The new level of hidden access that just made the Birdcage even more exclusive
If you think you’ve gained full access to Flemington’s most exclusive enclosure, the Birdcage, it might well turn out you haven’t.
Despite a push to give regular, paying punters access to the luxury marquees, a sneak peek ahead of Derby Day unveiled a catch.
Many of the big brands, including Crown, Don Julio, Lexus, Tabcorp and Mumm, all unveiled hidden rooms that require a special invitation or tap on the shoulder to enter.
Crown is selling tickets to the lower levels of its marquee for $2195 each – a first-time move that Victoria Racing Club chief executive Kylie Rogers said would help ensure the Melbourne Cup carnival was “as accessible as possible”.
But splashing the cash won’t buy you access to the top level of the marquee, which is reserved for VIPs and high rollers, who will feast on caviar and blow-torched sushi. There is also a hidden bar behind a secret door where icy cold gimlets will be dispensed via a vodka luge.
Crown ambassador Bec Judd was on hand on Thursday to showcase the marquee, which she described as bigger and better than ever.
While new inflation figures have all but guaranteed the Reserve Bank will push interest rates to an 18-year high on Melbourne Cup day, inside the Birdcage the cost-of-living crisis will be drowned in flowing champagne.
Also unlocking a new level of exclusivity is Don Julio tequila, which has a two-level, front-row marquee this year, an upgrade from the tiny bar it operated during the previous Cup carnival.
The “Hacienda” is open to anyone who has entry to the Birdcage, but it also includes a secret bar behind curtains which is invitation only, or available to punters given a “tap on the shoulder” on the day.
For those who obtain entry, there’s a seated tasting of the brand’s 1942 tequila on offer along with a five-course meal by US Mexican chef Claudette Zepeda.
She’s serving up crisp fritters topped with creme fraiche and caviar, which she describes as “fun yum powder”.
On the top level of the sunny yellow interior of the Lexus marquee, Prahran cocktail bar Gigi will serve steak tartare, oysters and cocktails behind a Japanese noren curtain.
At French champagne house G.H. Mumm, Collingwood footballer Isaac Quaynor did the honours of opening the vintage-train-themed, red and white marquee, but a “tap tap” on the huge champagne bottle left him soaked from head to toe.
After a quick outfit change, Quaynor was able to show off Mumm’s private dining carriage for 10 guests, serving up a champagne tasting paired with a scallop canape prepared by Maison Batard chef Adam Sanderson.
Tabcorp is also getting in on the exclusive action, with a secret wood-panelled bar at the back of its marquee filled with sporting memorabilia and serving up cocktails.
While there is no secret room at Nine’s marquee, the powder room does have a surprise addition, a DJ deck.
Big Group founder Bruce Keebaugh, who oversees much of the catering at Flemington, could not help but wryly weigh in on the proliferation of secret rooms in the Birdcage.
“Everyone has a secret room, so it’s not a secret any more,” he quipped.
The Birdcage marquees have been invitation-only in the past, but VRC members can now enter the general enclosure and, over the past few years, the club has enabled entry to anyone at a price.
The racing club has had to beef up the Birdcage offering, with long-term sponsor Penfolds pulling the pin two years ago and the space its marquee once occupied sitting vacant overlooking the mounting yard.
New major sponsor Howden, an insurance group, has opted not to have a Birdcage marquee despite Rogers’ hopes it would step into the void.
Wine brand De Bortoli, which replaced Penfolds, has also opted not to have a Birdcage marquee presence.
Rogers is still upbeat about the carnival and said ticket sales had been phenomenal, up 10 per cent across the four days, with 100,000 people expected for Derby Day on Saturday.
However, despite the free-flowing champagne and carefully curated guest lists, the most exclusive room at Flemington isn’t in the Birdcage at all.
It’s the VRC’s committee room in the members’ stand, where only the racing club’s board members and their guests are afforded entry.
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