Dream come true for owners of Melbourne Cup runner Prince of Penzance
THESE mates kept their decision to buy a racehorse secret from their partners, thinking it might just win one country meet. Now they’re the proud owners of a Melbourne Cup winner.
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SIX mates have lived their Melbourne Cup dream.
Describing themselves as “small fry owners’’, the men decided to pool their cash and buy a nag they hoped might win at a country meeting.
Five years later they are part-owners of a Melbourne Cup winner — Prince Of Penzance, nicknamed POP.
“We are still pinching ourselves,’’ co-owner Sam Brown said.
The syndicate — a podiatrist, a couple of engineers, an IT consultant, a solutions expert and a producer — bought a couple of tried racehorses but found only limited success after chipping in $5000 each.
Keeping it secret from their wives and girlfriends, they scraped together enough cash for one last try — buying a 10 per cent stake in a yearling.
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The horse they have fallen in love with, Prince Of Penzance, has beaten the odds.
Despite sickness and injury, POP has netted more than $600,000 in prizemoney from 23 starts and before the ultimate triumph in the Melbourne Cup.
“It was a pure last throw at the stumps,’’ Mr Brown said.
“We didn’t even know if he would make the racetrack or not.
“We had no money left for more horses so we were prepared to get out of the game if he was no good.’’
Rather than throw in the towel, the team instead saw their beloved horse jump from barrier 1 as a $101 outsider.
They are odds the team was more than willing to take, believing he could run better than most punters think.
“We still can’t believe it and are shaking,’’ Mr Brown said prior to the race.
“We have no expectations. Just to have a runner in the race is unbelievable.
“We are planning to enjoy the day and soak up the atmosphere.’’
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