Top 10 Legendary Australian Race Horses

On this page 13 sections

1. 10 – Makybe Diva
2. 9 – Wakeful
3. 8 – Manikato
4. 7 – Ajax
5. 6 – Bernborough
6. 5 – Black Caviar
7. 4 – Tulloch
8. 3 – Carbine
9. 2 – Winx
10. How Legendary Horses Shape the Betting Culture Around Them
11. 1 – Phar Lap
12. How to read this historical top ten
13. Compare achievements rather than raw earnings

An editorial historical ranking. These ten horses excelled in different eras and at different distances. The numbering reflects a judgment about racing achievement; it is not an official all-time order or a list of current betting selections.

Everyone loves a racing champion. EZ Horse Betting has compiled a list of the greatest race horses to ever compete in Australia. These horses are only a part of what makes racing Down Under great. Here is our list of the top ten legendary Australian race horses.   See our Bovada racebook review, Twinspires review or even our Betamerica review. Confirm the current service and local eligibility before using a review to choose an account. online racebook comparison subject to your location’s permissions.

10 – Makybe Diva

When it comes to modern Australian race horses a strong case can be made that Makybe Diva is the greatest of them all. The virtue of her inclusion on this list can be summed up by three wins in the Melbourne Cup. Some have speculated that an entire generation, or several of them, may pass before this type of feat is accomplished again. The British-bred mare was sired by Desert King.

Makybe Diva also has a win in the Cox Plate as well as the Sydney Cup and Australian Cup. Her lifetime earnings exceeded A$14,000,000. David Hall was the first to train the horse, and Lee Freedman took over the training duties later in her career. In 2005 and 2006 Makybe Diva was named the Australian Race Horse of the Year, and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.

The bay horse was foaled in Great Britain. It is not uncommon for horses that succeed well in Australia to be foaled in other parts of the world. The most famous example in this regard was Phar Lap.

9 – Wakeful

A late racing debut should be assessed through the particular horse’s history rather than treated as a general prediction of poor performance. Wakeful did not compete in her first race until she was four years old. Her delayed debut makes the later major-race record especially notable, although it does not establish what every observer expected at the time. There were physical problems with the horse’s shins that stalled her racing debut.

Yet, Wakeful overcame the odds and won the Oakleigh Plate in her third career start. This was followed with a win in the Newmarket Handicap and the AJC Doncaster Handicap. Wakeful was foaled in 1896, making her one of the last great Australian champions to be born in the 19^th century.

The Sydney Cup is also listed among the accomplishments of Wakeful. Her victory in that event is even more impressive when one realizes that she was forced to carry the highest amount of weight in the race. Handicaps have always been popular in Australia. These types of events have varying weights assigned to different horses in an effort to make the race fair.    

8 – Manikato

Many races that are ran in Australia are long events. It is common for the greatest horses in Australia to be route runners, although a route specialist is not necessarily proficient at the two-mile Melbourne Cup distance. Manikato was a distinguished Australian sprinter in a country with a substantial sprinting tradition. The horse was one of the fastest on record in Australia’s history, and Manikato set numerous track records in major racing events.

Manikato was just the second horse in the history of Australian horse racing to earn more than A$1,000,000. This was done in the late 1970s and early 1980s when the purse value of races was far less than it is today. Among the more famous races that were won by Manikato are the Golden Slipper Stakes, Blue Diamond Stakes, and the Invitation Stakes.

There are some top ten Australian race horse lists which only award Manikato an honorable mention. This seems a bit unfair. One must consider the accomplishments of the horse against the backdrop of his time. Manikato was a gelding, but an editorial racing ranking should assess his performances separately from breeding value. There was no breeding potential for the horse once his racing career had come to an end.   

7 – Ajax

Ajax was an Australian race horse that perhaps does not get enough credit in the overall scheme of Australian horse racing. This could be because he was foaled in 1934, right on the heels of the legendary Phar Lap. Any horse coming after the big red colt would have huge shoes to fill in the eyes of the public. It can be said that Ajax handled that task very well.

Ajax won 18 races in a row in Australia before he was defeated by a 40-1 longshot. The Caulfield Stakes and Cox Plate are two of the more famous races that this horse won. One of the hallmarks of Ajax was his versatility. He was successful at distances ranging from 1000m to 2400m. It is very rare for a horse to be successful at both route and sprint distances.

The horse was still capturing victories in stakes races up to 1940. His legacy has come to be more appreciated in the intervening years between his active career and the present. People are now able to evaluate how well he did by comparing the achievements against those of other Australian race horses.

6 – Bernborough

Bernborough lived from 1939 until 1960. He was a big strapping horse that displayed a tremendous amount of power. Known as a difficult ride, the horse was able to do wonderful things when his energy was channeled toward the work ahead of him on the track. Ownership issues restricted Bernborough’s early career, but not his entire racing life. His later campaign included major successes beyond Queensland, including the 1946 Newmarket Handicap in Melbourne. It is incorrect to describe him as a horse who never had the opportunity to compete on those circuits.

The major accomplishments of Bernborough include the Newmarket Handicap and the Doomben Cup. In the Newmarket he was required to carry much more weight than his challengers. The horse was so successful that he commanded a large price when offered for sale at the age of six. It is rare for horses to be sold at that age for large sums, but the investment paid off when the horse kept on winning.

Bernborough’s story illustrates why an early restriction and a later national campaign must be distinguished. Compare his actual opposition, weights and major wins rather than basing an all-time assessment on a mistaken career-wide restriction.  

5 – Black Caviar

Black Caviar’s unbeaten 25-start record makes her one of the outstanding modern sprint champions. Foaled in 2006, the achievements of this spectacular female race horse are still fresh in everyone’s memory. For this reason, Black Caviar is often questioned as an inclusion on the top ten legendary Australian race horses list. Some feel that she has not had the time for her achievements to be properly validated against the accomplishments of other horses.

The horse also traveled outside of her home to score wins in important races like the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Black Caviar also won the Newmarket Handicap while carrying an impressive amount of weight, and she was eased for the last 100m of the race because her lead was so great.

Her 2012 Royal Ascot victory added an international achievement to her Australian sprint record; that should not be confused with an unsupported claim of a European champion award. Unlike many of her fellow Australian horses, Black Caviar was a horse that preferred speed over distance.

4 – Tulloch

Tulloch lived from 1954 to 1969; those dates are not the span of his racing career. He competed in the late 1950s and early 1960s before retiring. He was trained by Tommy J. Smith and competed in 53 racing events. 21 of those events are ones that would be considered as group stakes events in Australia today. He was only unplaced once in his great career, winning 36 times. This was quite spectacular for the time, and it received worldwide attention without requiring the unsupported claim that American racing had no popular champions until the 1970s. Different countries and programmes need their own historical context.

Some do not know that Tulloch almost lost his life in 1958 after a serious illness; a comparison with Phar Lap’s death does not establish a shared cause. A mysterious stomach ailment felled the horse, and it was doubtful that he would recover. He did in fact overcome the illness and went on to mount a surprising comeback in 1960 which saw him return to his prior form.

Tulloch is honoured in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Induction does not establish that his heart is displayed at the Hall, or that a particular museum object is presently available to visitors. He is often mentioned today when those who love Australian racing gather in drinking establishments to discuss which horse was truly the best of all time.   

3 – Carbine

Like the great Phar Lap, Carbine was bred in New Zealand. Also similar to Phar Lap, the greatest successes of Carbine came in Australia. He achieved so much in his career that his skeletal remains have been preserved. Among the biggest accomplishments was a win in the Melbourne Cup while carrying the highest weight of any horse in the event. He also won consecutive racing events on the same day, something that no modern thoroughbred would likely be able to accomplish.

Carbine was a winner of 33 starts in 43 tries. He placed in all his other events except one. It was later discovered that the horse had a cracked hoof, and this is what hampered him in his effort win that day. When he was two years old Carbine was undefeated in all of his race attempts. He continued to race well beyond the age of five years old.

Those who like to bet horses in Australia are always engaged in a lively debate about who the greatest of all time was. The discussion usually comes to down to Carbine and Phar Lap. What an interesting race between the two of these it would have been if possible. The two horses raced in different eras.  

2 – Winx

Winx has become the most successful Australian race horse of the modern era. Winx retired from racing after her April 13, 2019 Queen Elizabeth Stakes victory; the earlier present-tense description belongs to the time of the original article. The most amazing accomplishment of Winx is that she won the Cox Plate four years in a row from 2015 to 2018. She finished with 33 consecutive victories in a streak beginning in 2015. The final record supersedes the 30-win figure quoted during her active career.

There may be no mare in the world that has come close to matching the impressive statistics of Winx. She was sired by the Irish-bred Street Cry, a former winner of the Dubai World Cup. Her owners paid $230,000 for her at auction in 2013. As of early 2019 the career earnings of Winx stand at over A$23,000,000. That figure describes gross prize earnings at an intermediate point, not the owners’ net investment return after acquisition, training and other costs.

Winx enjoys celebrity status in Australia. She was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2017 while her career was still in progress. Winx has also been immortalized on an Australian postage stamp. The connections of this amazing horse should be given credit for keeping her healthy enough to race for so many seasons.

How Legendary Horses Shape the Betting Culture Around Them

The legendary racehorses of Australian history have done more than win races — they have shaped the betting culture, the racing calendar, and the public’s emotional relationship with the sport in ways that persist long after their careers have ended. Black Caviar’s unbeaten record of 25 wins created a unique betting market dynamic — with short prices at many starts, but neither making win bets redundant nor automatically producing value in exotics. A different bet type changes the required outcome and cost, not the need to assess price. Public interest was evident at her major appearances, but any claim about television or attendance growth should identify a dated figure and comparison rather than an unspecified expectation.

Winx’s similarly dominant record in the 2010s created comparable market dynamics while also inspiring a level of public attachment that transcended the usual boundaries of sporting fandom. Her owners, trainers, and the entire Australian racing establishment treated each of her appearances as a celebration rather than a competition, and the public responded with genuine emotional investment that was reflected in the international attention her final starts attracted. These phenomena — where a single horse captures the public imagination so thoroughly that the betting market becomes secondary to the spectacle — are among the most powerful demonstrations of horse racing’s unique cultural power as a sport. For more on Australia’s legendary horses, our articles on top 10 legendary Australian race horses and the Australian Racing Hall of Fame cover the full pantheon of greatness.

1 – Phar Lap

Phar Lap is most deserving of the top spot on the EZ Horse Betting list of legendary Australian race horses. Bred in New Zealand, Phar Lap achieved his greatest success in Australia and came to define excellence in Australian racing. Some draw comparisons between Phar Lap and the American champion Secretariat. Both were nicknamed “Big Red” and recorded exceptional performances; “wherever they ran” is too absolute a claim about track records.

Phar Lap won an amazing 37 of 51 lifetime starts. Among these wins were a victory in the Melbourne Cup, two victories in the Cox Plate, and a record-setting win in the Agua Caliente Handicap. The amazing horse was preparing for a run at greatness in North America when he died in 1932 under suspicious circumstances.

Many believe that one reason this horse was able to capture the world’s attention was the time at which he competed. America was reeling from the Great Depression, an event that had economic consequences all over the world. Those who were left with little money clung to heroes of the race track like Seabiscuit and Phar Lap as glimmers of hope that things would somehow improve.

Would you like to bet on the next great Australian race horse? You can do that when you create an account with one of our recommended online horse betting sites. Coverage, device access and welcome offers depend on the account’s current terms. A historic champion’s record does not establish a future betting return or a guaranteed promotion.

Related to Australian horse racing:

• 10 Amazing Facts About Australian Horse Racing
• The Australian Racing Board
• Flemington Racecourse In Melbourne, Australia
• Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane
• Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane
• The Melbourne Cup – Australias’s Biggest Horse Race
• The Cox Plate Australian Horse Race
• Timeform Ratings & Australian Horse Racing
• The Golden Slipper Stakes Australian Horse Race
• Phar Lap – The Sad End Of Australia’s Greatest Race Horse
• Top 10 Legendary Australian Race Horses
• The Australian Racing Hall Of Fame
• The Best Way To Bet Horse Races From Australia
• Australian Racing Terms You Need To Know
• 5 Reasons To Bet Australian Horse Racing
• Top 10 Jockeys In Australian Horse Racing
• Picking Horse Race Winners In Australia

How to read this historical top ten

This is an editorial ranking spanning different eras and race programs. A Melbourne Cup staying achievement, an unbeaten sprint career and repeated weight-for-age wins test different abilities. Direct win totals or earnings can mislead when purses, schedules, race conditions and available travel changed. State the criterion before arguing that one champion must rank above another.

For a source-based comparison, check each horse’s official major-race record and Hall of Fame recognition. The Australian Racing Hall of Fame lists many of the horses discussed here, but induction is a recognition of historical significance rather than a numerical ordering. The promotional racebook references at the opening reflect the article’s earlier publication period; they do not establish current availability or make a historic champion’s record useful as a modern betting pick.

Compare achievements rather than raw earnings

The VRC’s Bernborough history documents his Melbourne success. The Cambridge Museum’s Tulloch account distinguishes his life and racing record, while Racing NSW’s 2019 report records Winx’s final 33rd consecutive win. Use dated sporting records to update older descriptions.

The VRC’s start-by-start Black Caviar account provides a useful model for comparing a champion: inspect the actual races, dates, conditions and opposition. The same approach is more informative than assuming a famous name won every possible award or produced an automatic betting opportunity.

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