1984 Melbourne Cup
| Melbourne Cup | |
| Location | Flemington Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 November 1984 |
| Distance | 3200m |
| Winning horse | Black Knight |
| Winning time | 3:18.90 |
| Final odds | 10/1 |
| Jockey | Peter Cook |
| Trainer | George Hanlon |
| Owner | Robert Holmes à Court |
| Surface | Turf |
The 1984 Melbourne Cup was a handicap horse race which took place on Tuesday, 6 November 1984 over 3200m, at Flemington Racecourse.
Background
The 1984 Melbourne Cup was marred by controversy a day before it started when the 1983 Melbourne Cup winner, Kiwi was scratched from the race by the veterinary stewards. This was despite Kiwi's trainer Snow Lupton and Jim Cassidy, the jockey who rode him to the prior year's sensational victory, protesting to his soundness.[1][2]
The race itself was won by the Western Australian bred gelding Black Knight, trained by George Hanlon and ridden by Peter Cook. The runner up was Chagemar, trained by Geoff Murphy, and third place went to Mapperley Heights trained by Colin Hayes.[3] The winning margin was two and a half lengths and a further neck to the third placegetter.
Black Knight owned by Robert Holmes à Court[4] was sired by Silver Knight, a New Zealand-bred stallion who won the 1971 Melbourne Cup.[5][6] Prior to the Cup Black Knight was placed second in the Geelong Cup and third in the Dalgety Handicap, both races won by Chagemar.[7] Black Knight ran in the 1985 and 1986 Melbourne Cups finishing 9th and 15th respectively.
Black Knight's success gave Hanlon his third success in the Cup following on from Piping Lane (1972) and Arwon (1978).[8]
It was second Melbourne Cup win for Peter Cook, following his win in the 1981 Cup with Just a Dash. Cook's father Billy Cook had ridden the winners of the 1941 Melbourne Cup (Skipton) and 1945 Melbourne Cup (Rainbird).
Field
The following are the placegetters in the 1984 Melbourne Cup.[9]
The race was won by the Western Australian bred gelding. The runner up was Chagemar, trained by Geoff Murphy, and third place went to Mapperley Heights trained by Colin Hayes.
| Place | Horse | Weight (kg) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Black Knight | 50 | George Hanlon | Peter Cook |
| 2nd | Chagemar[10] | 54.5 | Geoff Murphy | Darren Gauci |
| 3rd | Mapperley Heights[11][12] | 51 | Colin Hayes | Brent Thomson |
| 4th | Rose and Thistle[13] | 52.5 | Ben Skelton | |
| 5th | Foxseal[14] | |||
| 6th | Affinity[15] | Jim Maloney |
References
- ^ New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Annual 1985 (11th edition). Costello, John, Editor. Moa Publications, Auckland, New Zealand
- ^ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz.
- ^ "Past Winners - 1980 to 1989 Melbourne Cup Winners". www.races.com.au/.
- ^ "Melbourne Cup plot a bright idea for Black Knight and Holmes a Court". The West Australian. 3 November 2014.
- ^ "Silver Knight racehorse Melbourne Cup winner 1971". www.racerate.com.
- ^ "Silver Knight (NZ) 1967 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ". loveracing.nz.
- ^ "Black Knight racehorse Melbourne Cup winner 1984". www.racerate.com.
- ^ Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1999). A Century of Champions. Portway Press. ISBN 978-1-901570-15-1.
- ^ "Black Knight's 1984 Melbourne Cup triumph" – via www.racing.com.
- ^ "Chagemar racehorse Geelong Cup winner 1984". www.racerate.com.
- ^ "Mapperley Heights Thoroughbred Horse Profile - Next Race, Form, Stats, News, Breeding". www.racingandsports.com.au.
- ^ "Mapperley Heights (NZ) 1980 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ". loveracing.nz.
- ^ "Rose And Thistle (NZ) 1978 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ". loveracing.nz.
- ^ "Foxseal (NZ) 1979 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ". loveracing.nz.
- ^ "Affinity (NZ) 1979 / Breeding / LOVERACING.NZ". loveracing.nz.