Australia’s best racehorses RANKED by their winnings
Australia and New Zealand have long histories as the home of many champion racehorses - from Phar Lap and Tulloch to Makybe Diva and Black Caviar.
Over the years these horses have also earned some hefty prizes, with some totalling in the tens of thousands.
Alan Whiticker - a longtime racing fan - has compiled the stories, stats and images of these horses among 24 featured in his new book The Immortals of Australian Horse Racing, including their winnings.
Here are the ten of the greatest, ranked by their total winnings (adjusted for inflation).
Winx ($26,421,176)
Winx, the ‘Wonder Mare’, not only collected more than $26 million in her five-year racing career, but also received a swathe of awards and honours. She was Australia’s Champion Racehorse of the Year for four years running, the World’s Top-Ranked Turf Horse in 2017 and 2018, and entered Australia’s Racing Hall of Fame in 2017.
According to Whiticker, “Winx had a V8 racing motor for a heart”.
“And like all champions, her will to win was freakish.”
Sunline ($17,149,276)
The New Zealand-born racer was a popular contender both in her home country and Australia, with many arguing Sunline has been the best horse to come out of New Zealand since Phar Lap.
Between 1998 and 2002, Sunline collected more than $11 million in winnings, equivalent to about $17 million today. She was crowned both the Australian and New Zealand Racehorse of the Year three times, and entered the Hall of Fame in both countries in the early 2000s.
Makybe Diva ($14, 526, 685)
Born in Somerset, England, Makybe Diva went on to win three Melbourne Cups - winning one in the same year that she placed first in the Sydney Cup.
Following her third Melbourne Cup win in 2005, owner Tony Santic declared she was officially retired.
Super Impose ($10,973,719)
The New Zealander has become well-known for winning both the Doncaster and Epsom handicap races twice - and is the only horse that has done so.
He retired in 1992 with a record $5.6 million in winnings, before going on to live a life of comfort until his death at 22-years-old.
Octagonal ($10,233,179)
New-Zealand bred Octagonal, nicknamed ‘The Big O’, came into his own as a three-year-old and secured seven wins across Randwick, Rosehill, Canterbury, and Caulfield in just a year.
In 1997, Octagonal retired with a then-record $5.89 million in prize money, equivalent to $10 million now.
Better Loosen Up ($9,097,380)
Better Loosen Up, named after his sire Loosen Up, achieved victory on an international scale with his win in the 1990 Japan Cup. In the same year, he also took the top spot in the Australian Cup and several other stakes races.
Retiring three years later, Better Loosen Up’s winnings totalled $4.77 million.
Might & Power ($8,489,287)
Another winner hailing from New Zealand, Might & Power secured his first win in 1997 at Randwick just before he turned three.
Before retiring in 2000, Might & Power earned a hefty $5 million in winnings, which equates to just under $8.5 million today.
He was also crowned World Champion Stayer in 1998 and has since been entered into the Halls of Fame in both Australia and New Zealand.
Black Caviar ($7,953,936)
Another racehorse with plenty of accolades to her name, Black Caviar also achieved the near-impossible by winning every single one of her races across her four-year career.
Almost four years to the day of her debut at Flemington, it was announced that she would retire to stud, taking $7.9 million in prize money with her.
Phar Lap ($6,659,594)
As one of racing history’s most well-known horses, Phar Lap became an icon in Australia and New Zealand and prompted both countries to claim him as their own.
The New-Zealand born racer went on to win 37 of his 51 races, including the Melbourne Cup, and earned £66,738 in winnings that equates to over $6.5 million today.
His death in 1932 came as a shock to racing fans, with rumours emerging that claimed he was deliberately poisoned ahead of the Agua Caliente Handicap race in Tijuana, Mexico. However, Whiticker posits that his death may have been due to contaminated feed or travel sickness.
Carbine ($6,028, 507)
According to Whiticker, Carbine was “the 19th century’s giant” of horse racing in Australia. The New Zealand racer not only won the 1890 Melbourne Cup, but also carried a record weight, beat the largest number of racers, and ran the fastest time.
Though he was eventually sold to the Duke of Portland in England, Carbine was considered an icon by Australians.
By the time he retired in 1891, Carbine had earned 29, 626 in prizes and come first in all but six of his 43 races.
Images: Supplied