Efficient (horse)
Encyclopedia
Efficient is a grey Thoroughbred
racehorse gelding
, bred in New Zealand
, who won the 2007 Melbourne Cup
, ridden by Michael Rodd, and the 2006 Victoria Derby
.
Efficient was by the outstanding sire Zabeel
from the mare Refused The Dance by Defensive Play (USA). He is a half brother to Guillotine, winner of the 2008 MVRC Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes
.
In his first campaign in the spring of 2006 he put together five consecutive wins including the Group 2 Aami Vase at Moonee Valley and ending with a win in the VRC Derby by 2½ lengths. Following his Derby win Efficient was entered into the Melbourne Cup field, run three days later. However, he did not pull up well enough and so was scratched from the race and spelled instead.
Returning in the autumn Efficient had a very light campaign of just two starts. In the 1,400 metre Group 3 Schweppervescence Cup he finished fourth behind Haradasun
and fifth behind Miss Finland
in the Group One
Australian Guineas
over 1,600 metres.
As a four year old in the Spring of 2007 Efficient resumed in the Memsie Stakes
at Caulfield and ran 10th beaten 7 lengths. At his next start he ran fourth in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes behind El Segundo
and Haradasun
. He then ran unplaced in the 2,000 metre Group 1 Turnbull Stakes
. Three weeks later Efficient lined up in the Weight for Age
Group 1 Cox Plate
over 2,040 metres at Moonee Valley where he finished 9th beaten 6½ lengths by the winner El Segundo. Efficient's next start was the Melbourne Cup, his first start in a handicap race since his first campaign. He dropped 3 kg from the Cox Plate run to carry 54.5 kg. Due to his poor recent form he was sent out a 16-1 chance. Reunited with jockey Michael Rodd for the first time since their 2006 Victoria Derby win, Efficient settled back in the field and travelled well. He was pulled to the outside to make a run and in the closing stages Efficient went on to defeat Purple Moon by half a length.
His win dividend of $22.70 was the biggest for a Melbourne Cup winner in over ten years. He became the first grey to win the Melbourne Cup since Subzero
in 1992.
Efficient has had an injury-plagued career since his Melbourne Cup win, and was withdrawn from both the 2008 and 2009 Melbourne Cups in the fortnight leading up to the race. However, he did gain a third Group One success in the 2009 Turnbull Stakes.
Efficient was trained by expatriate New Zealand trainer Graeme Rogerson to win the cup, but switched to John Sadler soon after Rogerson decided to part company with the horse's owners, a syndicate headed by Lloyd and Suzy Williams.
In winning the Melbourne Cup, Efficient became the first horse since Phar Lap
to win the Melbourne Cup the year after winning the Victoria Derby.
Efficient has had twenty starts for seven wins and no placings. His prizemoney earnings are over A$
4.5 million.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
, bred in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, who won the 2007 Melbourne Cup
2007 Melbourne Cup
The 2007 Melbourne Cup, the 147th running of Australia's most prestigious thoroughbred horse race, was run on Tuesday, November 6, 2007, going at 3:00 pm local time . The race was sponsored by Emirates Airline...
, ridden by Michael Rodd, and the 2006 Victoria Derby
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first day of Melbourne's annual Spring Racing Carnival, Victorian Derby Day, held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. A Group One race for three-year-old horses, it is raced on a left-handed turf course at a...
.
Efficient was by the outstanding sire Zabeel
Zabeel
Zabeel was a New Zealand-bred Australian racehorse who has retired to stud and become a champion sire. He is a bay son of Sir Tristram from the Nureyev mare Lady Giselle...
from the mare Refused The Dance by Defensive Play (USA). He is a half brother to Guillotine, winner of the 2008 MVRC Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes
Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes
The Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under Weight for Age conditions, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1600 metres. It is held at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne in September....
.
In his first campaign in the spring of 2006 he put together five consecutive wins including the Group 2 Aami Vase at Moonee Valley and ending with a win in the VRC Derby by 2½ lengths. Following his Derby win Efficient was entered into the Melbourne Cup field, run three days later. However, he did not pull up well enough and so was scratched from the race and spelled instead.
Returning in the autumn Efficient had a very light campaign of just two starts. In the 1,400 metre Group 3 Schweppervescence Cup he finished fourth behind Haradasun
Haradasun
Haradasun is a notable brown Australian Thoroughbred racehorse by Fusaichi Pegasus from Circles of Gold by Marscay. His sire is a Kentucky Derby winner by champion sire Mr Prospector....
and fifth behind Miss Finland
Miss Finland (horse)
Miss Finland is a champion Australian Thoroughbred racehorse, trained by top South Australian trainer David Hayes. At two years old, she won the AAMI Golden Slipper, the world's richest juvenile race, which is run over 1,200 metres, and ran second in the Blue Diamond Stakes...
in the Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
Australian Guineas
Australian Guineas
The Australian Guineas is a VRC Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds, run at set weights, over a distance of 1600 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne in March...
over 1,600 metres.
As a four year old in the Spring of 2007 Efficient resumed in the Memsie Stakes
Memsie Stakes
The Memsie Stakes is a Group 2 weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race run at Caulfield Racecourse over 1,400 metres . The total prizemoney for the race is A$201,000...
at Caulfield and ran 10th beaten 7 lengths. At his next start he ran fourth in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes behind El Segundo
El Segundo (horse)
El Segundo is a Thoroughbred racehorse. He is a bay son of Pins from the mare Palos Verdes by Flying Spur.Foaled in 2001 at Ancroft Stud, Matamata, New Zealand he was sold as a yearling for $140,000 and has spent his entire racing career in Australia under the care of trainer Colin Little.Amongst...
and Haradasun
Haradasun
Haradasun is a notable brown Australian Thoroughbred racehorse by Fusaichi Pegasus from Circles of Gold by Marscay. His sire is a Kentucky Derby winner by champion sire Mr Prospector....
. He then ran unplaced in the 2,000 metre Group 1 Turnbull Stakes
Turnbull Stakes
The Turnbull Stakes is a 2000 metre Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race, run under set weights with penalties conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in October. Total prize money is A$502,000. It is one of the important races of the Spring Racing Carnival along...
. Three weeks later Efficient lined up in the Weight for Age
Weight for Age
Weight for Age is a term in Thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. It means that a horse will carry a set weight in accordance with the Weight for Age Scale. This weight varies depending on the horse’s age, its sex, the race distance and the month of the year...
Group 1 Cox Plate
Cox Plate
The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
over 2,040 metres at Moonee Valley where he finished 9th beaten 6½ lengths by the winner El Segundo. Efficient's next start was the Melbourne Cup, his first start in a handicap race since his first campaign. He dropped 3 kg from the Cox Plate run to carry 54.5 kg. Due to his poor recent form he was sent out a 16-1 chance. Reunited with jockey Michael Rodd for the first time since their 2006 Victoria Derby win, Efficient settled back in the field and travelled well. He was pulled to the outside to make a run and in the closing stages Efficient went on to defeat Purple Moon by half a length.
His win dividend of $22.70 was the biggest for a Melbourne Cup winner in over ten years. He became the first grey to win the Melbourne Cup since Subzero
Subzero (horse)
Subzero was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1992 Melbourne Cup. Trained by Lee Freedman and ridden by veteran jockey Greg Hall, the four-year-old revelled in the rain-affected going to defeat the favourite Veandercross and the two-miler Castletown...
in 1992.
Efficient has had an injury-plagued career since his Melbourne Cup win, and was withdrawn from both the 2008 and 2009 Melbourne Cups in the fortnight leading up to the race. However, he did gain a third Group One success in the 2009 Turnbull Stakes.
Efficient was trained by expatriate New Zealand trainer Graeme Rogerson to win the cup, but switched to John Sadler soon after Rogerson decided to part company with the horse's owners, a syndicate headed by Lloyd and Suzy Williams.
In winning the Melbourne Cup, Efficient became the first horse since Phar Lap
Phar Lap
Phar Lap was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse whose achievements captured the public's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealand, he was trained and raced in Australia. Phar Lap dominated Australian racing during a distinguished career, winning a Melbourne...
to win the Melbourne Cup the year after winning the Victoria Derby.
Efficient has had twenty starts for seven wins and no placings. His prizemoney earnings are over A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
4.5 million.