It may be late August and the footy finals are yet to pass, but two and a half months until the race that stops the nation – the $6.2m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) – there is already widespread public attention.
The Victoria Racing Club (VRC)’s Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour has seen the three handed Loving Cup trophy, a national icon, make its way around the country.
The harbour city is the latest stop on a journey which has seen the Cup, valued at $175 000, scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef and visit a number of cities Australia-wide, including Darwin, Perth and Cairns.
It is the 10th anniversary of the tour, which has seen the trophy visit 210 cities across Australia and New Zealand since 2003.
A visit to Channel 7’s breakfast program Sunrise saw the trophy greeted by Sydney commuters as they made their way to work, with the Melbourne Cup display taking pride of place in Martin Place.
Public reaction was profound, with one woman expressing her disbelief at getting her photo with the famous trophy.
“I can’t believe the Melbourne Cup – the actual Melbourne Cup – is here, and it’s so easily accessible. I thought it would be in a bank vault somewhere,” she said.
“It’s a great experience for me, bring on the first Tuesday in November!”
For racing fans, the clear highlight was a touching reunion between champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy and 2000 Melbourne Cup winner Brew.
Brew, now 18 and a resident of Living Legends in Melbourne, provided a youthful McEvoy with an incredible stepping stone when together they saluted in the Melbourne Cup 12 years ago.
It was the first ride in the race for 20 year old McEvoy, who was just out of his apprenticeship, and it was clear he still had incredible affection for the son of champion sire Sir Tristram and Japan Cup winner Horlicks.
In fact, the number one jockey for Darley plans to take his two children to Living Legends so they can meet the horse that catapulted their father to stardom – such is the power of the Melbourne Cup.
The Emirates Melbourne Cup next heads across the Tasman to Auckland, before returning to New South Wales for the Wyong Cup in the first week of September.