC ambassador and Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Gai Waterhouse.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n The last time the VRC made a change to its members\u2019 dress code was in 2018, when it removed the need for men to wear socks.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Jumpsuits, playsuits, bike shorts, stretch shorts, board shorts, sports shorts and any casual short will not be accepted in the members.<\/p>\n The VRC does not have dress regulations in general admission areas.<\/p>\n Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones has gone on the record encouraging the metropolitan clubs to loosen dress codes to make racing more accessible.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t we let people wear what they want?\u201d Jones asked delegates at the Asian Racing Conference in March.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one calls up a restaurant and demands a dress code, they wear what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n Waterhouse, a long-time VRC ambassador, said the Flemington carnival meant a lot to her.<\/p>\n \u201cI came here as a teenager,\u201d said Waterhouse, the daughter of legendary trainer Tommy Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mum wouldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cA 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\u2019t happen nowadays, but it was a happy memory just from the start.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it, I think it\u2019s one of the great racing events of the world, and they do it so well, the VRC, and Racing Victoria backing them.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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