Then there are people like Canberra's Ron Foster who find themselves with the Midas touch.

Foster, a public servant who has lived in the nation's capital for 32 years, had never delved into the rickety world of racehorse ownership before.

That was until his phone rang in mid-2005.

Foster's long-time friend Alec Leopold had purchased a 50per cent stake in an unborn horse a foal-to-be out of Takeover Target's mother Shady Stream.

Former Canberra resident and breeder Tony Hartnell, of Meringo Stud near Moruya on the South Coast, owned the other 50per cent share of the unborn.

Leopold was keen to know if Foster wanted to buy a portion of his share.

Foster took his mate up on the offer and the horse turned out to be Predatory Pricer.

In 16 starts the horse has amassed $778,650 but there's much more on offer in the next fortnight.

The galloper will headline Canberra's link to this year's Melbourne Spring Carnival, which clicks up a notch today with the running of the Caulfield Guineas.

Predatory Pricer will contest next weekend's $2.5million Caulfield Cup as well as the $3million Cox Plate the following Saturday.

Vigor, part-owned in Canberra by Jason Mathie of Titan Thoroughbreds, remains on track for the Caulfield/Melbourne Cups double.

And Black Piranha, which is part-owned by ACTTAB chairman Con Kourpanidis, is Cox Plate-bound but will also contest today's Group1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.

Combined, the trio is racing for spoils in prizemoney of $7.4million over the next month.

For Foster, the prospect of even having a runner high in betting for his two target races is a thrill in itself.

Predatory Pricer is $6.50 second-favourite in the Caulfield Cup and $7 equal second-favourite in the Cox Plate.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times