Schweppes Sydney Cup
Gai’s hoodoo race
Despite
Gai Waterhouse’s
exceptional record,
especially with stayers in Sydney, the Hall of
Fame trainer is chasing only her second Sydney
Cup win. She won in 1997 with Linesman.
In fact, the Sydney Cup hasn’t been a
monumental race for Waterhouse’s family—her
famous father, Tommy Smith, with a record
282 Group 1 wins to his credit, won only three
times—the great Kingston Town in 1980, Prince
Grant (1966) and Grand Garry (1960).
Dan Lewis holds the record by training five
Sydney Cup winners. His first was in 1929
(Crucis) and his last in 1947 (Proctor), just
before Smith burst on the scene.
Waterhouse saddles up the pre-post favourite
The Offer (IRE)
and the improving
Hippopus
(NZ)
.
The jockeys
Despite the Sydney Cup’s near 150-year
history (first run in 1866), no jockey has won
the famous 3200-metre handicap more than
three times.
Six jockeys—Peter Cook, George Moore, Darby
Munro, Noel McGrowdie, Neville Sellwood and
Albert Wood—share the record.
Jim Cassidy
, with two wins 20 years apart—
County Tyrone 2006, Marooned 1986—has
a chance to join them. Cassidy will ride
Hippopus (NZ)
.
Ryan Maloney
, who rides
Sertorious
, is
chasing his first Group 1 win.
TheTassie connection
The Launceston Cup, run on February 26, is
not a race generally considered as a guide
to one of the mainland majors, especially
the Sydney Cup, but in recent years two
Launceston Cup winners have gone on to win
the Randwick handicap.
When theRobert Smerdon-trained Streak completed
the double in 1999, most people considered it a
one-off. However, in 2009, the Colin Little-trained
Ista Kareem, who hadwon the LauncestonCup the
previous year, won the Sydney Cup.
This year’s Launceston Cup winner
Epingle
(she also won the Hobart Cup) has been set
for the Sydney Cup by trainer
Mick Kent
.
Interestingly,
Craig Williams
, who rode Ista
Kareem, will ride Epingle.
Maybe this time for the
all black
The first Sydney Cup, in 1866, was won
by Yattendon, the champion galloper of his
time and trained by the legendary Etienne
de Mestre, who was famous for his all
black colours worn by jockey John Cutts for
de Mestre when Archer won the first two
Melbourne Cups.
De Mestre also trained another two Sydney Cup
winners—Imperial (1875) and A.T. (1876)—
but the three jockeys wore the colours of the
owners and not de Mestre’s black livery.
Victorian owner-breeder Rick Jamieson secured
the rights to de Mestre’s all-black colours in 2007.
Craig Williams will wear the black when he rides
Jamieson’s mare
Epingle
in the Sydney Cup.
Imports have history
Even when it wasn’t uncommon for horses to
be imported from the northern hemisphere to
race in Australia, imports have been winning the
Sydney Cup—eight have been successful.
The first import to win was Lilyveil (GB) in
1914—he went on to sire Lilypond, who won
in 1925. Other imports to win are: Rebus (GB)
1918, Ian ’Or (GB) 1919, Marooned (GB)
1986, Azzaam (USA) 1993, Makybe Diva
(GB) 2004, Stand To Gain (IRE) 2011 and
Mourayan (IRE) last year.
Interestingly, only three horses have won the
Manion Cup and Sydney Cup in the same
year—two of those, Azzaam and Marooned,
are imports.
This year’s Manion Cup winner was Gai
Waterhouse’s Irish import,
The Offer
.
Parramatta Cup
Opinion
is aiming to be the first horse to win
the Parramatta Cup and Sydney Cup, but it
doesn’t mean the Parramatta Cup (1900m,
Canterbury) isn’t a race of significance.
The first Parramatta Cup, run over 1600m, was
won by Valerius in 1961—12 months earlier
Valerius finished second behind Grand Garry in
the Sydney Cup.
In 1964, the grand stayer Lord Fury, who won the
1961 Melbourne Cup, won the Parramatta Cup.
In Focus
Notable winners
Makybe Diva
2004
Tie The Knot
1999 & 1998
Kingston Town
1980
Battle Heights
1974
Apollo Eleven
1973
Galilee
1967
Straight Draw
1958
Sailor’s Guide
1956
Carioca
1953
Carbon Copy
1949
Dark Marne
1948
Veiled Threat
1944 & 1942
Mosaic
1940 & 1939
Rogilla
1933
Eurythmic
1921
Wakeful
1902
La Carabine
1900
Wallace
1896
Carbine
1890 & 1889
The Barb
1869 & 1868
Wenona Girl
1961
Chicola
1959
Evening Peal
1956
True Course
1951
Sweet Chime
1947
Flight
1944
Valicare
1926
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