Payne, Prince, and The Cup delight

THE Melbourne Cup and some of racing’s legends were in Ballarat last Thursday en route to Flemington for the race that stops the nation on Tuesday 4 November.

The golden trophy was in town as part of the annual Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour which started in New York in June and has travelled Australia.

The local visit featured champion Ballarat jockey Michelle Payne, the famed racehorse she rode to 2015 Melbourne Cup victory, Prince of Penzance, and 2016 Melbourne Cup winner, Almandin.

They were accompanied by an entourage of Victoria Racing Club (VRC) officials and horse managers from Living Legends which accommodates retired racehorses.

Their first stop was Ballarat Base Hospital where some staff, patients and visitors caught a glimpse of The Cup, met the racing legends, and got to hold The Cup in person.

“This is the actual trophy that is awarded to the owner (of the Melbourne Cup winner) on the day,” VRC head of community Daniel Clohesy said.

“It weights 4.5 kilograms and its current value is $850,000.”

Payne recounted the thrill of the history-making 2015 victory with Prince, and empathised with those forced to spend time in hospital having recovered from serious racing injuries.

“People are doing it tough here so to be able to be here taking The Cup around is really special for me,” she said.

Next up was a visit to Payne’s former high school, Loreto College, where she spoke to year 9 students during a special assembly, before stops at Miners Rest Primary School and Ballarat Grammar’s Mount Rowan campus.

A final event that evening raised funds for Grampians Health and featured local racehorse trainers and industry leaders.