Naas To Welcome Melbourne Cup During Ballyhane Stakes Day

[Wandering Eyes]

The Lexus Melbourne Cup will be at Naas Racecourse during the €300,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes Day, on Monday, Aug. 5.

Besides celebrating the iconic Australian race, the course will also venerate the legacy of Kildare man Robert Cooper Bagot, whose contributions helped shape one of the world's greatest races, and the experience of the Melbourne Cup.

“The Race That Stops a Nation” will be run for the 164th time this year, and will offer prize-money of A$8.4 million. The trophy itself is valued at A$750,000. The trophy travels 110,000 kilometres, visiting 39 destinations globally before returning to Melbourne for the race on Nov. 5.

Cooper Bagot, born in 1827 in County Kildare, emigrated to Australia in 1849, prior to becoming the first secretary of the Victoria Racing Club in 1864. His redesign of the Flemington racecourse and successful lobbying for a Melbourne Cup Day half-holiday expanded the race's appeal.

There will also be a Treo Eile ex-racehorse parade that day, which will include the dual Melbourne Cup placegetter Max Dynamite (Fr) (Great Journey {Jpn}), and the first race on the day is due off at 2:20 p.m. For more information about the event and schedule, please visit the Naas website.

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