To be at Flemington on a glorious but quiet spring morning feels unreal — without the horses and the sea of humanity and the familiar roar that builds up from the Hill Stand when there's a big race.

But then you catch yourself and there they are, the whispers of past Melbourne Cups floating on the breeze.

There's Jim Pike on Phar Lap, bringing the place to a standstill as the hearts of depression-era Melbourne leap for the people's champion's win; there's Jim Cassidy on Kiwi, guiding the bargain-priced horse from last to first and producing a finish for the ages; there's Damien Oliver winning on Irish raider Media Puzzle, raising his eyes to the heavens in salute of his late brother Jason; and there's Michelle Payne, turning 100-1 shot Prince of Penzance into a superstar before taking ai

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