Famous Australian Race Horses Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1863

By Sir Hercules from Fair Ellen, The Barb was known as the 'Black Demon', and considered by many to be Australia's first champion. A stunning success on the track, with 16 wins and 3 placings from 23 starts, The Barb was a failure as a sire, and sadly died in obscurity as a station stallion at the age of 25.

Answer: 1884

By St.Albans from Edella and foaled in 1879 in Tasmania, Malua was one of the Australia's most versatile racehorses, winning not only a Melbourne Cup and an Oakleigh Plate, but also winning the 1888 VRC Grand National Hurdle. He died in 1896 at the age of 17.

Answer: Duke of Portland

By Musket out of Mersey and foaled in New Zealand in 1885, Carbine served only four seasons at stud in Australia, before his sale for 13,000 guineas to the Duke of Portland to stand at Welbeck Abbey alongside the great St.Simon. Having to initially make do with moderately classed mares, Carbine still managed to sire Spearmint, who won the English Derby, who in turn sired Spion Kop who then sired Felstead, both English Derby winners. Carbine's descendants include among others, the champion sires Nearco, Nasrullah, Dante, Sir Galahad III, and Bull Dog.

He also appearred in both sides of Phar Lap's pedigree. Carbine was humanely destroyed at Welbeck at the grand old age of 29 in 1914.

Answer: Wakeful

Still considered the best mare ever to grace the Australian turf and one of the best in the world, race mares today are still compared to Wakeful who was unplaced in only three of her 44 career starts.

Answer: His dreadful temper

A stunning chestnut by Valais from Chersonese, Heroic was a calm enough horse at home, but a totally unpredictable animal on racedays. Highly strung due to being intensely inbred, Heroic regularly turned on his shocking displays of bad behaviour and tantrums prior to his races. One of the worst was his absolute refusal to even take part in the 1925 All Aged Stakes.

But he was a champion racehorse, for all that, and a brilliant sire.

Answer: Phar Lap

In winning the St.Leger, Phar Lap (ch.g.1926 Night Raid - Entreaty) began a nine-race winning streak and would be unbeaten for the rest of his three year old season. The other horses named all raced against Phar Lap. Nightmarch, by Phar Lap's sire, won the 1929 Melbourne Cup and Amounis, and the 1930 Caulfield Cup. Carradale, who was often beaten by Phar Lap, was owned by the disgruntled Lachlan Mackinnon.

He held that geldings should not be allowed to race in the prestigious races because they offered no breeding prospect and, therefore, no advancement to the industry except as crowd pullers.

Answer: Peter Pan

A flashy chestnut foaled in 1929 by Pantheon from Alwina, Peter Pan won the Melbourne Cup in 1932 and 1934. Due to rheumatism in his shoulders, Peter Pan became lame just prior to the 1933 race and did not run. It would be almost a year before he would race again. A relatively successful sire, Peter Pan was humanely destroyed after breaking a leg in a paddock accident in early 1941.

Answer: Bernborough

By Emborough out of Bern Maid and foaled in 1939, the giant bay, Bernborough, was sold to MGM magnate, Louis B. Mayer, and stood at Spendthrift Farm, Kentucky, where he died aged 21 in 1960. A champion in Australia, he was a relatively successful sire. His son, Bernwood, ran the world record for a mile.

Answer: 1954

Tulloch, a small bay horse by Khorassan out of Florida, is considered the greatest racehorse in postwar Australian racing. Two years of his career were lost to an illness which nearly killed him and a Melbourne Cup that surely should have been his, was denied him due to the scruples of his owner.

A champion on the track, Tulloch was a failure as a sire and died in relative obscurity aged only 15 in 1969.

Answer: Elated

Elated, by Orgoglio from Rarcamba, was the winner of 10 races. She produced only three live foals in 12 seasons, and only one, by Wilkes, was a winner, but that one was Vain.