People’s Cup visits Rochester and Nathalia alongside racing stars

Lexus Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne OAM and Cup winning trainer Sheila Laxon accompanied the iconic trophy to Rochester on Friday 4 October before champion jockey Jamie Kah took the Cup to Nathalia on Saturday 5 October.

The People’s Cup started its tour alongside Sheila Laxon at the Rochester Silos where the local community gathered to enjoy breakfast and have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hold the iconic trophy. The tour then made its way to visit the sports museum and a number of local businesses that had decorated their front windows with special Lexus Melbourne Cup themed displays.

In the afternoon, Michelle Payne joined in on the festivities, returning to Rochester where she grew up on a local dairy farm to visit the Rochester Pony Club where members were invited to bring their horse and have their photo taken with the Cup before Payne participated in a Q&A reflecting on her career and love of riding.

Students from the Rochester Pony Club dressed in jockey colours then paraded onto Windridge Oval alongside Michelle holding the Lexus Melbourne Cup and past Cup winning horses who now call Living Legends home, including 2015 winner Prince of Penzance, who Michelle rode to victory in 2015, and 2020 winner Twilight Payment. The community enjoyed an afternoon filled with family friendly activities including a petting zoo, a jumping castle and having their photo taken with Michelle and the coveted trophy.

Michelle said it was special to return to Rochester as part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

“It is heartwarming to return to Rochester where I grew up on a dairy farm and reconnect with a community that I know and love,” she said.

“The events have been wonderful, and I enjoy being part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour which aims to give back to communities like Rochester who have experienced hardship with the recent flooding.

“It was heartbreaking to see what they went through so I’m just so happy to be here today to see how the town has rebuilt.”

On Saturday, the coveted trophy and Jamie Kah made their way to Northern Victoria where the tour stopped into the Nathalia Agricultural Show which was fittingly Lexus Melbourne Cup themed this year. Locals were delighted to have their photo taken with the Cup while Jamie took in all the action from meeting the animals to judging Fashions on the Field.

Jamie said it was a privilege to be part of the tour and share the iconic trophy with people on the road.

“I love being part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour and feel humbled to be able to share the magic of the People’s Cup with beautiful communities like Nathalia,” she said.

“The reception from the town has been fantastic, they have such an incredible community and the fact that they have chosen a Lexus Melbourne Cup theme for this year’s annual Nathalia Agricultural Show makes it even more special.

“I absolutely loved meeting all the families and a highlight was definitely sharing the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy with the little kids from the pony club!”

Rochester and Nathalia will be part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, an important VRC charity initiative which sees 24 rural and regional towns allocated a barrier and the correlating runner in the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup.

Two representatives from each of the 24 destinations will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Flemington, courtesy of the VRC, to watch the Lexus Melbourne Cup and cheer home their horse. The town with the winning horse will be presented with $50,000 to put towards a charity of their choice.

This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour will see the iconic trophy travel to 39 destinations, with the final route spanning six countries including Australia, Japan, USA, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Since its inaugural journey in 2003, the tour has travelled over one million kilometres, visiting more than 640 destinations to unite communities and provide a once-in-life-time opportunity to get up close and experience the magic of the People’s Cup. This includes visiting 482 schools, 401 hospitals and aged care facilities, participating in over 2100 community events and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for local fundraising initiatives.

For further information about the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour please visit MelbourneCupTour.com.au.