The secrets behind big-name celebrity appearances in Flemington’s Birdcage

The secrets behind A-list celebs Birdcage antics and how the hard partying rapper made marquees the hottest ticket in town.

Snoop Dogg’s hard partying changed the marquee scene forever.

Trent Knox, the man who was behind some of the Birdcage’s most memorable celebrity racing moments, has lifted the lid on what went down behind the scenes ahead of his comeback to Flemington.

Knox worked with coffee brand Lavazza to develop its partnership with the Victoria Racing Club more than 15 years ago and held the hottest marquee ticket in town.

He was behind some famous VIP moments including Snoop Dogg, Adrian Grenier, Richie Sambora, Solange Knowles and Brody Jenner.

“The first ever guest was Rachel Hunter,’’ Knox recalls.

“It was our first foray into the whole celebrity appearance at the marquee. But let’s be real, it all changed the year we brought out Snoop Dogg. That changed the whole marquee landscape for the next decade and each year it became about which marquee would have which star.

Snoop Dogg and Jennifer Hawkins at the 2008 Melbourne Cup.

“With Snoop Dogg, I still remember his manager storming into the marquee to try and get him out because he missed his flight and had a concert in Sydney. Please, it was Snoop. He didn’t care. He loved it.

“Surrounded by beautiful women, gin and juice, he was in his element no one was going to tell him where he needed to be. Then his entourage ended up at a private house in Toorak to keep the party going.

“A highlight for me was Richie Sambora. To get him to play Living on a Prayer live off the cuff, it was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us. Makes the hair on my arms stand up just thinking about it. That was a magic moment.

“My time at Lavazza also led me to some great experiences. Before his appearance at the marquee, we had a private dinner with Ronnie Woods and by chance Erykah Badu sang. I mean — that’s not your standard dinner party.

The first big name guess in the marquee was model Rachel Hunter.

Richie Sambora wasn’t afraid to belt out a tune. Picture: Tim Carrafa

“Maddern Brothers were great. Fun. Friendly. What you see is what you get. They were gentleman.

“Brody Jenner brought great energy to the event and he just wanted to party. It was the first time I’ve ever seen someone do a shoey … at least it was his own!

“Solange Knowles was interesting and let’s be honest, frosty. When asked to hold the (Lavazza) cup, she refused. Great star power but probably not a great guest. Should have gone the other sister,” Trent Laughs.

Now with his own coffee brand, St Remio, Knox and wife Julia Tink are returning to the track after signing a three-year deal to be the official coffee partner.

Adrian Grenier was hot property when he visited in 2011.

“To have our own brand, serving coffee at the track, there’s no better feeling,’’ Knox said.

“I used to do the presentation with Sandy Roberts on Channel 7 and I used to think, imagine I could say on behalf of my family I’m standing here.

“I’m happy the VRC looked past a number of factors to select St Remio as the coffee. We are family, we’re Melbourne, we’ve been long supporters of the racing club and we have a sustainability message. It’s not necessarily about celebrities but people and community and how your morning coffee comes out. We’re excited to be able to showcase that.”

Clerk of the course horse Bare visits St Remio coffee cart with Trent Knox and jockey Chloe Azzopardi. Picture: Jason Edwards

St Remio is committed to empowering growers through funding education and infrastructure projects at the source to benefit coffee growing communities.

“Our first trip to Rwanda was back in 2015,’’ Knox said.

“I can remember being over there and Julia was working at the Spring Racing Carnival doing PR with Lexus and she was pregnant with our son Hunter. It was the first one I’d missed in a really long time.

“It’s exciting to come to sporting events again and hopefully they can break record crowds as they did for the AFL grand final. The focus for me this time is making sure we have epic coffee.”

Tink added: “You’ll probably never meet the people who grow your coffee, but with each sip you take, you are allowing us to have a positive impact on the lives of female coffee farmers and empower them in business. We aim to make a meaningful difference in the lives of coffee farmers and their families.”