Emmy Award-winning director Simon Wincer confirms that principal photography for The Cup will commence in Australia on May 31. The veteran filmmaker who has crafted classics such as The Man From Snowy River, Lonesome Dove, and Free Willy has already completed second unit photography for The Cup at two key venues: The Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland, site of Dermot Weld’s training center; and Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, home of the Melbourne Cup, the world’s most prestigious two-mile handicap.

Wincer and his hand-picked team have already been scouting the Victoria countryside for locations that mimic key elements of the story. “We’ve already found the perfect Rosewell House,” says Wincer. “It’s as green as Ireland, and Dermot would be thrilled to train there.”