Friends who met in the armed forces have won a stunning victory in the Own the Dream competition and are set to conquer the racing world.
With a small team of four, The Salty Punters managed to beat the odds and win the major $20,000 prize package for a share in a racehorse.
Team captain Anthony Maclennan said the group, who met in the Royal Australian Navy, were bonded by both their ocean and land-based interests.
“We were in it for the enjoyment of going to the races. I told them not to have any expectations and just enjoy the ride,” he said.
“Winning was pure luck. I did the maths in my head and I couldn’t believe we came first.
“One of our team missed the final because he was deployed. We had a total of 15 tickets out of hundreds in the barrel so I was gobsmacked when we were called out as the winners.”
Salty Punters captain Anthony Maclennan leads team mates Ben Meyer and Ebony Strange to claim their prize
Anthony, his partner Ebony Strange and Ben Meyer trained together as new recruits and later met Samuel Caddle in the navy.
While he said the Own the Dream events of trackwork, stud and stable tours were entertaining, his favourite part was the 2024 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale.
“The sales were a thrill and we were able to experience the whole scenario of buying a racehorse,” he said.
“The process was super quick, with horses getting bought and shares snapped up in front of us.
“It was really fun to see and get into the buying experience, for me, that was the most enjoyable part.”
On the first day of the sales, the team chose to put their prize towards a share in Lot 125, a black colt by Awesome Rock out of Outspoken Lady and are looking forward to watching him race.
Runner-up team Gents Can Dream
In second place was the Gents Can Dream team, who won a $15,000 prize package and third, winning $10,000, was an all-women group called Bloodstock & Six Smokin Midwives.
They chose pink and blue for their racing colours in honour of the baby girls and boys they deliver in their working lives and a V-shaped design as a nod to the traditional method of birth.
The Royal Australian Navy motto is: To fight and win at sea. If The Salty Punters adopt a motto of their own, perhaps they can one day add ‘and on the racetrack’.
Susan de Ruyter
Third prize winners Bloodstock & Six Smokin Midwives