Twilight Payment might have won the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, but was there something eerily like an episode of “The Twilight Zone” hanging in the air? Was it an omen of things to come? Did someone already …know?
Of course it was great to see exciting young riding talent Jye McNeil win his first Melbourne Cup at his debut in the big race. Here’s a huge talent. And grounded.
How I won the #MelbourneCup by @JyeMcNeil 🏆 pic.twitter.com/BaWEaI9uei — World Horse Racing (@WHR) November 4, 2020
Punters have been left high and dry on one of the biggest days of the spring carnival, unable to place bets after Tabcorp's off-course systems shut down. https://t.co/IM11eONkvj — Horse Betting (@HorseBettingAU) November 7, 2020
Race caller Matt Hill did the best he could to bring some excitement to the Mad Max looking day for television viewers. The horses competing looked magnificent. So did the track. But still, and especially with there being no crowd to cheer on those thundering hooves, the Twilight Zone theme kept playing in our heads. Over and over again. It sounded ominous.
But what else was getting in the way of having some good vibes? All the clutter about the American elections bombarding senses? Living life in the new normal continuing to play a major and disruptive role in daily life? Perhaps too many big races packed like sardines and programmed without considering these very weird times of lockdowns and social distancing? Timing, after all, is everything.
By the time it came to Oaks Day at Flemington on Thursday, there was a beaucoup de fatigue blues in the air. Things had actually got draining and tiresome.
The presenters sounded as drained as those sleep deprived anchors on every news channel in America trying to make sense of who was winning the Red state or the Blue state. Had it come to a point where no one even cared…about anything?
Then there was a complete breakdown in pretty much everything yesterday- the last day of Melbourne’s Spring Carnival and the running of the Mackinnon Stakes.
Tabcorp's computer system crashed on the final day of the Melbourne Cup carnival leaving punters unable to bet with the wagering giant. https://t.co/6C7BR4kDEd — The Age (@theage) November 7, 2020
This was when the Tabcorp system came crashing down and things became pretty pointless. Hadn’t betting online with Tabcorp been a bit wobbly for a few days before The Big Crash? Hmmmm? Maybe it was Tripped up? Whatever, it was, this was the last thing anyone could have predicted. Not even Deano.
Deano seemed resigned to the fact that it was a case of Que Sera Sera and so was chillin’ with Dylan.
Who won what? No idea. Didn’t matter. It was meaningless and a waste of time. It was a package deal with the ongoing nightmare that are the American Elections.
When popular pastimes are forced into holding patterns and clash with an ongoing pandemics like Covid-19 and real life politics that could have a bearing on present and future lives, very different priorities take over. The Turn Off factor comes into play.
Sometimes it’s necessary to bite the bullet and take a Think Break. Make the time to reboot strategies so that they are relevant to the times instead of thinking “resilience” will last forever while continuing to play the same old song. Tabcorp’s system crashing didn’t show much “resilience”. If anything, it should be a LOUD wake up call, not only to racing clubs, but- and not to make anyone panic- the entire global banking system.
Nothing lasts forever without adapting to change, constantly improving and upgrading products and charting a roadmap to the future- a roadmap to avoid any bumps, especially technical hiccups, along the way. Some things need to be said.
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