- 1941 MELBOURNE CUP – SKIPTON
- 1942 MELBOURNE CUP – COLONUS
- 1943 MELBOURNE CUP – DARK FELT
- 1944 MELBOURNE CUP – SIRIUS
- 1945 MELBOURNE CUP – RAINBIRD
- 1946 MELBOURNE CUP – RUSSIA
- 1947 MELBOURNE CUP – HIRAJI
- 1948 MELBOURNE CUP – RIMFIRE
- 1949 MELBOURNE CUP – FOXZAMI
- 1950 MELBOURNE CUP – COMIC COURT
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Skipton, 2nd Place Son Of Auros, 3rd Place Beau Vite
Jockeys: W. Cook, T. Unkovich, D. Munro
Trainers: J. Fryer, F. G. Doran, F. McGrath
Winner’s Time: 3:23.75
Weight: 47.63kg
Odds: 8/1
Prize money: £7,700
About:
Skipton’s 1941 Cup success was surrounded by thirteens. He exited barrier 13, wore number 13, and by winning became the thirteenth horse to triumph in the Derby-Cup double. Skipton continued his success two years later winning the 1943 Caulfield Cup.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Colonus, 2nd Place Phocion, 3rd Place Heart’s Desire
Jockeys: H. McCloud, L. Armfield, H. Morris
Trainers: F. Manning Jnr, L. Roberston, H. Wolters
Winner’s Time: 3:33.25
Weight: 45.36kg
Odds: 33/1
Prize money: £7,700
About:
Colonus had one of the highest ever winning margins in Melbourne Cup history when he beat Phocion by seven lengths in the 1942 race. Held during one of the worst times in Australia’s history, the racecourse saw its smallest crowd for seventy years. Colonus was pacesetter from the stalls with no competition; the uninspiring race was described as a ‘one horse affair’.
1943 MELBOURNE CUP – DARK FELT
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Dark Felt, 2nd Place Counsel, 3rd Place Claudette
Jockeys: V. Hartney, T. Unkovich, A. Knox
Trainers: R. Webster, L. Robertson, D. McRae
Winner’s Time: 3:23.25
Weight: 52.62kg
Odds: 7/2f
Prize money: £7,700
About:
Favourite for the Cup after finishing fourth in the previous year’s race, and having had three consecutive wins in the weeks leading up to the race, Dark Felt was a great all round racehorse. Winning in races from seven furlongs to two miles, he showed his versatility. Dark Felt had a clear-cut and decisive victory in the 1943 Melbourne Cup, following his father Spearfelt’s 1926 Cup victory.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Sirius, 2nd Place Peter, 3rd Place Cellini
Jockeys: D. Munro, H. McCloud, H. White
Trainers: E. Fisher, W. O’Dwyer, F. Manning Jnr
Winner’s Time: 3:24.50
Weight: 53.07kg
Odds: 3/1f
Prize money: £7,700
About:
1944 saw Sirius get up to the line at Flemington defeating Peter, the son of dual Cups winner Peter Pan. Sirius was owned by Mr Richard Turball, making him the first Melbourne Cup winner owned by a serving member of the VRC.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Rainbird, 2nd Place Silver Link, 3rd Place Leonard
Jockeys: W. Cook, J. Thompson, L. Robertson
Trainers: S. Evans, B. R. PLayten, J. Duncan
Winner’s Time: 3:24.25
Weight: 47.63kg
Odds: 12/1
Prize money: £10,200
About:
Rainbird was the first mare to win the Melbourne Cup for South Australia. Racing in a forward position through the race, she was horse number five to reach the home turn then dashed to the line surpassing Silver Ling by two and a half lengths. She continued to perform well, placing second in the VRC Oaks Stakes and winning the Wakeful Stakes.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Russia, 2nd Place On Target, 3rd Place Carey
Jockeys: D. Munro, A. Breasley, N. Powell
Trainers: E. Hush, L. Robertson, H. Wolters
Winner’s Time: 3:21.25
Weight: 57.15kg
Odds: 16/1
Prize money: £10,200
About:
Sydney top-weight Russia won the Cup in a sterling effort, beating On Target by an incredible five lengths. His victory was perhaps eclipsed by the breaking down of crowd favourite Bernborogh at the last Saturday’s Mackinnon Stakes. Russia was a top quality racehorse, finishing his career with 32 wins from 89 starts.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Hiraji, 2nd Place Fresh Boy, 3rd Place Red Fury
Jockeys: J. PUrtell, B. Eames, P. Simonds
Trainers: J. W. McCurley, P. Fergus, J. Flannery
Winner’s Time: 3:28.00
Weight: 49.44kg
Odds: 12/1
Prize money: £10,300
About:
Hiraji ran the race of his life at the 1947 Cup, finally victorious after racking up a record number of minor placings in the lead up to the carnival race. This was the first year jockey Jack Purtell won the Cup, but he would go on to do so three times.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Rimfire, 2nd Place Dark Marne, 3rd Place Saxony
Jockeys: R. Neville, J. Thompson, J. Gilmore
Trainers: S. Boyden, D. L. Burke, J. L. Meagher
Winner’s Time: 3:21.00
Weight: 45.36kg
Odds: 80/1
Prize money: £12,800
About:
With the unbelievable odds of 80/1, Rimfire was not expected to win the 1948 Cup. Rimfire’s jockey was 15-year-old Ray Neville who wasn’t there to win, just to gain some race experience. With one of the closest finishes in racing history, there was conjecture about the finish-line camera’s position and who the real winner was. It was the first time the camera had been used in deciding a Melbourne Cup winner.
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Foxzami, 2nd Place Hoyle, 3rd Place Benvolo
Jockeys: W. Fellows, Ward, F. Williams
Trainers: D. Lewis, H. Cousens, S. R., Lamond
Winner’s Time: 3:28.50
Weight: 54.43kg
Odds: 16/1
Prize money: £12,800
About:
Trained specifically for the Melbourne Cup race, Foxzami let no one down and was victorious in 1949. Staying close to the lead the whole race he managed to avoid interference, with many jockeys reefing and pulling on their mounts.
1950 MELBOURNE CUP – COMIC COURT
Race Info:
Placings: 1st Place Comic Court, 2nd Place Chicquita, 3rd Place Morse Code
Jockeys: P. Glennon, W. Williamson, R. Hutchinson
Trainers: J. M. Cummings, A. Lopes, L. Robertson
Winner’s Time: 3:19.50
Weight: 59.42kg
Odds: 25/1
Prize money: £12,800
About:
The versatile racehorse Comic Court was trained by the great Bart Cummings’ father, and Bart himself started his illustrious career as Comic Court’s strapper. The 1950 Cup win for the course was an Australasian record, holding for 18 years. Comic Court later won the MVRC William Reid Stakes, setting a new course record there also. An impressive racer, he won 28 races from 54 starts, sealing himself as one of the true turf greats.
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