Melbourne: Melbourne Cup, the race that stops a nation brought the city of Melbourne to a standstill on Monday during the pre-event parade that saw the connections of the 24 contenders vying for glory, being driven in Classic cars.
Tens of thousands of people, young and old, lined the city’s streets to watch the procession travel through Melbourne’s central thoroughfare and watch Lord Mayor Robert Doyle and VRC Chairman Michael Burn arrive with the $175,000, 18-carat gold Emirates Melbourne Cup, to be presented to the winning owner on Tuesday.
Primary schoolchildren dressed in jockey silks, Emirates cabin crew, and a host of dancers and musical performers travelling led the parade down Swanston Street.
International connections in attendance included trainers Sir Michael Stoute, Michael Bell, Willie Mullins, Ed Dunlop, Richard Charlton, Yoshitada Munakata and Yasutoshi Matsunaga and jockeys William Buick and Joao Moriera.
Martin Pakula, the Minister for Racing in Victoria, was delighted with the Carnival spirt that the Emirates Melbourne Cup Parade brought to the build-up Australia’s most famous horse race.
