Melbourne Cup is the best racing event of Australia. Nobody can deny its status. It is the only race when the whole country sits up and takes notice while fans around the world also watch the Melbourne Cup online in huge numbers.
The famous race takes place every year at the Flemington Racecourse. Three-year-olds and over can take part in this race which is one of the richest turf races in the world. It has a long and rich tradition, with its first race being run in 1861.
The most recent winner is Gold Trip who outclassed Emissary and High Emocean in 2022.
1- Carbine
Carbine was enormously famous among racing enthusiasts during his time. Sports pundits would rave about his weight-carrying ability, versatility, stamina and speed.
Carbine shocked everyone when he won the 1890 edition of the prestigious race while carrying an incredible 10 stone, 5 pounds (which amounts to 66kg). That was the heaviest weight ever carried by a winning horse. Highborn came in second at that time but he was carrying 24 kg less than the Walter S. Hickenbotham-trained horse.
Not only that, the New Zealand-bred racehorse won in an unforgettable manner as he finished the race in 3 minutes 28.25 seconds, which was a record at that time. And it stood for another 15 years.
2- Phar Lap
Phar Lap is one of the greatest horses in the history of Australian horse racing. And there is no greater name than Phar Lap among Melbourne Cup winners.
The Harry Telford-trained horse came third in the 1929 Melbourne Cup but entered the competition confidently the following year when he was in the middle of an amazing winning streak.
The 1930 Melbourne Cup was the greatest moment of his career. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for him. Phar Lap was controversially scratched from the Caulfield Cup to the huge anger of punters who had heavily backed him for the race.
The legendary racehorse was also attacked before the Melbourne Cup but luckily, the shots missed and he avoided any harm. However, he returned to Flemington as the shortest priced favourite and won the race comfortably to the ecstasy of the punters.
Phar Lap has the distinction of winning an incredible 37 of the 51 races he started. He also emerged victorious in the Chelmsford Stakes, Hill Stakes, Spring Stakes, Craven Plate, Randwick Plate, Cox Plate, Melbourne Stakes, Melbourne Cup, Linlithgow Stakes and the CB Fisher Plate all in the space of just 48 days.
3- Rain Lover
Rain Lover won the 1968 Melbourne Cup in a spectacular fashion. The Mick L. Robins-trained horse claimed a record winning margin of eight lengths and managed to set a new record time of three minutes and 19.1 seconds.
He entered the prestigious race again in a bid to register back-to-back victories. However, high drama would follow him there as Bart Cummings’ Big Philou was scratched just before the race. Cummings suspected foul play and only years later it emerged that a former stable employee had nobbled Big Philou with laxatives.
Meanwhile, Rain Lover claimed back-to-back wins despite carrying over 60 kg weight. Thus, he became the first horse since Archer to achieve this incredible feat.
The Mick L. Robins-trained horse made A$188,100 in earnings during his career. His owner was Clifford A. Reid.
4- Rising Fast
Rising Fast is perhaps not as famous a name as Phar Lap but the New Zealand-bred racehorse was also very successful in Australian horse racing. The amazing horse won one race after another in an incredible streak in the spring of 1954, including the Turnbull Stakes, Caulfield Stakes, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Mackinnon Stakes, Melbourne Cup and C.B. Fisher Plate.
Rising Fast emerged victorious in the 1954 edition of the Melbourne Cup as 5/2 favourite and thus became the only horse in history to complete a ‘Spring Grand Slam’. Horse racing in Australia is popular nowadays and that is due to legendary horses like Rising Fast who were a joy to watch at the peak of their careers.
The New Zealand-bred horse won £66,765 in earnings during his career between 1954 and 1956. His owner was Leicester R. Spring while Ivan Tucker and Fred Hoysted were his trainers.