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The Lexus Melbourne Cup has officially begun its four-month tour, travelling across Bass Strait to Tasmania for the first leg of the 17th annual Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.
Accompanied by two-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey John Letts, the first stop on the Tasmanian adventure was a visit to Devonport Racing Club, where Tasmania's in-form trainer Adam Trinder welcomed the Cup for breakfast.
Trinder gave an update on his champion filly Mystic Journey, the $11,000 purchase who captured the hearts of Australian racing fans when she won the $1 million Australian Guineas and the inaugural $5 million All-Star Mile at Flemington in March.
During the Tour's visit Trinder reflected on his family's strong connection to 'the race that stops a nation'™ and his aspirations for Mystic Journey.
"I've grown up with the Cup effectively…my grandfather was able to win [it] in 1972. I was able to participate in the Melbourne Cup parade down Bourke Street riding Piping Lane and actually led the Melbourne Cup field in 1992 on Piping Lane."
"With [Mystic Journey]… there could be an opportunity for her within the next two to three racing seasons to take a place in the Melbourne Cup and to see as to whether she is worthy of it.
"It's something that I have grown up with so if we were able to get our opportunity it would be terribly gratifying."
Following the visit to Devonport Racing Club, the People's Cup visited students at Latrobe Primary School and stopped in for afternoon tea at Armidale Stud, where Mystic Journey's sire Needs Further paraded for guests.
The Lexus Melbourne Cup will continue its Apple Isle adventure when it visits communities in Campbell Town and Hobart, before venturing to Perth on Monday with three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver.
A WA native, Oliver will share the magic of the Cup with students at Claremont Therapeutic Riding Centre and visit residents at St Bartholomew's House.
This year the three-handled trophy will visit 39 destinations across the globe, with the final route spanning six countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, China and the United Kingdom.
Since its inaugural year in 2003, the Tour has travelled more than 600,000 kilometres and visited more than 450 regional, rural and metropolitan destinations, providing communities with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the magic of the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
