Tawrrific (1984–1999) was a

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 ...

who is best remembered for winning the 1989 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Lee Freedman and ridden by

Shane Dye Raymond Shane Dye (born 26 September 1966, in the township of Matamata New Zealand), is a former jockey. He was an apprentice jockey to Dave O’Sullivan at Matamata, before moving to Sydney, Australia where he was initially working with Vic Th ...

, he won in the then record time of three minutes and 17.1 seconds.

Early career

After doing his early racing in New Zealand, Tawrrific won the South Australian St Leger at three, and, despite finishing 12th in the 1988 Melbourne Cup, had shown staying talent in winning the

AJC St Leger The AJC St Leger is an historical Australian Turf Club Thoroughbred horse race run over 2,600 metres (~1 5/8 miles) at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, run under set weights with penalties for stayers three years and older. History The AJC St ...

at four, and finishing fourth in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and

Brisbane Cup The Brisbane Cup is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and upwards, run under handicap conditions over a distance of 3200 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane during the Queensland Winter Racing Carni ...

Melbourne Cup winner

Allotted 54 kilograms for the 1989 Melbourne Cup, Tawrrific was placed in lead-up races at Sandown, Caulfield, Flemington, and Moonee Valley, but fell out of favour with many punters when finishing second-last in the

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 ...

. In the

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 ...

, Tawrrific came down the centre of the track with a well-timed run by Dye, and defeated his stablemate Super Impose by just over two lengths. The victory was Freedman's first in the race, and a significant career milestone for the young trainer. The win also significant in the rise of Dye, a former champion apprentice in

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 ...

Later career

Following the Melbourne Cup, Tawrrific won the Cox Stakes, in Perth, and raced for a further 18 months, but with limited success. At six, he won a race over 2,500 metres at Flemington – which now carries Listed status – and finished 16th in the 1990

Stud career

Exported to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on 15 January 1999, Tawrrific stood as a jumps stallion at Tullaghansleek Stud in

Castletown-Geoghegan Castletown Geoghegan () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland, and lies south west of Lough Ennell near the county town of Mullingar. It is around 13 km south-west of Mullingar and 19 km north of Tullamore. Castletown was the se ...

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

, and the Australian Stud Book records him as the sire of two stakeswinners. Tawriffic died just a few months later from a twisted bowel.Australian Stud Book – Summary for Tawrrific
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References

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External links