A winning Brew

2 March 2023 • Written by VRC

In 2000, trainer Michael Moroney had his first Melbourne Cup winner with Brew. He also trained Second Coming that year, which placed third. Here he describes how Brew has impacted his life.

Winning the Melbourne Cup with Brew in 2000 was life-changing. Brew crossed the line first and my other horse, Second Coming, ran third. I remember the horses coming out that morning and they both looked terrific. Second Coming had missed some work and Brew was the fittest one.

Brew had a great ride from Kerrin McEvoy – he was a young lad then who’d just served his apprenticeship. He was on barrier 24 and got a gorgeous run.

I was watching from the stand, and walking down the stairs after the race I was stopped and congratulated by so many people that I didn’t even get down to the yard to lead the horse in with the owners. From then on it was interviews and press conferences as well as the presentation. Later, as we left the course, a group of young blokes who didn’t know who we were told us how they had backed the Cup winner. They explained their logic; barrier 24, 24 horses in the race, 24 beers in a slab, and a horse called Brew!

"A few years earlier I’d dreamed that I trained a Melbourne Cup winner – and I dreamed it was Brew."

A few years earlier I’d dreamed that I trained a Melbourne Cup winner – and I dreamed it was Brew. I remember telling my wife that I’d dreamed that I won by two lengths with Brew who was number 24. My wife said, ‘Who is Brew?’ My dream didn’t make sense then though because, at the time, Brew was a three-year-old in work with Paul O’Sullivan, a trainer in Sydney.

He was a beautiful horse and then I happened to bump into Paul O’Sullivan and he told me Brew was under offer to buyers in Singapore, but the money hadn’t come through. So I said, ‘Can we have the option to buy him?’ Within 24 hours Brew was ours. The rest is history.

Brew is by the great Sir Tristram from Horlicks, the champion New Zealand race mare who ran a world record for 2400 metres when she won the Group 1 Japan Cup in 1989. This makes Brew the best bred horse to win a Melbourne Cup since the Second World War.

His win in the Cup led him to be named the 2000-2001 Champion Stayer in the Australian Horse of the Year awards.

The autumn following his win, he retired to become a mounted police horse. This was a short stint as his ‘unpredictable’ nature led him back to Mike Moroney’s stables for another short campaign on the track, before being retired in the spring of 2002.

He now resides happily at Living Legends.

BREW (NZ)

Bay Gelding

Foaled 24/11/1994 (Cambridge Stud, New Zealand)

Sire Sir Tristram (IRE)

Dam Horlicks (NZ) (Three Legs (GB))

Trainer Michael Moroney (Flemington)

Breeder Mr G W de Gruchy

Owners P A Moroney, Gurner’s Bloodstock Ltd (Mgr: A P Ramsden), G G Peterson, P D Leaming, C F Lindberg, R A Pegum, B A Schroder & P S Lindberg

CAREER STATISTICS

Country	Starts	Wins	2nds	3rds	Prizemoney
AUS	42	7	8	3	$2,383,290 (AUD)
NZ	2	0	0	0	$200 (NZD)

	Total Starts	Wins	2nds	3rds	Total Prizemoney
	44	7	8	3	$2,383,467 (AUD)

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

WON Group 1 Melbourne Cup (2000)

HONOURS

2000-01 Champion Stayer

Don't miss out on your chance to witness Australia's best three-year-olds at Flemington on Saturday 4 March for the time-honoured Group 1 Australian Guineas. Find out more and book your tickets to Australian Guineas Day. This is one race day on the calendar that you won’t want to miss.

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A winning Brew

BREW (NZ)

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