Horse racing history meets alpine wonderland when The Remarkables Ski Area hosts the Melbourne Cup on 8 October as part of the Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour.

Following a successful tender made by Gallop South, (the organisation that manages thoroughbred racing in Otago and Southland) to the Victoria Racing Club in Melbourne, the famous trophy will visit Queenstown, Wanaka, Cromwell and Arrowtown for the first time in history.

Ski Area Manager Ross Lawrence is looking forward to holding the cup aloft at The Remarkables during its visit to the area.

"It will be a memorable occasion for us. We usually do things on skis or boards rather than race horses up here but we’ll be delighted to hold the cup high for the photo opportunity and share the occasion with our guests," he said.

The Emirates Melbourne Cup is scheduled to arrive at the ski area at 12.15pm on Wednesday October 8 and will be on show for approximately 30 minutes before heading to its next destination.

"It’s a galloping visit but a wonderful privilege to be part of Melbourne Cup history," said Mr Lawrence.

The Emirates Melbourne Cup will officially ‘hit the road’ on the 29th of September for its 36-day Tour across Australia and New Zealand before arriving at Flemington on the 4th November for the running of the 148th Emirates Melbourne Cup.

The Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour highlights the heroes connected with the 147-year history of the illustrious race, and celebrates the cultural and social significance of the Melbourne Cup, while providing local communities with the opportunity to experience the Cup first hand.

Now in its sixth year, the Tour has travelled more than 125,000kms and visited more than 120 different towns and cities across Australia and New Zealand.