In short:
Alice Springs erupted into celebration yesterday after local jockey Ethan Brown took home the Melbourne Cup.
asserted
Brown → erupt → Cup
The 27-year-old grew up in the town and started his jockey apprenticeship there.
Locals who have worked with Brown described him as both a "natural" jockey and "dedicated".
As crowds gathered at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne yesterday, more than 2,200 kilometres further north, a country town roared as it became clear in the last 12 seconds of the race that a local boy could bring home the win.
uncertain
boy → grow → win
Ridden by Alice Springs 27-year-old Ethan Brown, Point of Law stormed home late, chasing down long-time leader Royal Supremacy with 150 metres to go, to win ahead of Zahrann and Juja Kibo.
asserted
Point → ride → Zahrann
It's a moment that saw Central Australians beam with pride.
asserted
Australians → see → pride
"He had a town of 28,000 cheering him home in the last couple hundred metres," former mayor Matt Paterson told the ABC.
asserted
Paterson → have → ABC
"It's fantastic for Alice Springs and, you know, he's one of the greatest things to come out of the town, so good on him."
asserted
he → know → him
Andrew Maloney, the chairman of the Alice Springs Turf Club said "everybody backed" Brown and when he won, the "crowd just erupted".
asserted
crowd → say → Brown
"Just that euphoria of, you know, local kid, goes to school here, had a dream and then wins the Melbourne Cup,"he said.
asserted
you → know → Cup,"he
Mr Maloney said the young jockey started his career in the industry working with a local trainer who showed him the ropes of stable work and track riding, before going on to his apprenticeship.
asserted
who → say → apprenticeship
"Then, after a couple years, he went down to Melbourne where his Uncle Stephen Brown, who used to be a jockey and trainer here in Alice and in Darwin, and he went to join him to obviously chase his dream and that's where it all started," he said.
asserted
he → go → dream
Mr Maloney described the winning jockey as a young man who had a "single focus".
asserted
who → describe → focus
"There are a lot of jockeys who have a lot of natural talent but then they don't work at it, well he had both," he said.
asserted
he → be → both
It's a sentiment shared by NT jockey Paul Denton, who worked and rode with Brown, including during his apprenticeship.
asserted
who → share → apprenticeship
"From a very early age he was very dedicated and always wanted to be a jockey," Denton said.
"You could sort of tell he was a bit of a natural … you could see he was always going to make it."
uncertain
he → want → it
Mr Denton said he was emotional during yesterday's race.
asserted
he → say → race
"I even started crying," he said.
asserted
he → start → ?
"I'm 62, I've been riding for 47 years and achieved a fair bit, I've won every feature race in the Territory, but watching him today was probably one of my proudest moments in racing."
asserted
watching → rid → racing
A comeback worth celebrating
Brown's career as a jockey has not been without its hurdles.
asserted
comeback → celebrate → hurdles
In 2023, Brown fell off his horse Maximilius at the Australian Guineas at Flemington and was transported to hospital for emergency surgery.
asserted
Brown → fall → surgery
It put his career on pause for a while, as he questioned whether he would ever return.
"There was definitely a stage where I was at the crossroads.
asserted
I → put → crossroads
I injured myself quite badly," Brown told the ABC last year.
asserted
Brown → injure → ABC
"I thought, 'Is it even worth coming back?'"
asserted
it → think → ?
Despite his doubts, Brown said he ultimately decided to return to the sport after speaking with trainer Ciaron Maher, who was behind this year's winning horse Point of Law.
asserted
who → say → Law
He goes, 'You are mad if you don't go back'," Brown said.
asserted
Brown → go → ?
Margaret Simonetto, who taught Brown at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic College in Alice Springs, said the sweetest thing about her former student's victory was the comeback from injury.
asserted
thing → teach → injury
"I think one of the best things when you sit back and think about yesterday is that this has happened at Flemington where he had his terrible fall and I'm thinking that the memories of yesterday will erase all those terrible memories he must still carry," she said.
asserted
she → think → memories
She said she was "absolutely thrilled" for Brown, as were many other Alice locals who gathered for the big race.
asserted
who → say → race
Herbie Nevell said he was feeling "very proud" of the young jockey and "what he's achieved".
asserted
he → say → what
"A lot of these other guys they've had years and years experience, he's jumped up to another level very, very quickly and I think that's a great story and he's a young local lad," he said.
asserted
he → have → level
Another local, Margie Wallace, said she had faith in Brown's abilities"right from the word go".
asserted
she → say → word
"We knew he was going to win, there was no doubt about it," she said.
asserted
she → know → it
Her friend Yvonne Driscoll said she was thrilled to see the town's best on display.
asserted
she → say → display
"We have so much negativity about Alice and to have someone come in and do something like this, that's pretty special," she said.
asserted
she → have → this
The Aporia
