Jockey Hugh Bowman’s home town Dunedoo a Melbourne Cup tour destination

CHAMPION jockey Hugh Bowman is set to accompany the Melbourne Cup trophy to his home town in country NSW ahead of his latest bid to win the country’s most iconic race for the first time.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — APRIL 14: Hugh Bowman on Winx wins the Queen Elizabeth Stakes during day two of The Championships as part of Sydney Racing at Royal Randwick Racecourse on April 14, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

CHAMPION jockey Hugh Bowman is set to accompany the Melbourne Cup trophy to his home town in country NSW ahead of his latest bid to win the country’s most iconic race for the first time.

PRIZEMONEY RACE: MELBOURNE CUP A WINNER

Bowman’s home town, Dunedoo, was on Monday announced as one of 37 destinations for this year’s Melbourne Cup Tour which will also include stops in the United Kingdom and Ireland and South Korea for the first time.

Bowman has won some of the world’s top races, most notably three Cox Plates on champion Winx and last year’s Japan Cup on Cheval Grand, but a Melbourne Cup has eluded him.

Bowman and his wife Christine, who was a trackwork rider for Irish horse Media Puzzle when he won the Cup in 2002, are among this year’s Cup tour ambassadors along with 2015 Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne.

“The Cup is going to Dunedoo, my home town in central New South Wales, so the plan will be to go with the Cup when it visits Dunedoo,” Bowman said at Monday’s launch in Melbourne.

He said to win the Cup had been a childhood dream.

Melbourne Cup tour ambassador Michelle Payne (left to right), Lexus ambassador Kate Waterhouse, Flemington ambassador Georgia Connolly, and Melbourne Cup tour ambassadors Christine Bowman and jockey Hugh Bowman at the tour launch. Picture: AAP

“I had many a sleepless night growing up on the farm in Dunedoo wondering what might happen one day if I could even ride in the race, let alone actually win it,” he said.

“If it wasn’t to happen then there would be no regrets with me personally in the wonderful opportunities I’ve had as a jockey and some of the wonderful horses I’ve been associated with.

Flemington ambassador Georgia Connolly with 2018 Lexus Melbourne Cup. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“But I have had the privilege of riding in it many times and I can honestly say having ridden all over the world, there’s no race quite like it in the build-up towards it and the sheer public attention, not only here in Australia but throughout the world.

“It’s a very special occasion simply to be a part of it and ride in the race. And to win it would be a dream.

Winx and Hugh Bowman (blue cap) make it three Cox Plate wins.

Ultimate prize in Australian racing: the 2018 Melbourne Cup.

“If it’s meant to be it will be and if not there’ll be no regrets.”

The Cup Tour is in its 16th year and Bowman said it was a great initiative to take the trophy to country areas across Australia and also abroad, with the Dunedoo visit set for September 4.

“I think it gives everyone the opportunity to feel close to what is an iconic figure in our society,” he said.

“So to take the Cup to my home place in Dunedoo, personally it gives me great pride.

“But I think on a more broader basis it’s great for the community. It’s great for the country communities in NSW and Australia, and it’s a great initiative from the VRC and it means a lot to everyone.”

Hugh Bowman’s association with champion racehorse Winx has made him a household name.

CUP TOUR DESTINATIONS IN 2018

NEW SOUTH WALES

Sydney, Louth, Bega, Dunedoo

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Perth, Boyup Brook

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Darwin, Katherine

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Canberra

QUEENSLAND

Brisbane, Mount Perry, Mission Beach, Gold Coast, Goondiwindi, Birdsville

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Adelaide, Mount Barker

TASMANIA

Hobart

VICTORIA

Melbourne, Nagambie, Shepparton, Skipton, Wodonga, Portland, Camperdown, Stawell, Wangaratta, Goornong

UNITED KINGDOM

London, Newbury, Somerset, Newmarket

IRELAND

County Kildare, Closutton, Owning Hill

SOUTH KOREA

Seoul