Sportsbet Warrnambool Cup victory wasn’t just a career-defining moment for Dewana Star on Wednesday night – it was an emotional lift for the entire Dewan family.

An emotional co-trainer Matt Dewan revealed the past few months had been incredibly tough, with his wife spending the past two months in hospital.

“This is something very special for our family… my wife has been sick in hospital for two months,” Dewan said.

The victory was made even more meaningful as Matt combined with his father to claim their first major feature race together.

“Dad and I have never won a big race like this together and to do it here with mum and my daughter as well is something we will never forget.”

Dewana Star wins the Warrnambool Cup from box four in a time of 25.05 seconds.

Dewana Star was outstanding in the Group 2 feature, producing a brilliant all-the-way performance to score by a quarter of a length in a best-of-the-night 25.05 seconds.

The son of Hooked On Scotch and Dewana Classic exploded out of the boxes, turning the tables on Canya Excite Me, who had defeated him during last week’s heats.

But the biggest challenge came late, with Dramatical charging hard in the concluding stages.

“Having Dramatical chasing him like that, I thought he was going to run straight past us,” Dewan said.

Dramatical finished second, while Canya Excite Me completed the placings in a high-quality edition of the Warrnambool Cup.

Dewan also paid tribute to fellow trainer Kel Greenough, who has played an important role in Dewana Star’s development.

“Without Kel, the dog wouldn’t be winning races like this.”

The Warrnambool Cup triumph pushes Dewana Star’s prize money closer to $150,000 after just 27 career starts.