1- Phar Lap (1930)
Phar Lap is regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. His appearance in the prestigious Melbourne Cup was always going to qualify as a memorable moment in the history of the competition.
The great racehorse entered the race as a top favorite in 1930. Even though he was carrying a huge 63kg handicap, the Harry Telford trained horse managed to claim the Melbourne Cup title with ease. It is said that he even survived an assassination attempt while training for the race.
2- Old Rowley (1940)
There have been four 100/1 winners in the history of the Melbourne Cup, but Old Rowley’s victory was probably the most memorable. Before entering the 1940 Melbourne Cup, he had not claimed a single victory in two years. It is said that he was even suffering from joint and gait problems before the race.
Even the owner had no hopes from Old Rowley, but his jockey didn’t consider him a lost cause and made him run on the outside of the field. In a huge upset, Old Rowley defeated the top favorite Beau Vite and claimed a famous victory.
3- Rimfire (1948)
The prospects of racehorse Rimfire for the 1948 Melbourne Cup looked doomed from the very beginning. It looked doubtful that he could even compete in the race after showing signs of lameness during training. His form had also been very poor ahead of the race and so he started at 80/1. And to completely ruin his prospects, he was paired with a 16-year-old jockey.
However, Rimfire competed fiercely with the other contenders and managed to win the prestigious race by approximately an inch.
4- Makybe Diva (2005)
The 2005 Melbourne Cup was a great occasion for Makybe Diva, who had won the 2003 and 2004 editions of the prestigious race and was looking to register a historic third. However, it became doubtful that she would start due to the firm ground at Flemington.
Following the decision to water the track, Makybe Diva was announced to start the race. And in the improved conditions, she outclassed all the other horses to claim a Melbourne Cup treble.
Find more interesting articles in our section on Horse Racing.
