A select audience with a head for heights got a close-up view of the Melbourne Cup as it was taken around Auckland's Sky Tower Skywalk yesterday. The trophy is being shown off around the country before the 155th running of the event this year.
Former jockey Larry Olsen, 67, (pictured) who won the race atop Kensei in 1987, is taking the $175,000 cup to Cambridge today before heading to Wellington tomorrow and Taupo later in the week.
By the time he retired in 1998 at the age of 50, Olsen had amassed more than 1000 wins including 24 at Group One level.
He is an inductee of the Queensland Racing Hall of Fame, and has ridden in Hong Kong, Singapore and England.
The 18-carat gold Emirates Melbourne Cup trophy will travel to 33 towns and cities across Australia, New Zealand and, for the first time, Malaysia where it will join a special World War II memorial service.
