16 AUSTRALIAN CUP Kiwi champion Veandercross had a phenomenal spring 1992 campaign that saw him finish a narrow second to Mannerism after a widesweeping run in the Caulfield Cup before winning the L.K.S Mackinnon Stakes (now TAB Champions Stakes) on VRC Derby Day, defeating 11time Group 1 winner and stablemate, Rough Habit. Three days later, he was sent out 9-4 favourite ($3.25), running a gallant second to Subzero in the 1993 Melbourne Cup. In the 1993 Australian Cup, he started a commanding 4/11 ($1.36) favourite and lived right up to that billing. The “Big V”, as the Australian public affectionately dubbed him, delivered a dominant display to defeat 1991 VRC Derby winner Star Of The Realm and the 1993 Caulfield Cup victor Fraar with authority. One of the Australian Cup’s most memorable editions came in 2004, when the brilliant Lonhro, son of 1997 Australian Cup winner Octagonal, delivered a stirring farewell performance to Melbourne’s legion of racing fans. Sent out a heavy but drifting favourite in a starstudded field featuring Makybe Diva, Elvstroem, and Mummify, jockey Darren Beadman found himself bottled up behind runners before attempting a narrow gap that quickly closed, severely checking the champion stallion’s run. Seemingly beaten at the 250-metre mark, Beadman shifted Lonhro into the clear as the three-year-old Delzao swept past with momentum. With 100 metres to go, Delzao looked home, but Lonhro balanced up, lengthened stride and launched a powerful late surge to reel in the gallant youngster, despite conceding four-and-a-half kilograms at ‘WHAT A WAY TO GO’: Lonhro lifts himself off the canvas in the 2004 Australian Cup, grabbing three-year-old Delzao on the line to claim victory in his final Melbourne appearance. (Image: Sean Garnsworthy/Getty Images)
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