Australians watching the Melbourne Cup won't know whether to laugh or cry if Magic Circle crosses the line first on Tuesday after the horse's flamboyant owner, Marwan Koukash, declared he would accept the Cup wearing only a g-string.
He was not backing away from the big statement on Sunday at Werribee even as his confidence in the seven-year-old increased after seeing him work.
Marwan Koukash speaks at Werribee ahead of the Melbourne Cup.Credit:AAP
And Koukash knows what it takes to have a horse capable of running a big race in the Melbourne Cup, having owned Mount Athos, which finished third in the 2013 Melbourne Cup behind Fiorente after a fifth place in 2012 under the care of champion trainer Luca Cumani.
Magic Circle has won three of his past five starts with all the wins coming over further than 3200 metres, including a dominant Chester Cup win over 3749 metres in May.
Koukash models his outfit, should his horse win the Cup.Credit:AAP
"Magic Circle is probably a better horse than Mount Athos and hopefully it can take me that bit closer," Koukash said.
His trainer Ian Williams is happy with Magic Circle's preparation, although his keenness to see the horse win is dimmed slightly by the prospect of Koukash getting his gear off.
Williams said his biggest concern ahead of the race was the owner's potential antics post-race although Koukash was not perturbed.
"You would have to be an absolute miserable bastard not to enjoy what is going on here," Koukash said.
With last year's Cup winning jockey Corey Brown booked for the mount 10 weeks ago, Magic Circle's connections are confident.
Koukash, a multi-millionaire, was born in Palestine and as a boy was a refugeein Jordan before his family made their way to Kuwait. He then moved to England as a teenager and passed a PhD in electrical engineering before his entrepreneurial spirit took hold.
"I am not sure I have always been as flamboyant as I am now," Koukash said.
Clearly he loves horseracing and the Melbourne Cup, having demolished more gin and tonics on Saturday night than his head appreciated on Sunday.
He only has to stay the distance until Wednesday morning when he leaves Australia having, from his perspective, watched Magic Circle stay the two miles of the Melbourne Cup.
One gets the feeling he is more confident in his horse's ability on that score than his own.
"Magic Circle is probably the only true stayer in the race and if it turns out to be a truly-run two-mile race then there are only one or two horses that could win it," Koukash said.
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