THERE'S a horse racing tradition in Ballarat almost as old as the famed Melbourne Cup itself.
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From the days of Walter Craig foretelling Nimblefoot's 1870 win to the Hollywood story of Michelle Payne, Ballarat has long played a part in making the first Tuesday in November a special day in our folklore.
And on October 2 this year, the famed three-handled gold cup will be making its way to Ballarat as part of a 39-stop tour of Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
Throughout its trip to Flemington, the 18-carat gold cup will be visiting schools, hospitals, aged care homes and racing groups helping to raise much needed funds for a number of local causes.
Ballarat is also one of 24 regional destinations allocated a barrier in this year's cup race.
Barriers will be drawn at random throughout the Tour, and the town which draws the barrier of the Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning horse will be presented with $50,000 to be put towards a charity for a local community initiative.
The full itinerary will be announced closer to the date.
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