Melbourne Cup puts croc farmer in mix with royalty

What other event would you have an NT croc farmer teamed with a kung fu master taking on a Saudi prince?

Mick Burns, Chairman of the Crocodile Farmers Association and part owner of the race horse, Constantinople.

In what other event would you have a crocodile farmer from the Northern Territory teamed with a kung fu master taking on a Saudi prince?

The first Tuesday in November still brings out the big names and turns Flemington into a playground for billionaires, though the structure of thoroughbred horse ownership means they get to rub shoulders with people from all walks of life.

Take Constantinople, the race favourite. Its ownership group ­includes former Seven Network boss Tim Worner; a pioneer in kung fu in Australia, Barry Pang; and Darwin crocodile farm owner Mick Burns. It is an eclectic mix, but Burns — who has won three Darwin Cups but is competing in his first Melbourne Cup — might be the most excited of them all.

“I don’t reckon you’d have many Territory croc farmers competing in the Cup. You’ll see me in there carrying on like a 12-year-old if we happen to win it,” he says.

Burns is in joint ventures with international luxury brands to supply crocodile skins. The sort of brands you’ll see in the luxurious Birdcage enclosure at Flemington. But even Burns’s business connections pale compared with those of Saudi Arabian prince Khalid bin Abdullah Al Saud, the biggest owner of another fancy, Finche.

The octogenarian prince is a long-time horse owner who has raced some of the best of all time, including Finche’s father, British champion Frankel.

Finche is the first horse he has raced in Australia, finishing fourth in the Melbourne Cup last year. Trainer Chris Waller has said Prince Khalid very much wants to win the Cup, proof that it is recognised around the world as a premier racing trophy even if he won’t travel to Australia for the event.

The prince has broken a longstanding habit in splitting the ownership of Finche with dozens of Australian-based racing aficionados. Some were owners in local superstars such as Winx and Black Caviar. Melbourne property financier Brae Sokolski is one. “Racing is a lot of fun and it is great for building partnerships.”

Waller has said it can be relatively easy to find an ownership group when you’ve got a Cup contender, something Nick Williams has plenty of recent experience in. “Once we find a good horse over in Europe the message goes around and the group is usually pretty quick to snap up the chance to be involved.”

Scion of racing legend and The List: Australia’s Richest 250 member Lloyd, Williams looks set to have three horses in the field this year to continue the family’s quest to add to its already bursting trophy cabinet which includes six Melbourne Cups.

Team Williams has an all-star cast in two of their chances, Master of Reality and Twilight Payment. The ownership group includes caravans magnate Gerry Ryan, music industry identity Michael Gudinski, Melbourne property identity Mark Wizel and a couple of old surfers in Quiksilver founder Alan Green, and Brian Singer, fresh from the $350m sale of Rip Curl.

Yet the richest all-star will be Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, perhaps the biggest spender on racing in the world with his Godolphin business. He has spent $1.2bn alone in Australia and broke through last year to win the Cup with Cross Counter. It will defend its crown.

Billionaire Cotton On founder Nigel Austin keeps a low profile, but he is likely to be in the mounting yard given his Rosemont Stud has a share in Mr Quickie, while the renowned Coolmore Stud, headed by Irish racing royalty John “The Boss” Magnier, and a couple of Sunday Times Rich List members, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, have the fancied Il Paradiso and Magic Wand.

Whatever happens, Williams says he is glad he and his father will share their horses’ fate with their wealthy mates. “We’ve had probably even more fun after we’ve lost races than when we’ve won them. It is important to get together to commiserate or celebrate.”