The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) has announced the addition of the Australian Heritage Cup (2800m) to this year’s Melbourne Cup program at Flemington.
The new race, restricted to Australian and New Zealand-trained horses, will be the final event in a series of qualifiers held across the country, from Kalgoorlie to Queensland.
The Australian Heritage Cup replaces the Benchmark 96 race traditionally held on the same day and will offer a boosted prize pool of $250,000, an increase of $100,000 from the previous event.
“To have a runner on Melbourne Cup Day is a huge honour, and the Australian Heritage Cup will give Australian and New Zealand-based trainers the opportunity to be at Flemington on the biggest day of the year,” said VRC executive general manager racing, Leigh Jordon.
“The race has always been a platform for young, progressive stayers to test their credentials at Flemington, with previous winners including The Map and White Marlin, and we expect another strong field this year.”
The qualifying series kicks off with the Listed Kalgoorlie Cup (2300m) on October 5, followed by races at Caulfield and Warwick Farm on October 16, Launceston on October 18, Eagle Farm on October 19, and Morphettville on October 26.
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