Arwon
racehorse Melbourne Cup winner 1978
Arwon, winner of the 1978 Melbourne Cup, was not always Arwon. In
fact, he started his career as Flash Guy in New Zealand before being
syndicated to a group of punters who lived in Nowra in New South Wales.
They
changed Flash Guy's name to Arwon, which, of course, is Nowra spelt
backwards. the first Melbourne Cup winner, Archer, was also Nowra
owned.
He
was bred in New Zealand being by Aritzo from the mare Fair Flash.
Arwon was first
trained by John Morrissey in Canberra before being sent to George
Hanlon, the Victorian trainer, who set him up for his Melbourne
Cup victory, where he was ridden by Harry White. In that
1978 event he defeated Dandeleith and Karu.
White said Arwon was underrated. "He was a great horse. I
said to George before the Melbourne Cup he was the closest thing I've
seen to a good thing in a major race."
In his lead up
form to the event, he'd won the Geelong August Handicap of 1700 metres,
the Seymour
Cup with 52kgs, ran second in the Heatherlie Handicap over
2100 metres with 52.5 kgs and run second in the Metropolitan
Handicap with 49 kgs.
Immediately prior
to the Cup he'd won the Herbert
Power Handicap over 2400 metres and run second in the Caulfield
Cup with the postage stamp weight of just 49 kgs. beaten
in that race by Taksan. Almost the entire crowd of 45,000 at Caulfield
on October 21, 1978, believed that Arwon had edged past Taksan to
win the cup, only for Taksan to be declared the winner. (In the Melbourne
Cup, Taksan finished 16th.)
Arwon also won
the Sandown
Classic which, in those days, was known as the Sandown
Cup, a Group II event.
He contested the
1980 Melbourne Cup finishing ninth to Beldale Ball and fifth to Just
A Dash in 1981.
In all, Arwon
raced 67 times for 16 wins, 13 seconds and five thirds and died at
the grand old age of 33 in May 2007. Still
lively in retirement, he took part in the annual Melbourne Cup Parade
of Champions down Swanston Street in Melbourne, all the way up to
the age of 31.
Arwon was well
accustomed to street work as he spent a number of years as a NSW Police
Horse until the age of 15.
In all he won
$339,527 in prize money
Career
Record
|
Age 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30-Dec-75 |
5th |
9
ran |
Bay Of Plenty |
1200m |
Holiday Hcp |
|
|
|
17-Jan-76 |
2nd |
9
ran |
Franklin |
1200m |
Karaka Stakes |
Lavender Hill |
49 |
1:13.2 |
5-Jun-76 |
3rd |
16
ran |
Auckland |
1200m |
June Hcp |
Ghidiro |
52 |
1:17.2 |
30-Jun-76 |
Won |
18
ran |
Cambridge |
1200m |
Batchelor Hcp |
Creole King |
53 |
1:17.9 |
10-Jul-76 |
4th |
17
ran |
Avondale |
1400m |
Futurity Hcp |
|
|
|
|
Age 3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21-Aug-76 |
2nd |
8
ran |
Waikato |
1200m |
Glenvale Hcp |
Pennyshima |
52 |
1:18.7 |
4-Sep-76 |
4th |
15
ran |
Avondale |
1200m |
Glendene Hcp |
|
|
|
18-Sep-76 |
2nd |
13
ran |
Cambridge |
1200m |
Breeders Stakes |
Vice Regal |
55.5 |
1:14.8 |
29-Jan-77 |
Won |
13
ran |
Canberra |
1200m |
Improvers Hcp |
Hotfoot |
57.5 |
1:11.8 |
19-Feb-77 |
Won |
12
ran |
Canberra |
1400m |
Progressive Hcp |
Hotfoot |
55 |
1:24.7 |
6-Mar-77 |
Won |
8
ran |
Canberra |
1600m |
Progressive Hcp |
Nimmity Lad |
55.51 |
1:37.0 |
11-Apr-77 |
Won |
14
ran |
Canberra |
1400m |
Intemediate Hcp |
Musette |
51 |
1:24.9 |
20-Apr-77 |
3rd |
19
ran |
Rosehill |
1400m |
Graduation Stakes |
Hafez |
55.5 |
1:25.0 |
|
Age 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11-Aug-77 |
2nd |
10
ran |
Hawkesbury |
1200m |
Intermediate Hcp |
Silk Cloud |
51 |
1:11.9 |
7-Sep-77 |
Won |
15
ran |
Rosehill |
1500m |
Clyburn Stakes |
Ebony Flash |
55.5 |
1:35.4 |
22-Sep-77 |
2nd |
14
ran |
Randwick |
1600m |
Heritage Hcp |
Rock 'n Roll |
48.5 |
1:36.7 |
5-Oct-77 |
Won |
12
ran |
Randwick |
2000m |
Randwick Stakes |
Dance Hussar |
55.5 |
2:00.4 |
22-Oct-77 |
Won |
11
ran |
Rosehill |
2000m |
Colyton Hcp |
Dance Hussar |
55 |
2:03.1 |
5-Nov-77 |
Won |
6
ran |
Warwick Farm |
2200m |
Milperra Welter |
Gold Disc |
51 |
2:16.8 |
26-Nov-77 |
5th |
9
ran |
Rosehill |
2000m |
Baulkham Hills Hcp |
|
|
|
10-Dec-77 |
5th |
9
ran |
Rosehill |
1900m |
Deniston Hcp |
|
|
|
25-Apr-78 |
11th |
20
ran |
Flemington |
1000m |
Matapan Hcp |
|
|
|
6-May-78 |
4th |
17
ran |
Caulfield |
1200m |
Coral Sea Hcp |
|
|
|
27-May-78 |
2nd |
17
ran |
Caulfield |
160m |
Counsel Welter |
Kanawina |
52.5 |
1:38.9 |
5-Jun-78 |
7th |
12
ran |
Flemington |
1400m |
Midyear Hcp |
|
|
|
8-Jul-78 |
2nd |
15
ran |
Flemington |
1400m |
Fujisan Welter |
|
|
|
|
Age 5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2-Aug-78 |
Won |
14
ran |
Geelong |
1700m |
August Hcp |
Park Glenn |
51.5 |
1:46.3 |
2-Sep-78 |
4th |
14
ran |
Caulfield |
|
Malua Hcp |
|
|
|
13-Sep-78 |
Won |
14
ran |
Seymour |
2200m |
Seymour
Cup |
Brett's Honour |
55 |
2:21.0 |
23-Sep-78 |
2nd |
16
ran |
Sandown |
2100m |
Heatherlie Hcp |
Boldness |
51.5 |
2:18.0 |
2-Oct-78 |
2nd |
23
ran |
Randwick |
2600m |
Metropolitan Hcp |
Ming
Dynasty |
59.5 |
2:45.2 |
14-Oct-78 |
Won |
16
ran |
Caulfield |
2500m |
Herbert Power Hcp |
Big Skipper |
54 |
2:28.6 |
21-Oct-78 |
2nd |
18
ran |
Caulfield |
2400m |
Caulfield Cup |
Taksan |
52 |
2:27.5 |
4-Nov-78 |
5th |
12
ran |
Flemington |
2000m |
LKS Mackinnon |
Family
Of Man |
58.5 |
2:04.4 |
7-Nov-78 |
Won |
22
ran |
Flemington |
3200m |
Melbourne Cup |
Dandeleith |
50.5 |
3:24.3 |
16-Dec-78 |
2nd |
13
ran |
Ascot |
2200m |
December Hcp |
Meliador |
53.5 |
2:15.8 |
26-Dec-78 |
2nd |
14
ran |
Ascot |
2400m |
Cox
Stakes |
Meliador |
57 |
2:30.5 |
1-Jan-79 |
2nd |
20
ran |
Ascot |
3200m |
Perth
Cup |
Meliador |
51 |
3:18.9 |
24-Feb-79 |
3rd |
11
ran |
Caulfield |
1600m |
Booran Hcp |
Rooney |
53 |
1:41.0 |
12-Mar-79 |
11th |
14
ran |
Flemington |
2000m |
Australian Cup |
Dulcify |
52.5 |
2:01.1 |
24-Mar-79 |
7th |
8
ran |
Moonee Valley |
1600m |
Alister Clark Stakes |
Family
Of Man |
57.5 |
1:38.6 |
7-Apr-79 |
6th |
13
ran |
Rosehill |
2400m |
Tancred Stakes |
Shivaree |
57 |
2:27.7 |
16-Apr-79 |
3rd |
8
ran |
Randwick |
2000m |
Queen Elizabeth |
Shivaree |
57 |
2:03.5 |
21-Apr-79 |
3rd |
22
ran |
Randwick |
3200m |
Sydney Cup |
Double
Century |
50 |
3:20.8 |
|
Age 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11-Aug-79 |
12th |
14
ran |
Caulfield |
1200m |
St. Aubin Hcp |
|
|
|
25-Aug-79 |
11th |
17
ran |
Caulfeld |
1400m |
Liston Stakes |
Waitangirua |
58.5 |
1:26.4 |
8-Sep-79 |
13th |
15
ran |
Flemington |
1400m |
Craiglee Stakes |
Dulcify |
57 |
1:37.6 |
15-Sep-79 |
11th |
11
ran |
Moonee Valley |
1600m |
Feehan Stakes |
Gondolier |
57 |
1:37.8 |
27-Sep-79 |
5th |
8
ran |
Caulfield |
2000m |
Underwood Stakes |
Valley Of Georgia |
54.5 |
2:07.4 |
|
Age 7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23-Aug-80 |
11th |
12
ran |
Moonee Valley |
1200m |
Freeway Stakes |
Grey Sapphire |
58 |
1:12.1 |
3-Sep-80 |
9th |
14
ran |
Caulfield |
1400m |
Herald Cup |
|
|
|
13-Sep-80 |
Won |
17
ran |
Flemington |
1600m |
Riverside Welter |
|
|
|
25-Sep-80 |
9th |
13
ran |
Caulfield |
2000m |
Underwood Stakes |
Waitangirua |
59 |
2:02.2 |
11-Oct-80 |
6th |
9
ran |
Caulfield |
2000m |
Caulfeld Stakes |
Hyperno |
59 |
2:03.3 |
22-Oct-80 |
6th |
13
ran |
Geelong |
2400m |
Geelong Cup |
Summer Fleur |
51 |
2:28.2 |
1-Nov-80 |
10th |
13
ran |
Flemington |
2000m |
LKS Mackinnon |
Belmura
Lad |
58.5 |
2:03.8 |
4-Nov-80 |
9th |
22
ran |
Flemington |
3200m |
Melbourne Cup |
Beldale
Ball |
49.5 |
3:19.8 |
15-Nov-80 |
Won |
18
ran |
Sandown |
2400m |
Sandown Cup |
My Blue Denim |
55.5 |
2:27.4 |
|
Age 8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26-Aug-81 |
13th |
20
ran |
Flemington |
1100m |
Aurie's Star Hcp |
|
|
|
5-Sep-81 |
12th |
12
ran |
Caulfield |
1200m |
Whittier Hcp |
|
|
|
19-Sep-81 |
10th |
12
ran |
Moonee Valley |
1200m |
Tolana Wines Hcp |
|
|
|
26-Sep-81 |
Won |
13
ran |
Moonee Valley |
2050m |
R V Moon Hcp |
|
|
|
10-Oct-81 |
4th |
6
ran |
Caulfield |
2000m |
Caulfield Stakes |
Kingston
Town |
59 |
2:02.9 |
21-Oct-81 |
4th |
17
ran |
Geelong |
2400m |
Geelong Cup |
Allez
Bijou |
54 |
2:33.1 |
31-Oct-81 |
7th |
9
ran |
Flemington |
2000m |
LKS Mackinnon |
Belmura
Lad |
59 |
2:02.2 |
3-Nov-81 |
5th |
22
ran |
Flemington |
3200m |
Melbourne Cup |
Just
A Dash |
53.5 |
3:21.2 |
Aritzo |
Alcide |
Alycidon |
Chenille |
Caronia |
Petition |
Ocean
Lore |
Fair
Flash |
Resurgent |
The
Phoenix |
Gainsborough
Lass |
Christmas
Fair |
Fairs
Fair |
Revelate |