VRC to honour Melbourne Cup heroes

The Victoria Racing Club will honour some of the biggest names in Australian racing by awarding honorary life memberships to trainers and jockeys who have won the prestigious Melbourne Cup.

The VRC announced on Tuesday that icons such as Glen Boss, Craig Williams, and Gai Waterhouse will be among those recognised during a special ceremony at this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington.

“We’re really excited about this announcement. We think it’s a special thing and are delighted with the opportunity to be able to do this,” said VRC Chairman Neil Wilson.

“Trainers and jockeys that have won the Lexus Melbourne Cup will be awarded an honorary membership for the rest of their life.

“An honorary member is someone we recognise for their contribution to the club and in this case very much to the club but also to the greatest race in Australia.”

Wilson explained that recipients would receive a unique badge to commemorate their achievement, highlighting their status as Melbourne Cup-winning participants.

“We’re preparing a special representation of their memberships. There will be a membership badge that will recognise that they’re an extra special member that has won the Lexus Melbourne Cup as a jockey or a trainer,” he said.

“There will be a special presentation and it follows on from last year when we put up honour boards that showed the winners from the very beginning of the first Melbourne Cup all the way right through to last year’s Melbourne Cup when the words were actually inscribed on the day.”

With the Melbourne Cup continuing to grow in global significance, this gesture adds another layer of prestige to those who have claimed Australian racing’s biggest prize. For punters, keeping an eye on Cup form and futures markets is a must, and you can find all the top betting offers via our recommended betting sites.