The Melbourne cup is days away.  The field has been finalised.  The champagne is on ice.  The outfits are planned. And we have a handy sweep stakes guide for you to use. Simply print, cut and draw!

Sweep Stakes

There are few ways you can use the sweep stakes.

>> Each horse is sold for the same amount (say $5).  Horses are randomly drawn from a hat (or champagne bucket).  All horses need to be sold.  Generally the winner will take out half of the prize pool with the remainder divided on a sliding scale to second, third, and sometimes fourth place.  If a horse is scratched, it’s just tough luck.

>> Auction of each horse before the race.  For the serious punters only! All auction money goes to into a pool and is divided up as per the above.

>> If you have a smaller party or would prefer not to figure out maths after a few glasses of bubbles (aherm), the hostess could always provide a small gift for first, second, third and a wooden spoon for last.  Something small like a candle or inexpensive bottle of wine would do nicely.

Sarah shared her ideas on Minxy Melbourne Cup fun earlier in the month.
If you don’t have anything planned for the race, why not get together with some friends and enjoy a girly lunch? It’s not too late and there are plenty of ideas on how in the post.

Once you have decided what to drink and eat, the next question is what to wear? These clever bloggers have you covered:

>> Spring Racing Fashion for the Every Day Woman at How Can I Wear That?
>> Off to the Races – Daily Etsy Finds at Pretty Chuffed
>> How to dress for Melbourne Cup Day at Styling You
>> Spring Racing Carnival: Fashion at Sonia Styling
>> Katies Spring Racing Dress and DIY hats at Kimba Likes
>> Spring Racing Dresses from Luxe to Less at Style and Shenanigans

Enjoy the race. We’d love to see some instagram pics and hear what you are getting up to.

You can see what we got up to here > Our Melbourne Cup in pictures