The $175,000, 18-carat gold Emirates Melbourne Cup is coming to Lismore, Tweed Shire and Ballina.
The three centres will be part of a tour, which begins in York, Western Australia, and covers much of Australia and New Zealand.
The Victorian Racing Club made the announcement today, saying the tour would enable locals to experience first-hand ‘the magic and the history of the cup ahead of the Melbourne Cup Carnival’.
The cup will commence its three-and-a half-month tour in July accompanied by Melbourne Cup veterans and racing legends who will share their personal stories with locals throughout the tour.
The cup will be in either Tweed Heads or Murwillumbah on 27 August, in Lismore on Friday, 29 August, and in Ballina on Saturday, 30 August.
Lismore City Council spokesperson Virginia Waters said it was very exciting to be chosen as a tour destination and it was a great opportunity to show off some of the city’s unique attractions.
‘The Emirates Melbourne Cup visit provides the opportunity for Lismore and surrounding communities to celebrate this proud icon of Australian history while drawing attention to local landmarks including the Back Alley Gallery,’ she said.
‘We’re planning a spring fashion fair at Lismore Shopping Square to celebrate the racing season, and a gala dinner at the Lismore Turf Club with racing celebrities will also be a highlight.’
The cup itself will return to Melbourne on Monday, 27 October, kicking off the celebrations leading into the Melbourne Cup Carnival before the running of the 154th Emirates Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, 4 November.
Echonetdaily will publish details of the Tweed Shire and Ballina visits as they become available.
How can people find pleasure in seeing terrified horses, (because they are, horses being prey) whipped as they’re raced to the noise of the roaring crowd, bleeding internally, with painful shin fractures, mouths wrenched with metals bits etc.? Three quarters of horses used in the racing industry end up being slaughtered in abattoirs. Do these people ever wonder how barbaric it all is? How cruel? How shameful?
It’s time to become the nation that stopped the race instead of the other way around.