$5.3m up for grabs

A Southland shearer has rearranged his life temporarily to be in Melbourne for one of Australia’s biggest horse races.

Darin Forde is in a group of Southlanders who part-own The Chosen One, an in-form runner for the A$5 million (NZ$5.3m) Caulfield Cup on Saturday.

Forde has been shearing during the week in Victoria and going to the races at weekends to cheer on the horse.

He has been in Victoria for just over two weeks and enjoys working in a gang and having a break from contractor responsibilities in Southland.

‘‘It’s great ... There’s no stress and no organising to do,’’ he said.

The Chosen One clinched a start in the Caulfield Cup by winning the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday.

‘‘It was a big thrill to win a big race at Caulfield . . . All going well we’ll be even happier this week,’’ Forde said.

The Dennis brothers – Tony, Ray, Joe and Martin – of Woodlands bred The Chosen One. They formed a syndicate to race the horse after he did not reach the reserve price of $150,000 at the 2017 Karaka yearling sales.

Nineteen people throughout the country own The Chosen One, who is trained in Waikato by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman. Nine members of the Dennis family together hold a 40 per cent interest.

The Chosen One is the first horse owned by Paul Johnstone, a son-in-law of Martin Dennis.

Other shareholders include Neil van Schaik and Garry Popham, of Invercargill. ‘‘We’re living the dream,’’ van Schaik said of his success in racing.

Waikato horsewoman Janine Dunlop is also a part-owner.