Lexus Melbourne Cup kicks off European tour

The 18-carat-gold $AUD750,000 trophy commenced its international visit at Ascot Racecourse for the Group 1 King George Race Day with racegoers able to get up close to the trophy.

The Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes was won impressively by French horse Goliath with the winning connections congratulated by Her Majesty Queen Camilla.

The tour then made a special visit to Yotes Court Vineyard to catch up with Susannah and Rich Ricci, owners of Vauban who said last year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup favourite would again aim at the “race that stops a nation” ™ this year.

“We've been very fortunate to race around the world and win some big races in various countries, but it's been terrific and unbelievable to have Royal Ascot winners. It's been great to run in Japan, in Korea, in Italy, and Germany, all sorts of places. But I've never, ever experienced anything quite like the Melbourne Cup,” Mr Ricci said.

“Melbourne's different gravy. And it's a race that I would love to win, not just because the Aussies keep taking my money but it's just an iconic race." - Rich Ricci

"His next two races will tell us, but we've not veered yet from our plan to go to Melbourne. It's a race I want to win. It's a race Willie wants to win. And they think this is the right horse. So, until he tells us otherwise, we're definitely going.”

The iconic trophy then made its way to Chichester to attend the first three days of the Qatar Goodwood Festival, where it was trackside to take in all the action.

Goodwood Managing Director, Adam Waterworth was delighted to have the three-handled trophy attend the festival.

“We have a great relationship with Flemington, it’s a place I love and to get the Cup here and to be able to celebrate that relationship we have with Flemington was really big for us and the racegoers love it,” Mr Waterworth said.

“Everybody has heard of the Cup. Obviously, it’s the biggest thing in Australia but I wouldn’t underestimate how big it is around the world and our racegoers have loved having the Cup here.”

The third day of the festival saw the running of the Markel Magnolia Cup, a ladies only charity race featuring influential and inspirational women which was won by 7 Horse Racing’s Lizzie Jelfs.

“For me personally it means a lot of personal growth being able to challenge myself with something that I probably wouldn’t have done if it wasn’t for this initiative. The Magnolia Cup is really important for not only personal growth but also inclusivity within racing, it's not just the women's aspect, we know how important it is for the racing community to step outside its bubble, and I think this race has done that. The charity aspect is very important for the community, and I think it is going to grow and grow as we have seen in recent years and now it is coming back to Australia.”

As part of the visit to Chichester the tour also attended the Lord Taverners cricket match in front of the historic Goodwood House. Former English test cricketer Monty Panesar was able to hold the trophy and spoke about his experience attending the Lexus Melbourne Cup.

“I remember going to the Melbourne Cup and you can see the massive correlation between England and Australia, not just cricket but the whole lifestyle; there’s a lot of interconnections and I guess that's why you have not just great friendships but rivalries when you play against each other.” - Monty Panesar

Swapping for a different kind of horsepower, the Lexus Melbourne Cup participated in a hot lap of the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit, home to the Festival of Speed, in an Australian Yellow Lexus LC500.

Top jockey Oisin Murphy was riding Australian sprinter Asfoora for Ballarat trainer Henry Dwyer at the festival after guiding the mare to Group 1 glory at Royal Ascot earlier this year. After spending time in Australia under the guidance of Lexus Melbourne Cup winning trainer Danny O’Brien, Murphy is hoping to compete at this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“We always watched it (the Lexus Melbourne Cup) and there’s often a strong Irish representation with a strong form chance. Dermot Weld won it, how many years ago, and it's a race that I want to be a part of.” - Oisin Murphy

The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will continue its overseas journey, visiting Dublin and Galway in Ireland next before returning to Western Australia to visit Wyalkatchem and Esperance.

This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will see the iconic trophy travel to 39 destinations, with the final route spanning six countries including Australia, Japan, USA, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Since its inaugural journey in 2003, the tour has travelled over one million kilometres, visiting more than 640 destinations to unite communities and provide a once-in-life-time opportunity to get up close and experience the magic of the People’s Cup. This includes visiting 482 schools, 401 hospitals and aged care facilities, participating in over 2100 community events and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local fundraising initiatives.

For further information about the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour please visit MelbourneCupTour.com.au.