Basilinna has earned her golden ticket into the Melbourne Cup after a breakthrough victory in the Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington, and trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne are already eyeing off November with excitement and caution.

The lightly raced mare, sent out at $21, handled the Soft 7 going perfectly under Dean Yendall to score a 1¼-length win over long shot Glentaneous ($101), with Ferneo ($14) finishing third another 1½ lengths back.

The win secures Basilinna a ballot exemption into the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, a massive reward for the Browne stable, who have been steadily growing their presence since relocating from New Zealand in 2022.

“I’m a little bit overwhelmed,” Emma-Lee Browne said.

“She’s a horse that means a lot to me and I can’t believe that she did it.

“When the rain came we were pretty confident, but she is a proper princess and it might have been too much rain, but she just handled it so well.

“We’ve just got to wrap her in cotton wool now and we’ll be back here in November.

“It’s a massive thing for our whole stable.”

The Brownes’ season had already included a feature win in the VOBIS Showdown at Caulfield in March, but Saturday’s success takes things to a new level.

“We’ve had a great season, but this has really topped it off,” Browne added.

Basilinna’s origin is deeply personal, having been bred from So Royal, a mare purchased after the heartbreaking loss of former jumper Monarch Chimes.

“Her mum’s by Shinko King and I laughed and said ‘you can’t replace him’ but I think he’s done a pretty good job,” Browne said.

“We bred her and she’s done a pretty good job.

“Right from the start today, she was handling the track great and I think I will be the only one hoping for rain in November.”

Track Basilinna’s Melbourne Cup path and access betting options for Flemington’s biggest race via Australia’s leading betting sites.