Doomben 10,000 Legends - Five Champions Who Defined the Race

Kristen Manning

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Last updated: Fri 15 May 2026 06:42

Kristen Manning 15 May 2026

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Doomben 10,000 traced back to 1933, older than official records suggest
Spotlights legends: Bernborough, Winfreux, Manikato, Chief De Beers, Apache Cat
Race remains a stage for Australian sprinting excellence and iconic stories

Apache Cat (C) won back-to-back Doomben 10,000s. (Getty)

Whilst the Australian Stud Book recognises Saturday's feature event, the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 as having a history going back to 1946, it is actually an older race - and one with so many star gallopers on its honour roll.

Bernborough - The Toowoomba Terror
Winfreux - Underrated Champ
Manikato - The Man
Chief De Beers - The Doomben Star
Apache Cat - The Chestnut Icon

First run in 1933, it had Wallum as its inaugural winner - the race run down a straight six course and dubbed the Doomben Newmarket. Ensuring its place in history, it was won by a topliner in just its second running with Lough Neagh, who competed so well in a 127-start career that spanned eight seasons.

In 1942 it was a seven-furlong (1400m) race, back to around 1350m in 1946 when it was known as the T.M Ahern Memorial Handicap. The following year, worth 10,000 pounds (at the time Australia's richest sprint) for the first time, it took on the name that has stood the test of time.

It's hard to whittle down the list of great winners but let's have a look at five Doomben 10,000 heroes, kicking off with that 1946 winner, not only one of Queensland's greatest, but Australia's...

Bernborough - The Toowoomba Terror

Now this is an impressive list of statistics... 27 runners, 65.5kg, two lengths, record time.

And not only did Bernborough beat that many horses under that massive weight by a good margin in fast time - but he did so having settled at the rear; so far back that in the strip photos taken for newspapers he is not even in the picture until the finishing line!

So big an attraction was Bernborough that day that extra police, trains, trams, ticket offices, course entrances, totes (it was a turnover record) and staff were required, with tickets sold in Brisbane the day before quickly snapped up.

It is estimated that 45,000 people were at Doomben that historic day, Keith Noud the caller...

"As the field comes to the half-mile Bernborough is almost hopelessly placed!" he declared.

Towards the rear for most of the race, 16th into the straight, eight lengths off the leaders with just 200m to go - Bernborough had his fans concerned.

But his star quality shone through, legend having it that Doomben clockers timed his last furlong in nine seconds. And remember, he ate up that ground with a massive weight!

Keith Noud would later say, "I'm glad I said 'almost hopelessly placed!'" adding that "Bernborough's finishing burst has never been bettered in a Queensland race."

Tom Clarke, riding the runner-up Cragsman, had this to say - "when I thought I had the race won it seemed that something with wings flew past."

Frank Delaney was on the third horse Puffma and he noted that "I knew Cragsman had something on me but it didn't matter because I heard something thundering behind me like a hurricane."

His own rider George Mulley was in cheeky mode... "Good isn't he?" he said to the press.

"He has a unique action which helps him unleash that almost unnatural power. He drops his shoulder racing into a turn, I've never felt anything like it."

The Doomben 10,000 was Bernborough's 20th of 26 career victories from 38 starts. He backed up a week later to win the Doomben Cup.

These and many more great Bernborough stories can be found in Bill Sigley's definitive work "Mighty Bernborough." Such a good read is it that I was so engrossed reading it at a train station during peak hour that I missed a train come and go!

Winfreux - Underrated Champ

Racing fans (me included!) do so love a discussion about champions of the past and one who does not get mentioned as much as he deserves to be is Winfreux, winner of the 1965 Doomben 10,000.

Racing 69 times between July 1964 and October 1970, Winfreux won 27 races - known for his class, toughness and versatility.

Unplaced at his first two starts at two, he blossomed at three, rising through the classes from a Bendigo maiden to a Cranbourne improvers, a Caulfield handicap and a Moonee Valley welter.

From there he headed to Queensland, mainly as a travelling companion for his more fancied stablemate Captain Blue, but after winning an Eagle Farm welter his improvement was noteworthy enough for him to have his first crack at stakes level.

That race being the Stradbroke Handicap in which he started 16-1, winning by an easy three lengths. He followed that up with Doomben 10,000 success - winning both of those features (the first horse to do so) in race record time.

The Age's Tony Kennedy reported on the Doomben 10,000, describing Winfreux's win as "a Bernborough performance."

"He had no luck in the early stages and a couple of minor checks found him about ninth on the home turn. He was hampered again in the straight and when jockey Billy Smith pulled him to the outside inside the furlong post the gelding looked beaten."

"But he flew home over the last half furlong."

Billy Smith was certainly worried during the race, noting that "on straightening up one of the inside horses pulled out, hit my mount and screwed me around."

"I clipped his heels and had to stop riding and straighten my mount before getting him going again. It was not until about half a furlong from the post that I was confident that I would win - it was a terrific performance."

At four Winfreux added to his record a Feehan Stakes, a Caulfield Stakes and a Doomben Cup and at five another Caulfield Stakes. He won that race for a third time at six, at which age he also took out the Mackinnon Stakes, the William Reid Stakes and the C.F Orr Stakes.

He was still in fine form at seven, winning the Liston Stakes and the Freeway Stakes; the latter to be his final win. Sadly he was raced on for another two years and, unfittingly for such a champion, he ended his racing career with a long last in a lowly handicap at Ararat - retired to a farm where he rounded up stock.

Manikato - The Man

As it was the year Bernborough won, the Doomben 10,000 was, in 1979, Australia's richest sprint. Manikato was the star attraction, though many thought being allotted the top weight of 58kg would prove a hindrance for a three-year-old.

And things had not gone to plan in the lead-up, the big chestnut not happy with the noise made by the planes at nearby Brisbane Airport; a change of stables required. He struggled to settle in and was beaten in a trial. Scratched from two races in the two preceding Saturdays to the big one, he didn't have Bob Hoysted happy until just days before the race.

Sixteen horses took Manikato on that day and he conceded them 3.5kg and more. Conceding the early lead to an outsider, Gary Willetts let his mount travel where he was happiest and by the time they were in the home straight they were in front.

His winning margin was just a neck but it was a typically tough performance from the champion with five rivals challenging him over the final stages. Only Baguette had carried the same weight as a three-year-old and only three others - including Bernborough - had won the race with more.

Manikato's prize money exceeded $500,000 that day and he was the youngest horse to reach that milestone. It was the 12th of his 29 wins from 47 starts and his win over 1350m came in the same campaign that saw him so gallantly stretch Dulcify over the 2000m of the Australian Cup.

Read more about Manikato in Adam Crettenden's excellent book - "Manikato, The Man."

Chief De Beers - The Doomben Star

Remembered fondly not only for his talent and consistency, the Queenslander Chief de Beers is also known for the peculiarity of only ever winning at one track - all 20 of his successes coming at Doomben.

He raced there on 38 occasions, venturing across the road to Eagle Farm eight times where he finished in the placings on four occasions (including his debut).

He was also placed at Caulfield and the Gold Coast but there is no doubt that his heart belonged to Doomben.

Which made him a very popular winner of two runnings of the Doomben 10,000 in 1995 and 1998.

In the first of those, ridden by Mick Dittman, the Bill Calder-trained gelding skipped clear turning to win by 3 1/2 lengths in race record time from the previous year's multiple Group 1-winning runner-up All Our Mob.

It was a fourth Doomben 10,000 win for Dittman who said that "out of my four this was the only one I was really confident about."

"He is not a big horse," he said, "but he was only toying with them at the end."

It was the first time Chief de Beers contested the Doomben 10,000, a race he would line up in on another four occasions. He was unplaced in 1996, fourth in 1997, back in the winner's circle in 1998 and fourth, at his finale, in 1999.

It was a stellar field he defeated in 1998, sitting wide on pace and holding off late challengers from Staging and General Nediym.

Going onto a career as a police horse (awarded the Blue Cross Medal) before retirement to Living Legends where he died in 2020 at the age of 28.

Apache Cat - The Chestnut Icon

The 2007 Doomben 10,000 was won by Takeover Target and it was one of that great globe-trotting champ's regular rivals who would win the next two editions - the wildly and justifiably popular Apache Cat.

It was some campaign the uniquely marked chestnut enjoyed in the first half of 2008, the Greg Eurell-trained gelding kicking off with a Group 1 Lightning Stakes victory which was followed by wins in the Group 1 Australia Stakes, the Group 1 T.J Smith Stakes and the Group 1 BTC Cup.

Making the Doomben 10,000 his fifth successive Group 1 victory in three states.

In this pre-Black Caviar and Winx era that was big news (well it still is!) with the previous horse to have put together such a Group 1 winning streak being Tulloch more than five decades before.

Jockey Corey Brown was aboard for each of those wins, declaring his Doomben success as the best of them.

"He was never going to lose," he said whilst Eurell was also full of praise - "he was simply awesome. It's been a big job to keep him up for so long but he's done a terrific job."

Apache Cat was favourite that day and was again so when fronting up a year later - that race to be his penultimate win and his last at Group 1 level. It was an arrogant performance that day - Damien Oliver confidently taking him to the lead turning.

"He had a huge following," Oliver said in a Ladbrokes video years later, describing his ride - "once he got cover, he settled nicely for me. He had his clear air and he was ready to pounce... he hit the lead probably sooner than I would've liked. Black Piranha made a big dive but he held him off - you beauty! What a huge thrill to win on such an iconic horse, a horse loved Australia-wide."

Apache Cat's two Doomben 10,000 wins sit amongst his 19 career victories, another six of those coming in Group 1 company. At the age of 23 he is still a popular attraction at Living Legends, the horse everyone wants to meet!

Owner/breeder Robyn Lawrie takes great delight in her champ's popularity and looks back at his Doomben 10,000 successes with pride.

"He won his first on a Good 3, his second on a Heavy 10. The 2008 win was the sort of race you dream about the night before - one where everything goes to plan.

"He jumped well and took a spot just behind the leaders, I remember the race caller saying that he was 'just smoking his pipe' - and in the straight he just surged forward and won by just under five lengths."

"He was at the peak of his powers that year."

There had however been concern in the lead-up that his bloods were not quite right (subsequent tests all clear) with Robyn chuckling as she recalled that "the vet thought he was testing a cat's bloods!"