As part-owner of the thoroughbred, he said had there been another 50m to run, the mare “would have had it“.
“The last 200m, she had the run of the race,” he said.
“The jockey rode her a treat.
“By the time she went through her gears, she was set to finish off better than the rest.
“I thought we’d run top ten, then fourth, but she showed she could run the two miles and almost took the race.
“I knew, once she got out in the clear, she had a great shot.”
Odds for High Emotion dropped in the 24 hours before the race.
Ross believes that once people realised there was a local connection to the Cup, they decided to get on board with her.
Ross lived in Deniliquin for 18 years until relocating to Finley last year.
“Some people were telling me they'd never put a bet on a horse before but were on High Emocean’s team and had put a few dollars each way on her,” he said.
During the race, Ross said it was a terrific feeling watch High Emocean come up to the front of the pack.
“It was so emotional,” he said.
“I remember Bart Cummings say when he won a Melbourne Cup, he wasn’t crying, it was hay fever. Well, I had a bit of hay fever too.”
Ross said he had a lot of people “from all over” wanting to catch up with him both before and after the race.
High Emocean pulled up well after the race and Ross thanked Cranbourne-based Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, who he called “terrific trainers”, for High Emocean’s preparation.
“They’re right on top of their game,” he said.
“Especially preparing horses for the long distance race.”
Connections are currently undecided if they’ll now give High Emocean a spell until the Autumn Carnival in Sydney, or get her up for the Sandown Cup in three weeks.
Either way, Ross said he was proud of the efforts the jockey, trainers and all associated with High Emocean put in to get her to a podium finish on the biggest day in Australian horse racing.
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