Today’s running of the race that stops the nation will captivate Mount Gambier more than ever with a direct relationship to competing horse Future Score.

Shane Dycer is a familiar face at soccer and cricket pitches around the region, but he is also one of the owners of racehorses in England, Ireland, France and Australia where a seven-year-old Gelding which is ready to run from the gates in the 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup.

All eyes in the Blue Lake City will be drawn towards barrier 20 where Future Score will go for the biggest horse-racing prize in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dycer has been owning horses ever since he was gifted a share for his 18th birthday and is no stranger to the famous race.

This year will be the Dycer family’s third horse gracing the famous Flemington turf and he hopes it will be the best yet

“Hopefully it will be third time lucky, but we are under no illusions that we are going to win because there are some exceptional horses,” he said.

“Future Score will settle in the midfield and look to charge late being and out and out stayer.

“He is big odds so there is no real pressure on anyone.”

Dycer is one of 20 owners of Future Score which is trained by Matt Cumani in Ballarat and first got involved in the gelding after a maiden win in France four years ago.

Since Future Score made the move down under he has won six races and amassed $565,381 in career earnings.

The biggest recent success was victory in the 2020 Cranbourne Cup, but a 44-week break followed just over a month later after qualifying for the race that stops the nation and having a minor operation.

Future Score returned to racing in September and has progressed further up the leaderboard in his last two races at Caufield and Moone Valley.

“He got hurt in work during the autumn and had to have a minor operation, so he had about 10 months away from racing,” Dycer said.

“So, it took the last three rounds to get fit and back racing again, but he has only been beaten by four and five lengths.

“We thought we might have missed our chance (at racing in the Melbourne Cup) but within a week we went from 32 to 21 to get into the race which is pretty exciting.

“He has not been 100% fit until now so he should be at his peak and Matt has him ready to roll for the big race.”

Although he will be forced to watch the big day from his home instead of the stands, Dycer said he still enjoys all aspects of the industry.

“You pick the horses and sometimes you get lucky, but we love our race horses,” he said.

“We have sponsored the club for 30 years and my dad was on the Mount Gambier committee for a decade.

“It is a hobby and a second business for us with very rewarding relationships and friendships.

“I love the fact we are racing in the biggest races around the country and the world.

“But it does not matter if you win a race in Penola or Flemington, it is exactly the same buzz.”