October
DecemberBeyond compare
I have read Richo’s article (28/11) about Tulloch, who is the best horse to race in my lifetime.
I really find it hard to believe that Phar Lap was as good or even better.
Of course Tulloch’s Caulfield Cup win was his high point. I did not actually see it but I have seen the film of it many times and it is an absolutely breathtaking performance.
On the day I listened to Bill Collins’s description and I recall him saying at one stage that the pace was slow.
Well, the time of 2:26.4 was a record on a track that would not have been quick by today’s standards.
Richo says that Tulloch carried a featherweight in the Caulfield Cup. Maybe, but he was carrying weight-for-age.
May I point out that no horse has carried weight-for-age in the current Caulfield Cup for years.
Tulloch was never quite the same after his severe illness but one of his greatest performances was his only unplaced run, in the 1960 Melbourne Cup.
He carried 10 stone, one pound (approximately 64kg), and after being nearly last all the way he passed about 15 horses in the straight to miss a place narrowly.
It looked a “funny” ride by Neville Sellwood to have Tulloch so far back in the run, especially as 10 days previously Tulloch had won the Cox Plate in record time. The stewards did not seem to react much to the ride but it remains a mystery.
Reverting back to 1957, Tulloch won the Victoria Derby ahead of Prince Darius by eight lengths. (It was Tulloch’s first run after the Caulfield Cup.)
Three day later Prince Darius ran second, beaten a neck, in the Melbourne Cup carrying 7.6 (about 47kg).
I believe Tulloch would have won that Melbourne Cup with 8.4 (52.5kg) but of course we’ll never know.
Seeing Tulloch is one of my happiest racing memories and I consider myself lucky.
Frankston South (Vic)