Our 5 year old city winning gelding Hemlock Stone has now become our champion! What a blast, what an enormous thrill for his owners, and what words can you possibly come up with that effectively describe the feelings, the emotions, and the excitement of winning your home town cup.
Not since 1947 when the winner shocked the post war crowd coming in at 66/1 has there ever been a bigger priced winner of the Perth Cup than Hemlock Stone who officially started at 90/1-although 100/1 was freely on offer for those who looked a little further afield. And to the best of my knowledge, after much research, no winner of the Perth Cup has ever had as many individual owners as Hemlock Stone has. In short, he’s a history making, record breaking racehorse. He’s become a genuine people’s horse if ever there was one. There are no billionaires, leviathon owner/breeders, nor property tycoons in the ownership group. Just regular everyday people such as a teacher, a policeman, office workers, retirees, and a handful of small business owners including Matt the retic guy, Andy the recruitment guy, and John the building supplies guy. Oh, and James, a self confessed bogan who celebrated the win with a couple of Jacks, a crafty spliff, and a bottle of bubbles for ‘the redhead’! James sent me a text the next day telling me that with what he’s won, he’ll be paying his mortage off next week…
For those owners, today it’s the Perth Cup. Tomorrow? Who knows? That’s the beauty of it. Every owner of Hemlock Stone regardless of what percentage they have, will now go down in the annals of horse racing history as Perth Cup winning owners. It’s a dream come true. But dreams don’t come true by accident.
Every single owner of Hemlock Stone took a chance. They believed in the magic of horse racing. The unpredictable, breathtaking, heart-pounding thrill of it all. They didn’t buy a small share in a racehorse in the hope of getting rich. They bought in because they dared to dream.
And what a dream it’s turned out to be!
From the moment Hemlock Stone unleashed his amazing, powerful burst down the outside and crossed that finish line first, life for his owners shifted. Strangers hugged like old friends. Tears of joy streamed down faces as cheers erupted, filling Ascot Racecourse with the raw, unfiltered joy that only moments like this can bring. This wasn’t just a win; it was a moment. A moment to treasure, to brag about. A moment to tell their children about. A fabulous story to tell their grandchildren someday.
Hemlock Stone reminded us all why we fall in love with this sport. It’s not just about the prizemoney or the betting odds. It’s about the incredible athletes, the very heartbeat of the sport, the horses that we love and cheer for every step of the way. And it’s about the people—the dreamers, the believers, and the adventurers willing to take a chance and embrace the journey. Regular, everyday Aussies that are prepared to ‘have a go’.
If you’ve ever dreamed of standing in the winner’s circle, of hearing your horse’s name announced to the roar of the crowd, of experiencing the ultimate racing fairytale—now is the time. Because dreams don’t wait.
A share in a racehorse isn’t just a ticket into ownership—it’s a ticket into a world of possibilities, new friendships, and memories that will last a lifetime. And who knows? Maybe next time it’ll be your name that goes down in the history books.
Hemlock Stone’s story proves one thing: when you dare to dream, anything is possible!