With the towers of Surfers Philistine glistening in the distance and the Queensland heat cranked up to eleven, an eclectic grab-bag of business folk, famous faces and horse racing (and actual) royalty descended on the Gold Coast Turf Club Saturday for Katie Page and Gerry Harvey's Magic Millions race day.
Inside the VIP Marquee, the elaborate flower arrangements were withering almost as quickly as the guests. The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips mingled happily with the colonial crowd (or at least made a good show of it), displaying all the grace required of a Windsor – and one who actually has to earn a crust! Her hubby, former England rugby captain Mike Tindall, did his bit, entering Fashions On The Field and coming in second place (to the chagrin of a handful of Goldie dandies who'd actually put some thought into their clobber).
Meanwhile, back in the tent, our very own Duchess of the Pilbara Gina Rinehart made a grand entrance in a wide-brimmed sun hat and was soon after spotted in a huddle with Harvey and Seven Group CEO Ryan Stokes – the latter back in the stomping ground of his new bride, former Gold Coast-based purveyor of shoes Claire Campbell.
Actor Rachel Griffiths popped by for a bit while Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate joined the throng slaking their thirst with free-flowing Moët. News Corp editors were out in force with The Australian's Paul "Boris" Whitakker, Daily Telegraph editor Chris Dore and Sunday Mail editor Peter "Gleeso" Gleeson flying the Murdoch flag, while a posse of Pacific Magazines execs – including new MD Gereurd Roberts and his rival for the top job Jackie Frank playing nice while huddled together in a corner.
Meanwhile, outside in the 34-degree heat, the horses were doing their thing on the track while the horse vendors were doing a brisk trade in the nearby sales yard. "Gerry's under strict instructions to sell and sell only," Page said of her hubby. "We've already got more horses than we can count."
The previous evening, down on Julie Bishop's fave January spot, James and Josephine Baillieu hosted their annual fundraiser for conservation not-for-profit WWF Australia at their Portsea summer house on the Mornington Peninsula.
Neither the full moon nor the date (Friday 13th) could scare the polo set away. While JBish was a no-show, Goldstein MP Tim "Freedom Boy" Wilson made an appearance, as did FlexiGroup chairman (and the Victorian Liberals' former treasurer) Andrew Abercrombie, Triple M breakfast host Mick Molloy, Australian Sports Commissioner Danni Roche, industrial relations QC Stuart Wood, cosmetic surgeon Chris Moss and seaplane adventurer Michael Smith.
