Commonly confused words: curb and kerb
Horses with curb bits: the curb chain, sidebar and double reins are all visible
Generally, in modern English, curb is used as a verb, and means to restrict or to slow down. It is also used by people with horses for a part of the bridle: a curb bit is the piece of metal that goes in the horse’s mouth, and a curb bit offers greater control: it helps a rider to slow down, or curb, their horse (that’s where the verb comes from). There are other types of bits: the snaffle is the most common. You can pick a curb easily, as it has a chain that passes underneath the horse’s jaw and a vertical metal bar that sits outside the horse’s lips; usually has two reins attached to it on each side. A snaffle bit has a large ring outside the horse’s mouth, and only one rein. Snaffles are so common that the word is sometimes used to signify the action of bridling a horse: Could you go and snaffle Storm, please? This usage has then led to its current meaning of capturing something: I snaffled at a bargain at the Cup weekend sales.
Curb bits are not used in races (they are contrary to the idea of racing).
A horse with a snaffle bit with its distinctive large ring
A kerb is the edge of a footpath (or sidewalk), usually made of concrete, separating the footpath from the lower roadway. The horizontal edge (adjoining the roadway) is known as the channel (as it channels water along the gutter it forms). Kerb is never used as verb.
The kerb is clearly visible at the Glenmore Hotel: perhaps these patrons are attending a Cup Day function?
Kerb and channel under construction
A note on American spelling
In the United States of America, the spelling kerb is not used. Instead, curb is also used for the edge of sidewalk. That’s possibly why there is confusion about what a kerb is.
My Melbourne Cup Tips
The rain has thrown a real spanner in the works this year, while the spread of international origins (Germany, France, Japan, the USA) makes the task of trying to compare horses a tough challenge. But I’ve created my spreadsheet, filled in the blanks, and this is what I have come up with.
no. 10 – Flatten the Curve. I think this German horse is the best one in the race, and he likes the wet. Hope the German jockey can cope.
no. 6 – Presage Nocturne. Well, everyone saw the great finish in the Caulfield Cup, so this is not a hard pick. And as my sister always says: ‘Back a grey on a rainy day’.
no. 14 – Half Yours. Currently the second favourite, and may start the favourite. The Caulfield Cup winner with Jamie Melham on board. A lot to like.
no. 24 – Valiant King. The bottom weight, and another grey. And I have to have one Chris Waller–trained runner somewhere!
no. 22 – Royal Supremacy. Comes with good winning form, and the Ciaron Maher stable did very nicely on Derby Day. Plus we have last year’s winning jockey in Robbie Dolan.
no. 20 – Goodie Two Shoes. Joseph O’Brien is one of the few international trainers to win a Melbourne Cup, so he knows what he is doing, even if I wonder about this former Irish steeplechaser. But she can handle the wet and the distance; the nearly 10-kg drop in her weights from her recent starts may give her the extra speed she’ll need.
That’s 6 picks. Box all of them for a trifecta: $12 will get you 10% of the payout. Box all of them for a duet (any two places of 1st, 2nd or 3rd), and that will cost you $15 (for the entire payout, which could be less). Or $1 each way on all 6 of them for $12.
There are two foreign horses – no. 5 Chevalier Rose (Japanese) and no. 18 Parchment Party (USA) – that could either win or flop. Chevalier Rose has just one start on a wet track for no placings, and Parchment Party has never run on grass. I might put just a dollar each way on them, just in case.
Yes, I have left out the favourite, no. 1 – Al Riffa. I think wet track just makes it too hard with his weight.
Post script
The Cup has now been run and won – with Half Yours the winner, and Goodie Two Shoes second. The duet paid $64, and backing all six of those tips each way would also have earned you a profit. The trifecta lucked out, but you can’t win them all.
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