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Racing and Sports' Alex Steedman believes the chance for your town to host the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour is a "once in a lifetime opportunity" after he was successful in bringing the Cup to Canberra for the 2023 Tour.
Applications to host the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour are now open.
The Tour provides community groups, sporting clubs, schools, businesses, charities and hospitals the chance to apply for the Cup to visit their town and get their photo taken holding the impressive 18-carat-gold $600,000 trophy.
Since the inaugural Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour in 2003, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Trophy has visited over 640 destinations both across Australia and internationally.
Canberra was one of those destinations in 2023 after a successful bid from racing data, content and tech company Racing and Sports.
Racing and Sports employee and Canberra local Alex Steedman was responsible for the winning bid for the Nation's Capital to be part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour. Alex describes hosting a leg of the tour as "one of the proudest moments of his career."
"I'll never forget hosting the Cup in Canberra for those two days," Steedman said.
"The Lexus Melbourne Cup is an incredible item. It blows my mind the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) allow such a valuable trophy steeped in both Australian and racing history to be so readily accessible to the public.
"The VRC should be extremely proud of their tour initiative and the power it has to bring communities together, most often for a charitable cause."
Alex witnessed this sense of community across Canberra when the Cup visited the city last September.
Racing and Sports used the Cup's presence in Canberra to raise funds for Pegasus Riding for the Disabled.
Pegasus Riding for the Disabled is a Canberra charity which has been in operation since 1975, one which the Steedman family volunteered and fundraised for in the 90s.
The two proud Canberran organisations showcased their capabilities across a series of events where former Racing Victoria Chief Racing Steward Des Gleeson was a guest speaker. Pegasus provided an Open Day at their Holt property while Racing and Sports held two evening events where they showcased their data and tech capabilities with an animated video representation of 'The Greatest Melbourne Cup never ran'.
Racing and Sports conducted a sweep for 'The Greatest Melbourne Cup never ran' while Pegasus also sold raffle tickets at the events. The two initiatives combined raised significant funds for Pegasus and their ponies.
"Canberrans turned out in their hundreds to get their photo holding the Cup and gave generously to a worthy equine-focused local charity across the two evenings," Steedman said.
"Racing and Sports thought it was an extremely successful two nights – we loved being able to bring the Lexus Melbourne Cup to Canberra.
"When the Cup left and the adrenalin of its visit wore off, I did reflect and wonder just how much the tour had assisted charity drives over the past 20 years such as the one we partnered with Pegasus on. I'd guess it would have helped raise millions."
As well the tour regularly being part of community led charity drives, there is also the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep.
The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep gives 24 rural and regional Cup Tour destinations across Australia the opportunity to be 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. 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.
The town of Macedon was the winner of last year's Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep with $50,000 going to their nominated charity, Living Legends.
To apply for your city or town to host the 2024 tour, visit the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour website here.
Applications close on Wednesday, April 17.
