IT'S something every trainer dreams of - a runner in the race that stops a nation.
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Horsham trainer Paul Preusker's dream comes true on Tuesday with his stable star Surprise Baby.
Surprise Baby qualified for the Melbourne Cup after storming to victory in the Bart Cummings, tightening in the market as a $9 favourite for Australia's most prestigious horse race.
The five-year-old's odds have since drifted with bookmakers, as it deals with additional weight and contends against a star-studded international field.
But for Preusker, having a runner in the Cup is already a dream come true.
"It's a unique spot to be in," Presuker said. "You think all your life, 'Gee I'd love to have one in it'.
"It's something you dream of, now you're here, and I'm just praying nothing goes wrong."
Preusker's horse training career started with a love of animals.
Preusker said his grandfather's "zoo" was the catalyst, as he spent his childhood around donkeys, camels and horses.
Pony Club was the next step, further fueling Preusker's equine passion before he started breaking in and shoeing horses as a teenager.
Preusker briefly tried other jobs, including a stint as an apprentice butcher, but nothing compared to his first love.
He dropped everything else to earn his trainer's licence and through a tireless work ethic, built a career that continues to flourish.
"I was only a kid, and I just grew a love of horses," Preusker said.
"It's been a lot of hard years, a lot of hard work - right from the start. Even now, I don't reckon I've had a day off in three years, you know? There's been hard times, for sure.
"But times like this make it (worth it). You definitely aren't thinking about having a day off at the moment."
Surprise Baby's owner John Fiteni started working with Preusker after a recommendation from Balmoral-based breeder Greg Daffey.
Mr Fiteni said Preusker was "one of a kind".
"I went to him about seven or eight years ago," Mr Fiteni said. "I took a little fella that nobody could break, and Paul got on him and rode him first go with no dramas.
"That's the thing - Paul is a bloody good horseman. I don't think people understand how good of a horseman he is.
"Between him and Holly McKechnie (Preusker's partner), they do a bloody good job."
Mr Fiteni said Preusker's country roots and humble demeanor often saw him slip under the radar.
"They say he's only a bush trainer, but that doesn't worry him, and it doesn't worry me," Mr Fiteni said.
"They can say whatever they want. We'll just worry about results."
The results hit a high point when Surprise Baby won the Bart Cummings in early October to qualify for the Melbourne Cup.
It was a victory that felt a long way from Surprise Baby's tumultuous beginning.
Greg Daffey had Surprise Baby in his paddock at Balmoral after its arrival from New Zealand, as the young and wild horse tried to settle.
Daffey said Preusker saw something in the gelding nobody else could.
"Paul is a very humble bloke, but I hope he gets a lot of credit for what he's done," Daffey said.
"A lot of people wouldn't have gotten (Surprise Baby) going.
"John and Paul won't talk themselves up, but I know they've seen something that other people wouldn't have seen. It's an incredible achievement."
A Melbourne Cup runner - with a genuine chance of winning - feels like a crowning achievement for Preusker, and perhaps the chance to put a final nail in the coffin of his early career controversy.
Preusker was banned for four years in 2007 for use of a jigger - an illegal electrical device. He said the time away from the industry changed his attitude.
"It's a little bit like, you can get lost, and something like that shakes you right again," Preusker said.
"That's exactly what happened. It's rehabilitated me."
Ahead of this year's Spring Racing Carnival, the racing industry has seemingly faced more scrutiny than ever before.
The ongoing trial of Ballarat-based trainer Darren Weir and an ABC 730 report detailing a dark side of racing sent the industry into a spin.
It led to Racing Victoria introducing a three-year, $25 million plan to improve equine welfare, announced eight days before the Melbourne Cup.
Weir faces an extended stint away from racing, with some in the industry even calling for a lifetime ban.
"Other blokes at the moment ... I know how they're feeling and I'm sure, like me, they will be rehabilitated 100 per cent," Preusker said.
"I'm happy to say that I served my time, I've got on my feet, and shown you can do it again, you know?
"It's not something I think about anymore."
Horsham District Racing Club president Jason Merlo said the industry needed positive stories such as that of Preusker and Surprise Baby.
"For our region and for racing in general, we need something positive," Mr Merlo said.
"You only hear about the negative things sometimes. People who really love horse racing, trainers and owners, they love their horses and they treat them like family.
"I know horses have helped Paul, and Paul certainly does right by his horses."
No matter the context, or even the result on Tuesday, Preusker has achieved something special.
"It has been a long learning curve," Preusker said.
"It was a dream to get in. It sort of hit me at the time, I was a little bit emotional. To get in was just a life's dream.
"I'm mindful that it's not an easy race to win ... if the horse comes home safe, I'll be pretty happy, you know?
"I'm looking forward to hopefully getting my first runner in, and then trying to find the next one."
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