Basilinna gets the prized golden ticket to the first Tuesday of November

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

But the win meant more than just a place on the honour roll and black type success; it also secured her an all-important golden ticket into the G1 Melbourne Cup. For the training duo and the connections of Basilinna, it was a result that opens the door to a spring dream. With a guaranteed start in Australia’s most iconic race, the road to the first Tuesday in November is now well and truly underway.

The charm of the Cup

There’s no doubt the G1 Melbourne Cup holds a special place in the hearts of racing fans around the world. For many Australians and New Zealanders, it’s a race ingrained in childhood memories, and every year, an international wave of European raiders descends on Flemington, aiming to snatch the prestigous race as well as the lucrative prizemoney on offer.

The Melbourne Cup has produced some of the sport’s most memorable storylines, from the underdog victory last year of Knight’s Order (Extreme Choice), to Michelle Payne’s historic win on Prince Of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire {GB}), to the imposing presence of the imported Fiorente (Ire) to give the legendary Gai Waterhouse success. There’s the unheralded three-time winner Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert Sun {GB}), the raw emotion involved with Damien Oliver and Media Puzzle (USA) (Theatrical {Ire}), and the battler’s dream with Kiwi (NZ) (Blarney Kiss {USA}).

There’s always a story. Could Basilinna (NZ) (Staphanos {Jpn}) be the next to join that illustrious list? Her co-trainer Emma-Lee Browne certainly hopes so.

She recalled her early fascination with the race, and what it means to be on the verge of playing a part in the Melbourne Cup.

“Growing up in New Zealand as a kid I remember the Melbourne Cup, I can also remember working in the stables and everyone getting through their work so they could knock off early on Melbourne Cup Day to watch the Cup.

“The race is so hard to get into, getting a runner in it is so hard to achieve, so knowing that this far out we have a spot, is an amazing feeling.”

Though the big race is still many months away, Browne said Basilinna is already out spelling and enjoying the sunshine.

“She’s got time to get ready as it is so far away. It is a great time to get her out to the farm, the weather’s still great, apart from Saturday!, which was perfect” she laughed. “They always do well when they get some sun on their back.

“She has pulled up so well. If we weren’t locked in with a Cup spot, there may have been a temptation to keep her in work and carry on. In saying that, I’m a big believer that a happy horse going out to spell is a great thing, and can help mean a happy horse coming back into work.

“We will work backwards to work out how many runs she needs and the spacing between those.

“The great thing about the racing community is we’ve had so many people offer to chat and bounce ideas off around the best way to get a horse to the Cup. They’ve done it before, and we haven’t.

“It’s obviously a first for us but something we are very much looking forward to, as are our amazing, very excited bunch of owners.”

A special breeding story

Basilinna is not just a racetrack success story, she’s a personal one, too. Bred by David and Emma-Lee Browne, her origins are bittersweet, sparked by the loss of a stable favourite named Monarch Chimes (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}), who tragically broke down in a steeplechase trial at Cranbourne.

Monarch Chimes was a quality performer on both sides of the Tasman, winning eight races and taking out the prestigious Pakuranga Hunt Hurdle at Ellerslie. His memory lives on in an interlinked way through Basilinna’s dam, So Royal (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}), a $500 mare David bought on the Gavelhouse platform.

“Monarch Chimes was a great horse for us. He also gave us a taste for racing in Australia, which ultimately led to us making the move,” Browne said.

“It was devastating when we lost him. I was cut up pretty rough. I can remember being upset and David said we’ll go to the beach for a few nights before going back to the stables. One night, after a few drinks, he said to me, ‘I bought a mare named So Royal on Gavelhouse for you for $500. She is by Shinko King, which is what Monarch Chimes was by.’ I laughed and said, ‘You can't replace him,’ but look at the job the mare has done now.”

When it came time to choose a stallion for So Royal, the couple narrowed it down to two: Satono Aladdin (Jpn) and Staphanos (Jpn).

“I liked these stallions as they had the Japanese influence and were by Deep Impact. I can’t quite remember what Satono (Satono Aladdin) was standing for that year, but he was a little more expensive than Staphanos, so we went with Staphanos as he was more within our budget.”

Basilinna was born and spent her early time at Wentwood Grange, always a nice type and an impressive enough filly. “She got the Wentwood Grange brand with the lucky feathers on them,” Browne said.

An enthusiastic ownership group

Once Basilinna was broken in and ready to head to Australia, It was around during the Browne stable’s Pakenham open day when her ownership group began to form.

“It was around the time we had our Pakenham open day, and we needed to get some owners into our baby,” Browne said.

“She was such a good type, so that part was easy, but most of our Australian clients had no idea who Staphanos was, and no idea about the Shinko King part either. It was a very New Zealand-strong pedigree.

“But a lot of our clients went in anyway. It wasn’t an expensive purchase being a homebred, and it’s so cool that they’ve been on a great ride so far.

“It is a great group and a great story. There are too many to name them all, but Mark Pollard has been with us since the early days, and so has Jill Stewart, and Robyn Wallace wasn’t too far behind.”

Browne recalled a particularly joyful post-race moment from one of the owners.

“There is some great social media footage around of one of the part-owners, Ash Holmes, running towards us after she won. I could hear some yelling and here he came, it was fantastic. We were in our lucky spot, and it has become tradition now after some great results.

“For these owners, having a runner in the Cup is something that they dream about. I can’t wait to see them experience the build-up. There is nothing like it in Melbourne.

“She really is befitting of a Melbourne Cup story, the underdog, bred from a $500 mare, owned by some pretty normal people.”

Basilinna’s humble beginnings contrast starkly with some of the horses she may face in November. One such example is Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was dominant in the G3 Chairman’s Quality Handicap at Doomben the same day Basilinna booked her Cup berth.

He was purchased for 1.3 million guineas (around AU$2.8 million) from the 2024 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale by a combination of Go Bloodstock, De Burgh Equine, Waterhouse and Bott Racing and McKeever Bloodstock. Sir Delius ran mid-field in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at his last start over in Europe before being exported to Australia.

“We may be up against it against horses of that calibre,” Browne admitted, “but you never know.”

Basilinna’s quick rise

Basilinna always hinted at talent, right from her debut when she produced an eye-catching second at Sale in September of her 3-year-old season. She franked that early promise next time out with an impressive maiden win over the mile at Cranbourne on September 21.

From there, she continued to test herself against quality opposition. She ran a credible eighth in the G2 Edward Manifold Stakes behind subsequent Oaks winner Zardozi (Kingman {GB}), before delivering two outstanding performances - finishing third in both the G3 Ethereal Stakes and the G1 VRC Oaks. Those runs firmly stamped her as a filly with high-level staying potential.

Her autumn campaign as a 3-year-old proved more challenging, although she still managed a strong second behind Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun) in the G2 Kewney Stakes. A similar pattern followed as a four-year-old in the spring, where she showed glimpses of her best but struggled to consistently recapture her peak form.

“We did push her pretty hard as a 3-year-old filly and maybe that showed a bit in subsequent preparations,” Browne reflected. “She ran such a good second in the Kewney, and I think over the mile it really flattened her, she really left everything out on the track that day, and it was a very hot day.

“You learn more about them every day, and I think she really benefits from stepping up over ground pretty quickly. When she’s out of her comfort zone for longer, she doesn’t pull up as well and it can.”

Basilinna kicked off her latest campaign in excellent fashion, winning first-up and holding her form consistently through the prep.

“She won very well first-up this preparation and has held her form very well,” Browne said. “We’ve put her in races where she can get black type and improve her page and value.”

At one stage, connections even considered parting with the mare when her form dipped, nominating her for the Inglis Chairman’s Sale as a precaution.

“We did that as a way of looking after the owners and their investment, just in case she didn’t find her form, Inglis touched base and it sounded a good plan,” Browne confirmed. “Thankfully she did get back into form, and it was a pretty easy decision to pull her out.

“We are very glad we did now, we are in the Cup.”

Stable on the rise

Since making the move to Australia in 2022, Emma-Lee and David Browne’s stable has been steadily building momentum. The 2024–25 season has been a strong one, highlighted by Mcgaw’s (I Am Immortal) win in the $1 million VOBIS Showdown at Caulfield, Statuario (D'Argento) winning at Listed level, and Basilinna’s success in the Listed Andrew Ramsden.

“We’ve had a great season, the horses have been running great,” Browne said.

So far this season, the stable has recorded 24 wins and 47 placings from 176 runners, banking just under $2.7 million in prizemoney.

Basilinna’s Melbourne Cup journey may still be months away, but her story has already captured hearts, a reminder of what makes the race so special.

Entering the spring, with a spring in the step

While Basilinna understandably takes top billing heading into the spring with her place in the Melbourne Cup secured, the Browne stable has several other exciting prospects poised to make an impact during the carnival.

Among them is the unbeaten Mcgaw (I Am Immortal), who made a strong impression in the autumn with two wins from as many starts, including a dominant performance in the $1 million VOBIS Showdown at Caulfield.

“He (Mcgaw) is still in the paddock,” said Emma-Lee Browne. “He’s still a long, lanky-looking horse, but he’s done great and is due back in work in a couple of weeks.

“He just kept putting his hand up last preparation, and we’re going to target him towards the G1 Caulfield Guineas. He’s a fast horse, but we think he’ll stretch out to a mile. We got gene testing done on him as well, and that backs up our thoughts. Imagine if he could finish off like he does now at the end of a mile.”

Another promising runner is Just Kick (NZ), a filly by Staphanos (Jpn), who like Basilinna, may be more suited to longer trips as she matures. Though not bred to be a typical precocious 2-year-old, she still managed two placings from two starts, including a strong Listed-level performance in the Anzac Stakes over 1400 metres.

“We’re looking forward to seeing her as a 3-year-old,” Browne said. “Her runs as a 2-year-old were great, and she’s got lots of potential.”

“We’re very lucky at the moment. We’ve got lots of exciting horses, and we’re in a really nice position,” Browne said.

Despite the growing momentum, Browne remains grounded in her outlook.

“We still have a lot of work to do, and it’s still a long way to go, but it makes it a bit easier to get up early during the winter, doesn’t it?” she laughed.

“We really are still pinching ourselves. We’re having a pretty good run at the moment.”