We've got a story!' - Harry Charlton cannot explain the Wine Dark Sea gamble but he could now be taking on his brother in Melbourne Cup

Harry Charlton and his Wine Dark Sea camp watched the build-up to Australia’s big race from different places—Charlton at Deauville and trainer/owner Jamie Lovett via phone while parked near Newcastle, about 100 miles north of Sydney. Lovett’s Australian Bloodstock had already forced the horse into the event after bidding enough to secure Wine Dark Sea in their colors following a Carlisle handicap win by 13 lengths. Charlton later pointed to the proximity of Newmarket to the Carlisle course record as a factor in a subsequent defeat. Still, Wine Dark Sea faced a difficult assignment in the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Geoffrey Freer Stakes, with a BHA rating of 100—18lb below Dubai Honour and 12lb behind Tabletalk—yet rallied from 16-1 to 7-2, even after Mount Atlas left the market.