Rough Habit
Encyclopedia
Rough Habit was a New Zealand
-bred Thoroughbred
racehorse who won 11 Group One
(G1) races on both sides of the Tasman, and won New Zealand's Horse of the Year Award in 1992 and 1995.
He was foaled on 2 December 1986 and sired by Roughcast (USA) out of Certain Habit (NZ) by Ashabit (GB). Certain Habit was the dam of 11 named foals that were produced in Australia and New Zealand, but Rough Habit was her only stakes winner. Rough Habit was a bay gelding
with a distinctive white blaze trailing over his near-side nostril.
, from three to eight years of age. He won Group One races in Sydney
and Melbourne
and won six of his 11 Group One races at the Brisbane
winter carnivals, where his wins included the Queensland Derby
, two Stradbroke Handicap
s, and a record three Doomben Cup
s. Rough Habit won 21 feature races from 1,400 to 2,400 metres, on wet tracks and dry, and was narrowly beaten by fellow New Zealander Solvit in the 1994 Cox Plate
. Later in the season, Rough Habit won the O'Shea Stakes, in Brisbane, at his final start in Australia.
, Bonecrusher
, and Horlicks
, and the harness racing champions Blossom Lady and Il Vicolo
.
The Brisbane Racing Club holds the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate
for three-year-olds, which is run at set weights, and named in his hounour.
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...
-bred 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 won 11 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...
(G1) races on both sides of the Tasman, and won New Zealand's Horse of the Year Award in 1992 and 1995.
He was foaled on 2 December 1986 and sired by Roughcast (USA) out of Certain Habit (NZ) by Ashabit (GB). Certain Habit was the dam of 11 named foals that were produced in Australia and New Zealand, but Rough Habit was her only stakes winner. Rough Habit was a bay 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...
with a distinctive white blaze trailing over his near-side nostril.
Racing record
Rough Habit was trained by John Wheeler, and had nine campaigns in AustraliaAustralia
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...
, from three to eight years of age. He won Group One races in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and won six of his 11 Group One races at the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
winter carnivals, where his wins included the Queensland Derby
Queensland Derby
The Queensland Derby is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds at, set weights, run over a distance of 2400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June...
, two Stradbroke Handicap
Stradbroke Handicap
The Stradbroke Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run on the first Saturday in June, over a distance of 1,400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane...
s, and a record three Doomben Cup
Doomben Cup
The Doomben Cup is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds and over, run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2020 metres at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane in May...
s. Rough Habit won 21 feature races from 1,400 to 2,400 metres, on wet tracks and dry, and was narrowly beaten by fellow New Zealander Solvit in the 1994 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...
. Later in the season, Rough Habit won the O'Shea Stakes, in Brisbane, at his final start in Australia.
Honours
In retirement, Rough Habit appeared in a set of stamps issued by New Zealand Post in 1996 with fellow champion thoroughbreds KiwiKiwi (horse)
Kiwi was a Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1983 won the Wellington Cup in New Zealand and won the Melbourne Cup in Australia. Kiwi, who raced from 1980 to 1987, remains the only horse ever to win both cups....
, Bonecrusher
Bonecrusher (horse)
Bonecrusher Is a retired champion New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse who was widely admired in both Australia and New Zealand. Bred by Bill Punch, his dam's sire was a son of a French champion, Tantieme. Bonecrusher was purchased by Peter Mitchell for just $3,250 at the Waikato Yearling Sales,...
, and Horlicks
Horlicks (horse)
Horlicks was an outstanding Thoroughbred racemare from New Zealand. She won the internationally-contested 1989 Japan Cup in a world record time of 2:22 for 2,400 metres - a remarkable feat given that many of the world's classic races, such the Belmont Stakes, are run over this distance...
, and the harness racing champions Blossom Lady and Il Vicolo
Il Vicolo
Il Vicolo was a New Zealand Standardbred racehorse. He is notable in that he won two New Zealand Trotting Cup races, the richest harness race, and sometimes the richest horse race in New Zealand....
.
The Brisbane Racing Club holds the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate
Rough Habit Plate
The Rough Habit Plate is a Group 3 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old, over a distance of 2,020 metres.It is held annually at Doomben Racecourse in Brisbane, Queensland in May...
for three-year-olds, which is run at set weights, and named in his hounour.
See also
- List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
- Millionaire Racehorses in AustraliaMillionaire racehorses in Australia-Highest 50:Currently out-of-date*Delta Blues has mainly won his prizemoney in Japan. Elegant Fashion has mainly won hers in Hong Kong. Cape of Good Hope has mainly won his prizemoney in the UK and Hong Kong...
- Repeat winners of horse racesRepeat winners of horse races-Eight wins:-Seven wins:-Six wins:* The Race Around Yorkshire Handicap was renamed the "Gods Solution Handicap" in 1990.-Five wins:Cheekio Ora won the Herefordshire Light Horse Breeding Society's Hunter Chase five times in the 1980s....