Dear me, not another Singohardluck tale

FOR a man who has been blessed in life, John Singleton takes unusual delight in talking about the misfortune he claims to have suffered at the racetrack.

im Cassidy, John Singleton, and Clarry Connors,

FOR a man who has been blessed by both conspicuous wealth and an eventful life, John Singleton takes unusual delight in talking about the misfortune he claims to have suffered at the racetrack.

Perhaps not the most recent episode. The bitter falling out with his long-time friend and trainer Gai Waterhouse that captivated readers of both the form guide and the gossip pages.

The wounds from that very public split are still too raw for Singleton to include it in his vast stable of equine anecdotes.

But the many cases where not even Singleton's fame and fortune could guarantee success still trip off the tongue. Many of those involving the Melbourne Cup. There was the time in the early 1970s when legendary owner Dato Tan Chin Nam, then an unknown Malaysian property developer, offered the young Singleton and his business partner a share in a horse. Neither could afford the asking price, which, when Think Big won the 1974 and 1975 Cups, was the source of deep regret.

In 1986, cartoonist and part-time trainer Larry Pickering gave Singleton "an ear'' in his Melbourne Cup runner Rising Fear because, he says, "I owned half of everything else in his bloody stable''.

But, Singleton (quite literally) swears Pickering spent the last week teaching Rising Fear how to bow in the hope of a staging an elaborate celebration and he finished second to At Talaq.

"There was Veloso (1983) which was favourite until it drew barrier 21,'' says Singleton, continuing his tale of misery. "Finished fifth. So did Zegalia (2003) which got another wide barrier.''

Which leaves Singleton to ruefully concede his greatest thrill in the big race was provided by Sunshine Sally in 1991. "She the led the race for 2400 metres,'' he says. "Let's Elope only led for about 400.''

That Let's Elope won and Sunshine Sally finished dead last? "Well, she gave us a thrill,'' he said. "She was trained by George Hanlon. I remember going up to his property and he had a big cake with icing and sultanas. Turned out the sultanas were flies.''

This time the horse carrying Singleton's hopes is Dear Demi, a four year-old mare bred on his Central Coast property with the Melbourne Cup in mind.

Singleton usually puts the equivalent of the fifth place prize on a horse in a big race. This time he reckons his stake is closer to the 10th place money - about $100,000. But because of the Dear Demi's big odds - his bets started at 100-1 - he stands to win up to $10 million in wagers and prizemoney.

Singleton calls this a "sentimental bet''. But with his form analyst Peter Dawkins rating Dear Demi a $12 chance, he thinks he's gotten big overs.

Veteran trainer Clarry Connors is another colourful part of Dear Demi's story. And on the day, the ride will fall to the only member of the veteran entourage who has won a Cup, jockey Chris Munce. Since winning on Jezabeel in 1998, Munce has served two years in prison after being convicted of supplying race tips in Hong Kong. Subsequently, he won the 2010 Caulfield Cup on Descerado and, last year, had treatment for throat cancer.

The type of eventful background somehow, seems apt for one of Singleton's typically Quixotic tilts at the Melbourne Cup. Imagine the stories that will be told over far more than a beer or two should Dear Demi lead at the end of the race, not just the start.