Source: wwos.nine.com.au/
One of the owners of Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant has been hit with a fine for breaching COVID-19 rules in celebration.
Brae Sokolski owns a large share in both Verry Elleegant and Incentivise, which was runner-up in the $8 million Flemington feature on Tuesday.
The total prizemoney for winning the Melbourne Cup is $4.4 million, while the second-placed horse gets $1.1 million.
Jockeys and trainers take their share of the winnings but the large majority of the cash goes to the owners, so it’s fair to say Sokolski is not hard up for a buck at the moment.
So he may not mind paying the $10,000 fine he’s been whacked with for his faux pas when the mighty mare passed the finishing post to clinch a maiden Melbourne Cup for top Sydney trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald.
As an owner Sokolski was allowed into certain parts of the Flemington venue, but under COVID-19 rules there’s areas reserved purely for horses, jockeys, handlers, trainers, and some media.
Sokolski leapt the fence into the mounting yard to greet Verry Elleegant and McDonald when they returned to scale after winning the Cup.
The ecstatic owner later spoke to The Age about the incident.
“[I’m] apologetic about the protocols, but I wanted to be with the mare and Incentivise,” he said.
“Sorry, the adrenalin got the better of me. These moments are once in a lifetime.”
