For Ethan Brown, growing up in Darwin, the Melbourne Cup seemed an almost impossible dream. Even more recently, that dream felt further away than ever.

Not too long ago, Brown seriously considered retiring from his riding career. He began his journey in the Northern Territory before relocating to Victoria at the age of 15.

The 27-year-old rider had lost his motivation and confidence in his physical capabilities following a life-threatening fall at Flemington in March 2023. After a short comeback later that year, he took another extended break to focus on his recovery.

He made his return to racing in January 2024.

Now, less than three years later, Brown is firmly positioned among Australia’s top jockeys and can proudly add Melbourne Cup winner to his resume. He guided Point Of Law to a commanding 3-3/4-length victory in the $10 million Group 1 race over 3200 metres at Flemington.

“Don’t wake me up,” Brown exclaimed after returning to scale on Point Of Law.

“I’m lost for words. I mean, where do you start?

“This is the race that we all try and win. To be in a position at such a young age to do so, I mean, it’s just indescribable.”

The fall, which occurred during the Australian Guineas while Brown was riding Maximillius, resulted in severe injuries including a lacerated liver, a severed artery, kidney damage, internal bleeding, and hairline fractures to three vertebrae in his lower back. He lost over five litres of blood.

Brown, who had previously contended with weight challenges that led to an earlier, self-imposed hiatus, contemplated a move into training during his recovery. However, he was persuaded against it by Ciaron Maher, the trainer of his Melbourne Cup-winning horse.

“As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and there were a lot of speed bumps from that fall to get it to my comeback. It was very hard at times,” Brown stated.

“At one stage, I didn’t think I was going to come back. I didn’t think it would be worth it.

“But I had a slow burn and woke up one morning and thought I needed to get back riding and it’s all led to this moment now. I’ve just got to pinch myself.”

Since his return, Brown has secured nine of his 14 Group 1 victories, with all but one – the Moir Stakes success aboard Gavin Bedggood’s Mornington Glory – being trained by Maher. He has ridden more winners in Victoria this season than any other jockey, with 38 victories, and currently holds third place in the metropolitan jockey’s premiership with 15 wins, trailing Blake Shinn by seven.

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