A horse previously under the ownership of His Majesty The King has given its new connections a significant reason to celebrate at Flemington.

“I’ve been off the drink for eight years, but I’m back on it tonight.”

These were the words from part-owner John O’Neill after Point Of Law, whose ownership group includes Rupert Legh and former AFL star Chris Judd, secured victory in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday.

This marked O’Neill’s second Melbourne Cup win, having been involved with Verry Elleegant in the restricted 2021 edition. His Cup record also includes three second-place finishes.

One of those runner-up efforts was with Marmelo in 2018, a race where Cross Counter surged past the European contender in the closing stages.

O’Neill experienced a sense of déjà vu watching Point Of Law on Tuesday, as jockey Ethan Brown executed a ride reminiscent of that past race.

“I could see him weaving through on the fence,” O’Neill recalled.

“A number of years ago, Hugh Bowman rode a horse for us called Marmelo and it did exactly the same thing.

“We were up the top screaming our heads off because we thought we were home, until Cross Counter came down the outside and beat us.

“This time I didn’t do any yelling until about 10 metres from the line.”

Point Of Law was acquired from the UK by Ciaron Maher’s Head Of Bloodstock, Will Bourne.

The Northern Hemisphere-bred three-year-old colt was initially raced by His Majesty The King before Bourne finalised a deal to purchase him.

“Will Bourne travels all around the world trying to buy these horses and Ciaron spent a lot of time over in Europe and had his Mum with him and built a relationship with The King,” O’Neill explained.

“We thought The King was going to race this horse with us, but I don’t think legally he was able to do that.

“While he has missed out, I’m sure he will be very happy, and at the end of the day, we have a great relationship with Ciaron.”

O’Neill expressed his pleasure for Bourne, who dedicates substantial time to sourcing international staying prospects.

“He works so hard trying to buy these horses and it’s not easy,” O’Neill commented.

“From a Melbourne Cup perspective, there are so many rules and regulations, vetting procedures that you have to go through, and you have to be buying horses that are almost perfect.

“We lost Saint George last week because of the CT scans, but it’s great for the race, it’s a safe race and it provides a wonderful spectacle.

“We feel very privileged to race with Ciaron and I’m really excited for Ethan Brown.

“He’s a great supporter of ours personally, rides all of our horses when he can.

“He had a really bad injury and for him to come back and win the Cup is incredible.”

Having been involved in racing for a considerable time, O’Neill understands the importance of trusting his trainer.

When questioned about whether the Cup campaign for Point Of Law was jeopardised after the colt ran off the track at Werribee, O’Neill stated that Maher remained unconcerned.

“The horse seems to have this enormous aerobic capacity,” O’Neill remarked.

“We’ve been lucky to have been here a lot. It’s hard to win this race, and we’re going to celebrate like we never have before.

“I’ve been off the drink for eight years, but I’m back on it tonight.”

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