The Melbourne Cup has seen some impressive winners over the years; many see this event as the one to win, with jockeys and horses training for months and even years to take home this coveted title. Unfortunately, that can’t be said for all who enter, but you can still stand a chance to win by putting in a bet for your favourite rider on Neds.

 

There haven’t been two more significant riders in the Melbourne Cup history than Bobby Lewis and Harry White, both tied at four wins each.

 

Let’s take a look into what made these two individuals so special, as well as some notable winning horses from the past.

 

Most Famous Melbourne Cup Winning Jockeys

Bobby Lewis

Bobby Lewis obtained his love for horses through his mother, who was a skillful horsewoman. But, it was Bobby’s father that contributed to his skill on a horse by prohibiting him from using a saddle when riding.

 

Bobby’s older brother, who was a horse breeder by career, assisted Bobby in gaining the necessary knowledge in not only breeding but also knowing what makes a horse unique.

 

With this special love for everything horses, it comes as no surprise that Bobby left school at the mere age of 10 to pursue this career, never becoming completely literate. Bobby started racing a couple of years later and won his first race before the turn of the 20th century.

 

This first race was in 1892 at a country track; after that, he went on to win his first metropolitan race in 1895. For a brief moment, he travelled to England in 1899 with his trainer but returned home shortly after because he missed his home too much.

 

When Bobby arrived home, that is when his career really took off by partnering up with Jim Scobie and linking up with Eric Connolly to form an alliance that took over the racing world for an entire generation.

 

Bobby also saw himself piloting the wonder horse Phar Lap in his thirty-second cup event; unfortunately, he only placed third that year.

 

Harry White

Harry White displayed a talent for riding horses at a very young age, with a career that spanned well over 35 years. He is considered among the greatest Australian jockeys of all time.

 

As mentioned, he is the only other rider to have four Melbourne Cup victories behind him; this proved the notion that he was not made for short distances.

 

Given this context, it is important to note that Harry White was still able to perform better than most sprinter riders.

 

He won three Futurity Stakes, three Oakleigh Plates, and no less than three Newmarket Handicaps. The Futurity Stakes that was held at 1400 meters under White’s reign before being increased to 1600 meters in 2006 was the longest of them.

 

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a long or short distance; Harry White could ride any thoroughbred with skill and self-assurance.

Famous Melbourne Cup Horses

Phar Lap

Phar Lap is probably the most legendary horse ever to compete in the Melbourne Cup. Even though he had the shortest odds against him, he still managed to win 37 of the 51 races.

 

That number would’ve turned to 38 if it didn’t happen that he picked up a weight of 68kg, which can easily slow down any horse.

 

Archer

Archer was the very first horse to win the Melbourne Cup when it started in 1861. A year later, Archer returned to defend his title and did so in style, winning the race by eight lengths in a field. The total number of horses that competed was 20, so it’s safe to say the win was nothing short of magnificent.

 

There have only been three horses in the history of the Melbourne Cup to win the race carrying ten stones or more, and Archer was one of them.

 

Kingston Rule

Kingston Rule is a legend in his own right within the Melbourne Cup horses. This is because he still holds the record for being the fastest runner with a finish time of 3:16:3, which he achieved in 1990.

 

This record has been standing for more than two decades; the only horse that ever came close was Media Puzzle back in 2002.

 

Conclusion

The Melbourne Cup history has been astonishing, to say the least, with jockeys and horses’ alike making a mark in the history books of horse racing.

 

It is so special because the Melbourne Cup is the most challenging horse race in Australia due to the sheer amount of talent that arrives there every year trying to leave their mark on history.

 

Resources:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/horse-racing/melbourne-cup/melbourne-cup-2021-form-guide-horses-tips-odds-field-analysis-of-every-runner/news-story/b08943342eda77534b340487743166c0

https://www.punters.com.au/melbourne-cup/melbourne-cup-history/

https://www.horseracinginfo.com.au/melbourne-cup-history.htm

https://www.gamblingsites.org/horse-racing/melbourne-cup/

https://www.racingandsports.com.au/thoroughbred/feature-race/australia/melbourne-cup/407

https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/the-sport/racing/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/jockeys/bobby-lewis

https://www.johntapp.racing/gallops/2021/12/28/bobby-lewis-the-legend-lives-on

Tim Easterby is the son of Miles Henry ‘Peter’ Easterby, who won the National Hunt Trainers’ Championship three seasons running in 1978/79, 1979/80 and 1980/81. Formerly a successful amateur rider, Easterby served a lengthy apprenticeship as assistant trainer to his father before taking over the licence at Habton Grange, near Malton, North Yorkshire in 1996. Where casino fans go to casinoroar casino to win, racing fans look to Tim Easterby for the same!

Like his father, Tim Easterby is a dual-purpose trainer. Under National Hunt rules, he saddled his first Grade 1 winner, Barton, in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1999. He has since added two more, Garruth, in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and Barton, again, in the Aintree Hurdle on consecutive days at the Grand National Festival in 2001.

On the Flat, Easterby saddled his first Group 1 winner, Pipalong, in the Haydock Sprint Cup in 2000. He would win the same race again with Somnus – who would go on to win the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Longchamp and the Prix de la Foret at Longchamp the following season – in 2003. No doubt french online casino and sports fans looked on impressed. By that stage of his career, Easterby had already saddled his first and, so far, only British Classic winner, Bollin Eric in the the St. Leger in 2002. He also won the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot with Fayr Jag in 2004. Remarkably, Easterby did not train over a hundred winners in a Flat season until 2018, but enjoyed his best season ever, numerically, in 2019 with 126 winners.

Appreciate It will attempt to end one of the most dominant runs of form in the National Hunt when he takes on Honeysuckle at Cheltenham Festival in the Champion Hurdle. Honeysuckle is the defending champion in the event and has won her last 14 races in a row.

Henry de Bromhead’s charge is the leading contender in the Cheltenham horse racing bets on the Champion Hurdle given her prowess on the track over the course of the season. Appreciate It on the other hand has not been in action in a year since dominating the field in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival. Despite his lack of time on the track, Willie Mullins’ charge is still touted to make a strong run for the crown in the Champion Hurdle tips on the sheer basis of his pedigree.

The Irish thoroughbred appears to have all the credentials of a champion, but toppling the incredible Honeysuckle without a year of racing will be a difficult challenge. Either Mullins knows something about his charge that the rest of us do not, or the legendary trainer is simply backing Appreciate It to blow away Honeysuckle with his outright pace. It will be fascinating to see whether Mullins’ gamble pays off on the grand stage, especially in a race where he has not been successful of late.

The Irishman had won the Champion Hurdle four out six times between 2011 and 2016, which included two victories for his horse Hurricane Fly along with triumphs for Faugheen and Annie Power. Since then he has been forced to watch Nicky Henderson win three times with Buveur D’Air in back-to-back seasons along with Epatante in 2020. Gavin Cromwell’s Espoir d’Allen was a surprise winner in 2019 when Buveur D’Air fell at the third hurdle, presenting the Irishman with his first victory in the race, whereas Mullins’ horse Melon finished second in the contest.

De Bromhead entered the scene with Honeysuckle last season, and Mullins could only finish second once more with Sharjah, who has previously placed as a runner-up behind Epatante. It appears that history could be repeating itself for Mullins in the event unless Appreciate It can produce a truly remarkable outing with his first run of the campaign. The Irish thoroughbred won all four of his races in the 2020/21 campaign, including his brilliant performance in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

There were good horses in the field in the event last season, but none of the calibre of Honeysuckle or even Epatante. Without measuring the quality of his charge over the course of the season, Mullins is leaving a lot to chance and in the hands of jockey Paul Townend.

Although Townend is one of the most accomplished jockeys in the sport, notably thanks to his two Cheltenham Gold Cup wins with Al Boum Photo, he has not won the Champion Hurdle. Rachael Blackmore outshone the Irishman last season, and will be in a position to do so again with Honeysuckle in the event. There is a lot of pressure on Mullins and Townend for Appreciate It to at least compete against a formidable opponent.