Ben Melham might help fund a future honeymoon on Saturday as he partners Pakenham Cup favourite Dal Harraild.

But it was back to work last night at the Valley, and again at Pakenham on Saturday, as he looks to close out another successful year in the saddle.

“We are running out of good money at this time of the year, so we will take whatever we can get,” Melham said with a laugh when asked if victory with the Ciaron Maher-David Eustace-trained Dal Harraild might help honeymoon plans.

“(The proposal) probably didn’t go down as well as I wanted it to, but she said yes, and that’s the main thing.”

Melham said Karlie — the mother of his two children, son Lachlan (who turns nine next week) and daughter Leni Belle (one) — had been with him almost every step of the way through the highs and lows of his riding career.

“She has been there for 12 years, so I think she never thought it was going to happen,” he said.

“Racing is a tough industry for the wives and the children, because it involves awkward, not consistent hours.

“I went out and bought all the trimmings (for the beach proposal).

“I bought a little tent and had it all worked out nicely. It’s taken me 12 years to save up and pay for the ring, the last thing I wanted to do was to lose it. It was a really hot day and a bit unpleasant (in terms of weather conditions), but she was surprised with it, so that was a good thing.”

The 30-year-old had some near misses this spring with seconds in the Caulfield Cup (on Homesman) and the Victoria Derby (Stars Of Carrum), but rode superbly throughout the carnival, closing it with The Taj Mahal’s game win over Dal Harraild at Sandown in the Zipping Classic last month.

Now he gets to ride the Zipping runner-up, who was brave in fighting on for second, in Saturday’s $300,000 Pakenham Cup, saying he thinks the form will hold up.

“If The Taj Mahal was in this race, you would think he would take some beating,” Melham said.

“I did like the fight that Dal Harraild showed (at Sandown). I thought I had him beaten comfortably, but he fought back on me right on the line.

“(Dal Harraild) is obviously the one to beat … his issue is that he is top weight and there looks to be a little bit of speed in the race. I just think he is a good-string European stayer that needs to be going at a gallop and he can maintain a good tempo and sustain a good turn of foot from a fair way out.”

Dal Harraild is the $2.70 TAB favourite from Darren Weir’s Kiwia ($4.40)