The Sydney
Telegraph’s turf editor, Ray Thomas, is a walking encyclopaedia when it comes
to sport and last week he penned an interesting column regarding the ‘Unbreakable
Records of Racing’.
We’ve run it
in full here, but would be interested to hear your views on a factoid which Ray
might have omitted.
AS THE mighty Black Caviar is readied for her New Year
return in the Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley on Friday, talk will
inevitably resume about her record unbeaten sequence.
Black Caviar is aiming for her 17th win in as many
races and every time she competes it is like watching racing history in the
making.
Black Caviar has set - and continues to improve - a
record that may never be broken.
It reminded me of a recent article in the US Daily
Racing Form by Bill Christine which ranked the 10 most unbreakable US racing
records.
Christine listed some of the great achievements in US
racing, such as Secretariat’s staggering 31-length Belmont Stakes win in a
phenomenal time of 2min 24sec in 1973, jockey Kent Desormeaux’s 598 winners in
one year, trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ six straight Triple Crown wins and Kelso’s
five US Horse of the Year titles.
So, inspired by Black Caviar and the US list, here’s
my version of Australian racing’s 10 unbreakable records.
1: Bart Cummings - 12 Melbourne Cups (1965-2008)
This record will stand forever - 12 Melbourne Cup
winners including five quinellas. Cummings trained his first Melbourne Cup
winner in 1965 when Light Fingers beat her stablemate Ziema. He has since won
the Cup with Galilee (1966), Red Handed (1967), Think Big (1974-75), Gold And
Black (1977), Hyperno (1979), Kingston Rule (1990), Let’s Elope (1991), Saintly
(1996), Rogan Josh (1999) and Viewed (2008).
Why this is unbreakable: Cummings’ Melbourne Cup
record is more than double that of next best, Lee Freedman and Etienne De
Mestre with five each. His Cup effort is like Don Bradman’s batting average -
he’s twice as good as the rest.
2: Phar Lap - Four wins during 1930 Melbourne Cup
Carnival
Phar Lap, the greatest of them all, won on each of the
four days during the 1930 Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington. On Derby Day he
won the Melbourne Stakes (Mackinnon Stakes) over 2000m, then shouldered 62.5kg
to win the Melbourne Cup (3200m) and backed up two days later to win the
Linlithgow Stakes (1600m) before returning on the final day to win the C.B.
Fisher Plate (2400). Phar Lap’s four races covered 9200m, with an aggregate margin
of 13 1/2 lengths.
Why this is unbreakable: It’s rare for a horse to back
up twice, let alone three times at the Flemington Cup carnival. They just don’t
run over each of the four days anymore. Phar Lap’s record will stand for
eternity.
3: Tommy Smith - 33 straight Sydney premierships
(1952-1985)
In the toughest training environment in Australian
racing, Smith was able to remain unchallenged as premier trainer for 33
consecutive seasons, an extraordinary achievement. Smith’s reign as premier
trainer ended when Brian Mayfield-Smith won the title in 1985-86. But Smith
showed why he was one of the all-time greats by winning back the title for the
34th time in 1988-89.
Why this is unbreakable: Smith’s 33 consecutive
premierships is a world record and a unique example of sporting dominance.
4: Makybe Diva - Melbourne Cup three-peat (2003-05)
Since the Melbourne Cup was first run in 1861, only
four horses have managed repeat Cup triumphs: Archer (1861-62), Peter Pan
(1932, 1934), Rain Lover (1968-69) and Think Big (1974-75) - until Makybe Diva.
She won with 51kg in 2003, then returned the next year to set a weight-carrying
record for a mare with 55.5kg, only to smash that record in 2005 when she
shouldered 58kg to a magnificent win.
Why this is unbreakable: There’s more chance of
Kingston Town’s Cox Plate hat-trick (1980-82) being equalled, perhaps bettered,
than Makybe Diva’s three Melbourne Cups ever being repeated. Quite simply, it
is beyond any stayer to win four Melbourne Cups.
5: Black
Caviar - Unbeaten in 16 starts
Black Caviar is so superior to her rivals she has
rarely been tested in winning her first 16 races. She is deservedly rated the
world’s best sprinter and is set to extend her record winning sequence next
Friday night.
Why this is unbreakable: The previous record to start
a race career was Grand Flaneur’s nine wins from as many starts, including the
1880 Melbourne Cup. His benchmark stood for more than 130 years, equalled only
by Mollison, Eye Liner and Rancher but never bettered before Black Caviar made
racing history.
6: Carbine -
The 1890 Melbourne Cup
The legendary Carbine was asked to carry a crushing
10st 5lb (66kg) when he lined up against 38 rivals. Carbine proved his
greatness when he set a weight-carrying record, winning by 2 1/2 lengths and
establishing a race record.
Why this is unbreakable: No horse will ever be asked
to carry such a huge weight again and the Cup field is restricted to 24
starters.
7:
Bernborough - 1946 Doomben Cup
Bernborough was arguably the greatest weight carrier
of them all. During his famous 15-race winning streak in 1946, he was asked to
lump 10st 11lb (68.5kg) in the Doomben Cup. This should have been mission
impossible but Bernborough made light of his handicap to win the Group 1 race
easily.
Why this is unbreakable: Similar to Carbine and his
1890 Melbourne Cup win, the handicapper will never again allot a galloper the
equivalent of 68.5kg in a Group 1 race.
8: Guy Walter
- 2005 Doncaster Handicap trifecta
Guy Walter’s effort to prepare the first three
placegetters - Patezza, Court’s In Session and Danni Martine - is truly one of
the best training feats of the modern era. Gai Waterhouse’s Golden Slipper
trifecta in 2001 deserves an honourable mention.
Why this is unbreakable: The Doncaster is run under
handicap conditions over the exacting Royal Randwick 1600m course.
9: Malua -
Racing’s most versatile champion
Can you imagine any horse having the speed to win the
Oakleigh Plate-Newmarket Handicap double and, in the same year, the stamina to
win a Melbourne Cup? Well, that is just what Malua did in 1884. Four years
later, just to underline his versatility, Malua won the Grand National Hurdle.
Why this is unbreakable: In the modern era, racehorses
are bred to be specialist sprinters and/or stayers. And it would be sacrilege
to see a Melbourne Cup winner end his racing days over the jumps.
10: Banker, Briseis, Grace Darling, Belmont Park,
Tulloch - Only the once
Banker won the 1863 Melbourne Cup with a record low
weight 33.5kg. Briseis was ridden by a 13-year-old apprentice, Peter St Albans,
when she won the 1876 Melbourne Cup. Grace Darling won the 1885 Caulfield Cup
after 41 horses lined up at the start, 16 fell on the home turn, two horses
lost their lives, and jockey Don Nicholson was also killed. At Rosehill in 1954,
Belmont Park won successive races, a 2000m graduation and an 1800m welter.
Tulloch won the AJC, VRC and QTC Sires Produce Stakes as a two-year-old in
1957, then later that year won the AJC, VRC and QTC Derbies.
Why these are unbreakable: Racing rules have changed,
raising minimum weights, limiting field sizes, placing age restrictions on
jockeys, and preventing a galloper from racing twice on the same day. As for
Tulloch, his big-race hat-tricks in the Sires and Derbies will never be
repeated.
