Call for Melbourne Cup date switch rejected A suggestion that the Melbourne Cup, Australia`s biggest horse race, should be moved to December has been rejected by government officials.Leading trainer Lee Freedman, in an open letter to a Melbourne newspaper, said the annual 3,200 metre handicap should be moved from its traditional date of the first Tuesday in November because the weather would be better later in the year.'Most thinking professionals in the racing game have known (December) is the best option for a long time, but it is very difficult to convince some people of its merit,' Freedman said.'If we can see the Berlin Wall come down and the Soviet Union disbanded, or the English Derby moved from a Wednesday to a Saturday, then surely we can produce a spring racing session that would be a financial winner.'But government officials have been quick to dismiss the prospect of changing the race, with Victorian state racing minister Rob Hulls saying: 'I think that there is as much chance of the Melbourne Cup being moved to December as me personally riding the winner of this year`s Melbourne Cup.'The Melbourne Cup, first run in 1861, is an institution in Australia and the country virtually comes to a standstill when it is run in front of crowds of around 100,000 each year.
