When he decided to start training racehorses, Darren Weir's ambition was to win the Stawell Cup.

His next goal was the Ballarat Cup followed by the Swan Hill Cup. No.4 on the list was the Melbourne Cup.

But never did the boy from the bush think he would get to Flemington on the first Tuesday in November with a winning chance.

And as they called the horses to the barrier on the most recent Cup day, he still didn't think he had a chance against the wealthy Japanese, the sheikhs and the best Europe could offer.

"He was set for the Moonee Valley Cup and when he ran well in that (second) we thought we'd bring him here and hope for a finish in the top ten," Weir said.

As an 18-year-old, Weir rode a horse into Stawell trainer Terry O'Sullivan's stable to begin work as a farrier.

"I was taking two horses there and the car hit a kangaroo on the road and it was a fair walk to Terry O'Sullivan's so I rode one of them in," Weir said.

"After working there I started training a few and then things grew."

Things have grown so much Weir has won the past two Melbourne premierships but still retains his country roots with stables at Ballarat and Warrnambool where the horses enjoy the beach.

It isn't the conventional way to win premierships, but it suits Weir who has built his reputation rehabilitating injured horses when no-one else had the time or the patience.

A crucial part of his stable is Michelle Payne who grew up in Ballarat as part of a racing family.

Payne treated her Cup win as a reward for the hard work she had put and and said it was destiny.

Weir thought he perhaps had a big night ahead, with the enormity of the win still to sink in.

"This is a credit to my staff," he said.

"There's a lot of hard work. This horse has come back from two fetlock operations and twisted bowel.

"To win the Melbourne Cup with him is amazing.

"I don't care what he does now. I'm not thinking about next year. I'm not thinking about his next race.

"He always has a place in a paddock at my place."