“The whole region is fairly racing-crazy,” she said.

“We’ve got a big community of horse racing – trainers as well as race enthusiasts – in the Wimmera region, so it’s good to have it for people to come and celebrate the people’s cup, as they call it.”

The trophy will begin the day with a visit to the Sheep Hills Silo Art at 8am, before forming the centrepiece of a community barbecue at the Warracknabeal Lions Club Flora and Fauna Park run by the Rotary Club of Warracknabeal.

The barbecue, at 9.30am, is free to attend, with people welcome to hold the Melbourne Cup and pose for photos.

The trophy will then visit the Yarriambiack Lodge aged-care facility before making its final stop at Warracknabeal Racecourse for the running of the Sheep Hills Cup.

As part of the tour, two past Melbourne Cup winners – Prince of Penzance and Twilight Payment – will visit the town along with some prominent racing identities.

Longtime Warracknabeal Racing Club committee member Lance Huebner said the Melbourne Cup’s visit would be a milestone in the history of the Sheep Hills Cup, which was run at Sheep Hills for the final time in the 1960s before moving to Warracknabeal.

“Most of the community was there that warm summer’s day in 1966 to see Justice win the cup in a three-horse field on a flint-hard dirt track. It was the last time they raced at Sheep Hills after more than a century,” he said.

“This year’s meeting at Warracknabeal, with the Melbourne Cup on course and two champions in tow, will be the biggest highlight in the Sheep Hills Cup’s long history.”

Ms Beaton said being part of the Melbourne Cup Tour had the additional bonus of entering Warracknabeal into a national sweep.

“A part of this tour is that when you nominate to be one of the host towns, you put forward a local charity and during the Melbourne Cup race in November each club draws a barrier in a sweep,” she said.

“If the horse from that barrier wins, $50,000 goes to the charity you’ve nominated.

“We’ve chosen local disability-support service Woodbine, so it’s not just about the Melbourne Cup coming to town – there’s a real community purpose behind the tour.

“We’ll be following it up on Melbourne Cup day with a gathering for everyone out at the race club. We’ll be cheering on the horse from whatever barrier we draw, so we’ll be following it here as a bit of a social day as well.”

Ms Beaton said the trophy’s visit was a great way of bringing together the past and future of racing in the Wimmera.

“It’s good that it combines with the Sheep Hills Cup, because that race has been around for longer than the Warracknabeal Cup,” she said.

“Obviously it’s not held on the same racetrack, but it’s a race at a sort of junction where the modern meets tradition.

“It fits right in with the Melbourne Cup being quite traditional in nature, but then you’ve got this swarm of younger people wanting to be a part of it and the excitement it brings.

“The Melbourne Cup used to bring so much hope. It’s not just for racing enthusiasts – it still is the race that stops the nation.”