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Tomorrow at Caulfield a pair of outstanding two-year-olds, Rubick and Earthquake, will clash in the Blue Diamond (1200m, Group 1, two-year-olds).
It’s been at least a couple of years since two high-profile horses that were set to meet in a Group 1 race were almost impossible to split on form and could be found almost locked together at the head of betting.
We are in for an old-fashioned two-horse race.
The Rubick-Earthquake match-up made me think of some of the great two-horse rivalries of recent Australian racing history – the likes of Octagonal and Saintly; Notherly and Sunline; Lonhro and Defier; Alinghi and Fastnet Rock and even All Too Hard and Pierro.
But what about some of the great two-horse duels? I’ve come up with my top five two-horse finishes from the last 20 years.
Here is a compilation of the best seven or eight minutes of racing to have been run in Australia in the last two decades. If Rubick and Earthquake can put on a duel half as good as any of these five races, we’ll be in for a treat.
5. Northerly v Sunline – ‘The Fighting Tiger’ downs ‘The Mare of the World’ (2001 Feehan – 1600m, Group 2, weight-for-age)
This was the start of a fantastic rivalry between two outstanding middle-distances horses and the beauty of the 2001 Feehan was that it showcased the best qualities of Northerly, who was on the way up, and Sunline, who had already claimed her two Cox Plates.
When The Roar compiled its list of the Top 50 Australian racehorses of all time last winter, Sunline was ranked 15 and Northerly 35. Undoubtedly they are two of the greats of Australian racing.
On this occasion, we had Sunline, ‘The Mare of the World’ controlling the race in the lead and opening the field up on the Moonee Valley home turn. It was how Sunline rolled!
Sunline died a few years ago and when remembering the mare, I think her most outstanding trait was her tremendous ability to so easily navigate the tight Moonee Valley turn. After all, it is the Valley turn that has claimed so many scalps (many of them in Cox Plates) over the years. The weakness of so many great horses was Sunline’s strength.
When Sunline went for the kill on the turn, ‘The Fighting Tiger’ Northerly was under pressure and out-paced. He had to fight just to stay in the race.
Upon straightening for home, Northerly balanced up and came after Sunline. He lifted off the canvass to find top gear. In the end Northerly nailed Sunline.
It was pre-cursor to the 2001 Cox Plate (2040m, Group 1, weight-for-age) a few weeks later. Because an enduring memory I have of the 2001 Cox Plate is Sunline kicking away on the Valley home turn, when at the same time in the race, a few lengths back, Damien Oliver pulls the whip on a labouring Northerly.
And just like in the 2001 Feehan, the result was the same. Northerly over Sunline.
Here’s the original instalment – the 2001 Feehan.
4. Elvstroem v Makybe Diva – ‘Big Elvis’ holds off ‘the Mighty Mare’ (2004 Caulfield Cup – 2400m, Group 1, handicap)
One of the great Caulfield Cups was run in 2004 when ‘Big Elvis’ Elvstroem held off a determined Makybe Diva down the Caulfield straight.
Elvstroem would later win the Dubai Duty Free Stakes (1777m, Group 1, weight-for-age) on Dubai World Cup night, while ‘the Mighty Mare’ would go on to claim her second and third Melbourne Cups (3200m, Group 1, handicap), a Cox Plate and BMW (2400m, Group 1, weight-for-age) in the following 12 and a half months.
On this occasion, Elvstroem pinched a break on Makybe Diva at the top of the straight and despite her best efforts Makybe Diva would not be able to bridge the gap.
At the end of her career, the Caulfield Cup would be the big prize missing on Makybe Diva’s CV. And Glen Boss famously showed his disgust at the narrow losing margin by a taking a swipe with his whip at the hedge that lines the outside fence of the Caulfield straight when returning to scale after the race.
Makybe Diva did exact quick revenge on Elvstroem. When she won the 2004 Melbourne Cup, Elvstroem ran fourth.
3. Redoute’s Choice v Testa Rossa – The greatest Guineas of all-time (1999 Caulfield Guineas – 1600m, Group 1, three-year-olds)
This was a duel for the ages and a great example of a two-horse race. Jimmy Cassidy, on Redoute’s Choice, tried to make the 1999 Guineas a staying test. Redoute’s led from his inside gate and Testa Rossa followed him the entire way.
The race’s high pressure saw Redoute’s Choice leave the inside fence on the home turn, presenting a run for Testa Rossa on the inside. Testa would take it and the lead shortly after.
But Redoute’s Choice wasn’t done yet. He fought back from being clearly headed to regain the lead and win in the last bound of the race.
The finish of the 1999 Caulfield Guineas is one of the most thrilling finishes in Group 1 racing history.
2. Lonhro v Sunline – ‘The Black Flash’ ascends to the top (2002 Caulfield Stakes – 2000m, Group 1, weight-for-age)
Before this famous match-up, Sunline had already claimed 13 Group 1s in three countries at distances ranging 1200 to 2040m. On her CV, she boasted dual successes in the Cox Plate and Doncaster Handicap (1600m, Group 1).
In her penultimate race-track appearance, Sunline met Australasia’s next middle-distance king – eventual 11-time Group 1 winner Lonhro.
Four-year old Lonhro entered the 2002 Spring Carnival with the 2001 Caulfield Guineas as his lone Group 1 success.
With a boom on him, ‘the Black Flash’ was searching for a big-name scalp to justify his reputation. And he found it in Sunline.
This was a super tactical race. Greg Childs’ ride on the mare was perfect. He set a solid tempo, trying to undo Lonhro at 2000m, full well knowing that Lonhro could produce a killer change of speed off a slow tempo.
Sunline, three lengths clear, looked the winner at the 200. But Lonhro kept lifting. He had to call on everything he had and at the very end, he claimed the lead.
Over the next 18 months Lonhro would dominate Australian racing. While for Sunline, to quote Greg Miles, she would officially “abdicate” two weeks’ later when finishing a brave fourth to Northerly at her swansong in the 2002 Cox Plate.
1. Northerly v Freemason – The rumble at Rosehill (2003 BMW – 2400m, Group 1, weight-for-age)
This was the duel to end all duels. Northerly and Freemason in the 2003 BMW. I was lucky enough to be at the races this day and I doubt I’ll ever witness a better race than this one.
The fight was on right from the beginning. Darren Beadman aboard the outsider Freemason rode one of the greatest races of his career.
Before we even pick up footage of this race at the 1800m mark, he’s already made a crucial move.
As I remember the race (for whatever strange reason, it doesn’t get replayed very often), Freemason settled at the rear of the field before Beadman made a quick move shortly after the start to round the small field and take Freemason to the lead. It is the catalyst for the legendary battle that follows.
Patrick Payne aboard Northerly was not going to let Freemason enjoy a soft lead and so the BMW was on from the mile mark. These two horses went at it for the last 1600m – outside of the US, it’s practically unheard of in thoroughbred racing.
As Max Presnell says in the video, a dog fight should have favoured Northerly, who was known for his toughness. He was, after all, nicknamed ‘the Fighting Tiger’. But somehow Northerly was outmuscled by Freemason.
Enjoy this duel. What a race – the rumble at Rosehill!
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