It wasn't long ago New Zealand horses like Kiwi, Empire Rose and Ethereal guaranteed immortality by winning the Melbourne Cup.
International runners have dominated the race in recent years, but there's a feeling that a raft of new measures targeting foreign runners could see Kiwi racing return to the glory days in the race that stops two nations.
Relaxing in Cambridge, 'The Chosen One' is New Zealand's premier stayer - he finished fourth in last year's Melbourne Cup.
But in light of sweeping changes to the race announced yesterday, co-trainer Andrew Forsman has been left wondering what might've been.
"It's a shame they didn't do it last year," Forsman tells Newshub. "We might've won a Melbourne Cup."
That's because the three horses that finished ahead of him all came from the Northern Hemisphere.
And with new measures targeting international runners, it's far from guaranteed they'll be back.
"I would think virtually no horse in the world will pass the test the Australians want them to pass," says broadcaster Matt Chapman.
The death of Anthony Van Dyck has seen officials put a limit on foreign raiders, and introduce compulsory, costly and arduous testing to reduce the alarming number of recent deaths in the race.
Britain's 'Prince of Arran' has placed in the last three editions of the Cup.
"They basically have made it nigh on impossible for us to come down, which is unbelievably sad," Prince of Arran's trainer Charlie Fellowes says.
But Europe's loss could be New Zealand's gain, and could see a return to the glory days of Kiwi racing.
With New Zealand horses immune from the measures, that could mean more Kiwi runners among the better chances.
"It will be easier for us to qualify our horses, and I think that obviously makes it a lot easier to target the race," Forsman says.
And it could see The Chosen One have another shot at Melbourne Cup glory this year
"We know he's competitive, and perhaps without the European influence, he could be close to winning it."
