Turf Monthly April 2021

BIG PHILOU VS RAIN LOVER

QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES 1970

With our story this month on what might have been had Heroic been able to start in the VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup, we are also reminded of what happened with Tulloch when he was scratched from the Cup as a 3yo. There is certainly a strong argument that both horses would have won the Cup and we can take a line through the horses that they beat. In the case of Heroic, he dominated Spearfelt over his career, and Spearfelt was to finish third in the Melbourne Cup that year. He was later to go on and win in 1926.

In the case of Tulloch, again arch rival Prince Darius was to run second in the Melbourne Cup having not been able to get within eight lengths of the champ a few days earlier in the Derby. To further underline Tulloch’s dominance, he was to win the CB Fisher Plate on the Saturday after the Cup downing Sailor’s Guide.

Our feature this month is a little different as we go to the year 1970 and one of the great scandals of the Australian turf. Ruling Melbourne Cup favourite Big Philou was a shock scratching at the course only 39 minutes before the race. He was found to be scouring badly and it was confirmed that he had been nobbled by being given a drug called Danthron. A stable hand was later convicted of the crime having been tracked down in his native NZ. Big Philou was quite possibly going to be a young Bart Cummings’ second winner of the race. As we know the race was won by Rain Lover who won the race for the second year in succession.

Fate was to play a part in the discussion as to which horse was the better stayer. The following Autumn, there were 20 nominations for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 12 furlongs at Flemington. Only two horses were to accept and these were Rain Lover and Big Philou. It was to be the first two horse race in metropolitan Melbourne since Rising Fast (5/2 on) beat Electro (2/1) in the Carbine Stakes at Flemington on 26 March 1955. Before that, it had been 26 February 1938 when Hua beat Pantoon in the VRC St Leger. On that

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occasion there was no betting on the race, and Hua simply toyed with the outclassed Pantoon winning officially by two and a half lengths. The margins hardly reflect the dominance of Hua who went to the front and was never seriously challenged. The fact that the time for the race was over 15 seconds outside of the track record and was held on perfect surface suggests that it was something of a farce. Fast forward some 32 years and the notion that match races proved uncompetitive was put to rest.

On 14 March 1970, Rain Lover was sent out the favourite at 6/4 on while Big Philou was at 5/4. Rain Lover was ridden by Pat Hyland while Roy Higgins was on board Big Philou. A week earlier the two had met in a field of five over 10 furlongs in the Queen’s Plate at Flemington with Rain Lover winning on that occasion.

What did it prove? At the end of the day very little. Only two weeks later the pair again faced off in the Autumn Stakes with Rain Lover turning the tables over his rival. The two met only a couple of weeks later in the Sydney Cup which was the Autumn goal for both horses all along. On a heavy track Rain Lover started the 7/4 favourite and was ridden this time by George Moore. He had a good run but failed to settle early in the race and pulled quite badly. Rain Lover was well placed at the 600m, but by that stage he had had enough and dropped out to finish near the tail. Big Philou was also disappointing although looking a chance until the half mile when he started to flounder and he too finished with the tail enders. The winner was Arctic Symbol ridden by Neville Voight and started at 9/1 and landed a number of very good bets. Rain Lover was later inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame so perhaps the argument as to which horse was best has been determined. But there was one day in November that remains an enigma.

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