THE race that stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup, also captured the attention of Adelaide’s northern suburbs last Wednesday as the 2019 trophy toured St Patrick’s Technical College.

The Edinburgh North school was one of 75 communities or organisations that applied to host the $200,000 trophy as it travels through Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, China and the  United Kingdom before the big race is run at Flemington on November 5.

Australia’s most accomplished female jockey Clare Lindop, who has ridden in the Cup three times, was joined by 2001 Cup-winning trainer Sheila Laxon and Victoria Racing Club’s Joe McGrath as
special guests on the day.

Ms Lindop welcomed guests to the event, which was catered for by the college’s hospitality students and raised money for Vinnies through donations, and spoke about what the race means to her.

“For me, the Melbourne Cup epitomises the true Australian ‘fair go’ attitude,” she said.

“Anyone can enter it, anyone can roll the dice, and with a bit of luck and opportunity, the hard work and hours of planning, months and even years of preparation can come together and the magnificent animals that we work with can take us all on the ride of a lifetime.

“Money, class and background doesn’t guarantee a winner, or make the horses run faster; it’s about the battling, fighting spirit as horse and rider work as one.”

Over the course of the event, guests also had the opportunity to pose for photos with the trophy – many of them seeing it close-up for the first time.

St Patrick’s Technical College principal Danny Deptula, who has been involved in racing for the past 30 years as an owner, said the opportunity to host the Cup as part of the world tour was “a bit of a dream”.

“Today is a proud day for the college, and a celebration more broadly of if you actually dream of something, and you believe in it, then you can achieve it,” he said at the event.

“As a VET-focused school, we identified this as a great opportunity to raise awareness for the wonderful pathways that are available through Vocational Education and Training, and in particular the racing industry as well.

“As a leader of flexible apprenticeships and traineeships in this state, today is also another great opportunity for us to promote our unique college and the extensive and wonderful links we have with all our industry partners.

“The Melbourne Cup is part of the fabric of Australian culture, and it does wonders in terms of bringing communities together in a positive way.”