14 LEILANI: THE WILL TO WIN At a Melbourne Cup symposium at the National Museum in 2010, Andrew Peacock looked back, with mock seriousness, on that 1974 defeat, in contradistinction to losing Federal elections, twice, as Leader of the Opposition, to Bob Hawke: With Leilani, there was soon consolation. Five days after that Melbourne Cup defeat, she returned to Flemington and easily won the 2500-metre Queen’s Cup. The next autumn she was back in action, immediately triumphing in the Orr Stakes at Sandown, the St George Stakes at Caulfield and the Queen’s Plate at Flemington, all at weight-for-age. Stablemate Think Big takes out the 1974 Melbourne Cup, beating 13/8 favourite Leilani (blue, red and white colours on the fence), handing legendary trainer Bart Cummings a fourth Cup success. (VRC Collection) ‘I even got 52 per cent in an election once and lost it. I have had a few disappointments. I can tell you there is no more distressing, depressing moment than having the favourite that runs second in the Melbourne Cup. Whatever the tribulation in life may be, nothing is quintessentially as bad as that.’
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