The first Melbourne Cup was run on Thursday 7 November, 1861 at Flemington, which was not much more than a paddock then, and witnessed by about 4,000 hardy fans who obviously had no idea just how big the race would become in the future.
The first Melbourne Cup to be run on the first Tuesday of November was in 1875.
1861. The first shots in the American Civil War were fired on 12 April at Fort Sumner, meaning the Civil War preceded the Melbourne Cup by just 7 months. After just 12 months in operation, the U.S. Pony Express ceased operation. Imagine that, just 12 months. But its legend has far outlived its length of existence. The very first iron-hulled armoured warship – HMS Warrior – was commissioned in October.
Although some form of bicycles had existed for perhaps the previous 100 years, 1861 was the year in which the modern pedals and cranks became standard on bicycles in Europe. A mighty weapon of destruction was patented in 1861 – the Gatling Machine Gun.
Last but not least in 1861, the first-ever Melbourne Cup was held under a pall of sorrow, with the news filtering through that Burke and Wills had perished on their cross-continent exploration just a few months previously.
The Melbourne Cup has had a continuous run of 150 years. Neither two word wars, nor flood, nor anything else has prevented the cup being run each year. Oh yes, on some occasions, the race has been postponed, or transferred to another day on the calender, but it has been run continuously without fail for 150 years.
To give you an idea of how old the Melbourne Cup actually is, the only “classics” that can claim a longer existence are the English St.Leger (1776), English Oaks (1779), English Derby (1780), Ascot Gold Cup (1807), 2000 Guineas (1809), 1000 Guineas (1814) and the Grand National Hurdle (1837).
None of the American or European classics predate the Melbourne Cup. The earliest of the American classics to be run was the Belmont Stakes in 1867 (six years later), followed by the Preakness Stakes (1873) and Kentucky Derby (1875).
Today, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is considered to be the most prestigious (but not most valuable) race in the world, but it was first run as recently as 1920.
It pains me to say that the Melbourne Cup has been won by a lot of very ordinary horses. Too many to mention, in fact. That’s the nature of handicap conditions. But on the other hand, some of the greatest champions to grace our turf, have risen above their huge weight, and sometimes huge fields, and the gut-busting distance, to get their nose to the post first.
Fortunately, the first winner of the Melbourne Cup was a true champion – Archer. So good in fact, he came back the following year and repeated the dose. The story goes that he should have won the first three Melbourne Cups, but the new interstate rivalry (Victoria had been separated from NSW for only 10 years) thwarted the ambitions of Archer’s connections.
You see, Archer was a NSW horse, and his application for acceptance (by telegraph/telegram) arrived on a public holiday in Victoria, which was also the closing date for acceptances. So it seems Archer’s application was conveniently rejected on a technicality. Archer had lowered the boom on Victoria’s champion racehorse – Mormon – in successive cups, so this was seen as a sort of payback!
A legend developed that Archer had walked from his home in Nowra to Melbourne for the first running of the cup, a staggering distance of about 850 kms (about 510 miles). His owner/trainer, Etienne de Mestre, did nothing to squash the rumour, but was happy for people to believe it, if they were silly enough to do so. Every sport needs its legendary stories, and this is as good as any.
Another legend is that publican Walter Craig correctly predicted from a dream that his horse Nimblefoot would win the 1870 cup but he would not live to see it (the jockey wore a black armband). After telling friends the following day about his dream, he died suddenly that night, about two weeks out from the cup.
There have been very few multiple winners following Archer. Only four others in fact – Peter Pan (1932 and 34), Rain Lover (1968/69), Think Big (1974/75) and Makybe Diva (2003-04-05). All bar Think Big were champion racehorses who proved their quality across a number of other races. Will Americain join this illustrious quintet in 2011?
The mighty Rising Fast had the opportunity to do the double-double in 1954/55. He won the Caulfield-Melbourne Cups double of 1954, and added another Caulfield Cup in 1955. In the Melbourne Cup, under the massive weight of 63.5 kgs (10st), he was run down in the shadow of the post by the lightweight Toporoa carrying just 48 kgs (7st 8lbs).
Racing aficionados believe that Rising Fast’s jockey Bill Williamson was within his rights to protest against Toporoa’s jockey Neville Sellwood for interference in the straight, and would have won the protest, but Williamson, a noble human being, refused to do so. Back then it seems, the popular view seemed to be that you don’t win the Melbourne Cup on protest.
Although this didn’t stop Shane Dye on Shiva’s Revenge in 1991, lodging a protest against winner and stablemate Let’s Elope, ridden by Stephen King, which was quickly dismissed.
Both horses were trained by Bart Cummings, and while waiting for the steward’s verdict, he was asked his thoughts on the protest. “I can’t lose”, he quipped mischievously.
The three greatest winners of the Melbourne Cup, are Carbine (1890), Phar Lap (1930) and you’d have to say, Makybe Diva (2003-04-05). Carbine holds the record for carrying the greatest weight to victory, a whopping 65.5 kgs (10st 5lbs).
In his year, it was also the biggest field to ever run in the cup, can you believe a staggering 39 runners lined up! Phar Lap also carried a massive weight 62.5 kgs (9st 12lbs). Carbine was a 5 year old and Phar Lap a 4 year old, but on the weight for age scale, Carbine carried 2 kilograms more.
I personally consider Carbine a superior racehorse to Phar Lap, if only just, not only for their racing records, but for the fact that Carbine was outstandingly successful at stud. As a gelding, despite his short life, Phar Lap was never going to be a sire anyway.
Despite its reputation as a handicap race, 4 of the 5 greatest horses to grace the Australian turf who were outstanding from 1600m to 3200m, have contested the cup. They were Carbine, Phar Lap, Tulloch and Kingston Town. The exception was Bernborough, who was the only one of the 5 unable to run out the distance of 3200m.
Tulloch and Kingston Town were both trained b Tommy Smith, Gai Waterhouse’s father, and both should have won the Melbourne Cup.
Tulloch was denied in 1957 by a controversial scratching when he had the race at his mercy, and in 1960 by an unusually poor ride from his usually outstanding jockey Neville Sellwood. Tulloch gained some 20 lengths in the straight, and gobbled up nearly two dozen horses, but still finished 3 lengths short in 7th place. Probably the greatest run to finish 7th in history! It was his only unplaced run in 53 starts.
Kingston Town was denied in 1981 by an injury sustained during the race, and in 1982 by a poor ride from his jockey Malcolm Johnston, who took him to the lead too early down the long Flemington straight. He was run down in the shadow of the post by Caulfield Cup winner Gurner’s Lane.
There are so many wonderful stories to the Melbourne Cup, and I have only scratched the surface. Europeans and Americans go on about their set weight and weight for age classics, but they don’t have the extraordinary history of our race. They don’t have the wide variety of characters, or the richness of history and tradition, that is attached to our race.
The famous humourist and writer Mark Twain visited our shores in 1896, and even then, five years before Federation, and with much poorer communication than today, he was stunned that one race could enthrall an entire country.
Outspoken British trainer Mark Johnson says the cup is a “rubbish race”, and he’s only in it to collect the cash.
On the other hand, beautiful Francesca Cumani (daughter of trainer Luca) says the cup is the “greatest racing event” in the world, and she’s on the money!
Speaking of money, who are my tips?
I reckon any horse wearing saddlecloth 1 through 24 will win. Folks, I have no idea!
There are about a dozen or more European horses, including a handful we haven’t even seen run. Trying to get a handle on form is almost impossible. The traditional methods of selection won’t work this year.
Just this morning I tossed out rhyme and reason, and decided to go with symmetry and sentiment. The symmetry is that Jim Cassidy’s two Melbourne Cup winners were 14 years apart – 1983 and 1997. And guess what? It’s been 14 years since his last winning ride. So winning rides in 1983, 1997 and 2011 would be very symmetrical, don’t you think.
The sentiment is that Cassidy’s mount Illo, is trained by the legendary Bart, no surname required. I have been with Bart his entire journey, witnessing all previous 12 cup wins.
If Illo gets up, it will give Bart his ‘Baker’s Dozen’, his 13th cup win, and we can all wave him off into the sunset. Especially if he keeps those other foreign barbarian hoarders at bay! With all the calculated knowledge in the world deserting me, symmetry and sentiment might just work…
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