Howlong Golf Resort and Howlong Progress Association have joined forces to make a special day of the most prestigious trophy, with activities commencing on the deck of the golf club at 3.00pm, through to 5.30pm.
A barbecue, face painting, jumping castle, raffles, sweeps and a half-hour Q and A session will be included in the big afternoon program.
From 3.15pm, the Melbourne Cup Ambassador and staff will share the cup with the community. At 4.15pm the ambassador and local champion jockey/trainer Alan Fitzgerald will take to the stage.
Beforehand, the prized cup will arrive at aged care facility Oolong House.
“It’s not every day that people of Howlong and district can come and be part of racing history so it’s a great opportunity for people to feel part of that history by handling the prized trophy,” Howlong Golf Resort General Manager Shaun Whitechuch told The Free Press.
In June this year, after receiving a record-breaking number of applications, the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) announced Howlong will play host to the milestone 20th annual Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.
This year’s milestone 20th edition will be unlike any other, visiting a total of 33 destinations across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with a number of Lexus Melbourne Cup heroes set to join the Cup on its journey.
“To say that I am shocked – but absolutely delighted – to be selected with a record number of entries and to be one of 33 regional towns in Australia is an understatement,” Mr Whitechurch said.
“Our operations manager Alannah Cusack, who came up with the idea to nominate us, was just blown away with the great news including Howlong in the tour. Our application, out of at least 90 in total, was obviously one of the better ones.”
Howlong will also be part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, which will see 24 rural and regional Cup Tour destinations across Australia be allocated a barrier for the 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
The town which draws the barrier of the Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning horse will be presented with a cash prize of $50,000 to put towards a nominated charity for a local initiative. “We have nominated Albury Wodonga Cancer Centre,” Mr Whitechurch advised.
Nearly 150 years ago, in 1873 at the Howlong racecourse (taken over by Howlong golf course), a horse race of a novel character occurred - the running of, Australia’s longest horse race, known as the Historia 100 mile horse race.
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