As ambassadors for the 15th annual tour of Australasia Mark de Mestre, grandson to five time winning trainer Etienne de Mestre and Joe Agresta, former track-rider for Bart Cummings will together partake in a series of exciting community events in Nowra.

Mark’s grandfather, Etienne de Mestre, trained Archer, the winning racehorse for the first Melbourne Cup race in 1861.

Under Etienne’s guidance and training, Archer went on to win the second Melbourne Cup in 1862.

Etienne de Mestre also trained Tim Whiffler, who won in 1867; Chester winner of the 1877 trophy and Calamia who was victorious in 1878, setting a record for training Cup winners that stood until 1977 when ‘Cup’s King’ Bart Cummings broke this record.

Joe Agresta was foreman for the great Bart Cummings (12 Melbourne Cup winners) for over 34 years.

In that period of time he saddled and worked the likes of So You Think (dual Cox Plate winner); Kingston Rule (1990 Melbourne Cup winner); Let’s Elope (1991 Melbourne Cup winner); Saintly (1996 Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup winner); Rogan Josh (1999 Melbourne Cup); Viewed (2008 Melbourne Cup); Shaftesbury Avenue (topline weight for age performer) and many other well performed horses.

VRC Chairman Amanda Elliott said she is thrilled to have Mark de Mestre and Joe Agresta join this year’s milestone 15th Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour giving communities across Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to meet a racing legend.

“The Melbourne Cup is ‘The ‘Race That Stops A Nation’™ and for 14 years the iconic trophy has toured our nation, bringing together communities to experience the magic and rich history of the Melbourne Cup,” Elliott said.

“In this its milestone 15th year, what better way to celebrate this iconic piece of Australia’s cultural heritage than to have heroes of the Melbourne Cup like Mark de Mestre and Joe Agresta join the Tour in Nowra.”

The Cup will visit Nowra on July 20, 2017.

Nowra, selected for its passion for racing and community spirit, was announced as a Cup Tour destination at a special event on May 30 at 2016 Emirates Melbourne Cup winning owner Lloyd Williams’ training facilities at Mount Macedon, Victoria.

The $200,000 Emirates Melbourne Cup will visit 31 destinations across Australia and New Zealand before returning to Flemington for ‘The ‘Race That Stops A Nation’™ on the first Tuesday in November.

Since its inaugural year, the Tour has travelled more than 494,000 kilometres and visited more than 377 regional, rural and metropolitan destinations, providing communities with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the magic of the Emirates Melbourne Cup firsthand.

Community members are encouraged to upload photos with the Cup to Facebook, using the hashtags #PeoplesCup and #EmiratesMelbourneCup, for the chance to win a trip for two to Flemington for the running of the 2017 Emirates Melbourne Cup.