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Quiz about Melbourne Cup Day Night
Quiz about Melbourne Cup Day Night

Melbourne Cup Day Night Trivia Quiz


Reflecting on the day's events at the end of the 2012 Melbourne Cup, I was amazed to recall all the images evoked by the names of the horses. Join me as I ponder these questions inspired by their names. No knowledge of horses or racing is required.

A multiple-choice quiz by looney_tunes. Estimated time: 8 mins.
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Author
looney_tunes
Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
354,486
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
21 / 25
Plays
1145
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: OswaldEllie (24/25), 1MeanRick (25/25), elbowmacaroni2 (24/25).
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Question 1 of 25
1. The first horse to pass by as the horses entered in the Melbourne Cup were paraded was Dunedan, whose jockey wore yellow with blue stars. I was reminded of the Dunedain, or Men of the West, in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. Which Dunedan played a significant role in 'The Lord of the Rings'? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. Watching Americain, the second horse to enter the mounting yard, with a jockey looking as if he had sacrificed an American flag to make his colours, I was reminded that the first Tuesday in November is special for Americans as well as for Melbournians. What American event usually occurs, once every four years, on the same date as the Melbourne Cup? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. Jakkalberry, whose jockey sported fluorescent yellow silks with navy blue seams, was third to cross my field of view. I was reminded of the equally strangely-named (to my ears) huckleberry. What kind of animated character named Huckleberry had his own televised cartoon show from 1958 until 1961? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. Since the French word for gifts is cadeaux, I immediately thought of gift-giving occasions when I saw Red Cadeaux, the fourth horse to enter the enclosure. His jockey was wearing blue and red silks, and I wondered why they hadn't chosen a colour combination more in keeping with the traditional colours associated with the festive season of Christmas. Had they done so, which of the following sets of silks might the jockey have been wearing? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. Winchester was the fifth horse to enter the parade area, and I immediately started singing the New Vaudeville Band's 1966 hit song 'Winchester Cathedral' under my breath. That set me wondering, in what country is Winchester Cathedral located? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. As the sixth horse entered the enclosure, I discovered that Voila Ici is pronounced Voila Itchy, at least by the announcer on the television. That reminded me of a mnemonic rhyme I learned as a child, "Leaves of three, let it be." This was intended to help me avoid developing an itchy rash from contact with which plant? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. The seventh horse, a black horse whose jockey wore blue silks, was Cavalryman. I would be surprised if any horses as valuable as Cavalryman were involved in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, a portion of the battle of Balaclava from the Crimean War. What was the nationality of the members of the Light Brigade? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. Horse number eight, sporting grey colours with a beige star, walked past, and I was immediately reminded of one of my favourite books. Which of these might have been suggested by seeing a horse named Mount Athos? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. Sanagas's jockey was resplendent in royal blue, with a large silver horseshoe on his chest. I misheard the name of this ninth horse, and thought it was Sangers, which immediately made me hungry. What kind of food is colloquially called a sanger in Melbourne? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. Tenth in line for the parade was Ethiopia, sporting light blue and green colours. Ethiopia, of course, is the English name of a country in Africa whose name comes from the Greek word for the area where it is found. What name, derived from an Arabic word for the region, was also formerly used? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. Fiorente was the eighth runner to enter, and I was immediately reminded of a Tuscan city that is often considered to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance in Europe. If the horse's owners had intended to pay homage to that city, they would probably have designed the jockey's silks to bear a fleur de lis, instead of being black with a purple sash. What city, home to the powerful Medici family, had leaped into my mind? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. Another Italian-themed horse entered the enclosure, a brown gelding whose jockey was clad in a purple shirt decorated with a yellow cross of Lorraine (one with two crosspieces). The twelfth entrant was named after a scientist who is often considered the father of modern science, due to his extensive work in physics, mathematics and astronomy. He is possibly best known for choosing to defy the Inquisition and uphold a heliocentric model of the universe. Which of these horses has a name that might have brought this man to my thoughts? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. Horse number thirteen, Glencadam Gold, came striding along, and I wondered why the jockey wore white, red and grey, instead of gold. Mine not to reason why, so I moved on to wondering if the owners knew about the Glencadam Distillery, and the lovely gold whisky they produce. Where would I have to go to visit the distillery?

Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. Green Moon, a handsome brown horse whose jockey sported navy blue silks, was the fourteenth horse to be led past. We've all heard that the moon is made of green cheese. Is there actually such a thing as green cheese?


Question 15 of 25
15. As Maluckyday pranced past bearing the number fifteen on his saddlecloth, I wondered if it would be a lucky day for him and his jockey. I also thought the silks could have had a more appropriate design than a grey sash and pink striped sleeves. Which of these possible designs is NOT suggestive of good luck? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. Watching Mourayan and his navy-clad jockey parade past, I remembered learning something about moraines in school. In which of these classes did the topic probably arise? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. Next I saw My Quest for Peace, a magnificent stallion in blue, white and yellow silks, and I thought of the 'Road Map for Peace' which was proposed in 2002 as a plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was one in a series of initiatives to secure peace in which region? Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. As I watched Niwot parading past, with his jockey bearing a gold thunder bolt on a navy background, I noticed that his name made sense when I wrote it in reverse: To win. What is the name for a word, sentence or number that is exactly the same when it is written in reverse? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. Tac de Boistron, yet another horse whose jockey sported navy, this time with fluorescent yellow braces, was the nineteenth horse to come into view. The handsome grey gelding showed a bit of spirit, and his name reminded me of a word my mother used to describe her three children, who sometimes got a bit bouncy when confined indoors all day on a winter Saturday. Which of these terms might she have chosen? Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. I saw Lights in Heaven quite clearly as she paraded past, twentieth in line, with yet another navy-clad jockey. Which of these celestial objects can you NOT see with the naked eye? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. At last, a horse wearing non-navy silks came into the enclosure. This seven-year-old gelding by Zabeel out of Kowtow was trained by Bart Cummings, who is often referred to as 'The Cup King', because he has trained so many winners. What name did the horse carrying the number 21 have, that suggested its trainer's previous successes? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. As Unusual Suspect entered the enclosure, sporting black silks with a silver star in a white disc, silver sleeves and a red cap (now that's a mouthful of a description), the name of the third from last horse reminded me of one of my favourite movies. Which movie, with a title taken from the movie 'Casablanca', was it? Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. The second to last horse, Zabeelionaire, walked by with his jockey in bright blue and yellow, and I got to thinking about a crotchety old billionaire in my favourite TV show, 'The Simpsons', who runs a nuclear power plant. Who was I thinking of? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. By the time the last horse, Kelinni, came past, I had worked up a bit of an appetite, and his name immediately made me think of organizing some sweet pastry treats for my afternoon snack. Which of these was I dreaming of as the jockey came past wearing a maroon shirt with crossed white sashes and yellow armbands? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. And the winner of the 2012 Melbourne Cup proved to be something of an outsider, starting at odds of 20-1. Which of these horses, whose name suggests an unlikely event as described by someone suffering from poor colour distinction, was the winner? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first horse to pass by as the horses entered in the Melbourne Cup were paraded was Dunedan, whose jockey wore yellow with blue stars. I was reminded of the Dunedain, or Men of the West, in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. Which Dunedan played a significant role in 'The Lord of the Rings'?

Answer: Aragorn

Aragorn, often referred to as 'The Dunedan', accompanied Frodo on his quest to destroy the Ring of Power. As the heir of Isildur, he was rightfully entitled to claim both the northern throne of Arnor and the southern throne of Gondor, which he did after the defeat of Sauron.

His marriage to Arwen Undomiel reintroduced elfin blood into the Dunedain line after many years of dwindling lifespans and powers.
2. Watching Americain, the second horse to enter the mounting yard, with a jockey looking as if he had sacrificed an American flag to make his colours, I was reminded that the first Tuesday in November is special for Americans as well as for Melbournians. What American event usually occurs, once every four years, on the same date as the Melbourne Cup?

Answer: Presidential election

Technically, the US presidential elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, while the Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday. If November 1 falls on a Tuesday, the two events do not occur on the same day, as election day will be a week later. And then there is the time difference - as I was watching the parade early in the afternoon of November 6, residents of the United States were still experiencing November 5 - it was about 10:30pm on Monday evening on the east coast of the US.
3. Jakkalberry, whose jockey sported fluorescent yellow silks with navy blue seams, was third to cross my field of view. I was reminded of the equally strangely-named (to my ears) huckleberry. What kind of animated character named Huckleberry had his own televised cartoon show from 1958 until 1961?

Answer: Dog

Huckleberry Hound, a blue dog with a strong southern drawl, featured on one of the three segments of 'The Huckleberry Hound Show' when it debuted in 1958. One of the other two segments featured Yogi Bear and Boo Boo, and the third showcased Pixie and Dixie, the two mice that constantly tormented Mr Jinks, a cat who was regularly heard to declare, "I hate those meeces to pieces!".

In 1960 Yogi Bear got his own show, and was replaced by Hokey Wolf and Ding-a-ling for the final two seasons of 'The Huckleberry Hound Show'. Huck's character assumed many roles, and was not localized in any specific time frame. No matter where or when we saw him, we could always expect to hear him tunelessly singing "Clementine" at some point in the proceedings.
4. Since the French word for gifts is cadeaux, I immediately thought of gift-giving occasions when I saw Red Cadeaux, the fourth horse to enter the enclosure. His jockey was wearing blue and red silks, and I wondered why they hadn't chosen a colour combination more in keeping with the traditional colours associated with the festive season of Christmas. Had they done so, which of the following sets of silks might the jockey have been wearing?

Answer: Green with red diamonds

Red and green are the colours associated with Christmas in the European tradition. The red and green seems to have its origins in the 14th century, with the performance of a miracle play called 'The Paradise Play' at Christmas time, in which the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was performed for general edification. No apple trees being in fruit in late December, a fir tree with red apples hung from its branches was a standard prop to represent the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. White, silver and gold are also associated with Christmas traditions, but usually in a subordinate role to the dominant colours of red and green.
5. Winchester was the fifth horse to enter the parade area, and I immediately started singing the New Vaudeville Band's 1966 hit song 'Winchester Cathedral' under my breath. That set me wondering, in what country is Winchester Cathedral located?

Answer: England

Winchester, once known as Winton and Wintonceastre, is located in the south of England, in the county of Hampshire. The Church of England cathedral located there has the longest nave of any Gothic cathedral in Europe, and counts Jane Austen among the notable figures buried there.

The song 'Winchester Cathedral' plaintively stated, "Winchester Cathedral, you're bringing me down; You stood and you watched as my baby left town. You could have done something, but you didn't try, You didn't do nothing, you let her walk by." I have never worked out exactly what the singer thought a cathedral could do! The song was written by Geoff Stephens, and recorded in a music hall (aka vaudeville) style that included vocals sung through cupped hands. It was originally recorded by studio musicians, and a band had to be assembled for performance purposes when it became a hit.
6. As the sixth horse entered the enclosure, I discovered that Voila Ici is pronounced Voila Itchy, at least by the announcer on the television. That reminded me of a mnemonic rhyme I learned as a child, "Leaves of three, let it be." This was intended to help me avoid developing an itchy rash from contact with which plant?

Answer: Poison ivy

The poison ivy plant contains the chemical urushiol, which commonly causes a blistering and extremely itchy rash when it contacts the skin. It is widespread in North America, and children are often taught how to recognise and avoid it through catchy phrases such as that in the question.

Others commonly used include "Berries white, run in fright", "Longer middle stem, stay away from them" and "One, two, three, don't touch me". These all describe distinguishing visual features, but poison ivy actually has a variety of shapes and forms, as well as colouring that changes through the year, so first hand visual practice is more effective in the long run to help with identifying the local plants than chanting rhymes.
7. The seventh horse, a black horse whose jockey wore blue silks, was Cavalryman. I would be surprised if any horses as valuable as Cavalryman were involved in the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, a portion of the battle of Balaclava from the Crimean War. What was the nationality of the members of the Light Brigade?

Answer: British

The Light Brigade, made up of a number of mounted cavalry units, was fighting under the command of the Earl of Cardigan at the Battle of Balaclava. They formed part of the allied French, British and Turkish troops fighting against the Russians. The brigade was led into a well-defended valley in a misguided attempt to capture guns at its far end. Nearly half the six hundred members of the Light Brigade died or were wounded and/or captured within a few minutes, along with 375 of their horses.

As Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote in the second verse of "The Charge of the Light Brigade",

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
8. Horse number eight, sporting grey colours with a beige star, walked past, and I was immediately reminded of one of my favourite books. Which of these might have been suggested by seeing a horse named Mount Athos?

Answer: The Three Musketeers

Alexander Dumas's 1844 novel relates the experiences of d'Artagnan, a country lad who wants to be a member of the king's troops (a musketeer). It starts with his meeting the three musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and provides details of some of their subsequent adventures.

This, the first of three novels about the members of the group, finds them focused on recovering some jewels for the Queen, and saving her from disgrace while foiling the political machinations of Cardinal Richelieu.
9. Sanagas's jockey was resplendent in royal blue, with a large silver horseshoe on his chest. I misheard the name of this ninth horse, and thought it was Sangers, which immediately made me hungry. What kind of food is colloquially called a sanger in Melbourne?

Answer: Sandwich

A sausage is often called a snag, but a sanger is a sandwich. Your sanger can be as simple as a slice of meat thrown between two slices of bread, or it can be a culinary masterpiece with all kinds of exotic ingredients. An Aussie favourite (although not one of mine) is the Vegemite sanger, in which two slices of bread are buttered, then one is spread thinly with a brown substance that resembles (and tastes like) salty axle grease before the sandwich is assembled.
10. Tenth in line for the parade was Ethiopia, sporting light blue and green colours. Ethiopia, of course, is the English name of a country in Africa whose name comes from the Greek word for the area where it is found. What name, derived from an Arabic word for the region, was also formerly used?

Answer: Abyssinia

Ethiopia has a number of notable claims to fame. In the 4th Century it became the first major country to declare Christianity as its official religion. In the 19th Century, when European powers were carving up the continent of Africa amongst themselves, it was one of only two to avoid colonization, the other being Liberia. As a result, it was an independent nation when the United Nations was established, and could become a founding member. In recognition of the proud anti-colonial role played by Ethiopia, many other African countries adopted some or all of the colours of the Ethiopian flag (red, green blue and yellow/gold) when they gained their independence in the second half of the 20th Century.

The episode of the TV series 'MASH' which features the departure of Henry Blake was titled 'Abyssinia, Henry', referring to a running joke that used the country's name in place of properly enunciating the words 'I'll be seeing you."
11. Fiorente was the eighth runner to enter, and I was immediately reminded of a Tuscan city that is often considered to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance in Europe. If the horse's owners had intended to pay homage to that city, they would probably have designed the jockey's silks to bear a fleur de lis, instead of being black with a purple sash. What city, home to the powerful Medici family, had leaped into my mind?

Answer: Florence

Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464) used the money he inherited from his family's business in the textiles trade, and the financial power of the bank they subsequently established in 1397, to establish himself as a powerful political figure in Florence. Although he only held a few official positions, he controlled those who were nominal leaders, especially after he took control of the family bank in 1434.

The family remained a force in Florentine politics, and in the Roman Catholic Church, producing four popes and two queens of France, as well as being given a hereditary title as dukes of Florence (later Grand Dukes of Tuscany).

The power of the family continued until the middle of the 18th century, and their patronage of the arts was a significant force in stimulating the Renaissance.
12. Another Italian-themed horse entered the enclosure, a brown gelding whose jockey was clad in a purple shirt decorated with a yellow cross of Lorraine (one with two crosspieces). The twelfth entrant was named after a scientist who is often considered the father of modern science, due to his extensive work in physics, mathematics and astronomy. He is possibly best known for choosing to defy the Inquisition and uphold a heliocentric model of the universe. Which of these horses has a name that might have brought this man to my thoughts?

Answer: Galileo's Choice

Galileo Galilei (1564-1662) improved the telescope and used it to observe four moons of Jupiter, and to confirm that Venus has phases. Both of these empirical observations found a place in the growing debate over whether a traditional geocentric model (with the earth at the centre) or a heliocentric model (with the sun at the centre) was a better way to describe the universe.

His book, 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems', presented arguments for both ideas, but they were distinctly slanted toward heliocentrism.

He lost the support he had previously had from the Church, which had allowed him to explore the ideas, because the book appeared to directly attack the statements of the Pope, and he found himself tried for heresy. While he spent the rest of his life confined to his house under guard, he used that time to write some of his most important theoretical works, drawing together the results of his earlier experimentation.
13. Horse number thirteen, Glencadam Gold, came striding along, and I wondered why the jockey wore white, red and grey, instead of gold. Mine not to reason why, so I moved on to wondering if the owners knew about the Glencadam Distillery, and the lovely gold whisky they produce. Where would I have to go to visit the distillery?

Answer: Brechin in Scotland

The Glencadam Distillery is located near the town of Brechin, in Angus, Scotland, and has been in operation since 1825. It has had a number of owners, including Hiram Walker for a few years in the 1950s, who used Glencadam to produce blended whisky for Ballantine's. Currently, Glencadam Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky is produced with different degrees of aging, between ten and thirty years, all of which have won medals in competitions.

The other three sites are also the homes of renowned distilleries. The Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee produces a famous Tennessee whiskey. Hiram Walker's distillery in Windsor, Ontario was a major source of smuggled whisky during the American era of Prohibition. They produce Canadian Club Whisky. The Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, claims to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world. While you're there, you might visit the nearby Giant's Causeway - it's probably even more impressive with a bit of Bushmills inside you!
14. Green Moon, a handsome brown horse whose jockey sported navy blue silks, was the fourteenth horse to be led past. We've all heard that the moon is made of green cheese. Is there actually such a thing as green cheese?

Answer: Yes

Since the term was originally coined to mean any new cheese which has not yet had the whey removed, it is actually a common thing! Contemporary usage, however, refers to cheese which has the colour green, such as the Dutch cheese Basiron Pesto, a Gouda with pesto added to produce a vibrant green colour.

Many cheeses with fresh herbs included have a definite green colour. And, if you look closely, many blue cheeses actually have a greenish mould rather than the blue colour that their name suggests.
15. As Maluckyday pranced past bearing the number fifteen on his saddlecloth, I wondered if it would be a lucky day for him and his jockey. I also thought the silks could have had a more appropriate design than a grey sash and pink striped sleeves. Which of these possible designs is NOT suggestive of good luck?

Answer: Stripes

I've never seen a jockey wearing a rabbit's foot pattern, but it could happen. Three-leafed clovers are more commonly seen than the lucky four-leafed variety, and horseshoes are often seen pointing the wrong way - everyone knows the open end needs to point up to keep the luck from draining out! Stripes are a common design for a jockey's silks, but have no particular association with luck, either good or bad.

The four-leafed clover is considered lucky because it is rare, so finding one is an unusual event. It is said that the four leaves stand for faith, hope, love and luck. The first three are the traditional ascription of virtues for the three-leafed clover, or shamrock. Some cultivars of clover produced four-leafed specimens more often than others, and scientists have recently discovered a genetic basis that will allow the engineering of plants specifically to produce four-leafed plants. Seems like cheating, to me.
16. Watching Mourayan and his navy-clad jockey parade past, I remembered learning something about moraines in school. In which of these classes did the topic probably arise?

Answer: Geography

A moraine is a pile of rocky debris associated with glaciers, which we learned about as we studied glaciers in our geography lessons. Moraines can be formed in a number of ways - the glacier picks up rocks as it moves, and these may work their way out via the sides (forming lateral moraines), or be pushed ahead of the glacier (forming terminal moraines), or be left behind as the glacier shrinks back from its maximum extent (forming recessional moraines).

There are a number of other ways in which moraines can be classified, but this isn't a geography lesson.
17. Next I saw My Quest for Peace, a magnificent stallion in blue, white and yellow silks, and I thought of the 'Road Map for Peace' which was proposed in 2002 as a plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This was one in a series of initiatives to secure peace in which region?

Answer: The Middle East

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries has its origins in disputes over the area that began in ancient times, and which were exacerbated by imperial wars and politics of the 19th and 20th centuries. Rightful ownership of several areas in the Middle East, notably the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, has been highly contested. Lester Bowles Pearson of Canada won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 "for his role in trying to end the Suez conflict and to solve the Middle East question through the United Nations" (from the Nobel Committee's announcement), and in 1994 Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres won the same award "to honour a political act which called for great courage on both sides, and which has opened up opportunities for a new development towards fraternity in the Middle East" (from the Nobel Committee's announcement).

The Road Map for Peace was proposed by the Quartet for the Middle East - being the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - in 2002, and for almost a decade remained the guiding principle for peace negotiations in the region. Its end goal was the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, and it called for compromises from both sides.
18. As I watched Niwot parading past, with his jockey bearing a gold thunder bolt on a navy background, I noticed that his name made sense when I wrote it in reverse: To win. What is the name for a word, sentence or number that is exactly the same when it is written in reverse?

Answer: Palindrome

Palindromes are familiar to most trivia players, in words such as rotor, or sentences such as "Madam, I'm Adam". Playing word games with palindromes has been around for a long time - there is a palindromic graffito in the ruins of Herculaneum, destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE.

It is called the Sator square, because the first word is Sator, and the letters can be arranged in a word square so that you can read the message by reading across each line either from the top left corner to the bottom right corner, or starting in the bottom right corner and reading across to the left then up to the next line. Similarly, it can be read vertically starting from either the top left or the bottom right corner. Try it for yourself! The full sentence is 'Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas', which can be translated as 'Arepo the sower holds the work wheels'. Anyone care to try and produce a palindromic translation?
19. Tac de Boistron, yet another horse whose jockey sported navy, this time with fluorescent yellow braces, was the nineteenth horse to come into view. The handsome grey gelding showed a bit of spirit, and his name reminded me of a word my mother used to describe her three children, who sometimes got a bit bouncy when confined indoors all day on a winter Saturday. Which of these terms might she have chosen?

Answer: Boisterous

Boisterous children are energetic, running around, shouting, figuratively (and sometimes literally) bouncing off the walls. The energy needs to be channeled into a constructive activity before it turns into arguments and tears. Our house was big enough that hiding games could take quite a while to complete, giving our mother a breathing space in which to come up with other ways to distract us. On a good day, my father would be around to play Monopoly or (when we were a bit older) teach us to play bridge.

When he was away for the weekend at a squash tournament, however, she was on her own!
20. I saw Lights in Heaven quite clearly as she paraded past, twentieth in line, with yet another navy-clad jockey. Which of these celestial objects can you NOT see with the naked eye?

Answer: Pulsar

A pulsar (whose name is made by combining the words pulsating star) is a rotating neutron star that emits electromagnetic radiation in a directional beam. We only detect it as the beam swings past the Earth during the rotation, so it is observed in pulses, not as a continuous emission.

The first pulsar, CP 1919, was detected in 1967. It was detected using a radio telescope, and produced pulsing emissions in the radio frequency range. Later discoveries have included pulsars with a range of emission frequencies, including some in the visible spectrum, but they are not visible to the naked eye.
21. At last, a horse wearing non-navy silks came into the enclosure. This seven-year-old gelding by Zabeel out of Kowtow was trained by Bart Cummings, who is often referred to as 'The Cup King', because he has trained so many winners. What name did the horse carrying the number 21 have, that suggested its trainer's previous successes?

Answer: Precedence

Precedence can be used to describe a state of having priority - important officials take precedence over their subordinates. It can also be used to describe the act of preceding, or having occurred at a previous time. There certainly is a precedent for a Cummings horse to win the Melbourne Cup - Precedence was hoping to win Bart's thirteenth!
22. As Unusual Suspect entered the enclosure, sporting black silks with a silver star in a white disc, silver sleeves and a red cap (now that's a mouthful of a description), the name of the third from last horse reminded me of one of my favourite movies. Which movie, with a title taken from the movie 'Casablanca', was it?

Answer: The Usual Suspects

All of these quotes come from 'Casablanca', a 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, owner of a club in the Morrocan city of Casablance who gets embroiled in helping a former lover (Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman) and her husband Viktor Laszlo (Paul Heinreid) escape the Nazis. After Rick Blaine shoots Major Strasser so that Viktor Laszlo can make good his escape with Ilsa, Captain Renault (Claude Rains) orders his officers, "Round up the usual suspects", suggesting that one of them will be framed for the officer's death.

'The Usual Suspects' is a 1995 film whose story is developed through the police interrogation of Roger "Verbal" Kint, played by Kevin Spacey. The police are trying to sort out who was actually behind a boat's explosion that appears to have killed all but two of the participants/witnesses. Kint's story starts with a police lineup six weeks earlier, in which five seemingly-random petty criminals were brought together, and the events that would lead to the explosion began to unfold. When Spacey won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, his acceptance speech included the statement, "Well, whoever Keyser Soze is, I can tell you he's going to get gloriously drunk tonight." ('New York Times', March 26, 1996)
23. The second to last horse, Zabeelionaire, walked by with his jockey in bright blue and yellow, and I got to thinking about a crotchety old billionaire in my favourite TV show, 'The Simpsons', who runs a nuclear power plant. Who was I thinking of?

Answer: Monty Burns

Charles Montgomery Burns, usually referred to as Monty Burns, is a recurring villain in the animated television show 'The Simpsons'. Matt Groening initially modeled Burns on a former high school teacher, but many other figureheads of corporate greed were subsequently woven together to produce the character.

In one of the many digs the show takes at its sponsoring network, Fox, the animator David Silverman based the appearance of Monty Burns on a parody of Barry Diller, the founder of Fox. When Monty Burns appeared in the third episode of the first season of 'The Simpsons' he was voiced by Christopher Collins, but soon after that the role was taken over by Harry Shearer.
24. By the time the last horse, Kelinni, came past, I had worked up a bit of an appetite, and his name immediately made me think of organizing some sweet pastry treats for my afternoon snack. Which of these was I dreaming of as the jockey came past wearing a maroon shirt with crossed white sashes and yellow armbands?

Answer: Cannoli

Cannoli (singular cannolo) are tubes of crisp-fried flaky pastry with a sweet filling, usually served sprinkled with powdered sugar. There is no one recipe for the sweet custardy filling, but ricotta cheese is commonly used as part of it. The filling can be the traditional vanilla, but chocolate, cherry, and other flavours are also popular. In Melbourne, a filling that is vanilla on one end, and chocolate on the other, is popular. Cannoli are actually Sicilian in origin, although outside Italy they are often just considered as generically Italian.

Cannellini are a small white bean popular in Italian cooking; cannelloni are large tubes of pasta that are usually filled, then baked with a sauce covering them; a cannula is a tube used to administer medicine or withdraw bodily fluids.
25. And the winner of the 2012 Melbourne Cup proved to be something of an outsider, starting at odds of 20-1. Which of these horses, whose name suggests an unlikely event as described by someone suffering from poor colour distinction, was the winner?

Answer: Green Moon

Green Moon suggests the phrase "Once in a blue moon" (okay, maybe it's a bit of a stretch), which refers to something that happens rarely. Green Moon was ranked around the middle of the field by punters before the race, while the other three horses listed were the three favourites. Since the trend in recent years has been for overseas horses to dominate the race, it was surprising to have the winner be a horse that is trained in Victoria. Actually, at the Melbourne Cup the favourite wins far less often than might be expected, so maybe it wasn't so surprising, after all.
Source: Author looney_tunes

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