{"id":947659,"date":"2026-10-31T14:04:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T14:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/947659\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T14:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T14:04:24","slug":"daicoses-partners-and-a-camera-shy-premiers-wife-the-eclectic-social-mix-in-the-birdcage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/947659\/","title":{"rendered":"Daicoses, partners and a camera-shy premier\u2019s wife: The eclectic social mix in the Birdcage"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 31, 2026 \u2014 6:53pm<\/p>\n

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It feels like you\u2019ve gone through the Looking Glass when Kings Cross nightclub identity John Ibrahim holds court in the Birdcage and the Victorian premier\u2019s wife refuses to have her picture taken.<\/p>\n

\"CollingwoodCollingwood star Josh Daicos and fianc\u00e9e Annalise Dalins are used to a black-and-white dress code.Getty Images<\/p>\n

Such is life trackside on Derby Day at Flemington circa 2026, where the weather dampened the mood and the once-elite hospitality precinct existed in an ever-shrinking format.<\/p>\n

Even some of the celebrities, who enjoy the hospitality of sponsors and are dressed free, are becoming reluctant to play the game.<\/p>\n

Radio personality Carrie Bickmore was refusing interviews, leaving the heavy lifting to WAGS and their sporting other halves.<\/p>\n

Case in point: influencer Annalise Dalins looked radiant, fresh from her hens\u2019 celebration in Sorrento, wearing white Alin Le\u2019Kal before her upcoming wedding to Collingwood footballer Josh Daicos. His Brownlow medallist brother Nick was also in for the day.<\/p>\n

\"YouYou can never have too many Daicoses (Daici?): Brownlow medallist Nick and Arlette Amor were also out for Derby Day.Getty Images<\/p>\n

Sipping a glass of champagne in Crown\u2019s secret bar (complete with vodka ice luge), Dalins said she and Daicos were all organised for their \u201csmall and intimate\u201d wedding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be comfortable, but still getting the white theme going on for me,\u201d said the bride-to-be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just looking forward to the carnival, looking forward to seeing everyone,\u201d she said. \u201cThis time in Melbourne, everyone\u2019s just so out and about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tunes in Crown\u2019s party zone were provided by DJ Stephanie Stean, flying solo with her usual other creative half, Stefanie Catalano, in Bali as husband, Antony Catalano, awaits his next day in court for alleged domestic violence offences against his third wife.<\/p>\n

\"LauraLaura Kane enjoying the Crown marquee on the last weekend of the AFLW season.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

AFLW boss Laura Kane was in the house on the last weekend of the regular season. After finals, she will jet off to Vietnam for some downtime before returning for the men\u2019s 2027 season.<\/p>\n

\"RebeccaRebecca Harding and Andy Lee attend Derby Day, fresh from their recent New York wedding. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Crown Resorts boss David Tsai and Melbourne casino chief Ed Domingo were on hosting duties, with their guests including newlyweds Rebecca Harding and Andy Lee, fresh from their wedding in New York, shoemaker Lana Wilkinson, Sydney fashion designer Pip Edwards, footballer-turned-commentator Joel Selwood, and designer Nadia Bartel, while Crown ambassador Bec Judd was in her element working the room.<\/p>\n

Pollies thin on the ground …<\/p>\n

While the premier\u2019s wife, Fiona Rothville, didn\u2019t want to play ball on the couch at Crown, there were a few of our elected representatives \u2013 both blue and red \u2013 willing to see and be seen.<\/p>\n

Retiring Victorian Liberal Michael O\u2019Brien was doing the rounds like a lap of honour, before probably handing over the reins in Malvern to Amelia Hamer.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Brien told CBD he would help leader Jess Wilson with her transition to government, before likely returning to the bar as well acting as a mediator, the skills for which he thought were akin to politics.<\/p>\n

\"LiberalLiberal senator Sarah Henderson and Rory Grant from Nine in the Nine marquee.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

At Nine, opposition communications spokeswoman and Victorian senator Sarah Henderson was happy to be back trackside, having missed recent years thanks to scheduled sitting weeks. Nine chief executive Matt Stanton was playing host to millionaire pub scion, radio network owner and former federal member Craig Laundy. Nine owns this masthead.<\/p>\n

\"TimTim Wilson and husband Ryan Bolger, controversially in navy, at the TAB marquee.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson was doing the rounds with his primary-school-teacher husband Ryan Bolger, while Liberal senator Anne Ruston was at TAB, as was former Labor state treasurer Jaclyn Symes.<\/p>\n

\u2026 except in the Committee Room<\/p>\n

Noted karaoke queen Peta Credlin resisted the urge to join Human Nature for a couple of songs in the Victoria Racing Club Committee Room on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Peta<\/a><\/p>\n

It was back in September that CBD bought news<\/a> of the conservative political commentator Credlin and former PM Tony Abbott turning up at the Portarlington pub with a bunch of mates and having a crack at a couple of tracks with the local cover band.<\/p>\n

Known to love a tambourine, Credlin joined the surprised band for a version of The Angels classic Am I Ever Going To See Your Face Again \u2026 \u2013 without the famous but profane ad-lib in the chorus.<\/p>\n

So on Derby Day when Human Nature was introduced to guests in the hallowed Committee Room, for a moment CBD questioned if she would give us another karaoke moment. Alas, she simply sang along from her seat.<\/p>\n

Credlin is in her rock-star era, having gone viral in recent days for putting her News24 colleague Andrew Clennell in his box after he went off script on her show.<\/p>\n

The Committee Room, the VRC\u2019s inner sanctum, was a hive of influence and elegance.<\/p>\n

\"SamSam Armytage was in the Nine marquee.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

The political class was well represented in the invitation-only enclave, with Racing Minister Anthony Carbines, Minister for Trade and Tourism Natalie Suleyman, member for Essendon Danny Pearson, who won\u2019t be contesting the state election this month, opposition racing spokesman Tim McCurdy, federal member for Wannon Dan Tehan (we hear there might be a new flame in his life) and NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley enjoying the day.<\/p>\n

Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner added a regal element to proceedings. TAB boss Gil McLachlan has always been pretty quick on his feet and is a student of form, so we are tipping he had found a winner when he broke into a spontaneous jig after cheering a horse across the line part-way through the day. John Travolta, eat your heart out.<\/p>\n

Derby Day marked the beginning of a significant week for Victoria Racing Club chair Neil Wilson and his wife, Stephanie. Wilson will step down as VRC chair after the Cup carnival, handing the role over to chair-elect Vin Cox.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Lunch<\/a><\/p>\n

Crown chair Martin Pakula, notably not wearing the traditional Derby Day morning suit, was spotted among the guests, as was Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison, VRC director Ann Peacock, champion jockey Damien Oliver and his wife, Trish, Racing Victoria board member and newly appointed chair of the Melbourne Market Authority Paul Guerra, entertainment promoter Paul Dainty, America\u2019s Cup-winning skipper John Bertrand, and Carla McGuire. Her husband, Eddie, was helming the Nine broadcast of the meeting.<\/p>\n

The VRC board brought together representatives from across the racing industry and hosted board members and executives from the Melbourne Racing Club, Moonee Valley Racing Club and several international clubs, as well as media executives and representatives of their many sponsors.<\/p>\n

Take a punt<\/p>\n

As well as the pollies, McLachlan\u2019s TAB marquee was where footballers mixed with business types. While the days of every corporate heavyweight turning up trackside are long gone, a few heavy hitters still donned black and white.<\/p>\n

\"JacquiJacqui Felgate and Sharnelle Vella looked equally gorgeous in the TAB Marquee.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

Yarra Capital boss Dion Hershan was there, along with head of equities at Aussie Super Andrew Smith. Media entrepreneur Craig Hutchison was on the bubbles, while former North great Wayne Carey was on the beers.<\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Brisbane champion Lachie Neale with Emma Field at Mumm marquee.<\/p>\n

3AW broadcaster Jacqui Felgate was catching up with similarly gorgeous and now former ABC Mornings host Sharnelle Vella, who was enjoying a day away from her seven-month-old daughter. Elsewhere in the Birdcage, now Seven talent Sam Armytage was \u2013 quelle horreur \u2013 in the same dress as a fellow racegoer, while champion Collingwood recruit Lachie Neale and new love Emma Field were at Mumm.<\/p>\n

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Close\"FionaFiona Byrne<\/a> is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"October 31, 2026 \u2014 6:53pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":947660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[64,63,447,134],"class_list":["post-947659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/947659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=947659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/947659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/947660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=947659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=947659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=947659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}