The Group One Caulfield Cup has a rich history and a well-earned reputation as one of the world’s toughest handicaps. It requires a special blend of stamina and class to win it, and horses sourced from New Zealand’s National Yearling Sales have shown that they have what it takes.
NZB will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Yearling Sales at Karaka in January. That century of sales has produced more than 20 winners of the Caulfield Cup.
The first Caulfield Cup was run in 1879, and New Zealand’s affinity for the race was established well before the National Yearling Sales began in 1926. A total of 40 New Zealand-breds have won the great race, beginning with back-to-back successes by Maranui (NZ) (Malatua) and Aborigine (NZ) (Merriwee) in 1908 and 1909 – the latter a dead heat with Blue Book (True Blue).
Later in the 20th century, those early Kiwi-bred winners were followed by a series of top-quality sale graduates, many of whom rank among the most famous names on the Caulfield Cup honour roll.
1950: GREY BOOTS
Grey Boots was bred by legendary racing personality Miss Joyce Edgar Jones, a vendor since 1933. This Nizami colt was purchased by W.H. Tyler at the 1947 National Yearling Sale and was acquired by owner/trainer Harold Cooper from Tyler following inspection on arrival in Sydney.
His four-year-old season saw his second Sydney win before recording the first of his five career Group 1 victories, beginning with a surprise win in the 1950 AJC Doncaster Handicap (Gr.1) at odds of 25/1.
At five he scored the Toorak Hcp then seven days later raced into history when he stylishly won the 1950 Caulfield Cup, becoming the first grey horse to win the Cup in its 70-year history. Grey Boots went on to become a prominent weight-for-age horse, winning the CM Lloyd Stakes, the Rawson Stakes, Caulfield Stakes and the CF Orr Stakes signing off a great career at seven with a total of 14 wins which included five Group 1s and six Group 1 placings.
1954 & 1955: RISING FAST
Bought for just 325 guineas from the 1950 National Yearling Sale at Trentham, Rising Fast (NZ) (Alonzo) went on to have a glittering racetrack career that earned him induction into both the New Zealand and Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
Rising Fast had 68 starts for 24 wins, 16 seconds and two thirds, earning £66,765 in stakes for owner Leicester Spring.
In 1954 he became the first horse to complete the Spring Grand Slam – the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate (2040m) and Melbourne Cup (3200m). He is still the only horse to win all three races in the same season.
Rising Fast went on to successfully defend his Caulfield Cup title in 1955, and his other feature-race victories included the Caulfield Stakes (1800m), Turnbull Stakes (2400m), Feehan Stakes (1600m), Herbert Power Handicap (2400m), CF Orr Stakes (1600m), Blamey Stakes (2000m), Memsie Stakes (1800m), and two editions of the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) and Fisher Plate (2400m). He was beaten by a nose in his attempt at a second Melbourne Cup.
Rising Fast is one of only seven horses to win two Caulfield Cups, and just two of those have done it in consecutive years – Rising Fast and the 1906-07 winner Poseidon (Positano). The only horse to record multiple Caulfield Cup wins since Rising Fast is Ming Dynasty (Planet Kingdom), who won it in 1977 and 1980.
Rising Fast was a life-changing galloper for Spring, who looked after the horse throughout a long retirement until his death at the age of 29 in 1978.
“The huge amount of money enabled me to purchase a sheep and cattle farm near Te Awamutu and build a home in Whakatane,” Spring wrote in his book Racing with Rising Fast.
1957: TULLOCH
Tulloch (NZ) (Khorassan) was offered by Trelawney Stud at the 1956 Sale, where he was bought by Hall of Fame trainer T. J. (Tommy) Smith for 750 guineas.
In a 53-start career, Tulloch recorded 36 wins, 12 seconds and four thirds. He won the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) as a two-year-old, then added a whopping 14 wins as a three-year-old including the 1957 Caulfield Cup and a remarkable classic treble in the Queensland Derby (2400m), VRC Derby (2500m) and Australian Derby (2400m). That incredible campaign also produced victories in the Warwick Stakes (1400m), Rosehill Guineas (2000m), Caulfield Guineas (1600m), VRC St Leger (2800m), Rawson (now Ranvet) Stakes (2000m), Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m), AJC St Leger (2800m), All Aged Stakes (1600m) and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2800m). Incredibly, 11 of those races now hold Group One status.
Tulloch went on to win another two editions of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as an older horse, along with other prestigious weight-for-age features such as the Cox Plate (2040m), George Main Stakes (1600m) and Mackinnon Stakes (2000m).
Tulloch was among the inaugural inductees into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, and he was also inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.
1958: SIR BLINK
Bought for 475 guineas by Mrs E Kellett, Sir Blink (NZ) (Blue Coral) went on to triumph in not only the 1958 Caulfield Cup but also the Victoria Derby (2400m) the same year. He backed up those major victories with placings in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), Australian Derby (2400m), Blamey Stakes (2000m), Caulfield Stakes (1800m), the 1959 Caulfield Cup and the 1960 edition of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2800m).
1962: EVEN STEVENS
A mere 400 guineas was enough to secure Even Stevens (NZ) (Fairs Fair) as a yearling, having caught the eye of trainer Archie McGregor’s wife Valerie. He went on to win 11 of his 28 starts, placing in another seven and earning £43,895.
He completed the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double in 1962, winning both races by four lengths in dominant performances. He was originally on the ballot for the Caulfield Cup and only made the field after scratchings.
Even Stevens also won the Avondale Cup (2200m) and Fisher Plate (2400m). He placed behind Stipulate (NZ) (Count Rendered) in the 1963 Auckland Cup (3200m).
Even Stevens was later gifted to the Queen Mother, but suffered an injury in training prior to his scheduled departure to the UK. He was retired to stand at stud in New Zealand, where his progeny included the Great Northern Derby (2400m) and New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Master John (NZ).
1966: GALILEE
Bred and sold by Trelawney Stud, Galilee (NZ) (Alcimedes) was bought by legendary trainer Bart Cummings for 3750 guineas – just over half that year’s sale-topping price of 7000 guineas.
From a 36-race career, Galilee went on to record 18 wins and 10 placings and earned just under A$170,000 for Adelaide builder Max Bailey and his wife Venice. Among the 12 Melbourne Cup winners and countless other champions that he trained, Cummings always regarded Galilee as the very best of them all.
In the spring of 1966, Galilee finished second in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) before winning the Toorak Handicap (1600m) and Caulfield Cup. With a Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) placing in between times, he then went on to a two-length triumph in the Melbourne Cup (3200m).
He followed that up with an autumn campaign that featured victories in the Queen’s Plate (2000m), Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2400m), Autumn Stakes (2400m) and a six-length runaway under 60 kilograms in the Sydney Cup (3200m). He became the first horse to win the Caulfield, Melbourne and Sydney Cups in the same season.
1985: TRISTARC
Bred by Sir Patrick Hogan and offered by Cambridge Stud at the 1983 Sale, Tristarc (NZ) (Sir Tristram) was bought for $135,000.
Tristarc won no fewer than five Group One races – the Caulfield Cup, the Australian Derby (2400m), the Underwood Stakes (2000m), the Caulfield Stakes (2000m) and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
1986: (MR) LOMONDY
Paul Kerr paid $30,000 to secure (Mr) Lomondy (NZ) (Noble Bijou), whose 54-race career produced 14 wins, 10 placings and over A$840,000 in prize-money.
In addition to a series of wins in his homeland including Hawke’s Bay’s Ormond Memorial Stakes (2000m) and two editions of the Group Three Manawatu Cup (2300m), Mr Lomondy ventured across the Tasman and secured Group One triumphs in the Adelaide Cup (3200m) and Caulfield Cup.
2007: MASTER O’REILLY
The South Island Sale produced the 2007 Caulfield Cup hero Master O’Reilly (NZ) (O’Reilly), who was offered by Paritai Stud in 2004 and was bought by Liam Sutcliffe Holdings for $75,000.
Danny O’Brien trained Master O’Reilly for all but the first eight starts of his 48-race career. He recorded eight wins, three seconds and six thirds, banking A$2.98m in prize-money.
His biggest triumph came with his two-length win over Douro Valley (Encosta De Lago) and multiple Group One winner Princess Coup (Encosta De Lago) in the Caulfield Cup, but Master O’Reilly also won the Group Two Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) and placed in the Group One Turnbull Stakes (2000m), Group Two (now Group One) Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and Group Two Sandown Classic (2400m).
2015: MONGOLIAN KHAN
The mighty Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) was a $140,000 purchase from the 2013 Select Sale, then returned to Karaka later that year and was sold for $220,000 in the Ready to Run Sale.
Mongolian Khan was a two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year and earned himself a unique place in racing history with his wins in the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m), Australian Derby (2400m) and Caulfield Cup. He was the first horse ever to win all three, and only the second to do the Derby double after Bonecrusher (NZ) (Pag Asa) in 1986.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Mongolian Khan was ridden by Opie Bosson in his 2015 Caulfield Cup triumph, in which he beat 13 other Group One winners – Trip To Paris (Champs Elysees), Our Ivanhowe (Soldier Hollow), Gust Of Wind (NZ) (Darci Brahma), Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) (Yamanin Vital), Hauraki (Rest), Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel), Grand Marshal (Dansili), Volkstok’n’barrell (NZ) (Tavistock), Rising Romance (NZ) (Ekraar), Protectionist (Monsun), Set Square (Reset), Magicool (Fastnet Rock), Royal Descent (Redoute’s Choice).
In a career cut short by injury, Mongolian Khan had 17 starts for eight wins, a placing and $4.15m in stakes – almost 30 times his $140,000 purchase price as a yearling.