Thursday, 30th March 2006 (4285 views)

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is inviting local communities in Australia and New Zealand to participate in the upcoming national tour of the Melbourne Cup trophy.

The 18-carat gold cup is set to embark on its fourth nationwide circuit Down Under, in order to celebrate the 2006 Emirates Melbourne Cup tour theme: 'The Melbourne Cup: a national icon. Why it stops a nation.'

The 2006 tour will begin again in late September and visit more than 20 cities, towns and communities that have connections to the cup or the race itself.

Joe McGrath, the events marketing manager of the VRC, said: "The Melbourne Cup captures the imagination and passion of all Australians and this year's tour will celebrate the Melbourne Cup as our true cultural icon."

The Melbourne Cup trophy, in its current form as a gold loving cup, is worth around AU$80,000 and has been awarded since 1919, although the two-mile race has been run since 1861.

The first trophy was a gold watch before it underwent several reincarnations involving a variety of more complex designs until the simple present form was settled on in the early 20th century.

 

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