Macedon drew barrier 16 in the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep and cheered home the Anthony and Sam Freedman trained stayer Without A Fight in yesterday’s ‘race that stops a nation’™.
Macedon nominated Living Legends, home to many retired Melbourne Cup champions, as their charity of choice following the People’s Cup visit to the regional Victorian town in October.
melbournecuptour.com.au for further detail.
The iconic three-handled trophy attended a number of community events including an open day hosted by Macedon Lodge which saw the training facility open up the stables to locals and invite past Cup winners who now call Living Legends home including Twilight Payment, Efficient and Almadin to be involved in the festivities.
Macedon local Mark Player said the community was over the moon with the result.
“It was a tremendous privilege to host the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour at Macedon and celebrate the rich history between the Cup and Macedon Lodge,” Mr Player said.
“The community is extremely excited with the result, and we are delighted to donate the $50,000 to our nominated charity Living Legends, an organisation that we are closely aligned with.
“Living Legends plays a unique and highly important role in our industry and Andrew Clarke and his team are incredibly dedicated and passionate about what they do, and they provide so many people with real equine experiences on a daily basis. We are very excited to be able to support them in this way.”
Living Legends CEO Dr Andrew Clarke watched the race trackside at Flemington yesterday.
“The atmosphere on course was electric and Mark Zahra gave Without A Fight the perfect ride. The $50,000 will be a huge boost for our community programs which will help us continue to provide a space for the community to bond with our racehorse champions and promote a life after racing for all horses,” Dr Clarke said.
“A huge thank you to the VRC and Macedon Lodge.”
VRC Chairman Neil Wilson congratulated the community of Macedon and nearby Living Legends as the winning Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep destination.
“Macedon is a wonderful community and we’re delighted they won the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep and that they have decided to support the important work of Living Legends,” Mr Wilson said.
“Living Legends is home to many past Cup winners and is an excellent way for the community to connect with our elite equine athletes as they enjoy their retirement.
“The $50,000 will assist Dr Andrew Clarke and his dedicated team in keeping retired champions well cared for, and we look forward to continuing to support Living Legends and their work in the future.”
The national sweep is an annual VRC initiative which sees 24 rural and regional Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour destinations across Australia allocated a starting gate for ‘the race that stops a nation’ ™, the 2023 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Destination representatives are flown to Melbourne to watch the Lexus Melbourne Cup live at Flemington and to cheer the horse running in their towns allocated barrier home. The town which drew the barrier of the Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning horse receives $50,000 to put towards a charity supporting a local community initiative.
Those wishing to express their interest for the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour can visit melbournecuptour.com.au for further detail.
