Legendary race caller Greg Miles with Forbes jockey Cat Newcombe and local race caller Col Hodge with the 2022 Melbourne Cup in Forbes on Monday. Work on the cup starts well in advance and the finished trophy is delivered one year and one week out of the race.
There was a special sparkle in the Forbes Town Hall on Monday when plenty of residents got to hold 18 carats of gold in their hands.
“There is no other single item in Australia made from so much gold,” said Joe McGrath, Melbourne Cup Tour Manager.
The 1.65kg of gold for this year’s cup came from Evolution’s Cowal Mine about 100km from Forbes, which made the photo opportunity with the cup even more special for Forbes locals.
The Melbourne Cup Tour included Forbes as one of its 33 destinations this year, and after the event at the town hall, Jemalong Village residents had the Cup come to them specially.
“The Melbourne Cup represents so much starting in 1861 at the heart of the gold rush era, and going for 162 consecutive years,” said Joe.
Before residents lined up for their moment golden glory, legendary race caller and Melbourne Cup Ambassador Greg Miles shared the stage with local horse racing ‘celebrities’ Cat Newcombe and Col Hodges. Cat, who was a professional jockey for seven years, said it was a real privilege to see the Melbourne Cup in Forbes.
Local race caller Col Hodge said Greg was the best caller and after more than 50 year he was still learning from him.
Greg said his love of racing started in primary school when he used to listen to the races on the radio with his father every Saturday afternoon. That was when he decided to become a race caller, and in 1981 he called the Melbourne Cup at the age of 22. “I was still there 36 years later. It never felt like I was going to work.”
Greg’s enthusiasm for racing rubbed off as the air filled with excitement and bright smiles when students from Forbes Primary School lined up alongside older residents for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Shane Wode, who is known for doing Forbes Show announcements, has a great interest in the Melbourne Cup and made sure not to miss the opportunity to hold the cup.