Think Big (1970 – 23 February 1995) 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 raced in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, winning 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 ...

in both 1974 and 1975.

Background

Bred by the estate of the late L. A. Alexander, Think Big was purchased by Australian trainer

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 ...

for

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

n businessman, Dato Tan Chin Nam for $10,000 at the Trentham yearling sales in New Zealand. Initially co-owned by Dato Tan Chin Nam and Queensland property developer Rick O'Sullivan, the two owners later included Malaysia's first Prime Minister ('the Father of Malaysia')

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 19036 December 1990), commonly referred to as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970. He previously served as the only chief minister of Federation of Malaya ...

in Think Big's interests. He was conditioned for racing by Cummings, who maintained a share in the horse,

Racing career

Think Big started eight times at age two, earning just one win. As a three-year-old he had fifteen starts for five wins. His third to

Igloo An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow. Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only by the ...

in the

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 ...

was an indication of better things to come. The popular

trained mare Leilani was the favourite for the 1974 Melbourne Cup but she was run down in the last fifty metres by her stablemate Think Big under jockey Harry White. The win gave Cummings his fourth Melbourne Cup win and his third quinella of the race. Following his second last in the lead up

MacKinnon Stakes The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the ''LKS Mackinnon Stakes'', is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia o ...

, Think Big started at 33–1 in the 1975 Melbourne Cup, assigned high-weight of 58 kg. He had not won a race since his victory the previous year. But at his favourite course and distance, again under jockey Harry White, he fought off a challenge from stablemate Holiday Waggon to record his second win.

Retirement

A gelding, after his racing career was over Think Big lived out his days at jockey Harry White's 200-hectare farm in Gisborne near

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

where he died, on 23 February 1995, and is buried. In his autobiography ''Bart: My Life'' Cummings recounts the story of Think Big being named by co-owner Rick O'Sullivan's wife Joan at a dinner between the O'Sullivans and Dato Tan Chin Nam in Melbourne. When the subject of the possibility of winning the Melbourne Cup was raised, Joan O'Sullivan said to her husband "You are always thinking big."''Bart: My Life'' by J.B. Cummings, Pan Australia, 2009, p150-151.
Retrieved 21 December 2014

References

;General * ;Specific {{reflist

External links

Think Big's pedigree and partial racing stats

''Thoroughbred News'' article on Think Big stud

1970 racehorse births 1995 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in Australia Melbourne Cup winners Thoroughbred family 5-d Godolphin Arabian sire line

Background

Racing career

Retirement

See also

References

External links