She was glued to the radio in her Mosgiel home that day in 1952 as her husband, entertainment identity Joe Brown, sat in the stands at Flemington and watched another horse run away with his dream.
While Mrs Brown thought he would be happy with their horse's third placing, he was instead frustrated with the jockey for not listening to instructions.
Mr Brown wanted him to follow Dalray, the horse pegged to win the race, which Reformed had beaten in the Wellington Cup earlier that year.
However, rather than follow Dalray around the outside of the field, the jockey put Reformed into a gap which quickly closed.
When it reopened "he was flying", but his run was too late to take the cup.
"He [Joe] just sat there and thought `so near, yet so far'.
You only get one chance at a Melbourne Cup.
If he [the jockey] had done what he was told, he would have won it," she said.
Reformed ran in the Melbourne Cup again the following year but was unplaced, as was another of the Browns' horses, Royal Tower.
Mr Brown, who died in August 1986, had been involved with horses since he was a child growing up in Naseby.
His mother always said he could ride a horse before he could walk.
Soon after the couple married, he bought a house near Wingatui, and the building of stables took priority over a new kitchen and carpets.
Three jockeys became boarders.
Horse-breeding soon followed, and at one point they had 81 horses to their name.
"When you breed them, they are almost like your family, like your children.
You would watch a race but you would only see your horse - the others were just a blur," Mrs Brown said.
While she will not be one of the 10,000 people expected at Wingatui today, she will watch on television to see how her horse Lee Boy goes, and tipped So You Think to win today's Melbourne Cup.
Preparations for the day at Wingatui started two weeks ago and organisers are hoping for good weather.
Marketing manager Kirsty Robertson said there would be more of an emphasis on public lawn areas after feedback about the prevalence of corporate marquees.
Senior Sergeant Craig Brown said police were also organised for the event.
Extra staff were rostered on and traffic police would breath-test drivers entering and leaving the meeting.
