The Ghostly Grey
Super Impose miraculously wins the Cox Plate of 1992 against an epic field . Miracles always cause me to light up, and with a spur of the moment decision it sends me on a quest, as I head Melbourne way for the Melbourne Cup of 1992 in hope of another one. Its announced Super would retire after the race that stops a nation and wanting to witness him race just once and maybe get a fairy tale ending. His unforgettable performances in the Epsom and Doncaster still stuck in my head coming from last either down the outside or along the rails swerving between horses and each time starting at a better price because as they say weight stops a train but not old Super he just kept performing miracles and as an eight year old in Australias race of champions he had just performed another miracle beating probably the greatest field ever assembled in Australian racing . Horses like Naturalism,Better Loosen Up, Lets Elope, Rough Habit,Slight Chance,Mannerism so why could'nt he perform another miracle like he did in the Cox Plate and defeat Better Loosen Up,Saintly, Veandercross, Lets Elope, his nemesis last year .
The Melbourne Cup leaves memories of the champions and the battlers . I love looking for the legends and stories behind them . In racing, my first experience of this was the great Kingston Town when he put his incredible winning sequence together and the Melbourne Cup of 1982 was a day i wont forget . When no one thought the King, had a chance, the broken down champion nearly pulled off a miracle but was caught in the last stride of the grueling two mile classic by Gurners Lane. His jockey Malcolm Johnston, not the greatest jockey of all time had taken off too early down the long Flemington straight. Many cheering because they thought the champ had lasted but the fairytale wasnt to be. Now ten years later, living in a unit on the Tweed River 1400 kilometres from Melbourne. I jump in my car on my search for a miracle in the Melbourne Cup of 1992 . Knowing that Super could'nt win if it rained I was hoping for divine intervention that would bring the sun out but it never happened and down came the rain. We were on the grass at Flemington with showers in the morning but around lunchtime the heavens opened as the race got closer the fairytale was looking impossible and so it was. I watched through the pouring rain still hoping for the Super miracle but he couldnt pull one out that day and i saw the champs fade Better Loosen Up, Saintly, Lets Elope and Super himself then out of the mud and rain I saw a ghostly grey horse emerge into equine immortality his name Subzero . I sat on the grass with 100,000 others, a bit disappointed but you do get that when you look for miracles but after as I headed back to the Pakenham Hotel soaked and broke i thought this is a day i will never forget. Its a memory that will stay with me until i leave this world. All the thoroughbreds from that race, are gone now, all but Subbie. When I hear that old boy Subbie is doing this and doing that my mind flashes back to that wet Melbourne Tuesday in 1992 and the fairy tale that would never be.
The Melbourne Cup leaves memories of the champions and the battlers . I love looking for the legends and stories behind them . In racing, my first experience of this was the great Kingston Town when he put his incredible winning sequence together and the Melbourne Cup of 1982 was a day i wont forget . When no one thought the King, had a chance, the broken down champion nearly pulled off a miracle but was caught in the last stride of the grueling two mile classic by Gurners Lane. His jockey Malcolm Johnston, not the greatest jockey of all time had taken off too early down the long Flemington straight. Many cheering because they thought the champ had lasted but the fairytale wasnt to be. Now ten years later, living in a unit on the Tweed River 1400 kilometres from Melbourne. I jump in my car on my search for a miracle in the Melbourne Cup of 1992 . Knowing that Super could'nt win if it rained I was hoping for divine intervention that would bring the sun out but it never happened and down came the rain. We were on the grass at Flemington with showers in the morning but around lunchtime the heavens opened as the race got closer the fairytale was looking impossible and so it was. I watched through the pouring rain still hoping for the Super miracle but he couldnt pull one out that day and i saw the champs fade Better Loosen Up, Saintly, Lets Elope and Super himself then out of the mud and rain I saw a ghostly grey horse emerge into equine immortality his name Subzero . I sat on the grass with 100,000 others, a bit disappointed but you do get that when you look for miracles but after as I headed back to the Pakenham Hotel soaked and broke i thought this is a day i will never forget. Its a memory that will stay with me until i leave this world. All the thoroughbreds from that race, are gone now, all but Subbie. When I hear that old boy Subbie is doing this and doing that my mind flashes back to that wet Melbourne Tuesday in 1992 and the fairy tale that would never be.
Super Impose 1992 Cox Plate the race that took me to Melbourne long ago.
https://www.racing.com/videos/2015-10-22/1992-cox-plate
Subzeros 1992 Melbourne Cup
Super Imposes Unbelievable Doncaster Epsom wins with Top Weight
Today Subbie at 28 has become a bit of a legend himself visitng aged care centres,schools and sporting events. His owner Graham Salisbury told how once, years back the Sheik in Dubai said I love your horse and offered him 500000 for the retired racehorse but Graham refused saying he wasnt for sale at any price. Graham says i dont know what I"ll do when the old boy passes. He has been a part me and my families life for so long. I will miss having a beer with him every arvo. I hope I go first he said. Subbie gets a beer every afternoon when his duties are over. Champions and legends come in different forms. You never know when one will appear from the mist.
Subzero Story The Book
This is more than a racing story. Sure,
there is the breeder who took a punt on an untried stallion, the owners
who thought they were buying a fast two-year-old, the trainer who was
breaking records and the jockey whose career was resurrected by the
promise of a young grey stayer.
However, his Melbourne Cup victory
became secondary after forming an endearing partnership with veteran
clerk of the course Graham Salisbury. Subzero was reinvented under
Graham’s care, leading the horse to become a versatile community
ambassador, and ultimately to his induction into the Australian Racing
Hall of Fame. He has attended primary schools, visited children in
hospital beds, socialised in aged-care facilities and even shared drinks
with publicans in licensed establishments. He has become a celebrity in
his own right, mixing with world leaders, pop stars and actors.
This is also a story of the love that a
man has for his best friend, who happens to have four legs and a tail,
and answers to the name Subbie.
Subzero’s name was etched into history
as a sporting champion, but his achievements off the racecourse are what
make him legendary. Subzero is truly more than a Melbourne Cup hero.
Subbies Appearances Recently
Subbies latest appearance at the National Jockeys Trust cricket match at Caulfield Park in Melbourne. He will also be visiting aged care centres and schools in the next couple weeks. Here he is at work and play !
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