Residents of the tiny New South Wales town of Louth experienced the magic of the People’s Cup on the weekend, when the coveted trophy visited the town as part of the 16th annual Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.
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The visit from the iconic trophy provided a much needed boost to the drought-stricken community, with the Cup participating in a number of exciting community activities.
This included visiting Louth Public School’s annual school fete, where Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour Ambassador John Letts enthralled the school’s five students with his Melbourne Cup-winning stories.
Letts also accompanied the People’s Cup to the nearby town of Bourke, where residents at the local nursing home and hospital were pleasantly surprised to see the $200,000 trophy on their doorstep.
The Tour also visited the famed Dunlop Station in Louth, where a crowd of locals and tourists gathered to tour the historic homestead and get photos with the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy.
On Saturday August 11, the 18-carat gold trophy attended the Louth Races, where thousands of racegoers descended upon the outback NSW town for the 60th anniversary of the legendary race meeting.
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Louth Turf Club Secretary Annabel Strachan said the entire community was honoured to be a part of this year’s Tour.
“It was a privilege and to host the Lexus Melbourne Cup at Louth – what a wonderful weekend of racing. The whole town was thrilled,” Ms Strachan said.
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The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will now head to the Northern Territory, where it will visit Darwin and Katherine. Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour Ambassador and jockey Chris Symons will accompany the Tour on its journey to the top end of Australia.
Since its inaugural year in 2003, the Tour has travelled more than half a million kilometres and visited more than 400 regional, rural and metropolitan destinations, providing communities with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
