Mitsubishi winner rocked: "I was fully focused on Mac's Damage"
It took Brett Sheilds a few moments to realise he had won the Chase Your Dream promotion on Melbourne Cup night.
It took Brett Sheilds a few moments to realise he had won the Chase Your Dream promotion on Melbourne Cup night.
A carpenter by trade, Brett was one of eight people drawn and allocated a runner in Saturday night’s Sportsbet Melbourne Cup, and being the fifth person drawn, he was matched to number five Aussie Rocks.
Despite the fact he knew there were a number of cool prizes up for grabs, including a brand-new car, his allegiance was with another Cup runner, Mac’s Damage.
Sheilds, from Metung, is married to Christine, sister of Harley Whelan, who trains Mac’s Damage.
“To be honest, winning the car felt like a pipedream – even if Aussie Rocks had got up and won – so I was fully focussed on Mac’s Damage during the entire race,” he said.
“I saw Mac’s Damage was in second position turning for home and I was just cheering for him as hard as I could.
“Then I saw he got beaten, but from where we were standing I couldn’t tell who had won, and I wasn’t even thinking that Aussie Rocks might have got up.
“But then someone told he won and I still didn’t believe it.”
Before he knew it, Brett was on live television, as a crowd gathered around to watch him select a box.
“Number two was my footy number but that was already chosen. Christine’s lucky number is four but that was already gone as well. So, I went with number six, because my son Jimmy was born on the 6th of November.”
The decision proved a masterstroke as Brett secured a brand-new Mitsubishi Outlander valued at $39,000.
With Mac’s Damage collecting $100,000 for running third in the Cup – it was a night the family will never forget.
With four boxes left to choose from – three of which contain a $10,000 cash prize – make sure you’re on track for The Phoenix at The Meadows for your chance to win.
The Sportsbet Dream Chasers Festival is back!
With over $4.1 million in prize money up for grabs, The Meadows and Sandown Park again play host to these blockbuster events, including the $1million Group 1 Sportsbet Melbourne Cup and the most exciting race in greyhound racing, The Phoenix.
Sportsbet Topgun
The Sportsbet Topgun is sensational night of action with three Group 1 races. Watch Australia's best hand-picked greyhounds battle it out for over $500,000 in prizemoney.
The Shootout
The Shootout is Australia’s speed championship, with four of the fastest greyhounds in the country racing for top honours.
Melbourne Cup Heats
Melbourne Cup Heats night is possibly the best quality night of racing in the world with 8 x heats featuring the best dogs in the country.
Melbourne Cup
The Sportsbet Melbourne Cup is considered the world's greatest greyhound race, carrying $1M in prizemoney and boasting an honour roll that's unrivalled.
The Phoenix
Not only is The Phoenix the newest, most exciting race in the calendar, it's the richest greyhound race in the world, with a total prize pool of $1.65million and a $1 million winner’s cheque.