ALL AYES ON CUP AT PARLIAMENT
The Lexus Melbourne Cup made its way to Parliament Lawns in Hobart, welcomed by proud locals waiting to get a look at the Cup, Tonya Turner writes
Well-
known as the race that stops a nation, the Lexus Melbourne Cup no doubt has an appeal that stretches far beyond Flemington where the iconic horserace is held each November.
Since 2003, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour has travelled across the country bringing the iconic Cup trophy, widely known as the ‘People’s Cup’, to regional and metropolitan communities to experience the magic of the 158 year-old event.
On Tuesday and Wednesday it made its way around Hobart. The People’s Cup was celebrated at the Bupa Aged Care Facility, Myer Hobart, Eastlands Shopping Centre, the Lexus dealership showroom, Elwik Racecourse, Hutchins School Holiday Program and Parliament Lawns where Off The Track Thoroughbreds and riders paraded.
Wendy Green, the owner of the 1999 Melbourne Cup winner Rogan Josh, also joined in the celebrations and shared her unique Melbourne Cup stories with guests.
The tour gives many Australians the truly once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the Lexus Melbourne Cup in person.
The trophy is valued at $200,000, is made from solid 18-carat gold provided by Australian gold mining company Evolution Mining Limited, stands at 38cm tall and contains 44 pieces that are hand spun over a 250-hour production
I came to realise that it does strike a lot of different emotions in people JOE MCGRATH
process.
Lexus chief executive Scott Thompson says Lexus is immensely proud to partner with an event that means so much to so many Australians.
“Lexus is passionate about delivering amazing experiences and the 2018 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will bring the amazing experience of the People’s Cup to more Australians than ever before,” Mr Thompson says.
“Through sharing the history and passion of the Lexus Melbourne Cup, we have a unique opportunity to celebrate the stories of the iconic trophy and its contribution to Australia’s cultural and historical heritage.”
Since its inaugural year in 2003, the tour has travelled more than half a million kilometers and visited more than 400 regional, rural and metropolitan destinations, providing communities with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup and celebrate its history.
The Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy will be travelling in the epitome of luxury as it journeys across Australia in Lexus vehicles.
Since the start of this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, the trophy has travelled overseas to the UK, Ireland, Korea and New Zealand and across Australia to Melbourne, Darwin, Katherine and Perth before boarding the Indian Pacific train for the first time to travel across the Nullarbor Plain to Sydney. From there it travelled to Birdsville and Dunedoo, Mission Beach, Brisbane, and from Hobart, it will head to Canberra and regional Victoria before completing its four-month journey at the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse.
By the time it arrives, it will have travelled to a record 37 destinations across the globe in a single year.
“The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour is a special event in its own right that perfectly befits the iconic and globallysignificant Lexus Melbourne Cup,” Mr Thompson says.
“As the new naming rights sponsor we are delighted to play our part in providing the opportunity for so many people both locally and abroad to experience this iconic trophy first-hand.”
The Lexus Melbourne Cup is one of those rare events that brings Australians from all walks of life together to celebrate, which is why Lexus wanted to be part of the tour and its rich history.
Tour manager Joe McGrath was there on the very first day of the very first tour in 2003 when the Victoria Racing Club had no idea how popular it would turn out to be.
“It was just a concept at the time to have the Cup on the road,” he says.
“We didn’t know what to expect but it was very successful and when we came back we realised it had potential.
For the first two years it travelled in a display cabinet that weighed 35kg, but Mr McGrath soon changed that.
He wanted people to experience the power of holding the iconic three-handled Cup in their very own hands so swapped the cabinet for a travel case it could be easily taken out of and arranged for gloves to be brought on the tour.
He recalls a story of an older gentleman at a nursing home they visited who was well known for giving the staff grief.
“He was very demanding and was saying ‘where’s this Cup, can I see this Cup?’ and I said ‘mate, you can hold the Cup,’ and I’m not kidding, the guy got very emotional and broke down,” Mr McGrath says.
“The nurses kind of looked at me and I came to realise that it does strike a lot of different emotions in people.”
There are few things in this life that can soften the hardest hearts - the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour just may be one of them.