Without peer
Tulloch in the spring of 1957 (as a three-year-old) was weighted like no other.
The VRC handicapper gave him 8.4 for the Melbourne Cup (52.5kg) — 12lb over weight-for-age. Phar Lap in his three-year-old year had 7.6 (47kg).
Owner E.A. Haley refused to run Tulloch with that weight.
Never has any three-year-old since been asked to carry 5kg over weight-for-age — perhaps no horse of any age has been asked to do it.
To me that handicap prevented Tulloch from completing the grand slam of racing.
Tulloch is the greatest colt this country has ever seen. He holds the Caulfield Cup record for 1½ miles and the Cox Plate record for 1¼ miles (from barrier 15).
During his career he won over 10 different distances. He came back and won after being gravely ill and missing nearly two years of racing.
He smashed Phar Lap’s record in winning the AJC Derby and was given 12lb more in the Cup.
He ran 110 yards (100.6m) further than Phar Lap in the Cox Plate and still ran a faster time.
And yet a leading Melbourne paper still regards Phar Lap as number one. Simply untrue.
Wagga Wagga (NSW)