1975 Melbourne Cup

1975 Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
LocationFlemington Racecourse
Date4 Nov 1975
Distance3200m
Winning horseThink Big
Winning time3:29.6
Final odds33/1
JockeyHarry White
TrainerBart Cummings
OwnerDato Tan Chin Nam, Rick O'Sullivan & Tunku Abdul Rahman
ConditionsSlow
SurfaceTurf
← 1974
1976 →

It's Think Big getting up to Medici at the 200, Suleiman is struggling, followed by Holiday Waggon. It's Think Big taking the lead in the Cup, he's drawn a length in front of Medici, Holiday Waggon next, Suleiman can't go on, but Captain Perri's running on well. But Think Big is in front and Think Big is going to win it two years in succession, a length to Holiday Waggon!

Commentator Bill Collins describes the climax of the race.[1]

The 1975 Melbourne Cup was a handicap horse race which took place on Tuesday, 4 November 1975 over 3200m, at Flemington Racecourse.

Background

The race was won by the gelding Think Big, trained by Bart Cummings and ridden by Harry White. The combination of Think Big, Bart Cummings and Harry White had also won the 1974 Melbourne Cup. The runner up was Holiday Waggon also trained by Bart Cummings, and third place went to Medici.[2] The winning margin was three quarters of a length with three lengths to third place.

This win gave Bart Cummings his fifth Melbourne Cup win equaling the record of Etienne L. de Mestre in the period 1861 to 1878. It was also Bart's fourth quinella of the race. Bart went on to record twelve Melbourne Cup training victories.[3][4]

Bred by the estate of the late L. A. Alexander, Think Big was purchased by Bart for Dato Tan Chin Nam at the Trentham yearling sales in New Zealand at a price of $10,000. Think Big was sired by Sobig and his dam Sarcelle was by Oman.[5]

As well as the two victories on Think Big, Harry White also won the 1978 Melbourne Cup on Arwon and the 1979 race on Hyperno.[6][7]

Field

The following are the placegetters in the 1975 Melbourne Cup.[8]

Place Horse Weight (kg) Trainer Jockey
1st Think Big 58.5 Bart Cummings Harry White
2nd Holiday Waggon 50 Bart Cummings John Duggan
3rd Medici (NZ) 46 Maurice D Hennah[9] Malcolm Johnston

References

  1. ^ "Think Big 1975 Cup June 2021 Edition". Youtube com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Past Winners - 1971 to 1980 Melbourne Cup Winners - Races.com.au". www.races.com.au. 22 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Bart's Melbourne Cup winners". Herald Sun. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Bart Cummings – Twelve Melbourne Cups. Thirteen Australian Cups". www.vrc.com.au.
  5. ^ "Think Big racehorse Melbourne Cup winner 1974 - 75". www.racerate.com.
  6. ^ "Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Harry White dies, aged 78". racenet.com.au. 22 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Four-time Melbourne Cup winning jockey Harry White passes away aged 78 > Australia and International Horse Racing news updated daily". www.thoroughbrednews.com.au.
  8. ^ Cummings, J.B. (2009). Bart: My life. Pan Macmillan, Australia. ISBN 9781405040150
  9. ^ Presnell, Max (29 October 2013). "Canny Kiwi Maurice Hennah never gave up on Flemington goal". The Sydney Morning Herald.