This free and exclusive virtual event promises a night of lively conversation and premium entertainment as we officially kick off the 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Hosted by VRC International Racing Expert and Racing.com’s Jason Richardson, we have a great evening planned. The VRC Leadership Team, represented by our Chairman Neil Wilson and CEO Steve Rosich, will bring you up-to-date with the latest news and share insights on what to expect at this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, including the welcome return of our members trackside.
To bring the atmosphere to life in true Carnival style, we’ll sit down with ARIA award winner, Delta Goodrem to chat about her VRC Ambassador role and be treated to a special live performance.
We will also welcome some true sporting stars to our panel, including dual Olympic Champion and Lexus Melbourne Cup Day Ambassador, Ariarne Titmus, 2021 AFL Premiership player and Norm Smith Medallist, Christian Petracca, 2021 Brownlow Medallist, Ollie Wines, Melbourne Cup Family Ambassador, Tom Hawkins, and Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, Michelle Payne.
The evening will include a chat feature for viewers to ask questions live and an exciting member prize draw including prizes from Kennedy, Penfolds, Lexus, MYER, G.H. Mumm and TCL worth over $25,000.
Key Highlights
Missed the 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival Launch event? Check out some key highlights below.
Date: Monday 25 October
Time: 7.00pm - 8.00pm
Location: This is a virtual event
Price: This is a free event
ARIA award winner and multi-platinum singer/songwriter Delta Goodrem returns as friend and official VRC Ambassador for 2021. The globally celebrated artist has a longstanding relationship with the club, performing the Australian national anthem in the Mounting Yard ahead of ‘a race that stops a nation’ in 2007 and returning last year as an ambassador to perform her hit single Solid Gold on Lexus Melbourne Cup Day.
Michelle Payne's historic win in the 2015 Melbourne Cup with Prince of Penzance made the race that stops a nation a race that inspired one. The story behind this remarkable woman continued this inspiration with the release of the Ride Like A Girl, a biopic of her extraordinary life directed by Rachel Griffiths and starring Teresa Palmer and Sam Neill.
Tasmanian Born, Ariarne Titmus has quickly become the star in the Australian sporting scene. The recently crowned dual Olympic Champion stunningly handed the five-time Olympic Champion, Katie Ledecky her first Olympic defeat in both the 200m and 400m freestyle.
Ollie Wines is the current Vice Captain of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Hailing from Echuca on the Murray River, Ollie was also the winner of the 2021 Brownlow Medal. A country boy at heart and keen racing enthusiast, Ollie has part ownership in eight current horses, and gets to Flemington Racecourse whenever he has the opportunity.
Christian Petracca is a 2021 Premiership Player and Norm Smith medallist for the Melbourne Football Club. A Melbourne boy through-and-through, Petraccca has been a regular Melbourne Cup Carnival race-goer since his teenage years.
Tom Hawkins grew up in Finlay, New South Wales on the family farm before relocating to Melbourne for high school at Melbourne Grammar. The son of former Geelong champion Jumping Jack Hawkins, Tom went to Geelong as a father-son selection in the 2006 National Draft. With a career filled with team and personal success Tom has played over 300 games and kicked 665 goals.
