Corey Brown: The feeling of winning the Melbourne Cup

His first victory followed the heartbreak of finishing a close second on Bauer in 2008. The memory stayed with Brown, leaving him wondering whether he would ever win Australia's most famous race.

“I remember thinking, maybe I'll never win a Melbourne Cup,” Brown recalls. “But when I won it on Shocking, the relief was just like this weight had lifted off my shoulders.”

After years of coming close, the breakthrough was an overwhelming experience. Brown describes the final moments of a winning Melbourne Cup as an emotion almost impossible to explain.

“If I could bottle that feeling and give people a taste of it, you couldn't put a price on it.”

“You go into this little bubble of your own once you know you're going to win that last 100 metres,” he says

By the time Brown returned to the winner's circle aboard Irish stayer Rekindling in 2017, he knew what it took to reach racing's ultimate prize. The second victory was another special chapter in a career defined by determination, patience and an intimate understanding of the Melbourne Cup.

For Brown, the race's significance extends beyond personal achievement. Raised in racing, he has always understood its place in Australia's sporting heritage.

“I grew up in racing, so to watch the Melbourne Cup every November was just something I was born into,” he says.

“It's part of our history. It's our heritage. There's nothing like it.”