May 7, 1992

The grey jumper Vinchiamo wins the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool by 12 lengths over Bush Asset. 

The John Leek-trained Vinchiamo starts 7/2 favourite in the capacity 14-horse field and carries 67.5kg (7.5kg over the limit).

He looks the winner a long way from home, but there's an incident at the second-last fence, in which the Tasmanian jumper Slick Khan, who was racing close to Vinchiamo, goes around the wing after appearing to make contact with that horse. 

Jamie Evans, who rode Vinchiamo, said, “Craig Hedditch’s horse appeared to shy at something and ran off.”

Evans went on to say, “I was that confident of winning on Vinchiamo, I rode him without a safety vest.

“He was at the back of the field in the early part of the race. I knew he was only a small horse with a big weight, but he rounded the field up quickly and won easily. 

“Vinchiamo was a very good horse and an excellent jumper.”

Vinchiamo had featured in the most watched Australian steeplechase ever when he won the Great Eastern Steeplechase just over two weeks previously. 

The race became internationally famous for the incident where Simon Mills was caught with a foot in the iron on Sir Sagamore and dragged over the second-last fence, dangling from the horse. 

Mills later appeared in person on a number of United States daredevil television shows, and on shows featuring people who'd survived unbelievable experiences. 

Two months later Vinchiarmo appeared to have the VRC Grand National Steeplechase at his mercy. Victory would make him the first horse to win all three major steeplechases in one season. 

But trainer John Leek was disqualified for 12 months following an exhaustive investigation by stewards into the ownership of Vinchiamo and other horses that Leek trained. 

Vinchiamo never raced again. 

The horse began his career in Victoria with two unplaced runs before next appearing in Queensland. 

Interestingly he was ridden in those two races by Alan McLean, who had a lot of success for Jim Houlahan on the flat in the early part of Houlahan's training career. 

Vinchiamo won five flat races from 12 starts in northern NSW and Queensland before returning to Victoria. 

He won three hurdle races including the 1990 Australian Hurdle with Mick Patton in the saddle. 

Overall the horse had just 14 jumps races for five wins. 

In a sign of how much has changed in jumping, in 1992 the Great Eastern was valued at $106,500, the Grand Annual at $47,500, and the VRC Grand National at $152,000.