It took Brett Sheilds a few moments to realise he had won the Chase Your Dream promotion on Melbourne Cup night.

A carpenter by trade, Brett was one of eight people drawn and allocated a runner in Saturday night’s Sportsbet Melbourne Cup, and being the fifth person drawn, he was matched to number five Aussie Rocks.

Despite the fact he knew there were a number of cool prizes up for grabs, including a brand-new car, his allegiance was with another Cup runner, Mac’s Damage.

Sheilds, from Metung, is married to Christine, sister of Harley Whelan, who trains Mac’s Damage.

“To be honest, winning the car felt like a pipedream – even if Aussie Rocks had got up and won – so I was fully focussed on Mac’s Damage during the entire race,” he said.

“I saw Mac’s Damage was in second position turning for home and I was just cheering for him as hard as I could.

“Then I saw he got beaten, but from where we were standing I couldn’t tell who had won, and I wasn’t even thinking that Aussie Rocks might have got up.

“But then someone told he won and I still didn’t believe it.”

Before he knew it, Brett was on live television, as a crowd gathered around to watch him select a box.

“Number two was my footy number but that was already chosen. Christine’s lucky number is four but that was already gone as well. So, I went with number six, because my son Jimmy was born on the 6th of November.”

The decision proved a masterstroke as Brett secured a brand-new Mitsubishi Outlander valued at $39,000.

With Mac’s Damage collecting $100,000 for running third in the Cup – it was a night the family will never forget.

With four boxes left to choose from – three of which contain a $10,000 cash prize – make sure you’re on track for The Phoenix at The Meadows for your chance to win.

Get your tickets at dreamchasersfestival.com.au