Top contenter in the Brisbane Melbourne Cup event stakes is ...

It's odds on that this will be the hottest Melbourne Cup Day event this year - the AEIOU Foundation lunch at Stokehouse at The Parklands, South Bank.

Yet to open, Stokehouse is a feature of the new development at the former Boardwalk site with a 120-seat restaurant, a bar with a wide open deck and a separate mezzanine level for private events, each of which boast stunning views of the Brisbane River and CBD.

The Melbourne Cup Luncheon for the AEIOU Foundation will be the first event held at Stokehouse, which opens its doors in November this year.

Guests at this event will watch the thoroughbreds while indulging in Champagne Pol Roger and a five-course lunch accompanied with a selection of wines from New Zealand winery Craggy Range. The menu will include Mooloolaba spanner crab tartlet with celeriac remoulade, caviar, chervil; Crayfish and reef fish tortelloni with tomato, white wine and parsley; ‘Q’ farm lamb sirloin with baby peas, candied pumpkin and morels; all perfectly wrapped up with “The Bombe” – strawberry sorbet,white chocolate parfait and toasted meringue.

Guests can also enjoy an array of rare wines at The Tasting Table and Stokehouse’s own version of Fashions on the Field with a salon-style showing of the latest looks from Samantha Ogilvie and Mitchell Ogilvie.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Cup day without the chance to place a bet, so the luncheon will include a sweep with mystery prizes and at 2pm “the race that stops a nation” will be broadcast on plasma screens throughout the restaurant.

Tickets are $250 per head and all proceeds will go to the AEIOU Foundation – for children with autism. The AEIOU Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing a professional, full-time early intervention program of the highest quality for children aged 2 ½ to 6 who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. There will also be an exclusive item auctioned on the day to raise funds for the foundation.

Book your ticket through AEIOU on (07) 3320 7575.

See the rest of the Melbourne Cup function line up here