By MIKE DILLON
MELBOURNE - If Derby Day at Flemington is the Southern Hemisphere's greatest race day, Gerard Peterson had a big day out.
When Peterson sold out as the second-biggest shareholder in the Warehouse, he decided that winning major horse races was the ideal complement to his other passion, golf.
On Saturday, Peterson won the $A200,000 Saab Quality with Brew, the $A150,000 Yallambe Stakes with Might And Power's half-brother, Matter Of Honour, and his three-year-old Falls The Shadow picked up $A90,000 for finishing third in the $A1 million Victoria Derby.
And tomorrow he has three horses running in the $A3 million Melbourne Cup - Second Coming, Brew and outsider Maridpour.
Matter Of Honour might end up being the best horse he has had shares in.
Peterson, of Auckland, was the under-bidder on the Might And Power half-brother at the Karaka sales and when Newcastle trainer Paul Perry ended up with the yearling, Peterson asked Perry if he could buy into the ownership. Perry now rates the horse as the best he has trained.
"He's better than Bezeal Bay," he said after a ridiculously easy, all-the-way win on Saturday.
There were a few lucky punters tipped the way of the horse at the Crown Casino on Friday night.
Peterson was there playing roulette and he says No 17 kept rolling up all night.
"I told everyone to back No 17 in the last race at Flemington and I hope they all took the $7.50 price," he said.
Peterson admits he had a big win at the casino and played it up on his winners on Saturday. A cup win would cap off a magnificent week.
Mike Moroney, who trains all three horses, rates Second Coming as the best of them on a dry track, and Brew the preference if the footing remains soft as it was on Saturday.
There has been no rain in Melbourne since Friday night and with clearing weather and a strong wind yesterday, there is every chance of the footing being near perfect by tomorrow afternoon.
Moroney was bitterly disappointed when he drew barrier No 24 for Brew. "That takes away all our options," he said.
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