Rain
Lover (1964-1989) was a champion Australian Thoroughbred
racehorse. He was one of the very few horses to win the
Melbourne Cup more than once.
Rain
Lover was one of the great post war stayers. In a 46 start
career this high class entire won 17 races including two
Melbourne Cups and was placed on 18 occasions.
He was sired by the good racehorse, Latin Lover and his
dam Rain Spot was by Valognes (GB) and owned and bred
by Clifford A. Reid, who won the 1945 Melbourne Cup with
Rainbird.
Trainer Mick Robins, a former coal miner from Broken Hill,
New South Wales had obtained his trainer's licence just
three months before he took over Rain Lover's conditioning.
He and the horse are best remembered for their back-to-back
wins in the 1968 and 1969 VRC Melbourne Cup.
After managing only 1 win and 1 placing from 5 starts
at 2 years Rain Lover showed at 3 years when the young
stayer won 3 of his 9 starts (with 5 placings) including
the 1968 Adelaide Cup.
Set for the Cups in the spring he was well beaten in a
5 furlong race at Victoria Park before running second
at 100-1 to Lowland in the Craiglee.
The talented mare again had his measure in the Underwood
Stakes before he ran third in the Caulfield Stakes behind
Future. He peaked for his three runs over the Cup carnival
at Flemington and after winning the Mackinnon Stakes from
Fileur and Galilee he went into the Cup at 7-1 with Jim
Johnson in the saddle winning by a record eight-length
margin and in a record time of 3:19.1 beating Fileur and
Fans.
Controversy surrounded his second win as the hot favourite
and heavily backed Big Philou trained by Bart Cummings
was the victim of a doping scandal and was withdrawn from
the race 39 minutes before the start. Burdened with 9
st. 7 lbs. Rain Lover still went on the win the race from
Alsop and created history as the first back-to-back winner
since Archer in 1861 and 1862.
Amongst his other major wins were the SAJC Adelaide Cup,
VATC St George Stakes (twice) and the AJC Chipping Norton
Stakes.
Race caller Bert Bryant’s call of the two horse
war between Big Philou and Rain Lover in the 1970 Queen
Elizabeth Stakes is considered an epic. In a very close
finish, Bert plumped, rightly, for Big Philou by a nose
. He said "If you got it wrong in a two-horse race,
you’d have to give it up forever."
To hear that classic race call click here.
Retired to stud in 1970, Rain Lover enjoyed moderate success
as a sire before his death in 1989 at age 25.
To
view a video of Rain Lover winning the 1968 Melbourne
Cup click here
MAJOR
WINS
Adelaide Cup (1968)
Mackinnon Stakes (1968)
Fisher Plate (1968)
Melbourne Cup (1968, 1969)
Chipping Norton Stakes (1969)
VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1969) Craiglee
Stakes (1969)
Underwood Stakes (1969)
St George Stakes (1969, 1970)
VRC Queens Plate (1970)
AJC Autumn Stakes (1970) Racing Awards
Australian Horse of the Year (1969)
