It is quite ironic that three of Australia’s greatest champions – Tulloch, Dulcify, tragically, and Kingston Town – were brought undone in unfortunate circumstances in the Melbourne Cup.
Despite being burden with 10.1 (64kg) Tulloch was sent out a 3/1 favourite in the Centenary Melbourne Cup in 1960.
He had only returned to racing the previous March after being sidelined for nearly two years with a mysterious stomach virus but had earned that honour with a series of courageous performances culminating in a victory over Dhaulagiri and Persian Lyric in the Cox Plate.
To the dismay of his supporters Tulloch, the most brilliant performer in the race, was well back in the field going by the stands the first time.
Alarmingly his jockey Neville Sellwood had allowed Tulloch to drop an estimated 25 lengths from the lead by the six furlongs (1200m).
Even worse as Hi Jinx was brought down the middle of the track by W.A.Smith to score at 50/1 Tulloch was finishing faster than any other runner.
He wound-up seventh but it was not one of Sellwood’s better rides and few at Flemington that day doubted that he should have won.
While Tulloch continued his career in outstanding fashion through to his triumphant finale in the 1961 Brisbane Cup Dulcify’s life came to end coming around the bend in the 1979 Melbourne Cup.
An exciting, explosive gelding his wins at three featured the Victoria Derby, Australian Cup, Rosehill Guineas and AJC Derby.
As a spring four-year-old he burst away from his rivals to win the Cox Plate by an amazing seven lengths, which is still the record margin.
After scraping home from Shivaree, who had also finished second in the Cox Plate, in the Mackinnon Stakes three days before the Cup Dulcify , like Tulloch had been, was sent out a 3/1 favourite.
He was seemingly poised to strike about 600m out when he suffered a fractured pelvis, which sent him crashing to the turf.
There was no other alternative than euthanasia, which led to tears from many a racegoer and a very sad ending to the day.
The Cox Plate also played its part in 1982 when Kingston Town recorded his third consecutive success in the nation’s most prestigious weight-for-age event.
After being a race morning scratching from the Mackinnon Stakes Kingston Town started a 6/1 second favourite to his stablemate Just A Dash, who had been triumphant in the Cup the previous year.
The King’s jockey Malcolm Johnston had him perfectly positioned until approaching the 800m when the situation began to go wrong.
In a riding manoeuvre, which he later regretted, Johnston swung five wide, gave Kingston Town a kick and he responded quicker than the jockey had expected.
The result was that he was four-wide challenging for the lead entering the gruelling 453-metre long Flemington straight and had reached the front before the 300m mark.
Victory appeared in his grasp but although fighting gamely under his 59kg he was unable to withstand the late challenge from Caulfield Cup winner Gurner’s Lane, who was driven through along the rails by Mick Dittman.
“One second I thought Kingston Town was going to win, the next you knew Gurner’s Lane was going to beat him,” said Clem Dimsey, who called the race to a world-wide audience through the Channel 10 television network.
“It was a magnificent effort by a true champion, but it was certainly very disappointing that he was beaten in the way he was.”
