Of Mice and Marquees 01/11/2008 This year the Spring Racing Carnival faces its most serious threat ever - the global economic down turn. Last year’s scare that Equine Influenza could cause a halt to the horse racing nationwide was merely a ripple on the surface. This year the looming danger is perilous, real and present, and strikes at the very heart of everything that Cup week is about – companies are pulling out of their Cup Week Marquees. The situation is dire indeed. James Packer – gone. L’Oreal – gone. Moet and Chandon – gone. Going. Going. Gone. Roving TV presenters are desperately picking through rubbish bins and scrap heaps - searching for celebrities to interview. Tent cities of the relocated and disenfranchised are springing up all over the car park, but the squalor of a two man tent struggles to accommodate even the simplest wine collections, let alone the most basic of fountains. So when attending Flemington during Cup Week, please consider those worse off than you. If you see a poor pale looking B or C grade celebrity, or a corporate CEO wife, begging by the roadside, holding a designer shoe box with the words “Marquee-less – please help” scrawled in black texta - then please help them out. Any spare credit cards you may have would be greatly appreciated. Try not to look shocked by their pale appearance – they might not be able to afford fake tan. If you think they might waste any donation on celebrity magazines, then maybe take them out and make sure they have a good feed of lobster and champagne. For those few marquees that are pushing on, the feel, look and theme is more important than ever. This year, it’s all about the recession / depression look. Long overcoats, scraggy beards, gloves with cut off fingers, crusty bread off cuts, and big pots of soup made from road kill. Unwashed, unkempt, but oh so stylish and chic. We have warned you – don’t complain about feeling out of place in your designer frock and fascinator.