Good bet hunting: Matt Damon brings Hollywood glamour to the Birdcage

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Flemington had a touch of Hollywood glamour on Derby Day with movie star Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso joining A-listers in the exclusive Birdcage enclosure.

The couple joined Australian television stars, athletes and chief executives in the Birdcage and the Victoria Racing Club’s committee room.

Matt Damon at Victoria Derby Day on Saturday with race goer Adriana Perri.Credit: Adriana Perri

Damon was discreetly ushered into the Lexus marquee and took up a position in the corner of the third floor overlooking the front straight and a large television screen.

The Good Will Hunting and Oppenheimer star was suited up and wearing a pair of aviator style sunglasses despite the gloomy day.

Intent on the first race of the day Damon cheered “get up, get up” but his pick for the race, Brave Mead, came third.

“It’s my first time here,” he said. “I’ve never been before. I’m having an excellent day.”

When asked what his strategy for the day was, he said: “Just to back what my friends are backing and yell at the TV.”

Fashion designer Pip Edwards was also in the Lexus Marquee and said Derby Day was her favourite race day “because everyone is here”.

“There is [actress] Elsa Pataky, Matt Damon, [model] Pia Miller, it is star-studded in there,” she said. “I love the black and white theme I think it is very chic.”

Also at Lexus Melissa Leong was upbeat about no longer being a MasterChef judge and was keen to talk about her new cooking show spin-off Dessert Masters.

“It’s a wonderful time of expansion and evolution for me and I know there was a little bit of drama about the why of it all but I think over the last couple of weeks explaining all of the different projects going on and the master plan has been good.”

In the Crown marquee, chief executive Ciarán Carruthers said he was glad to have the casino operator back in the Birdcage after a few years’ absence.

“This is where we belong right back in the centre of everything,” he said. “It’s been great being back where we are now and the fact that everyone wants to be back at the Birdcage and in Crown. Crown is back, people want to be seen with us again, people want to be entertained.”

In the sea of black and white dress adherents to the traditional Derby Day dress code, Carruthers stood out in a blue suit.

Melissa Leong outside the Birdcage marquee.Credit: Justin McManus

“I wear a black suit nearly every day when I go to the office,” he said. “I thought coming to the races a bit of vibrancy and colour would be good.”

Also at Crown were AFL footballers Bailey Smith and Mason Cox, television host Karl Stefanovic, defamation lawyer Justin Quill and Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby, whose company owns this masthead.

Sneesby was focused on networking rather than punting.

“I never have any hot tips, I always get them off other people,” he said. “My hot tip is get your hot tip off somebody who has got hot tips.”

Over in the wood panelled confines of the VRC committee room, attendees at the invitation-only lunch included Treasury Wines chief executive Tim Ford, Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff Peta Credlin, Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Victorian Chamber of Commerce chief Paul Guerra and Racing Minister Anthony Carbines.

Radio host Alan Jones spoke at the Carbine Club, and after talking off the cuff for 20 minutes, said “I’ve prepared some notes” and reached for his pocket to pull out some reference material and spoke for another 17 minutes.

The speech seemed appropriate for a staying race.

Attendees at the Birdcage at Flemington. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Jones also took a jab at Racing NSW, commenting that there were enough days in the year for the Victoria’s rival to hold its big races on a different day.

In the Penfolds marquee, guests included former PWC chief executive Luke Sayers, AFL star Buddy Franklin and wife Jesinta Franklin and racing royalty Tom Waterhouse.

Hopefully, they enjoyed the $1000 bottles of Grange which Penfolds had available for tasting.

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