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People’s Cup concludes epic tour of Western Australia

24 August 2022

Australia’s most iconic sporting trophy concluded its journey through Western Australia this week, with the Lexus Melbourne Cup visiting towns and communities from Perth to the Pilbara as part of the 20th annual Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

The $275,000 trophy captured the attention of locals on a six-day tour that kicked off in Wagin and included community events, school visits and a meeting with Fremantle Football Club captain Nat Fyfe in Perth.

Dual Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jimmy Cassidy joined the Cup on its journey as a Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour Ambassador, sharing his famous Cup memories with students at Alkimos Primary School.

It has been two years since the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour stopped in Western Australia and Victoria Racing Club (VRC) Chief Executive Officer Steve Rosich proudly spoke about the upcoming Melbourne Cup Carnival alongside guests at a special event at Lexus of Perth.

On Friday the Cup travelled to The Pilbara where it visited students and teachers at South Newman Primary before travelling to the local BHP mine Whaleback for an afternoon with some excited workers.

On Saturday the coveted trophy continued its journey through outback Western Australia visiting a number of iconic Pilbara destinations including Karijini National Park.

The 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup also attended the much-anticipated Newman Cup, where it spent the day celebrating a day of racing with the local community.

Newman is also one of this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep destinations, which will see 24 rural and regional tour destinations across Australia be allocated a barrier for the 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup.

The town that draws the barrier of the Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning horse will be presented with a cash prize of $50,000 to put towards a charity for a local community initiative.

Principal of South Newman Primary, Sonia Hammond said hosting the tour was an amazing experience for students living in remote areas.

“I honestly think that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the kids and we live in such a remote area, to have something so prestigious and so wonderful I was jumping out of my skin it was so great.”

Principal of Alkimos Primary School, Andy Gorton said he felt privileged to host the tour and share the magic of the People’s Cup with his school’s community.

“The Melbourne Cup Tour gives an opportunity for schools like ours to highlight the significance of the Melbourne Cup and teach our kids a part of Australian culture.”

Since the tour first began in 2003, the iconic three-handled trophy has travelled more than 760,000 kilometers and visited more than 560 destinations, providing communities with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup and help raise funds for local initiatives.

This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will see the iconic trophy travel to 33 destinations across Australia as well as a number of destinations overseas, including Auckland and Cambridge in New Zealand, and Singapore.

For further information about the 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour please visit MelbourneCupTour.com.au