Waverley Star
Encyclopedia
Waverley Star was a New Zealand
Thoroughbred
racehorse who is best remembered for finishing second to Bonecrusher
in the 1986 Cox Plate
- widely referred to as the 'race of the century'
. Waverley Star, who was known as Our Waverley Star in Australia to distinguish him from a 1976 foaling of the same name, won his maiden as a three-year-old on November 30, 1985 at Pukekohe
. Prior to his first visit to Australia
, for the Cox Plate, he won 10 of his 13 starts in New Zealand. In the Cox Plate, he was installed 3/1 second-favourite behind fellow New Zealander Bonecrusher, who was 6/4-on. With 800 metres to run in the Cox Plate, Lance O'Sullivan took Waverley Star to the lead, with Gary Stewart on Bonecrusher right behind him. The two horses then raced well clear of the field, with little between them for the remainder of the race, and at the post, Bonecrusher was narrowly in front. Waverley Star had a further 20 starts after the Cox Plate, and his three wins in this period included the Chipping Norton Stakes
and one of the lead-ups to the 1986 Japan Cup, in which he finished fifth. He had his final start in June 1989, as a six-year-old, after failing to recapture his best form.
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...
Thoroughbred
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 who is best remembered for finishing second to Bonecrusher
Bonecrusher
Bonecrusher has several meanings:* Bone crusher, a machine used to crush animal bones* Bonecrusher , a retired New Zealand racehorse* Bonecrusher , a fictional character in the various Transformers universes...
in the 1986 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...
- widely referred to as the 'race of the century'
Race of the Century (Horse racing)
The Race of the Century was the name given to a 1986 W.S. Cox Plate, a thoroughbred horse race in held in Melbourne, Australia, between two great New Zealand racehorses of the 1980s....
. Waverley Star, who was known as Our Waverley Star in Australia to distinguish him from a 1976 foaling of the same name, won his maiden as a three-year-old on November 30, 1985 at Pukekohe
Pukekohe
Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, it is approximately 50 kilometres south of Auckland City, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Pukekohe...
. Prior to his first visit to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, for the Cox Plate, he won 10 of his 13 starts in New Zealand. In the Cox Plate, he was installed 3/1 second-favourite behind fellow New Zealander Bonecrusher, who was 6/4-on. With 800 metres to run in the Cox Plate, Lance O'Sullivan took Waverley Star to the lead, with Gary Stewart on Bonecrusher right behind him. The two horses then raced well clear of the field, with little between them for the remainder of the race, and at the post, Bonecrusher was narrowly in front. Waverley Star had a further 20 starts after the Cox Plate, and his three wins in this period included the Chipping Norton Stakes
Chipping Norton Stakes
The Chipping Norton Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race run at weight for age, over a distance of 1600 metres at Warwick Farm Racecourse, Sydney in February or March.-Distance:* 1925 - 1972 held over 10 furlongs The Chipping Norton Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred...
and one of the lead-ups to the 1986 Japan Cup, in which he finished fifth. He had his final start in June 1989, as a six-year-old, after failing to recapture his best form.
External links
- http://www.bonecrusher.co.nz/thecrusher.php Bonecrusher Scrapbook
- http://www.pedigreequery.com/waverley+star Pedigree of Waverley Star