Melbourne Cup Tour 2023: 41 stops in Australia and overseas revealed
The biggest prize in Australian racing is about to embark on its largest national and international tour yet. Find out if the trophy is coming to your town.
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The Melbourne Cup will be on the road for 150 days, visiting 41 destinations across seven countries in three continents, as part of its largest tour yet.
Tokyo will be the first stop for the prized 18-carat gold trophy – which recently had its value upped from $275,000 to $600,000 by an independent valuation – before it continues on to cities and towns in New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, France, Hong Kong and Australia.
A record 99 communities applied to host the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, and the final itinerary features the most total stops and overseas stops of its 21 years in existence.
VRC chairman Neil Wilson said the latter reflected growing international interest in the race that stops a nation.
SEE THE FULL ITINERARY BELOW
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To celebrate the launch of the tour, the trophy visited Gai Waterhouse, who won the 2013 Melbourne Cup with the late Fiorente.
The legendary trainer will be hoping to mark the 10th anniversary with another Cup victory – her gelding, Goldman, has already secured a golden ticket into the race.
“We are daring to dream with Goldman,” she said. “He is such an exciting horse who has so much talent, and an amazing cruising speed where it’s just ‘catch me if you can’.”
Last year’s tour visited Waterhouse’s granddaughter’s school in Sydney. “It was delightful to see all the children light up and ask questions,” she said.
NSW’s capital is on the itinerary again this year, alongside stops in every Australian state and territory including Pinjarra and Broome at either end of WA, Kangaroo Island, Darwin, Launceston, Orange, Cairns and Canberra. Port Fairy, Macedon and Ballarat are among nine Victorian destinations.
London, York, Ireland’s County Kildare and Deauville in France form the tour’s European leg, while Japan’s Tokyo and Hokkaido, New Zealand’s Auckland and Cambridge, and a day at a Happy Valley race meet in Hong Kong are also on the international itinerary.
Twenty-four rural and regional Australian communities have also been selected for a “national sweep”, giving them the chance to win $50,000 to contribute to a community initiative.
The tour has travelled 900,000km to 590 destinations since its inception in 2003.
2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour full itinerary
Saturday June 10–Sunday June 11: Tokyo, Japan
Monday June 12–Wednesday June 15: Hokkaido, Japan
Friday June 23–Wednesday June 28: United Kingdom
Friday June 30–Saturday July 1: Auckland, New Zealand
Sunday July 2–Wednesday July 5: Cambridge, New Zealand
Thursday July 6: Adelaide, SA
Friday July 7: Balaklava, SA*
Saturday July 8–Sunday July 9: Port Augusta, SA*
Monday July 10–Tuesday July 11: Quorn, SA*
Saturday July 15: Boulia, QLD*
Sunday July 16–Tuesday July 18: Mount Isa, QLD*
Monday July 24–Thursday July 27: Sydney, NSW
Friday July 28–Saturday July 29: Kangaroo Island, SA*
Tuesday August 1–Wednesday August 2: Perth, WA
Thursday August 3: Pinjarra, WA*
Friday August 4– Saturday August 5: Broome, WA*
Wednesday August 9: Maitland, NSW*
Friday August 11: Coffs Coast, NSW*
Tuesday August 16–Thursday August 17: County Kildare, Ireland
Saturday August 19–Sunday August 20: Deauville, France
Tuesday August 22: London, United Kingdom
Wednesday August 23–Saturday August 26: York, United Kingdom
Monday August 28: Launceston, TAS
Tuesday August 29: Deloraine, TAS*
Friday September 1–Sunday September 3: Gold Coast, QLD*
Monday September 4: Brisbane, QLD
Wednesday September 6: Canberra, ACT
Thursday September 7–Saturday September 9: Cairns, QLD*
Wednesday September 13–Friday September 15: Darwin, NT
Monday September 18: Thargomindah, QLD*
Tuesday September 19: Cunnamulla, QLD*
Saturday September 23: Hillston, NSW*
Monday September 25–Wednesday September 27: Hong Kong, HK
Monday October 2–Tuesday October Orange 3, NSW*
Thursday October 5- Friday October 6: Port Fairy/Koroit, VIC*
Monday October 9: Macedon, VIC*
Tuesday October 10– Wednesday October 11: Nagambie, VIC*
Friday October 13–Saturday October 14: Boort, VIC*
Tuesday October 17: Ballarat, VIC*
Friday October 20: Melbourne, VIC
Tuesday October 24: Queenscliff, VIC*
Wednesday November 1: Bendigo, VIC*
Thursday November 2–Monday November 6: Melbourne, VIC
*National Sweep Location
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