1942 Melbourne Cup and 2015 Melbourne Cup!

The 2015 Emirates Melbourne Cup and the 1942 Melbourne Cup replica made its way to Sabah shores in August. The $175,000, 18-carat gold Emirates Melbourne Cup trophy commenced its annual Tour in July and will travel to 33 towns and cities across Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

The trophies were on display at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu on 12 August and Four Points Sheraton Sandakan 13-14 Augus as part of the Melbourne Cup Tour which includes a stop in Sabah in conjunction with Sandakan Day Memorial and the 70th year of the end of WWII on August 15. Sabah Tourism Board and the Victoria Racing Committee brought together the 2015 Melbourne Cup People’s Tour where the Cup visits towns and cities before the race each year. Melbourne Cup is an icon of Australian sporting and social history. “This tour reminds us of the sacrifice made by the Australian soldiers during WWII and people-to-people ties, and we thank Australia for bringing the Melbourne Cup on its annual tour to Sabah,” said Sabah Tourism Board Chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai. Also present were former prisoner of war (PoW) Lieutenant Leslie Bunny Glover of Queensland, 94 and race-trainer John Meagher, who trained What A Nuisance to victory during the 1985 Melbourne Cup. During the event, the Queensland Sandakan PoW Family and Friends Association President Michael Glover presented an RM1,000 cash donation in aid of the Ranau earthquake victims.