Inside the Caulfield Guineas: Drama, Glory and Racing Folklore

Kristen Manning

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Last updated: Fri 10 Oct 2025 03:51

Kristen Manning 10 Oct 2025

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The Caulfield Guineas boasts dramatic races with future stars and shocking winners
Iconic events include Redoute's Choice's 1999 victory and Abaridy's 250-1 shock win
The Guineas has seen pivotal career moments, controversial protests, and globetrotting success

Glen Boss rides God’s Own to victory in the 2005 Caulfield Guineas. (Getty)

The Caulfield Guineas – History in the Making

The Caulfield Guineas – History in the Making
Polarising Protests – Heated Debates
What Are the Odds of This?
Pinnacle of a Career for One, the Start for Another
Globetrotting Success

Battles between future stars of stud, controversial protests, shock longshot winners, freakish finishes, the beginnings of stellar careers, a launching pad for international success — the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas has it all!

"This could be set up for something special," racecaller Greg Miles so brilliantly predicted 600m from home as Redoute's Choice led the 1999 field, trailed by his main rival Testa Rossa.

At their previous starts, the star duo had taken on the older horses in the Gr.1 Vic Health Cup (now the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes), with Testa Rossa having the upper hand — kicking clear from the 100m as Redoute's Choice peaked on his run having covered ground, the flashy chestnut Nina Haraka splitting the pair.

And so the Guineas was built up as a match race. How often does such a lead-in to a big one disappoint? Quite often — but not on this day, with Testa Rossa railing beautifully as Redoute's Choice drifted away from the fence turning.

Shortly after, it looked all over with Testa Rossa getting a couple of lengths in front. But Redoute's Choice was not to be denied as he knuckled down... "Redoute digs, he lunges, he wins... a magnificent Guineas."

Greg Miles had a handy knack for summarising historic moments... "We've seen one of the very great Guineas," he continued.

Redoute's Choice would go on to claim three Australian Champion Sire titles and Testa Rossa was no slouch at stud either — and there were two other nice influences behind them, with Commands finishing third and Pins fifth.

Polarising Protests – Heated Debates

Polarising protests can have people in heated debate for years, and that was certainly the case when the high-class Our Poetic Prince — the horse New Zealand legend John Wheeler nominates as the best he has trained — lost the 1987 Caulfield Guineas to Marwong.

There was clear and definite interference in the run home, Our Poetic Prince shifting out and taking Marwong's running, Our Poetic Prince sprinting clear as Marwong recovered — finishing off strongly. A length was the winning margin, but Our Poetic Prince was eased down late.

Was the check enough to cost Marwong victory? Would Our Poetic Prince have won more easily if asked for more effort? People still argue about it, though we now have the benefit of hindsight knowing that Our Poetic Prince did end up being the superior galloper.

Nine years earlier, a protest had just as controversially been dismissed — the big, burly Manikato causing severe interference to Karaman, with technical issues making the stewards’ vision unavailable.

Garry Murphy was aboard Karaman that day, missing a chance to secure a major race early in his riding career, whilst winning jockey Gary Willetts copped a three-month suspension.

A year later Murphy felt fleeting moments of redemption as Bold Diplomat cruised to the line by two lengths. But halfway down the straight his horse hung in across Runaway Kid and again the protest siren sounded — and again Murphy was controversially on the wrong side of racing history.

What Are the Odds of This?

Surprise results have also stuck in the minds of racegoers, especially the 1986 running which saw Abaridy make a gutsy run through the field to secure victory at the unbelievable odds of 250-1.

His breeder/owner/trainer Steve Watkins was not well known, the ride was a late pick-up for Gary Doughty, with the horse's regular partner Steven Burridge choosing to head to the Werribee meeting instead!

Would Abaridy go on to prove his win no fluke? Nope — he was never again competitive at Gr.1 level (though his Caulfield win earned him a place in one of the all-time great W.S. Cox Plates... tenth behind Bonecrusher and Our Waverley Star), with his next two wins coming in a welter and a highweight.

But he remained a great story, with his sire and dam raced by Steve Watkins, who was understandably emotional in his speech as he said, "We've been with him right from conception, we always thought he was a lovely horse."

Gary Doughty's speech was also memorable — "He probably killed a few of you punters, but there's no one happier than myself and Steve, I can tell you that!"

Pinnacle of a Career for One, the Start for Another

Fast forward to 2005 — a Guineas that had to be seen to be believed, with the legendary Bart Cummings taking out the Classic with God's Own.

It was a nice breeding story — God's Own being a son of Redoute's Choice — but that angle was completely overshadowed by the style of the win, the bay knocked for six early in the race and again early in the straight.

To this day, watching him put in the big strides late to overhaul Paratroopers sends shivers down the spine.

"I don't know how this horse stayed on his feet," jockey Glen Boss said on the day, declaring that "he's a special racehorse, I'll give you the tip."

But as we all know, racing is a funny game, and God's Own would not manage another win; the "special" tag instead belonging to the horse who found much less trouble — making a run before the turn before a battling seventh... the oh-so-popular Apache Cat.

Special mention to the third horse, Primus, as well — he also copped the backwash of that early interference, but it was God's Own's day with racecaller Bryan Martin declaring his effort "a remarkable performance... I've never seen anything like it."

2001 was another special win, though this time it was the start of a remarkable career rather than the pinnacle, with "Occie's little boy!" (Greg Miles' words)... the black flash Lonhro recording the first of his 11 Gr.1 victories.

Darren Gauci had ridden Lonhro a few times in trackwork in the lead-up, unconvinced by him, admitting that "he didn't give me a great feel."

Racing in the second set of the Ingham colours, with the all-cerise worn by the favourite Viscount, Lonhro spotted his rivals a start, with Gauci at first concerned that they were too far back.

But something magical happened with 700m to go, Lonhro giving his rider an incredible feeling of power and confidence... "It was like he was just waiting for me to tell him when to go — it was like he was saying, 'When you are ready, I will go straight past them.'"

"I felt like I was back on Super Impose," Gauci said, while a choked-up John Hawkes struggled with the presentation... "To see a son of Octagonal win the Caulfield Guineas, it doesn't get any better than this."

Globetrotting Success

Redoute's Choice is one of a number of high-class stallions with the Caulfield Guineas on their résumé — his son The Autumn Sun well and truly making his mark, whilst a big, impressive chestnut in the winner's stall 16 years ago is still having his influence felt.

It was a race in which the attention focused on the Sydney visitors — Lonhro's son Denman was favourite, with Trusting, Manhattan Rain and an up-and-comer by the name of So You Think also well fancied.

The Melbourne form, meanwhile, had been undervalued, but it would be a couple of locals with genetic links who'd finish one/two — Elvstroem's son Carrara unable to run down the bold front-runner Starspangledbanner, great-grandson of Elvstroem's grandam Olympic Aim.

"They're not going to get him!" declared Greg Miles as Starspangledbanner just kept going — the win the first of his four Gr.1 victories, with the next three all coming over sprinting trips including two in England, where he was able to follow in the illustrious hoofsteps of his sire Choisir.

These are just some of the many great Caulfield Guineas stories... will we see another on Saturday?

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Inside the Caulfield Guineas: Drama, Glory and Racing Folklore