A part of Stephen Meyer almost couldn't quite believe it.
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On the drive home after Danza In The Dark's Walcha Cup win, the Tamworth trainer remarked to his mate who had travelled with him: "I don't know whether I'm dreaming this or not".
It was his biggest win since he started "mucking around" with horses almost 20 years ago.
Confessing to being a bit speechless at the post-race presentation, he joked that he'd "hate to win a Melbourne Cup".
To be fair it's not something Meyer has had too much practice of over the years with winners a bit few and far between.
But it's never been about that for the retired optical dispenser.
He just loves horses; has since he was a young kid.
Growing up on a farm not that far out of Tamworth, Meyer said all he "ever wanted" was a horse.
Unfortunately his family weren't in the position to get him one.
But the passion never went away.
His path into thoroughbreds started when he raced a couple of horses with his dad.
Meyer recalled how he used to trot and canter them on the little track he had in his front paddock for four or five weeks before they'd go down to Peter and Carol Bowen at Aberdeen for training.
One mare won six races, including four in-a-row. Another horse won a few races.
In 2006, he then decided to take out his owners-trainers licence.
The quintessential hobby trainer, the 68-year-old has always only ever had one horse in work, and there have been times when he hasn't had one.
Danza In The Dark, who gets the Danza part of his name from his mother, and the In The Dark from one of Meyer's favourite songs - the Bruce Springsteen classic Dancing In the Dark, is the only though he's ever had a win with.
Raced by he and wife, Jenny, they've had the seven year-old for about five years.
Over that time he's had [now] five wins, six seconds and eight thirds for them.
"He's just an honest little fella, just tries his heart out," he said.
Although he can have his moments.
On his 'slow' work days he can be "awful".
"It's 20 minutes of your life you'll never get back," Meyer joked.
He loves to tell the story of how Brody Cummins rode Danza In The Dark trackwork one morning and came back and told him to never ask him to ride the gelding again, for that reason.
But come race day he just seems to know what he's got to do.
Reflecting on the Walcha win, Meyer said he didn't know Danza In The Dark had won until the commentator announced the results.
He was down at the gate where they come in from the track, which is around 200m from the winning post, ready to pick him up, so didn't have a good view of the finish.
The only unfortunate thing about it all was that Jenny wasn't able to be there. She was in hospital in Gosford recovering from knee surgery.
Her brother had taken in her Ipad so she could watch, but the internet dropped out so she didn't get to see it live.
Breaking the track record, Meyer and Danza In The Dark are piloting another Cup mission this Friday with the gelding to contest the $50,000 Quirindi Cup (1600m).
A virtually one-man operation, he expressed his gratitude for the "team" behind him.
"I've got some really, really great people that help me," he said, singling out for particular mention Todd Bailey, Sarah Curtis and Cummins.
