What started out as a bet has turned into the ride of a life-time as a couple of Canberra owners take on the world in the race that stops a nation.
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Good mates Philip Kouvelis and Manny Notaras each own a share in Single Gaze, Canberra's hope in the $6 million Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.
They were holidaying on the Gold Coast when the Magic Millions horse sales were on at the start of 2014.
Kouvelis had a tip that a Nick Olive-trained horse was a good chance at the Canberra races that Friday.
He told Notaras he'd let him in on it, on one condition - he went in on a horse with him if the tip got up.
Notaras agreed, the horse won and the following day Olive bought Single Gaze, a "scrawny little thing who didn't look much" who has blossomed into a gutsy little mare with more than $2 million in prizemoney.
She's also a gutsy little mare that finished second in the Caulfield Cup and has a realistic shot of placing in the Melbourne Cup.
"Nick had a runner in Canberra and was pretty confident it would win. I said, 'Manny, I'm going to give you a tip now, if it wins, you're going to buy a share in this horse'," Kouvelis said.
"The tip came off, the horse won ... and [Notaras] paid for his share winning that bet on that horse. That's how it all started."
Kouvelis was both "very nervous" and excited. He'll fly down to Melbourne on Saturday and begin to soak it all in ahead of Australia's biggest race.
Never in his wildest dreams did the real estate agent think he'd have a runner in the Melbourne Cup.
Kouvelis and Notaras, who flew down on Thursday, have been mates for years.
Notaras currently owns Manuka cafe Caphs, which Kouvelis originally owned, and the pair also have another quirky link.
Both their sisters have been crowned the Queen of Canberra.
Along with the Canberra owners, there's also a couple from Gundagai, the Harden-based breeders, Olive and ex-Canberran Richard Keeley, who now lives on the Gold Coast, and his son Nick.
The Melbourne Cup pits them against some of the biggest names in the world of racing - from Gai Waterhouse and Lloyd Williams, to Sheikh Mohammed, the owner of world-wide racing operation Godolphin.
Olive's foreman Billy Owen will do the honours at the barrier draw on Saturday night and they're hopeful of picking in the first 12.
Single Gaze will spend a relaxing Saturday morning at the beach, with Olive extremely happy with her condition ahead of the Cup.
"It's unbelievable, I just can't believe I've got a runner in the Melbourne Cup," Notaras said.
"I just can't explain it, it's just an unbelievable experience. It's wow, wow, wow. All of Canberra will be behind it.
"Any other year a horse that finishes second in the Caulfield Cup would be close enough to favourites in the Melbourne Cup.
"We're 40-50-to-one and the only reason is because we're from Canberra. She is in it up to her ears ... she can win it."
