Successful Cup Tour destination representative Kate Everett made the more than 3400km journey to officially announce the successful Northern Territory destinations including her hometown of Katherine as well as speak to their nominated charity in the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, Dolly’s Dream. Kate and her husband Tick founded Dolly’s Dream in 2018 following the shattering loss of their 14-year-old daughter, Dolly, to suicide after ongoing bullying.
Introduced in 2019, the National Sweep is an important VRC charity initiative which see’s 24 rural and regional towns allocated a barrier for the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Representatives from each of the 24 destinations will be flown to Melbourne to watch the Lexus Melbourne Cup live on track at Flemington and the town which draws the barrier of the winning horse will be presented with a cash prize of $50,000 to put towards a charity of their choice.
Students from Cowes, another successful Cup Tour destination, dressed in colours made a guard of honour for the racing royalty to exit the event before Damien Oliver, Glen Boss, Michelle Payne OAM, Jamie Kah and Corey Brown departed in a Lexus convertible signaling the tour hitting the road.
24 Lexus vehicles also lined the Members Lawn with personalised branding revealing each of the rural and regional Cup Tour destinations across Australia that will be part of this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep.
VRC Chairman Neil Wilson said the record number of applications from across the world signifies the global appeal of “the race that stops a nation™”.
“After receiving a record-breaking number of applications, the VRC is delighted to announce the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will visit 39 destinations in 2024,” Mr Wilson said.
“After 21 years, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour has continued to grow and evolve into a significant community event that allows us to share the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy in remote parts of Australia and overseas, far away from Flemington and the first Tuesday in November.
“This year’s tour will also visit a number of international destinations including New York for the Belmont Gold Cup which will offer a golden ticket to the winner into this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup for the first time, further emphasising the internationalisation and reach of our iconic race.”
Lexus Australia Chief Executive John Pappas said as Principal Partner of the VRC they were honoured to again be part of this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.
“Lexus is a leading luxury lifestyle brand with a commitment to supporting iconic Australian events and showcasing exemplary design, which can also be seen today with our finest luxury vehicles on display,” Mr Pappas said.
“We are also thrilled that this year’s tour will commence in Tokyo at our brand centre, Intersect by Lexus, to continue to celebrate this wonderful long-term partnership and support the tour which is an important initiative which sees the Lexus Melbourne Cup shared with people around the world.”
Now in its 22nd year, the tour has travelled over one million kilometres, visiting more than 640 destinations to unite communities and provide the once-in-life-time opportunity to get up close and experience the magic of the People’s Cup. This includes visiting 482 schools, 401 hospitals and aged care facilities, participating in over 2100 community events and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local fundraising initiatives.
This year's tour will commence its journey on Friday May 31, kicking off in Tokyo.
Tour destinations will be supported by the VRC to plan and host a range of memorable community events during the Cup’s visit. A stable of racing legends will accompany the Cup as tour ambassadors and share their unforgettable Lexus Melbourne Cup moments.
