Melbourne Cup winner was ‘inches’ from dying before amazing comeback

Ethan Brown nearly died at Flemington a few years ago after a horrific fall and now, the popular jockey is a Lexus Melbourne Cup winner.

The 27-year-old produced a magical ride on Point Of Law, as the Ciaron Maher-trained colt bolted home from Zahrann and Juja Kibo.

Brown has developed a strong relationship with Maher and together, they helped guide the three-year-old overseas import towards a historic win.

“Please don’t wake me up. It’s an amazing feeling,” Brown said post-race during an interview with NRL legend Billy Slater.

“He had the best turn of foot in the race by far. I had to stay cool, cut the bend and once he got the clear running, he was too good. He’s going to be a superstar.

“It’s been a bumpy road, a lot of challenges … it’s days like this that it all pays off.”

That bumpy road that Brown alluded to nearly cost him his life in 2023, when he was thrown off Maximillius in the Australian Guineas.

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The rider suffered life-threatening injuries including a lacerated liver, damaged kidney, three fractured vertebrae and a severed artery.

Brown lost five litres of blood and it looked like a promising career was over.

But thanks to the support of those around him, including his partner and fellow jockey Celine Gaudray, Brown managed to find his way back to the track.

“It was just something burning inside me,” he told Nine.

“I said I was done. I was inches from losing my life and thought maybe it isn’t worth it ... but a bit of time off, I realised I wasn’t very good at anything else.

“But in all honesty there was a slow burn inside of me, and I woke up one day and thought I need to get back riding again.”

To say his decision to come back has paid off would be an understatement and it underlines the toughness and bravery jockeys show on a daily basis.

From a young horseman in Alice Springs to steering home the winner in the race that stops the nation, Brown’s story is truly incredible.

Brown will now celebrate the victory with a cool $225,000 pay cheque, but for him it likely means so much more given what it took to get there.

As for Maher, he finished with the first-ever trifecta by a trainer in Melbourne Cup history and had five of the top six runners in the 23-horse field.

“It’s been a whirlwind, really, but I’m very proud of all the team,” he said.