You'd be hard-pressed finding many times where the fastest horse in a race loses - but that's exactly what happened to Bauer in the 2008 Melbourne Cup.
Trained by Englishman Luca Cumani, the gelding was edged by a nose to Viewed in a thrilling race 13 years ago.
As we prepare for the 2021 edition of 'the race that stops the nation', Matt Cumani retold the story of how his father's horse managed to lose despite running a faster time than the winner.
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“The old man came second a couple of times and come very close," he told Sporting News
"Bauer was a particular one – I remember the story was if you look at the times, he actually won the Melbourne Cup.
"Because he was such a short and small horse, his nose wasn’t long enough and he just got pipped on the line.
"It was a huge thrill and sad for my father not to have been able to win it before he retired.
"He gave it a very good crack and I hope one day to be able to do it for him."
Watch the 2008 Melbourne Cup below.
Cumani's runner was edged out by a horse trained by the legendary Bart Cummings - which there is no shame in - but it must have been a bitter pill to swallow.
Matt will have his own chance at Melbourne Cup glory this year, with his horse Future Score in the field.
And while he won't rule it out, it wasn't in his original plans to run the six-year-old in the Cup this year.
“To be honest, I didn’t think he would get in the Cup," he said.
"We nominated him and followed the acceptances all the way through. The aim was to not get in the Melbourne Cup and go for the Queen Elizabeth, because I thought that was a race that would really suit him.
"If you’re in the final acceptance for the Melbourne Cup and don’t get in, you get a $200,000 bonus if you win the Queen Elizabeth.
"That was my plan – but the Melbourne Cup has fallen away slightly and we have gotten in, and I’m not going to say no when we have the opportunity.
"He is a horse that was bought for this race, I thought it might be next year – he’s got to get through the quite stringent vet check process. There’s still a few hurdles to get through and hopefully he will get to take his place in the race.
"It will be my second runner in the race, I feel hugely privileged to have had two runners in Australia’s biggest race and one of the best staying races in the world."
