Adelaide05 Aug 2010
With the trip to Sale marking the Tour’s first stop, the Cup’s Australasian journey is well and truly underway, continuing the journey to South Australia today, Thursday, 5 August, with a stop in Adelaide.
Melbourne Cup legends John Letts, Mick Robins and Jim Johnson are amongst some of the names that hail from the ‘City of Churches’, and the Tour’s visit offered the VRC an opportunity to pay tribute to these icons.
To provide an insight into the Melbourne Cup’s historical context, the VRC’s resident historian, Dr Andrew Lemon joined Melbourne Cup winning jockey, John Marshall, on the trophy’s visit to Adelaide.
Starting off with a fresh morning, the Tour entourage joined forces at the airport before heading off to visit the Windsor Gardens Vocational College, where students gaped in awe at the beautiful Melbourne Cup.
The inquisitive students engaged in a Q&A session with the Tour group, where John Marshall outlined the ins and outs of being an apprentice jockey and Dr Lemon highlighted the Cup’s link to Australia’s social, sporting and cultural history.
Dual Melbourne Cup winning jockey and local Adelaide star, John Letts later joined the Tour entourage in Rundle Mall for lunch and an interview with Channel Ten.
The Tour group then drove north to Gawler Racecourse which has recently launched a new function complex, and was hosting its very first race day on a Thursday.
Attracting more than 350 people, organisers were thrilled with the turn out, with guests flocking to see the coveted trophy first hand. Guests also enjoyed John Letts and John Marshall’s reflections on their Melbourne Cup experiences, and eagerly waited to have their photo with the Cup.
Home to the resting place of Melbourne Cup champions, Galilee (1966) and Gold and Black (1977), Gawler racecourse offered the Tour a perfect backdrop to reflect on the local community’s connection to the ‘race that stops a nation’ TM.
Each year, the Tour unravels new stories linked to the Cup, and through meeting Mr Jim Martin, a Gawler resident, who rode Gold and Black when he was the clerk of Gawler racecourse from 1980 to 1985, the Tour entourage discovered the champion horses’ human-like and playful nature.
Following interviews and photos with the local paper, The Bunyip, the Tour entourage ventured back to Adelaide where the Cup made a guest appearance on the Channel Seven news desk.
After a long and enjoyable day, the Tour group treated themselves to a delicious dinner at Salt by the marina in Glenelg, where the restaurateur was most impressed to have an exclusive sneak peak at the Cup.
The Emirates Melbourne Cup and its entourage were ready for a well deserved rest before a big trip to the west coast of South Australia, starting with Streaky Bay tomorrow on Friday, 6 August.
9:00am – 10:00am: Visit Windsor Gardens Vocational College
11:30am – 12:00pm: 150th Melbourne Cup Book signing - Borders Adelaide, 97 Rundle Mall
2:00pm – 4:00pm: Visit Gawler racecourse
6:00pm – 7:00pm: On news desk at Channel Seven Adelaide
*Please note that the above details may change closer to or on the day of the event
