Big Philou (foaled in 1965) was a notable
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
bred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
. He was by the good sire Le Filou (imported from France) from Pink Lady by Contact and he was trained by
Bart Cummings
James Bartholomew Cummings (14 November 1927 – 30 August 2015), also known by his initials J. B. Cummings, was one of the most successful Australian racehorse trainers. He was known as the Cups King, referring to the Melbourne Cup, as he wo ...
.
He is best remembered for the controversy surrounding his withdrawal from the 1969
VRC Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...
when as the hot favourite he was the victim of a doping scandal and was withdrawn from the race 39 minutes before the start.
Jockey
Roy Higgins believed that the horse was a certainty to win the race.
Rain Lover
Rain Lover (1964-1989) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse best remembered for his back-to-back wins in the 1968 and 1969 VRC Melbourne Cup.
Background
Rain Lover was sired by the good racehorse, Latin Lover (GB) (a son of the unbe ...
went on to win the Cup and created history as the first back-to-back winner since
Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...
in 1861 and 1862.
Although he missed out on winning a Melbourne Cup the horse did record wins in the 1969 VATC
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions.
This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...
, 1970
VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes
The Queen Elizabeth Stakes, first known as Queen's Plate (1854-1872), and then by various other names at different times in its history (Queen's Cup, Flemington Plate, Canterbury Plate, C.B. Fisher Plate), is an Australian horse race run in ...
(Autumn) and the 1970 VATC
Underwood Stakes
The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions, held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September each year. Total prize money ...
.
ASB - Big Philou (NZ)
Retrieved on 2009-6-19
Pedigree
References
External links
Big Philou's pedigree
1965 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in New Zealand
Racehorses trained in Australia
Caulfield Cup winners
Thoroughbred family 20-a
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