Toryboy was an Australian bred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic ...
that won the
1865 Melbourne Cup
The 1865 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Thursday, 2 November 1865.
This year was the fifth running of the Melbourne Cup. The Victoria Racing Club awarded a trophy for the first time in the history of the ...
.
Toryboy was an eight-year-old grey gelding when winning the Cup. Overall, he ran in five Melbourne Cups, finishing fifth in 1861, sixth in 1862 and running unplaced in 1866 and 1867. He was not a physically imposing specimen, being described as "a racehorse in miniature" and as "a little old grey pony" at the time he won the Cup.
The 1865 Cup was run in fine weather and attracted a large crowd including the
Governor of Victoria
The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and ...
(
Charles Henry Darling) and visitors from
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. The race was run at a very fast pace and most of the runners were struggling with half a mile left to run. The closing stages saw a sustained struggle between Toryboy (carrying 7
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
s) and the top weight Panic (10 stones), with the former prevailing by two
length
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Inte ...
s. After the race a protest was lodged by the connections of the runner up for "crossing" but the result remained unaltered.
The 1865 Melbourne Cup was the first year a trophy was awarded to the winning owner. Toryboy’s owner B Marshall, reportedly sold the trophy, which he considered a monstrosity.
Toryboy ran unplaced in the next two Melbourne Cups. In 1872 the horse was reportedly sold at auction for only £6.
References
{{reflist
Melbourne Cup winners
1857 racehorse births
Racehorses bred in Australia
Racehorses trained in Australia
Thoroughbred family C32