Wairarapa racing fans have a real chance to get up close and personal with one of the sport's most prestigious trophies when the 2014 Melbourne Cup comes to town later this month.
The cup will be arriving in New Zealand from Melbourne, complete with minders, to begin a Heartlands tourand Wairarapa Racing Club - in conjunction with Trust House - have secured it for this district.
In fact Wairarapa will be the first port of call with the cup being on show in Featherston on Saturday, July 26 and in Martinborough and Masterton the next day.
The tour is being undertaken by Victoria Racing Club on whose Flemington racetrack the Melbourne Cup is staged each November, in partnership with the New Zealand Racing Board. Wairarapa Racing Club is gearing up for celebrations next year marking its 150th year in existence and, ironically, so too is Victoria Racing Club which also started life in 1864, although the running of the cup itself dates back a further three years.
The cup on tour will be the genuine cup - not a replica - in all its golden glory.
Wairarapa Racing Club treasurer Garrick Emms said people will not only get an opportunity to see it but also to photograph it and to talk to one of the cup's winning jockeys.
That rider is expected to be retired hoop John Marshall who rode Rogan Josh to victory for cups' king Bart Cummings in 1999.
There will also be various racing silks and other memorabilia on display.
On July 26 the cup will be on display for a Kids Show in the Anzac Hall in Featherston from 2pm to 4pm after a media-only stop at the track earlier in the day.
Then, in the evening there will be a ticketed gala night in the hall at $30 a head with guest speakers, prizes for the best Melbourne Cup attire, spot prizes, finger food and a cash bar.
The next day the cup tour will travel to Martinborough for a residents-only visit to Wharekaka Home in mid morning before going on the Pukemanu Tavern where the cup will remain on display from 11am until 2pm.
Masterton will be the final stop with the cup being on display at the Kuripuni Tavern from 3.30pm until 5pm.
