But Vigor Winner's story is even more unlikely as trainer Lauren Brennan was considering scratching the lightly-raced gelding at 10am.
Her dramas started with an early morning text from booked rider Troy Harris apologising that he couldn't make the weight and with a big field, plenty of riders suspended and others working at Hastings, Brennan considered scratching.
"We really didn't have anybody in mind and we really thought about pulling him out until we were told Donavan [Mansour] was available," says Brennan.
"I'll admit I didn't know much about Donavan and it was quite strange putting on a jockey we had never had much to do with when you are so used to knowing your jockeys.
"So I had a quick look at some of his rides and Donavan eased my mind a bit when he told me he had been following the horse. It is funny how it works out some times."
As if that wasn't enough drama for one race Vigor Winner was then trapped three and four wide, made a massive sustained run, was headed at the 150m mark by Speedy Meady and fought back bravely but looked to have been nosed out.
So he endured more than his share of judder bars on the road to his shared victory and that bravery will be a powerful asset when he hits Queensland.
"Providing he comes through this all right he will go over on May 12 and contest the Fred Best [May 25] and then maybe the Queensland Guineas [June 8], which will be a good chance to step him up to 1600m," says Brennan.
Vigor Winner will be only the second horse Brennan has campaigned in Australia after a luckless trip there with Savanah Rush in 2013.
"It's exciting and we've been talking to a few people about where to stay and I've already rung a few jockeys' agents over there because we'll probably use an Australian jockey."
Brennan and her husband Mickey are just happy to still have Vigor Winner as there have been plenty of buyers circling but some "not pretty" x-rays have kept him in New Zealand, where next season he will give the stable a powerful one-two punch with open class mate Magnum.
Another three-year-old winner from Saturday heading to Queensland is Pimmedown, who earned her travel money through a peach of a ride from Cameron Lammas cutting the corners to down a game Peaceful.
But the undoubted star of the Te Rapa day was Supera who came from further back than her connections would have liked to win the $100,000 Travis Stakes, adding a Group 2 victory to her resume.
Still only a four-year-old, she will now head to the paddock and looks worthy of a shot at at least the latter two legs of the Hawke's Bay triple crown in the spring, and maybe even the Australian mare's races after that.
Call to arms
•Two horses who almost missed the race dead heat in the Cambridge Breeders' Stakes.
•Neither Andrew Calder nor Donavan Mansour knew they were riding in the race until hours before it.
•Supera and Pimmedown were the other stars of the day.
