November 2021

Turf Monthly

Turf Monthly - Australia's racing heritage

Turf Monthly2 min read
Editor’s Letter
With the Melbourne Cup just about upon us, what better time to reflect on one of the truly great racing spectacles across the world. The Melbourne Cup is one of those events that transcends sport. It is a part of our folklore; of who we are as a coun
Turf Monthly5 min read
Makybe Diva
Makybe Diva will always be remembered for her three Melbourne Cup victories. She is also the only of our Hall Of Fame entrants to be born in the Northern Hemisphere. She came to Australia in February 2000, just before her first birthday along with he
Turf Monthly4 min read
Might And Power
Might And Power was one of our most publicized horses due to the very public figure of its owner, Nick Moraitis. The 1997 Melbourne Cup winner regularly paraded not only on a farewell tour, but also at a range of other events for many years following
Turf Monthly10 min read
A Morbid Connection
As we have seen, the legend of Archer has grown since his two Melbourne Cup wins. It is hard to imagine how popular the horse was in Australian folklore, and with fame brings strange bedfellows. Two particular coincidences struck me while researching
Turf Monthly11 min read
Archer
Archer is the horse who is synonymous with the original Melbourne Cup. The stallion won the first two runnings of the event and is surrounded by legend, not all of them true. The most enduring legend is that of Archer walking from NSW to Victoria to
Turf Monthly4 min read
Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark is considered one of the foundation mares of the Australian thoroughbred and is seen as the mare that gave us the Bruce Lowe colonial number 7 family. There was considerable doubt about her pedigree, although much more is known than modern
Turf Monthly11 min read
The Barb
While Archer was rightly hailed a champion, it was within a decade that his title of Australia’s best was under threat. Etienne de Mestre was also to be rivalled as the star owner and trainer by John Tait and his stable was headlined by The Barb who
Turf Monthly3 min read
Honest John Tait
Tait, John (1813–1888) by Martha Rutledge This article was published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, 1976 online in 2006 John Tait (1813-1888), racehorse owner and trainer, was born on 5 November 1813 at Melrose near Edinburgh, s
Turf Monthly5 min read
Merriwee
Merriwee was bred by the Hon. George Lee, of Leeholme near Bathurst, and was by the English stallion Bill of Portland, the first son of the illustrious St. Simon to be imported to this country. His female line traced to the mare, Sappho who was from
Turf Monthly2 min read
Herbert Power
Herbert Power was born in 1834, the second son of Mr TE Power. He was born in Surrey in England but came to Australia as a young boy. Power was educated in Melbourne, and after leaving school decided to follow a career on the land. Herbert managed an
Turf Monthly9 min read
Basha Felika
Basha Felika is in many ways a forgotten horse in Australian Racing. He is still revered in Queensland where he is talked about almost in the same terms as Bernborough in some circles. His failing to win a Melbourne Cup relegated him to the annals of
Turf Monthly6 min read
Dalray
Dalray is an Australian Racing Hall of Famer who traces once again to the remarkable Cutty Sark. He also was a Melbourne Cup winner, being successful in the 1952 edition, and importantly a successful stallion at Canning Downs Stud in Queensland. He w
Turf Monthly5 min read
Kiwi’s Melbourne Cup
Without fail, the 1983 Melbourne Cup remains one of the most memorable for those who saw it. The Melbourne Cup has never been without heroics and drama, but few horses have made such an indelible mark as the aptly named Kiwi did on that first Tuesday

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