Aidan Sheils reacts after Heartbreak City's second place finish in the Melbourne Cup. PHOTO: FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA

WATCH: Westmeath racehorse owner ecstatic after Melbourne Cup placing

Published: Tue 1 Nov 2016, 9:04 AM

Last updated: Tue 1 Nov 2016, 9:08 AM

A horse part-owned by two Westmeath men has come second in Australia's most prestigious thoroughbred horse race earlier this morning (Irish time) – barely pipped at the post by the winner, Almandin.

Heartbreak City – jointly owned by Aidan 'Red' Sheils (Edmonton, Killucan), Charlie Gavigan (Castletown-Geoghegan) and Niall Reilly (Stamullen, Co. Meath) – crossed the line in this year's Melbourne Cup after the tightest of finishes, just missing out on the cup and a $3.6m prize fund.

The horse, ridden by Joao Moreira, was acquired by the trio – who are involved in construction in New York, as well as a pub, The Irish Rover in Queen's – after the original owner, Englishman George Swan, passed away last year.

When the seven-year-old bay gelding was purchased by the syndicate – the "Here for the Craic Partnership" – it remained with its current trainer, Meath man Tony Martin, and won the Ebor Handicap in York during the summer.

Had 11/1 shot Heartbreak City got the better of Almandin, it would have been the first Irish Melbourne Cup winner since Dermot Weld's Media Puzzle in 2002.

However, second place – and a prize fund of $900,000 – was more than joint owner Aidan Sheils expected.

"Who wouldn't take that? I don't care, I don't care... we came here and finished second. We would have been happy with last!" said the publican, giving an extraordinary post-race interview in which he bear-hugged TV reporter Neil Kearney (see below).

Sheils paid tribute to his friend and former owner George Swan, who died last November after a battle with illness.

"George Swan, that's what this horse is all about," he remarked. "I think we wouldn't be here without him."

"The emotions were very high," said trainer Tony Martin, already looking ahead to 2017. "I gave him all the pushing and shoving I could from the stands, but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

"Everything went to plan, everything was great, it's just a pity we didn't have somebody to tow us into the straight a little bit further.

"Other than that, everything went well – I couldn't be happier. If we have to lock him up until next year, he's coming back here next year, all being well."