- Richmond legends won big at the Melbourne Cup
- Jack Riewoldt owns second-placed Soulcombe
- He won a $1.1 million share on Tuesday.
Jack Riewoldt and his former Richmond teammates enjoyed a successful day of racing after bagging a heavy victory at Flemington.
Riewoldt, who retired from the AFL at the end of the season, is part of a racing syndicate called Punt Road End, with its star performer Soulcombe, trained by Chris Waller.
Tom Lynch, Liam Baker, Nathan Broad and Jack Graham are also in the group.
Soulcombe didn’t actually take home the top prize, which went to Without A Fight at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, but the five-year-old managed to claim second place.
Second place comes with a $1.1 million jackpot for its owners, and Riewoldt – a three-time premiership winner with the Tigers – said he was more nervous on Cup morning than the day of the Grand Final.
Footy stars won big at the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday at Flemington
Jack Riewoldt is part of a syndicate that owns the British horse Soulcombe
“You look at the racing and we probably ran on the backs of a few horses there and maybe you ask yourself, ‘What if?’ Riewoldt told Racing.com.
“For us as a small union, the Punt Rd End boys, just to be here we played on one of the biggest stages in the Australian sporting calendar and to be here again on another and have a runner live and a runner running so well is so exciting.
Soulcombe, a British horse, has won three times on home soil in 2022 and won the Queen’s Cup at Flemington last year. The horse also finished seventh in the Caulfield Cup last month.
The Tigers heroes could have had an even more lucrative day had Soulcombe not suffered a slow start at Flemington.
The horse placed second in the big race, winning its owner a whopping $1.1 million prize.
Their horse struggled to get out of goal, but showed undeniable pace, with many saying Soulcombe should have taken first place on Tuesday.
“Racing is probably a little bit different (to football) because we can’t influence it at all, like I can’t go to Soulcombe and whisper in his ear,” Riewoldt added.
“Footy, we are actually capable of making an impact and trying to get a kick… as we sit in the laps of Chris Waller, Joao Moreira, Soulcombe and the racing gods.”
