The 1966 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Tuesday, 1 November 1966. The race, run over 2 miles (3,218.7 m), at Flemington Racecourse.[1]

1966 Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
LocationFlemington Racecourse
Date1 Nov 1966
Distance2 miles
Winning horseGalilee
Winning time3:21.9
Final odds11/2
JockeyJohn Miller
TrainerBart Cummings
OwnerMax & Venice Miller
ConditionsSlow
SurfaceTurf
← 1965
1967 →

Where Duo momentarily had gone to the lead, tackled now by Light Fingers then Aveniam, forcing up John the rail and on the outside the South Australian stayer Galilee rapidly setting sail after them, look at Galilee go! Galilee has gone to the front, half way down the straight, holding Light Fingers, Duo and Aveniam at bay and it's all Galilee! Galilee a big winner over Light Fingers, third home Duo.

Commentator Joe Brown describes the climax of the race

The race was won by the gelding Galilee, trained by Bart Cummings and ridden by John Miller. The runner up was Light Fingers also trained by Bart who had won the 1965 Melbourne Cup. Third place went to Duo.[2] The winning margin was 2 lengths and a 1/2 head to third place.

This race was the second of a record twelve Melbourne Cup winners for Bart and also the second of the five times he trained the quinella.[3][4]

Galilee (Alcimedes-Galston, by Balloch) was bred by Trelawney Stud in Cambridge, New Zealand. He had previously won the Caulfield Cup and went on to win the 1967 Sydney Cup.[5] He was ridden by Miller in all three Cups. Galilee and Miller are the only horse and jockey to have won all three.

Field edit

This is a list of horses which ran in the 1966 Melbourne Cup.[6]

Place Horse Trainer Jockey
1st Galilee Bart Cummings John Miller
2nd Light Fingers Bart Cummings Roy Higgins
3rd Duo R A Dickerson George Podmore
4th Aveniam J Morgan B McClune
5th Gala Crest R J Hutchins P Gumbleton
6th Tea Biscuit P J Murray H Cope
7th Gatum Gatum H G Heagney Frank Reys
8th Royal Coral R H Claarton P Jarman
9th Alaska V P Bernard Pat Hyland
10th Terrific M E Ritchie G Hughes
11th Bore Head D Judd B Gilders
12th Prince Grant T J Smith George Moore
13th Dignify V Maloney W Smith
14th Trevors Mrs A Shepherd A Mulley
15th Clipjoint M E Richie J Stocker
16th Coppelius B Courtney M Moore
17th Beau Royal N D Hoysted R Durey
18th Tobin Bronze H G Heagney Jim Johnson
19th El Gordo L J O'Sullivan N Campton
20th Red Brass H G Heagney R Selkrig
21st Mystic Glen F G Hood K Langby
22nd Winfreux C A Wilson A Lister

References edit

  1. ^ "RSTV Video - 1966 Melbourne Cup- Galilee". www.racingandsports.tv.
  2. ^ "Past Winners - 1961 to 1970 Melbourne Cup Winners - Races.com.au". www.races.com.au. 22 September 2009.
  3. ^ https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/image-gallery/2d3ed522011c7441c02d4a5375cb339b
  4. ^ "Bart Cummings – Twelve Melbourne Cups. Thirteen Australian Cups". www.vrc.com.au.
  5. ^ "Galilee racehorse Melbourne Cup winner 1966". www.racerate.com.
  6. ^ Cummings, J.B. (2009). Bart: My life. Pan Macmillan, Australia. ISBN 9781405040150