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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald

2023 Melbourne Cup tour is headed for the Hunter

The Melbourne Cup trophy in Newcastle in 2014.

The $600,000, 18-carat gold Melbourne Cup trophy is headed to Maitland as part of the 2023 tour.

The Victoria Racing Club has announced the tour will visit East Maitland Bowling Club on August 9.

A stable of racing legends will accompany the cup on the tour, which is set to visit 41 destinations including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Hong Kong and Japan.

Related: 2017 Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour arrives in Cessnock

Maitland will also be part of the Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep, which involves 24 rural and regional cup tour destinations being allocated a barrier for the Melbourne Cup.

The town which draws the barrier of the winning horse will be presented with a cash prize of $50,000 to put towards a nominated charity for a local initiative.

East Maitland Bowling Club president William Hopkins said the club was looking forward to being part of this year's tour.

"We look forward to coming together as a community and giving everyone a chance to see close up the trophy for the Melbourne Cup," he said.

Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson said there was a record number of applications for the tour this year.

"The $600,000, 18-carat-gold Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy is recognised everywhere as the people's cup, and we want it to be accessible to everyone and to support charity fund raising activity in each destination the cup visits," he said.

"This year we are very pleased to take the iconic trophy far and wide across Australia and to the most overseas locations of any tour.

"Since its inception, the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour has travelled to over 590 communities and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and community initiatives.

This year's tour will begin in Tokyo on June 10. The Melbourne Cup is on November 7.

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