Short favorite Point Law on Tuesday to victory in the Aus $10 million (US$7.2 million) Melbourne Cup, winning Ethan Brown’s debut in Australia “the nation that stops the nation”.
The three-year-old, once owned by King Charles, came home ahead of Zahrann and Juja Kibo in the 3,200-metre (two-mile) hurdles at Flemington.
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All three were trained at the top in phenomenal performances by Ciaron Maher.
“Don’t wake me up. It’s an amazing feeling,” Australia’s Brown said, while praising Maher.
“He did nothing but help me and he helped me and pulled me out many times on horses, and he just had nothing but faith.
“It’s been a bumpy road, it’s thrown a lot of challenges along the way.
It was the only start of the British sixth raider’s career and he had never raced over 3,200m.
He drew a first-half hurdle (ninth) and raised the bookies after winning the Browns Cup for Geelong’s lead.
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It was his Australian debut after being bought by Maher from King Charles earlier this year after placing fourth at Royal Ascot over 2,800m and winning the Bahrain Trophy (2,600m) at Newmarket.
“It’s been a whirlwind, but I’m proud of everyone’s team,” said Maher, who had an unprecedented seven horses in the race.
“As three horses in the first three meals, somehow, but I left proud.”
Maher had tasted victory before – in 2022 with Marco Zahra in the Golden Trip chair.
A cultural institution in Australia, the Melbourne Cup has been unveiled since 1861 and is considered as important as a public holiday in the state of Victoria.
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– I stayed cool –
He held the front of the crowd, drinking and feasting for many a race, with the sound of champagne corks being popped, with the sound of hooves.
21 on a soft track after overnight rain broke, another Maher horse, Royal Supremacy, went out hard and by 1,500mm was in the lead by eight lengths in the 23-strong pack.
With 1,000m to go, the lead was 20 lengths, but he tired and rolled slowly into the home straight with the point of law passing the swell at 150m.
Brown said he had a lot of faith that he could upset his charge in the Royal Supremacy, which eventually finished fifth, and just “stayed cool, stayed patient.”
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“And when he got a clear run, his foot turn was huge. He’s going to be a superstar horse. This horse is something special,” he said.
Jamie Melham, who steered Half of You to a juvenile victory in 2025, became the only other female rider to fail to repeat the feat.
Half Yours took a nasty fall at the Caulfield Cup last month and was unlucky in the race, with Melham instead of Future History outside, which came 16th.
In the previous drama, the 2020 champion horse Asterix, champion Jye McNeil, trained by Chris Waller, was scratched by stewards because he was banned from having muscle tension in both front legs.
Waller admitted it was a “simple mistake” and was fined.
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