By JARROD MCALEESE
BUNYIP mother Lisa Moyle made a last-minute decision to attend the Cranbourne Cup and left with the keys to a new Hyundai Tucson valued at $32,000.
The promotion run by organisers involved assigning randomly-selected attendees who entered the competition with one of the horses running in the event’s marquee race.
And Ms Moyle, who “loves horses and the atmosphere of the races”, revealed that her son almost talked her out of signing up for what would turn out to be a remarkable victory.
“My son wanted to go home early,” Ms Moyle said.
Luckily for Ms Moyle, she decided to remain at the track and fill out one of the submission forms, which was free of charge.
“They were calling for any last entries and I told my son that I wanted to stay for the draws,” she said.
As the lucky winners were announced over the PA systems, Ms Moyle heard her name called.
Though stunned, she immediately resonated with her allotted runner, number eight.
“Eight is my lucky number. I thought it may have been a good omen,” she said.
Digitalism, trained by John Sadler, triumphed in the 2025m showcase, leaving Ms Moyle stunned.
“I’ve had a pretty tough run,”
“I just live with my son, who is nine,”
“I lead a simple life and it means so much” she said.
Ms Moyle shared a celebratory moment with winning jockey Michael Dee after the completion of the race.
“I thanked Michael and the owners. He joked that he wished he had won the car,” she said.
Having had a few days to process the sensational stroke of fortune, Ms Moyle has made the decision to hold on to her prize.
“I’ll be keeping the car, I discussed it with my family for a while but I’ll be keeping the car,” she said.
And Ms Moyle is not in limbo over whether or not to attend the 2016 Cranbourne Cup.
“I’ll definitely be coming back next year,” she said.
