The Front-Running Greats of Australian Racing

Kristen Manning

Editor

Last updated: Thu 21 May 2026 09:54

Kristen Manning 21 May 2026

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Pride Of Jenni aims to dominate the Doomben Cup with her bold, front-running style
The article spotlights past champions like Vo Rogue, Might And Power, Scotch And Dry, Pirate Bird, and Maltese Beauty
Strong frontrunners create some of racing’s most thrilling and memorable moments

Pride Of Jenni opened up a huge lead and bolted in with a famous victory in the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. (Getty)

It was a barnstorming victory from the rear recorded by Antino in last year's Group 1 Doomben Cup, that now-retired gelding so impressive rounding up his 11 rivals.

Vo Rogue - Erky Makes The Big Time
Might And Power - The Well Named Champ
Scotch And Dry - A Big Cup Week
Pirate Bird - Avast Ye!
Maltese Beauty - Cup King

It's a smaller field this time around - just seven runners accepted to contest the $1 million 2000m weight-for-age contest - and an exciting aspect of the race will be seeing just how far out in front the popular mare Pride Of Jenni gets.

Her run-them-ragged racing style has certainly brought a few topliners undone and, with no other natural leaders in the race, the last-start Group 2 Hollindale Cup winner is again going to prove hard to beat.

Pride Of Jenni's racing style brings to mind some of the most popular bold frontrunners of the past, and we take a closer look at five of them.

Vo Rogue - Erky Makes The Big Time

Any discussion of tough frontrunners has to include this warhorse, the son of two horses - Ivor Prince and Vow - whose two starts each did not yield a placing.

But both horses boasted multiple strains of the prolific Mumtaz Mahal family and a bit of pedigree magic was in place to produce their superstar son.

Purchased already gelded at the age of 11 months out of the paddock for $5000, he was nicknamed "Erky" - owner Jeff Perry explaining that "he was tiny and skinny and looked like a bit of a rat and everyone just said 'Erkk!'"

It was not a dream start for Vo Rogue, an uninspiring 11.6-length sixth in a Gold Coast two-year-old maiden in January 1986. It was at start number five that he found winning form in an Eagle Farm 1200m maiden and, by the time he retired five years later, he had won another 25 races.

Amassing over $3.1 million, Vo Rogue won six races at the elite level - from the 1200m William Reid Stakes to the 2000m of consecutive Australian Cups in 1989 and 1990.

Those two wins were much deserved, with Vo Rogue having finished an infamous second in the race in 1988. Billed as a match race between him and the previous year's winner Bonecrusher, the race is remembered as providing one of Australia's biggest upsets.

33,500 headed to Flemington that day, Vo Go and C'Mon Crusher badges handed out. Fans hoped to see Bonecrusher in another head-to-head contest reminiscent of his wonderful 1986 W.S. Cox Plate victory ('the race of the century') but Vo Rogue was having none of that.

At the 1200m he was two lengths in front, at the 1400m six. At the 800m Bonecrusher had edged a bit closer, the gap now four lengths.

But Bonecrusher couldn't bridge the gap and with each stride into the straight Vo Rogue was further in front. Bruce McAvaney called that race: "300 to go, they're not going to get this superstar," he declared.

The crowd thought the same, the champ was eight lengths in front. Bonecrusher was all out.

Bill Collins also called that race, disbelief in his voice: "Goodness gracious me, Dandy Andy!"

It is no disrespect to Vo Rogue to remember that race fondly, he was brave in defeat with Cyril Small describing it as one of his most "courageous" performances. He'd won his five lead-up races. He ran fast sectionals and only one horse got anywhere near him.

He ran fast times over and over. He won three consecutive runnings of the Group 2 C.F. Orr Stakes and a couple of Group 2 Turnbulls, he successfully mixed distances, he won in four states. He was a champion who beat other champions - Super Impose, Better Loosen Up, Our Poetic Prince. He has a race named in his honour and he is a member of the Australian and Queensland Racing Halls Of Fame.

He is remembered for his talent - and his style; in Cyril Small's words - "he'd run them off their legs, by the time we got to the clocktower they were tired chasing him."

Might And Power - The Well Named Champ

From the same Sir Ivor sire line as Vo Rogue but with more impressive parentage - his sire the mighty Zabeel and his dam the regally related stakes-placed import Benediction (from the same family as Zabeel's sire Sir Tristram) - Might And Power wasn't a particularly expensive purchase either.

Passed in at the 1995 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale with less-than-perfect legs, he was quickly snapped up for $40,000 by Anthony Cummings on behalf of Nick Moraitis.

Having been inclined to charge in his trackwork, he was ridden quietly at debut with the idea of teaching him how to settle. He did his best work late that day, a fourth in a Canterbury 1290m two-year-old contest.

Two starts later he was a Randwick winner but not looking the star he would become. A stable switch to Jack Denham and increased maturity at three saw Might And Power on the improve and, at his first crack in good company, he was second to another tough customer in Intergaze in the Group 1 Canterbury Guineas.

Still being taught how to settle, Might And Power ran into some trouble when fourth in the Group 1 AJC Derby won by Ebony Grosve. Closer to the pace in the Group 3 Frank Packer Plate, he showed the first signs of being something special with a six-length victory.

It was in the spring that we really saw what Might And Power could do when let go - the horse with the high head carriage going to the lead in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup and racing clear by a record-breaking 7 1/2 lengths.

From there he headed straight to Flemington and what a Group 1 Melbourne Cup that was. Might And Power was in the lead first, Sunny Lane working across from a wide gate briefly making a challenge - getting her nose in front for just a couple of strides.

At the 1800m Crying Game had a crack at Might And Power but by the 1200m he was being hard ridden with Linesman passing him. That horse, ridden by Larry Cassidy, attempted to join the leader (Jim Cassidy) approaching the turn but Might And Power was having none of that.

Shaking off his rivals, Might And Power was two lengths in front at the 400m, holding on gamely as the 1995 Cup hero Doriemus made a late lunge.

1998 was another great year for Might And Power, through April and May winning four consecutive races - three at Group 1 level. And what a spring - the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes leading into the Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate. Taking the lead at the first turn, he had his rivals off the bit at the 500m and, as he coasted past the line, Bryan Martin muttered those memorable words - "the earth starts to rumble."

The first horse since Phar Lap to win a W.S. Cox Plate after a Melbourne Cup victory, Might And Power won the Group 2 Queen Elizabeth Stakes by seven lengths two weeks later. That race was supposed to be a lead-up to the Group 1 Japan Cup but it was to be his finale, with injury bringing his career to (almost) an end.

Two years later he would attempt a comeback but his heart wasn't in it. He spent his retirement years at Living Legends, where he died aged 26 in April 2020.

Scotch And Dry - A Big Cup Week

It was during Melbourne Cup week in 1972 that Scotch And Dry proved himself to be one of the toughest horses in training - taking his place on Derby Day, Cup Day and Final Day; winning two races over 2500m.

Contesting the Melbourne Cup in between (16th behind Piping Lane), the Noel Kelly-trained gelding kicked off his busy week in the Group 2 Hotham Stakes - at one stage 30 lengths in front of his rivals.

Stewards were not impressed, calling in the beaten jockeys and reprimanding them for allowing Scotch And Dry to get so far in front.

"It was rather disgraceful to see so many accomplished horsemen ride with such lack of judgement," said VRC Chief Steward Jim Ahern.

But he may have been harsh in his criticism, underestimating the bullishness of Scotch And Dry who, a week later, successfully employed the same tactics in the Listed C.B. Fisher Plate.

"I looked around at the 1400m and I could not believe I was so far in front," said jockey Terry Finger. "He was going a lot better at that stage than in the Hotham. Naturally he got a bit tired towards the finish but he always had it won."

Having been 20 lengths clear of his rivals at the turn, Scotch And Dry again had those chasing him in trouble - the jockeys copping another official censure.

There were cheering and deriding punters that day, one angry racegoer apprehended by police after attempting to jump the fence and landing in the roses!

Awarding the trophy, VRC Chairman Alan Creswick noted that "Scotch And Dry stole the Hotham Handicap and he's damn well done it again!"

Those two wins were amongst Scotch And Dry's 17 from 78 starts, with another six coming at stakes level.

Pirate Bird - Avast Ye!

"The biggest shock in years in a distance race" was how the result of the 1968 W.J. McKell Cup was described by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Charles McQuillan, with the seemingly out-of-form Pirate Bird surprising his rivals - and punters - with a longshot victory.

Taking his usual role in front in the 2400m contest, Pirate Bird was taken on a fair way out but dug deep. By that stage he was already known for his ability to set up big leads but he could mix his form - two weeks previously finishing down the track in the Brisbane Cup.

Out of the placings at his next eight starts, the Pat Murray-trained gelding was back to his best three months later - in the STC Cup going to the lead early and extending from the 1800m - putting 25 lengths between himself and the others. And he kept going.

He did the same in the Silver Jubilee Cup the following January, this time getting 30 lengths ahead. Winning again.

It was not a popular win with newspapers reporting that "punters held violent demonstrations after Pirate Bird staged a last-to-first form reversal... they rushed towards the enclosure after the race and started to boo and jeer... it was one of the noisiest and longest demonstrations seen on a Sydney course in years."

As well as having the ability to outrun the others, Pirate Bird was also durable - his two stakes wins coming amongst his nine successes from 124 starts between October 1964 and May 1970.

Pirate Bird had an interesting pedigree, with his Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes-winning sire Pirate King hailing from the same family as his unraced dam Croeseus - both descendants of the Aga Khan mare Orlass.

Maltese Beauty - Cup King

An $8000 yearling who had racegoers chanting "Beauty, Beauty, Beauty!" as he raced to his 28 wins from 121 starts, the Steven Phelps-trained gelding was somewhat of a Cup King.

Amongst his impressive tally were wins in the Group 2 Newcastle Gold Cup, the Listed Canberra Cup, the Listed Wyong Cup, the Coffs Harbour Cup and the Ballina (his hometown) Cup.

All up he lined up in 34 Cup races including the Group 1 Doomben Cup (fifth behind King Keitel and Shogun Lodge), the Group 1 Brisbane Cup and the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup.

But it is not just his race record, one that put on display his toughness and longevity, that he is remembered for, with The Age's Glenn Lester noting that "it is more than his wonderful winning record and his penchant for winning Cups that has endeared Maltese Beauty to racegoers."

"The manner of some of his wins has had fans with long memories recalling free-going stayers such as Scotch And Dry and Pirate Bird."

In front in some races by 15 lengths, Maltese Beauty was much loved not only by racing fans but by his trainer and, when his charge broke down badly in the 2002 Ipswich Cup, Phelps ensured that all was done to save him.

He subsequently enjoyed a lengthy retirement, dying in 2017.