Poitrel (1914−1932) was an Australian 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 ...

that won the 1920

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 ...

carrying 10 stone (63.5 kg) to victory.

Background

Poitrel was bred by the Moses brothers at

Arrowfield Stud John Messara is an Australian thoroughbred horse breeder and owner who served from 2011 to 2016 as the chairman of Racing New South Wales, a body established under the Thoroughbred Racing Act 1996 to control and regulate the NSW Thoroughbred Rac ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in 1914. At the 1916 Sydney yearling sales he failed to reach his 300 Guineas reserve price and was therefore retained by the brothers.

Racing career

Poitrel was often described as plain and wiry. He also had hoof problems, so he was sparingly raced. Nevertheless, he blossomed to become a champion stayer. He was trained astutely throughout his career by H.J. Robinson. In Poitrel's four- and five-year-old seasons, he proved almost unbeatable, winning 16 races in Sydney including two dead-heats. His usual jockey was Ken Bracken. Among the other horses he vanquished were acknowledged champions in their own right,

Desert Gold Desert Gold may refer to: * ''Geraea canescens'', a wildflower also known as Desert Sunflower * Desert Gold (horse), a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse **Desert Gold (1919 Australian film), ''Desert Gold'' (1919 Australian film), an Australian fil ...

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and

Eurythmic Eurythmic (1916–1925) was a versatile Australian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who had the ability to produce a brilliant finishing run in staying races and he also won important sprint races, too. At four he won 12 of his 13 starts including the ...

. For this reason, as a six-year-old, he was allocated the handicap of 10 stone (63.5 kg) for the 1920 Melbourne Cup. Poitrel 1920 AJC Randwick Plate Trainer Harry Robinson

Poitrel 1920 AJC Randwick Plate Trainer Harry Robinson

Melbourne Cup

Poitrel started the race wide, trailed the field for most of the race, and then came home in the final stages to win by half a length. Some reporters called it the performance of a century: 'He is entitled to be included among the limited band of great horses that have raced in Australia'. His victory under this heavy burden was Poitrel's only win in Melbourne, but racegoers at Flemington responded to the achievement.

Stud career

Poitrel was retired to

, where he stood until the stud was sold, in 1924. He then went to L.K.S. Mackinnon's Maribyrnong Stud, Melbourne. The best of his progeny was Begamba who won St Leger Stakes' in three states. Poitrel died on the 2 May 1932 while performing stud duties at Tarong Station north of

Toowoomba, Queensland Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

. He was aged 17. In 2018 Poitrel was inducted to the

Australian Racing Hall of Fame The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horse racing, horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000. The numbers i ...

1920 racebook

File:1920 AJC All-Aged Stakes Racebook P1.jpg, 1920 AJC All- Aged Stakes racebook front cover File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P2.jpg, 1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes page showing the winner, Poitrel File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P4.jpg, 1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes page information for totalisator investors File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P5.jpg, 1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes page control of queues notice File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P3.jpg, Back cover showing charges at the entrance gates

References

{{reflist Melbourne Cup winners 1914 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia 1932 racehorse deaths Australian Racing Hall of Fame horses Australian Racing Hall of Fame