THE $150,000 Melbourne Cup trophy is going on a marathon around-the-world trip in the build-up to the 150th running of the race on November 2, reports The Age.It says: The Victoria Racing Club yesterday announced the itinerary for the 2010 Melbourne Cup tour, with the iconic 18-carat trophy visiting 10 international and 32 Australian destinations over 220 days. First stop for the Cup will be Tokyo for a reunion with 2006 winner Delta Blues and it will be accompanied there by Damien Oliver, who r
THE $150,000 Melbourne Cup trophy is going on a marathon around-the-world trip in the build-up to the 150th running of the race on November 2, reports The Age.
It says: The Victoria Racing Club yesterday announced the itinerary for the 2010 Melbourne Cup tour, with the iconic 18-carat trophy visiting 10 international and 32 Australian destinations over 220 days. First stop for the Cup will be Tokyo for a reunion with 2006 winner Delta Blues and it will be accompanied there by Damien Oliver, who rode another Japanese runner, Pop Rock, into second place that year.
Oliver said he would be scouting around there for a possible Cup mount in an attempt to add to his two Melbourne Cup wins.
''I'm in the twilight of my career now and the chances of riding another winner get slimmer as you get older. Another win would top it off nicely,'' Oliver said.
Interspersed with international visits to cities including Dublin and Mumbai are visits to Jamestown in South Australia, the birthplace of Bart Cummings, Timaru, the birthplace of Phar Lap, and Nowra, the NSW town that Archer set out from to win the first two Cups.
One of the ambassadors yesterday was owner Wendy Green, who drove the 1999 Cup won by Rogan Josh back to her home in Darwin.