By Garry Howe
THE nation’s most famous sporting prize, the Emirates Melbourne Cup, is coming to Cardinia shire.
The cup and its entourage will tour the district on Thursday 20 October on one of its 34 stops in a trans-Tasman tour that started in Auckland and finishes at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.
Locally, the cup will ride on Puffing Billy then be feted at a civic reception at the Cardinia shire headquarters in Officer and visit residents at Hillview Bunyip Aged Care before heading to Tynong for Pakenham Racing Club’s first night race meeting this season.
Rob Webster will be reacquainted with the cup at the race meeting.
His father Ray ‘Derby’ Webster brought the Melbourne Cup home to Pakenham in 1943 when he trained Dark Felt to victory and he also saddled up the 1958 placegetter Nethergold.
Rob will regale the crowd with tales of his family’s link to Australia’s most famous race.
The cup will also be accompanied by cup tour ambassador Georgia Connelly, an equestrian eventer who was last year’s Myer Fashions on the Field Ambassador.
Her family also has a link to the cup, having a share in the creatively named Maythehorsebewithyou, which finished fifth behind Ethereal in 2001.
Pakenham Racing Club chairman Don Duffy encouraged the community to head out to first of the club’s 22 night race meetings for the new season.
“All racegoers will have a great opportunity to get their hands on the Emirates Melbourne Cup and have their photo taken,” he said.
The cup will be on display in the Members Lounge from 5pm to 5.45pm, on the public lawn from 6pm to 7.30pm and then in the Skyline Suite from 8pm to 9.30pm.
Patrons can book into the Skyline Suite to hear from the guests speakers for $55, or $30 for members, which includes admission, a racebook, tapas menu and drinks and bar prices.
