Twenty years of the Melbourne Cup Tour

3 August 2022 • Written by Joe McGrath

On a brisk winter’s morning in June, more than 100 people witnessed the reveal of dates and destinations for the 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

Racing royalty and students from St Margaret’s Primary School in Maribyrnong unveiled the 33 destinations in the 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, the popular community program that is entering its 20th renewal.

2019 Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Danny O’Brien, with Lexus ambassadors Nina O’Brien and Emma Freedman, joined three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, Glen Boss and dual Cup winning jockey, John Letts at the launch.

A record 90 communities applied to host this year’s tour, with the final route spanning three countries including Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The iconic 18-carat gold trophy will travel to 33 destinations across Australia, including visiting Cloncurry in outback Queensland, Devonport in Tasmania, Maffra in Eastern Victoria and as far as Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Twenty-four of the regional and rural destinations included in this year’s Cup Tour will be eligible for the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, where one lucky town will receive $50,000 if the horse allocated to their town at time of the barrier draw wins the Lexus Melbourne Cup. The money will be directed to a registered and nominated charity.

This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will also include a number of overseas destinations, including Singapore and Auckland and Cambridge in New Zealand.

The launch also saw the extension of the existing agreement between Lexus and the Victoria Racing Club for a further two years.

VRC Chairman Mr Neil Wilson said the extended partnership with Lexus was a strong endorsement of the club and the VRC’s landmark community event, Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, was an important part of the relationship.

“As custodians of Australia’s greatest sporting and cultural icon, we are very pleased to continue our longstanding partnership with Lexus,” Mr Wilson said.

“The Lexus Melbourne Cup is the jewel in the crown of Cup Week and sharing the iconic trophy with people as part of the tour is more important than ever.

“The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour has only continued to grow in popularity, with a record breaking number of applications from towns and communities across the world for its milestone 20th edition.

“To be celebrating the 20th anniversary of both the tour and our partnership with Lexus is testament to the significance of the Lexus Melbourne Cup and all that this event represents.”

Since the tour’s inception in 2003, the three-handled Cup has travelled far and wide across Australia and the world, travelling over 760,000 kilometres, visiting more than 560 destinations, engaging with tens of thousands of people and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local fundraising initiatives.

Stay tuned for more news on the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour via melbournecuptour.com.au or follow via social media using the hashtags #peoplescup and #melbournecup.

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Twenty years of the Melbourne Cup Tour

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