The 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour kicked off the Australian leg with a whirlwind visit to regional South Australia. Visiting Balaklava, Port Augusta and Quorn last weekend, this visit was a celebration of racing and the historic and iconic Cup. The visit marked a very special weekend for these three regional racing communities.
The 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup was front and center at the Port Augusta Racing Club for the City of Port Augusta Cup Day. People in attendance had the opportunity to get their photo with the Cup and get up close and personal with one of the most iconic trophies in Australia.
This year, there were almost 100 applications from communities to be part of the 2023 Melbourne Cup Tour, with 44 locations in Australia and overseas selected. South Australia had four regional communities selected plus Adelaide.
Ray Dummett, Head of Planning and Project Office at Victoria Racing Club explained “It is the People’s Cup, and we can’t always have people coming over to Melbourne to see it, so we want to bring the Cup to the people.”
The excitement for the cup on dsiplay at Port Augusta Racecourse when the Melbourne Cup was a testament to the appetite for racing in the region and this historic cup. Racing SA CEO Vaughn Lynch said, “Having the Melbourne Cup come to South Australia helps promote racing in these regional areas.”
Chair of Country Racing SA and Chair of Port Augusta Racing Club, Jeff Tansell, was there on Port Augusta Cup Day and reflected, “This further spreads the reach of racing in South Australia and it’s important for each of these communities to see what that one day in November means.”
The Melbourne Cup Tour will return to South Australia for one last visit in late July when it heads over to Kangaroo Island. This is another fantastic opportunity for a tight-knit community which has had a tough few years and the community is extremely excited to have the Melbourne Cup visit.
