St Mary’s Primary School will play host to the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour in October this year.
After receiving a record-breaking number of applications, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) announced last Wednesday that Lancefield will be one of 39 destinations spanning six countries that the cup will visit, with the $750,000 18-carat-gold trophy set to arrive on Thursday, October 27.
Now in its 22nd year of the tour, the cup has travelled over one million kilometres and visited more than 640 destinations, including 482 schools, 401 hospitals and aged care facilities, and over 2100 community events – raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local fundraising initiatives.
VRC stated that the tour provided an opportunity to bring communities together for a shared interest.
“[The cup unites] communities and [provides] the once-in-life-time opportunity to get up close and experience the magic of the People’s Cup,” they said.
VRC Chairman Neil Wilson said the record-breaking interest in the tour highlighted the significance of the Lexus Melbourne Cup to people of Australia and around the world.
“After receiving a record-breaking number of applications, the Victoria Racing Club is delighted to announce the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will visit 39 destinations in 2024,” he said.
“After 21 years, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour has continued to grow and evolve into a significant community event that allows us to share the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy in remote parts of Australia and overseas, far away from Flemington and the first Tuesday in November.
“This year’s tour will also visit a number of international destinations including New York for the Belmont Gold Cup, which will offer a golden ticket to the winner into this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup for the first time, further emphasising the internationalisation and reach of our iconic race.”
Community Liason Leader of St Mary’s Primary School Jo Shannon said the school is looking forward to being part of this year’s tour.
“Lancefield has a strong horse and riding community and we look forward to celebrating that in October when the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour visits,” she said.
“The students of St Mary’s Primary School are particularly excited about having such a prestigious event and the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup attend their little regional school.”
Lancefield will also be part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, which will see 24 rural and regional Cup Tour destinations across Australia be allocated a barrier for the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Representatives from each of the 24 destinations will be flown to Melbourne to watch the Lexus Melbourne Cup, and the town which draws the barrier of the winning horse will be presented with a cash prize of $50,000 to be put towards a charity of their choice.
The tour will begin on Friday, May 31 in Tokyo, and arrive in Australia on Friday, June 28 in Cowes.
For more information, please visit MelbourneCupTour.com.au.
