GREATEST CUP NEVER RUN UNVEILED

Melbourne Cup winning jockeys, Glen Boss and Roy Higgins, joined Greg Carpenter, Terry Henderson and Mick Robins as well as special guests The Hon. John Brumby, Premier of Victoria, VRC chairman Rod Fitzroy and event MC Bruce McAvaney on Wednesday at the Melbourne Museum to launch The Slattery Media Group's new book – The Story of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s Greatest Race.

A celebration of this year’s 150th running of the Melbourne Cup, this beautiful coffee-table book – nearly four years in the planning – is filled with superb racing essays complimented by magnificent illustrations and images.

As part of the launch, ‘The Greatest Cup Never Run’ – a fictional Melbourne Cup field, featuring 24 of the most outstanding winners of the Cup – was announced by VRC deputy CEO Sue Lloyd-Williams, Racing Victoria chairman of stewards, Terry Bailey and Deputy Premier, The Hon. Rob Hulls. This release of this field has generated much debate over the past 24 hours.

Attendees at the book launch were treated to a Q&A panel, hosted by McAvaney and featuring Boss, Higgins, Carpenter, Henderson and Robins. The panel provided a unique insight into the characters, genius trainers, skilled riders and champion horses, who made the field and played a starring role in the commemorative book.

“The past 149 years has seen countless exhilarating, courageous and heartbreaking Melbourne Cups, and it is the stories and emotions that make up this iconic race that we wanted to capture in The Story of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s Greatest Race,” said Geoff Slattery. “This book is the most extensive historical and cultural account of the Melbourne Cup ever offered, an exciting depiction of the history of the Melbourne Cup and a testament to its incredible national and international significance.”

Thirty-five of Australia’s premier racing and sporting writers contributed to the book, including John Harms, Andrew Lemon, Neil Kearney, Bruce Clark, Adrian Dunn, Andrew Rule, Gerard Whateley, Danny Power, Jim McGrath and Mike Sheahan.

To find out more about The Story of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s Greatest Race click here.