It was exactly 10 years ago that the Barbara Joseph trained McJoey finally saluted in the Darwin Cup after finishing second the two previous years.

In an amazing coincidence, Hawks Bay has followed a similar path.

The past two years have been agony for Victorian trainer Neil Dyer, but he finally achieved salvation when the the six-year-old gelding decimated his rivals on the $175,000 Carlton Mid Darwin Cup (2000m) on Monday. Joseph, who bases herself at Bombala and Meriumbula on the NSW south coast, and in Canberra, attended the Cup Carnival and she would have most certainly appreciated the feeling that went through Dyer's veins when the 2011 Cup field crossed the finishing line.

And as winning jockey Steven Arnold said after returning to scale: "Hawks Bay certainly proved today that he was clearly the best horse in the race."

Dyer would have been apprehensive when he emabarked on the 3700km drive to Darwin from Kyneton nine weeks ago, but it will be a pleasant trip home now after finally securing what he has deemed as the "Holy Grail".

When he first arrived in the Top End for this year's extravaganza, Dyer refused to touch the Darwin Cup when he posed for a photograph for the NT News at the Cup Carnival launch.

The tears certainly flowed among the Dyer camp at Fannie Bay on the first Monday when Hawks Bay got the cash ahead of stablemate Palmyra Boy. Dyer has spoken often about the fondness he has for the Darwin Cup Carnival and he has made plenty of friends since heading north in 2009, so apart from family and friends it came as no surprise that he was mobbed by countless well-wishers from the time he landed a magnificent quinella until he finally made it to the victory dias.

The likeable Dyer, who enjoyed a superb Carnival after tasting success in other feature races such as the Bernborough Club Cup (Hawks Bay), ROANT Gold Cup (Palmyra Boy), Chief Ministers Cup (Palmyra Boy) and Metric Mile (Hawks Bay), had hinted in recent weeks that he may not return to the Territory next year.

The emotional scenes that transpired in the Fannie Bay mounting yard on Monday when the 2011 Darwin Cup Carnival drew to a close will not be easily forgotten.

Dyer will head for home after he fields a list of runners at the Alice Springs meeting at Pioneer Park on Saturday.

Story courtesy of David White, NT News