Persan was involved in a terrifying crash that also brought down War Baron at Randwick last year. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images

The day that a nation said goodbye to Winx, another group of owners sensed they might be saying a far more painful farewell.

Since 1882, New Zealand–bred horses have won 40 Melbourne Cups, British-bred horses five, American-bred horses four, Irish-bred horses four, German-bred horses two. Phar Lap, the most famous horse in Australia racing history, wins his only Melbourne Cup in three attempts as a heavy favorite. 1932, 1934 Peter Pan wins in these two years, the only horse to win two non-consecutive Cups. Horse Racing Melbourne Cup. 66 likes 1 talking about this.

As Persan crashed to the turf in the first race on Queen Elizabeth Stakes day at Randwick last year, the owners immediately feared the horse would never race again – let alone end up in a Melbourne Cup.

But from that extraordinary day, Persan has taken his owners on a magic carpet ride.

After venturing to Victoria for new trainers Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace this year, Persan’s road to the Melbourne Cup kicked off with third placing in a Wangaratta maiden in April.

On the 10th start of his campaign, he scored a golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup by winning the Bart Cummings at Flemington.

James Bester, who bought Persan as a weanling in 2017 and has remained in the ownership during an extraordinary journey, recalls the fall.

“It was absolutely horrifying,” Bester said.

Persan falls at Randwick last year. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images

“I was watching it from home and I jumped up out of my chair when Persan got into third spot and was about to challenge and fight out the finish.

“He and his stablemate War Baron came together and the next thing he clipped the heels of the eventual winner in front of him and down he came, flat on his back.

“Right away I thought he had broken his leg.

“He was on the ground and I thought that was it for him.

“Then I thought there were 50,000 people there and it was in front of the winning post and it was race one on Winx’s farewell day. It could have ended awfully.”

Glyn Schofield, who rode Persan, attends to Andrew Adkins, who was on board War Baron, after they both fell. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images

Persan showed early signs of his toughness when the then two-year-old somehow emerged unscathed and raced just seven days later.

He stayed with David Payne in Sydney until late last year when he was almost sold to Singapore.

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“A couple of the owners had decided to sell him to Singapore but they ran it past the other owners and some of the owners said no – they said they would match the Singapore offer,” Bester says.

“So two of the owners bought out the other owners but they were based in Melbourne and wanted the horse to race in Melbourne – that’s why he was sent to Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace.”

Persan is now safely in the Melbourne Cup field but the first Tuesday in November was a long way from the minds of connections when the galloper turned up at Wangaratta trying to win his first race in April.

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He finished third that day and the dream of the owners was then just to win a race – any race. That was accomplished the next month at Bendigo.

Still, the bar wasn’t set much higher for Persan.

“We just wanted to win a race and we all thought he was a handy horse based on various hints he had given along the way,” Bester says.

“It turns out he was just warming up in that Wangaratta maiden.”

Maher and Eustace always thought there was more to Persan than met the eye.

They were confident if he could get a spot in the Bart Cummings in October then he would put his best hoof forward and be able to snatch a Melbourne Cup slot.

That dream turned into reality in a dominant win.

“It’s been some ride with this horse,” Maher reflects.

“If you had told anyone you were going to run in the Melbourne Cup when you were lining up in a Wangaratta maiden they would have laughed at you.

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“The horse was a bit nervous when he arrived after his fall but if you could have planned what has happened, you couldn’t plan it any better.

“The goal for us was to win a race and have the horse get some confidence and then build on that.

“The team has done a really good job spacing his runs and bringing him all the way through.

“There is always this preconceived idea that you need to do things certain ways – we have actually just trained the horse how we best think suits him to get all the way through.”

Maher and Eustace have a far more fancied Cup runner in Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet, bought for big bucks from overseas. Rag and riches.

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This article was originally published by punters.com.au and reproduced with permission