A Lexus Melbourne Cup calcutta will be held at Moree Services Club tonight, with a guaranteed starting pool of at least $1000.

The starting pool is expected to be greater as the auction gets closer, with strong ticket sales – at just one-dollar each – already recorded.

The huge fundraiser, supported by Regional Australia Bank, will sell off all 24 runners in tomorrow’s $10 million Lexus Melbourne Cup – the race that stops a nation.

The annual calcutta is a huge fundraiser for Moree charities and community organisations.

Moree Services Club donates 10 per cent of the final calcutta prize pool as well as an additional $1000 to the Regional Australia Bank’s Community Partnership Program.

Last year, Moree Cancer Support Group were handed $4000 after cup winner Knight’s Choice not only stopped the nation – it stunned the nation at odds of 80-1.

Moree Services Club CEO Rob Shields said the annual Melbourne Cup calcutta fundraising drive is a collaboration between the club and Regional Australia Bank.

“The Regional Australia Bank and Moree Services Club combine every year to run a Melbourne Cup calcutta for a nominated beneficiary, chosen by the bank, and the girls from the bank do a great job,” Rob said.

“The club puts up some of the money, the bank put up some of the money, and there is money raised on the night for the beneficiary.

“Sometimes we up the ante. The jackpot normally starts at $1000 and the club boosts it up to $2000.

“All proceeds go towards a great cause, so come along, support the community, and maybe walk away a winner,” Rob said.

The coveted Lexus Melbourne Cup (Image: VRC).

This year’s Melbourne Cup is again a wide-open affair, with race favourite, Caulfield Cup winner Half Yours, listed at $7 in early markets.

Al Riffa, Buckaroo, Presage Nocturne and Valiant King are all listed under $10, with imported runners Al Riffa, Meydaan, Absurde, Flatten the Curve, Onesmoothoperator, Furthur, Presage Nocturne, Parchment Party and Goodie Two Shoes giving the race an international flavour.

The Caulfield Cup is always a great guide, with this year’s winner, Half Yours, striving to become the first horse since champion New Zealand mare Ethereal captured the double 25 years ago with Scotty Seamer on board.

The Victorian Racing Club said in a media release published on Sunday, winning the Melbourne Cup is more than a race – it’s a moment that defines careers, unites a nation, and captures the very heart of Australian sport.

Ask any Melbourne Cup-winning jockey what it feels like to win the Melbourne Cup, and the answer is never quite the same – words can only go so far.

For champions riders like Damien Oliver, Glen Boss, Corey Brown and James McDonald, and dozens of others, it’s an emotion that lives somewhere between disbelief and pure euphoria.

“It’s one of the greatest feelings of all time,” said James McDonald, who won the race in 2021 on Verry Elleegant.

“You just hope for it, but when it happens, it’s goosebumps the whole way.”

For Glen Boss, who partnered the legendary Makybe Diva to a hat-trick of Melbourne Cups, the emotion is eternal.

“If I could bottle that feeling and give it to people, you couldn’t put a price on it. It is surreal, overwhelming, even otherworldly,” Boss told the VRC.

Melbourne Cup calcutta

Where: Moree Services Club

When: Monday, November 3

Time: 7pm

Tickets: One-dollar each

Moree Online News Flexi Trifectas

Trifecta #1

First: 24

Second: 1-2-6-8-9-10-14-16-17-18-19-20-21-23

Third: Field

Cost: $72 for 25 per cent

Trifecta #2

First: 1-2-6-8-9-10-14-16-17-18-19-20-21-23

Second: 24

Third: Field

Cost: $72 for 25 per cent

TOTAL COST: $144

You win some, you lose more

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