Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch hit $1.1 million jackpot on Melbourne Cup horse
The former Richmond Tigers teammates have received a big cheque from the Melbourne Cup.
Jack Riewoldt may have retired from the AFL, but he and former Richmond Tigers teammate Tom Lynch have received a mega payday from the Melbourne Cup. The pair are part of a racing syndicate called Punt Road End, whose star gelding is Chris Waller-trained Soulcombe, who flew home for second in the race that stops the nation.
The syndicate also includes Riewoldt and Lynch's premiership-winning teammates Liam Baker, Nathan Broad and Jack Graham. While the five-year-old was unable to run down the eventual winner Without a Fight, he still gave the syndicate more than a million reasons to smile, earning a $1.1 million payday for finishing runner-up.
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The British horse has collected well for the Richmond boys, with Soulcombe claiming three victories in the UK in 2022 before taking out the Queen’s Cup at Flemington 12 months ago and then getting the win in the Heatherlie Stakes in September. The star gelding also put in a strong showing in last month's Caulfield Cup finishing seventh.
Soulcombe's only shortcoming appears to be his barrier manners, bombing the start by five lengths in the Caulfield Cup and then missing the jump hopelessly in the Cup. Racing analyst David Gately said the horse's Cup performance left many wondering what could have been. "Soulcombe, it's a story we won't know because he can't jump cleanly," he said.
Jack Riewoldt was full of excitement heading into Melb Cup
Before the Cup was run and won, Riewoldt knew Soulcombe had a real chance of taking it out, barely able to contain his excitement when learning 'The Magic Man' Joao Moreira had taken the ride. “Joao Moreira jumps on board, arguably one of the best jockeys in the world, so there’s a few things pointing in the right direction for us,” Riewoldt told News Corp prior to the race.
“For the Punt Road End syndicate, we’re excited to have a runner and I mean it's one of Australia’s best sporting occasions. To be there and live that three minutes of just nail-biting, sweating in a suit, just anticipation, it's very similar to the three minutes before a grand final.”
The AFL premiership winner said he has enjoyed entering the racing world post-retirement and said it is a new and exciting chapter for him. “Racing is probably a little bit different (to footy) as we can’t influence it one bit like I can’t go up to Soulcombe and whisper in his ear,” he said.
“Footy we’re actually able to impact and try and get a kick ... whereas we sit back in the lap of Chris Waller, Joao Moreira, Soulcombe and the racing Gods.”
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