VRC to celebrate Australia's sporting and racing heroes ahead of the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup

The 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy will start its final journey on the track at the Winning Post with Clerks of the Course Peter and Shane Patterson, who will make an emotional tribute to their father, the late John “Patto” Patterson OAM, as they carry the venerated trophy on horseback down Patterson Avenue – the iconic Flemington horse walk named in John’s honour last year.

John is intrinsically linked to the Lexus Melbourne Cup as its longest-serving Clerk of the Course, leading in 44 Cup winners after their victory in Australia’s greatest race. His contribution to racing was as significant as any victories on a racetrack, with his ability to keep horse and rider calm and safe always on display. His legacy lives on through his sons Peter and Shane, as well as his daughter Sheralee who has followed in his footsteps as a top-class equestrian competitor in the show ring.

As Peter and Shane head towards the Flemington Arch on the first Tuesday in November, they will hand the $750,000 trophy to two of this year’s most celebrated sporting heroes, multiple Olympic gold medalist and Melbourne Cup Carnival Ambassador Ariarne Titmus OAM and dual Paralympic gold medallist Alexa Leary. Ariarne is a four-time Olympic gold medallist, current world record holder in the 200m and 400m freestyle and is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle-distance swimmers of all time, while Alexa set a new world record and took home the gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle (S9) at the Paris Paralympic Games, an incredible feat after surviving a horror near-fatal bike crash in 2021.

 Ariarne and Alexa will be accompanied by three-time Olympic medallist, equestrian Shane Rose, and Olympian Shenae Lowings, who represented Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games alongside Shane as part of the Australian equestrian team on retired racehorse Bold Venture.

Ariarne will then pass the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy to VRC Chairman Neil Wilson who will place it on the Carbine plinth.

Leading into the arrival of the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy, the crowd’s excitement will be amplified by a special performance by Irish superstar Ronan Keating.

The singer-songwriter found fame in 90s boyband Boyzone and has had a string of worldwide hits. As a solo artist, Keating has sold more than 20 million records worldwide in addition to 25 million records sold with Boyzone.

Ronan will take to the Mounting Yard to sing When You Say Nothing At All, before being joined by Australian pop sensation Ricki-Lee to perform his smash hit Lovin’ Each Day.

The Welcome to Country ceremony will be delivered by Uncle Colin Hunter Junior, while the Australian National Anthem will be sung by Greta Bradman, the eldest grandchild of another Australian sporting hero, Sir Donald Bradman.

Mr Wilson said that the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup marked an opportunity to celebrate some of the year’s most significant moments in Australia’s sporting and racing culture.

“The Melbourne Cup Carnival is Australia’s original major event, and we are proud to use this opportunity to celebrate the contributions of our country’s sporting, racing and entertainment stars,” Mr Wilson said.

“It’s also a poignant moment to celebrate one of Flemington’s legends, John Patterson OAM, and his legacy.

“The Lexus Melbourne Cup is broadcast into over 200 countries and territories with a potential global reach of 750 million people, making it one of the nation’s largest and most impressive platforms to promote Melbourne and Australia to the world, and we couldn’t have asked for a more fitting lineup for this important occasion.”

All the action from the 2024 Melbourne Cup Carnival can be seen live and free across the Nine Network, the official broadcast partner and new home of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.