House and Caulfield Cup hero Incentivise – lined up in the Lexus Melbourne Cup, while 2020 saw eventual Lexus Melbourne Cup heroine Verry Elleegant secure a berth with her win in the Caulfield Cup. From 1964 to 2018, the race – which was known as the Duke Of Norfolk Stakes until 2004 when it was renamed for former Victoria Racing Club chairman and Melbourne Cup-winning owner Andrew Ramsden – was contested over 3200m. It was the only race besides the Lexus Melbourne Cup to be run over the Flemington two miles each year. While the Duke Of Norfolk Stakes and the Lexus Melbourne Cup were run over the same distance, only one horse completed the double – the Lloyd Williams-owned What A Nuisance, who won the Duke Of Norfolk in 1984 before returning in 1985 to claim the nation’s biggest prize. He would be the first of six Lexus Melbourne Cup winners to carry the famous Williams navy and blue, joined eventually by Efficient, Green Moon, Almandin, Rekindling and Twilight Payment, while Williams also owned Just A Dash. Ecstatic connections of Steel Prince (IRE) celebrate with Damien Oliver after winning the The Andrew Ramsden in 2019, booking themselves a spot in the Lexus Melbourne Cup. (Pat Scala/Racing Photos)
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