Two First Nations stories. Two remarkable connections between Far North Queensland and Flemington. Almost a century apart. 

On Tuesday 15 September, the Lexus Melbourne Cup comes to NorthSite Contemporary Arts for a special community event that brings First Nations history and achievement to the forefront, connecting the story of Yidinji boy Lani Mulgrave Blair with the extraordinary racing legacy of Cairns-raised jockey Frank Reys.

Presented alongside NorthSite’s exhibition The Ghosts of Lani Mulgrave Blair, From the Mulgrave to Flemington explores these distinct stories and their connections to Country, identity, family and one of Australia’s most significant racing places. 

Taken from the Mulgrave River region during a period of frontier violence and transported to Melbourne in the nineteenth century, Lani appears in Carl Kahler’s monumental painting Derby Day at Flemington (1886). His presence within the spectacle of Flemington provides an extraordinary visual connection in tracing his life away from Country. 

Almost 90 years later, Frank Reys — born in Far North Queensland to a Filipino father and Aboriginal mother — would forge his own connection with Flemington. After beginning his racing career in North Queensland, Reys rode Gala Supreme to victory in the 1973 Melbourne Cup, becoming the first Aboriginal jockey recognised as winning Australia’s most famous horse race. With members of the Reys family invited to be part of this special occasion, the event creates an opportunity to recognise and share First Nations stories embedded within Australian history — from the confronting legacies of colonisation and displacement to achievement, family legacy and sporting history. 

As part of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour, locals and visitors will also have a rare opportunity to experience the ‘People’s Cup’ up close, hold the iconic trophy and capture their own photograph with it. 

For three hours, NorthSite becomes a meeting place between Country, culture, art and racing — inviting audiences to encounter the Melbourne Cup through a distinctly Far North Queensland lens and discover the First Nations histories that connect the Mulgrave River to Flemington.

Photos with the cup available from 11am-2pm, join us and explore the incredible stories at NorthSite Contemporary Arts –  From Gimuy to Flemington: Where Art, History & Racing Meet.