Like the Melbourne weather, a French-trained horse put a damper on the high spirits of Australians at Flemington on Tuesday.
Aussie punters were hoping So You Think would win the Melbourne Cup to honour legendary trainer Bart Cummings.
But it wasn't to be. A horse by the name of Americain and a jockey by the name of Gerald Mosse mowed down the favourite metres from the finish line, and to top it all off Maluckyday relegated the favourite to third.
Now they'll know what it feels like to have victory snatched from their grasp on the home straight.
Such was the case in Hong Kong when the All Blacks were blindsided by the Wallabies in the last minutes of the fourth and final Bledisloe Cup game.
As favourites, the All Blacks and So You Think had weighty expectations to bear, and everyone was literally and figuratively chomping at the bit to take over the lead.
It took a dark horse from France and a young stallion to do it to So You Think, and it took a 1.8m-tall and bulletproof youngster in the Wallabies to do it to the All Blacks.
For a 20-year-old, James O'Connor appeared unfazed by what he had accomplished.
With a last-minute try and cool-as-a-cucumber conversion, O'Connor put an end to his team's 10-game losing streak by a whisker (does he have any whiskers?), and to top it all off he also gave Justin Bieber a run for his money in the hairstyle stakes.
While Australia gained a young and marketable hero, New Zealand gained an all-too familiar scapegoat by the name of Stephen Donald. The poor guy just hasn't had a great time in the black jersey, and that can only mean he has problems with anxiety and the top two inches when it comes to test rugby.
He appears to be one of those players who shines at the provincial and super rugby level, but cannot take the step up. To put it lightly, he seems to suffer from a series of brain fades when dressed in black.
Maybe he needs to hang around the likes of O'Connor and Carter so that some of that bulletproof attitude and Teflon coating rubs off on him. The guy needs to do something if he is to win back the hearts and trust of those New Zealanders who have been baying for his blood.
New Zealanders are great at crucifying individuals if they don't perform to expectations.
Just ask Craig Dowd and Jeff Wilson, who have been given the chop by a North Harbour rugby board unhappy with its team's 11th placing in the ITM Cup.
Australia, on the other hand, has been very patient with Robbie Deans despite a huge losing streak leading into the Hong Kong match. That patience has paid dividends and, unfortunately for us, the ever-healthy Australian ego has received a huge boost.
But let's put things in perspective. The All Blacks have nothing to worry about, as most teams learn more from a loss than they do from a win.
Australia's victory in Hong Kong was the best form of preparation leading into their northern hemisphere tour and a Rugby World Cup year.
Besides, like Australian punters who make themselves feel better by claiming Americain is owned by Australians, New Zealanders still consider Robbie Deans as one of ours, so we win either way.
