Super Impose
Encyclopedia
Super Impose was a New Zealand
bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was inducted into the Australia
n Racing Hall of Fame
. In a career spanning 74 starts, Super Impose won eight Group One
races and a then Australasian record $5.6 million in prize money. Trained throughout his career by Lee Freedman
, and ridden in his Group One wins by Bruce Compton (once), Darren Gauci
(once), Darren Beadman (five times), and Greg Hall (once), ‘Super’ created history in winning the AJC
Epsom
and Doncaster Handicap
s two years in a row, in 1990 and 1991, and won the Cox Plate
at his penultimate start as an eight-year-old, in 1992.
, Super Impose was a son of the multiple Group One
winner Imposing
(Todman
-Hialeah), out of the unraced mare Pheroz Fancy (Taipan II-Pheroz Jewel). Pheroz Jewel was a stakeswinning mare in New Zealand who defeated Grey Way
, while Todman was an explosive Australia
n racehorse who won the inaugural Golden Slipper
in 1957. Super Impose, via Todman and Ritmar (dam of Taipan), had Star Kingdom
blood on both sides of his pedigree. The imported Irish stallion was a dominant influence on Australian racing before the preponderance of Northern Dancer
-line stallions, such as Danehill
, in the 1990s. Taipan, via his sire Bold Ruler
, also introduced powerful American-bred descendants of Nearco
into the pedigree. Super Impose descended from an old colonial New Zealand family, (C-23), that had not produced many notable winners until the last few decades.
colt who would become Super Impose was selected by trainer Lee Freedman at the 1986 Trentham yearling sales, in New Zealand
, for a small syndicate who paid $40,000. Interviewed for ‘Super Better Best’, along with Lee Freedman, managing part-owner Chris Biggins explained that Freedman had rung him from New Zealand and said that there were three horses he had liked at the sale. Freedman predicted that the first two would make ‘too much money’, while the third was a ‘beautiful Imposing horse’. The first two were sold to Bart Cummings
, and became the multiple Group One winners Sky Chase and Beau Zam, while the third became Super Impose. He was unraced as a two-year-old.
at Seymour
on December 28, 1987. His next five starts produced three seconds and a third before a let-up. He resumed at Benalla
, in early-May, with a win in an improvers, and his next three starts included a second placing in a three-year-old handicap at Flemington
. Super Impose was yet to win a metropolitan
race, but, in coming from last at Flemington, had shown a glimpse of his 'preferred racing style'. He had also shown a dislike for rain-affected going.
win, in the Eclipse Stakes. He was then taken to Sydney
for the first time, where he won a welter at Rosehill
(over 1,900 metres), and backed-up nine days later to win the AJC
Summer Cup, on Boxing Day. By this point, the Freedman stable knew that they had 'a pretty smart handicap type horse' on their hands.
Back in Melbourne, in the new year, Super Impose raced at weight-for-age for the first time, finishing second to Vo Rogue
in the Orr Stakes
, the St George Stakes
, and the Australian Cup
, and won the Carlyon Cup
(under handicap conditions) in course record time. In Sydney, wet weather forced Super Impose out of his races over the autumn carnival, including the Mercedes Classic, and the 'dark clouds followed his float' to Queensland
, where he was unplaced in two starts before a spell.
, Super Impose resumed at Sandown
, in late-August, and, after defeats by Apollo Run, Painted Ocean, and Almaraad, broke through in the Turnbull Stakes
, at his fifth run back. He defeated Research and finished in front of Vo Rogue for the first time. This was followed by midfield finishes in the Caulfield Stakes
and the Caulfield Cup
, and a fourth behind Horlicks
in the Mackinnon Stakes. Super Impose carried second-topweight of 56 kilograms in the Melbourne Cup, and, according to Lee Freedman, turned in one of his 'greatest performances'. Freedman recalled that jockey Darren Gauci
made 'the best possible use of an inside barrier, got out, had the race won' and was only beaten by Tawrrific, who was 'a little bit better weighted on the day' and 'better equipped' for the distance (3,200 metres).
Super Impose opened the new year with a string of placings, and was scratched from his main mission, the Mercedes Classic, when wet weather again closed in on Sydney's autumn carnival. Entered a week later in the Doncaster Handicap
, and carrying topweight of 57 kilograms, 'the weather held', and Super Impose came from the tail of the field on the home turn to defeat Shaftesbury Avenue
. He was ridden in the Doncaster by Bruce Compton, who gained the ride only after higher-profile jockeys had taken other mounts, with doubts over whether Super Impose would take his place in the field. This was Compton's first and only ride on the horse, but his tactics and the horse's 'amazing zip' would provide a template for success in the big Randwick ‘mile’ races over the next 18 months.
, in late-August, and defeated Eastern Classic - coincidentally, a horse he had finished second to, as a virtual unknown, almost two years earlier. Super Impose was then runner-up to Stargazer and Shaftesbury Avenue, in his next two starts, before taking his place in the Epsom Handicap
with topweight of 58.5 kilograms. As was the case in the Doncaster Handicap, Super Impose was near the tail of the field on the home turn, but came down the outside 'like a bullet' to overhaul a line of leaders over the closing stages, including Our Poverty Bay and Ricochet Rosie. Taken to Melbourne to prepare for the Cox Plate
, Super Impose's campaign ended abruptly when he bled
in the Caulfield Stakes
, and incurred an automatic three-month ban. The ban also meant that connections were unable to accept the Japan Racing Association
's invitation to compete in the Japan Cup
. Ultimately, Better Loosen Up won both races, and took an unassailable lead in Horse of the Year
calculations.
Facing the prospect of a lifetime ban from Australian racing if he bled for a second time, Super Impose reappeared in the new year, and won one of his three starts - the Chester Manifold Stakes - in Melbourne. In Sydney, he won the Chipping Norton
and the Ranvet Stakes
for new jockey Darren Beadman, and appeared to be back to his best. Super Impose then stunned the racing community by finishing 'stone-motherless' last of six in the Mercedes Classic. Then chief steward John Schreck explained that they had considered ordering Super Impose to barrier trial before being permitted to race again. Instead, their vets monitored the horse in the lead-up to the Doncaster Handicap, and 'Fortunately, everything went right'. Super Impose won the Doncaster Handicap, and had his final start for the season when runner-up to Shaftesbury Avenue in the All-Aged Stakes
.
Super Impose had had the best season of his career, with four Group One wins, including the Epsom and Doncaster Handicaps, and his dam, Pheroz Fancy, was named New Zealand Broodmare of the Year in 1991.
and a win in the Hill Stakes
(which was run at Canterbury Park
, with its usual venue, Rosehill, closed for renovations). At his next start, with his win in the Epsom Handicap, Super Impose created history in winning the AJC
’s Epsom and Doncaster Handicaps two years in a row, in 1990 and 1991. In a moment of 'insanity bordering on genius', Darren Beadman switched Super Impose back to the inside, and he weaved through the field, emerging over the closing stages to veteran racecaller John Tapp's cry of ‘He’s going to do it, it’s history at Randwick!’ In winning each of these races for the second time, he also set modern-day weight-carrying records of 61 kilograms in the Epsom Handicap and 59.5 kilograms in the Doncaster Handicap. Following these wins, Super Impose was named Australia’s 'Greatest Miler' by racing author Warwick Hobson, and the club named a bar in his honour in the public grandstand at Randwick Racecourse.
After the Epsom Handicap, Super Impose campaigned in Melbourne, and finished second to Shaftesbury Avenue, Surfers Paradise
, and Let’s Elope in the Caulfield Stakes
, the Cox Plate, and the Mackinnon Stakes, respectively. He then finished fourth in the Melbourne Cup under topweight of 60 kilograms, and gave nine kilograms to the winner, Let's Elope.
Super Impose opened the new year with a second placing to Quick Score in the Apollo Stakes
, and defeated him second-up with a rails-hugging win in the Chipping Norton Stakes
(both run at Randwick Racecourse, instead of their usual venue, Warwick Farm). He was then unplaced in the last four runs of his campaign, including the Doncaster Handicap, where he finished sixth under topweight of 62.5 kilograms, and gave 15 kilograms to the winner, Soho Square.
Cup, on his way to Melbourne for the Cox Plate. So easy was the win in that his jockey, Mick Dittman, slowed Super Impose to cantering pace approaching the finish line, more than three lengths clear of the runner-up.
In the Cox Plate, veteran jockey Greg Hall took the ride on Super Impose, with Mick Dittman booked to ride the hot favourite, Naturalism. The 'stellar field' of 14 included 12 multiple Group One winners, and proved a race full of drama. Kinjite and Slight Chance alternated in the lead, with Naturalism drifting toward midfield, and Let’s Elope, Better Loosen Up, and Super Impose near the rear. The pace was slow, and the field was tightly-packed entering the final 800 metres. Suddenly, Palace Reign clipped heels, and put Naturalism, Sydeston, and Rough Habit out of the race in a chain reaction, while the remainder of the field made for the home turn. Let’s Elope loomed up with ‘a mighty run out wide’, stalked by Super Impose, with Better Loosen Up in a pocket to the inside. In a thrilling finish, Better Loosen Up had to check when Let’s Elope rolled in, and Super Impose came at the leaders to Bryan Martin's memorable call of ‘Super! I think Super Impose a nose to Let’s Elope in the Cox Plate’.
The win took Super Impose to an Australasian record $5.6 million in prize money, and gave him the rare feat of Group wins at each of the eight city racetracks in Sydney and Melbourne. Super Impose finished his career with a 15th placing in Subzero
’s Melbourne Cup, 10 days later, but fans simply displayed the reverse-side of their giant banner, which read ‘Bad luck Super. We still love you’. He was officially retired in February 1993.
for a Night of Champions in 2005 with Subzero, Doriemus
, Saintly
, and Brew
. Super Impose appeared small later in life, due to a sway back, common in old horses, but enjoyed running in the paddocks of Glenlogan Park Stud in Queensland
as a ‘nanny’ to some of the farm's young horses.
Due to infirmities associated with old age, Super Impose was humanely euthanised in 2007 at the age of 22. He has been buried at Glenlogan Park Stud with a tribute stone and plaque erected in his memory.
In 2007, Super Impose was posthumously inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
.
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 racehorse who was inducted into the 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...
n Racing Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
. In a career spanning 74 starts, Super Impose won eight 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...
races and a then Australasian record $5.6 million in prize money. Trained throughout his career by Lee Freedman
Lee Freedman
David Lee Freedman is a prominent Australian racehorse trainer. In partnership with brothers Anthony, Michael, and Richard, he has been a prolific winner of Australia's major races in past 20 years, with four Golden Slippers, four Caulfield Cups, two Cox Plates, and five Melbourne Cups,...
, and ridden in his Group One wins by Bruce Compton (once), Darren Gauci
Darren Gauci
Darren Gauci is an Australian jockey. Born in Melbourne on 26 December 1965, he won the Senior Victorian Jockeys Premiership in 1983-84, 1985-86, and 1990-91. He has come close to winning Australian racing's greatest prize on three occasions, with seconds in the Melbourne Cup on Chagemar , Super...
(once), Darren Beadman (five times), and Greg Hall (once), ‘Super’ created history in winning the AJC
Australian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
Epsom
Epsom Handicap
The Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held over 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse. It is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival. Many great milers have won the race, including Chatham, Gunsynd, and Super Impose, who was also a dual winner of the...
and Doncaster Handicap
Doncaster Handicap
The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000...
s two years in a row, in 1990 and 1991, and won the 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...
at his penultimate start as an eight-year-old, in 1992.
Breeding
Foaled in New ZealandNew 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...
, Super Impose was a son of the multiple 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...
winner Imposing
Imposing
Imposing was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse.He was a chestnut son of Todman from the Arctic Explorer mare Hialeah.Some of his major race victories included the 1979 AJC Epsom Handicap, AJC George Main Stakes and the STC Hill Stakes....
(Todman
Todman
Todman was one of the greatest Australian Thoroughbred racehorses and an important sire. He was perhaps best known as the winner of the inaugural STC Golden Slipper in 1957, being the first of Star Kingdom’s five successive winners of the race...
-Hialeah), out of the unraced mare Pheroz Fancy (Taipan II-Pheroz Jewel). Pheroz Jewel was a stakeswinning mare in New Zealand who defeated Grey Way
Grey Way
Grey Way, the Washdyke Wonder was a champion New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse. He was born in Washkdyke in 1970 near Timaru by Grey William out of Waybrooke. The other racehorse born in this area is Phar Lap....
, while Todman was an explosive 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...
n racehorse who won the inaugural Golden Slipper
Golden Slipper
The Golden Slipper Stakes is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race for two year old horses held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney run over 1,200 metres on turf at set weights. It is the premier two year old race in Australia and is the world's richest race for two-year-old Thoroughbreds....
in 1957. Super Impose, via Todman and Ritmar (dam of Taipan), had Star Kingdom
Star Kingdom
Star Kingdom was a Thoroughbred race horse bred in Ireland in 1946. Exported to Australia he was an outstanding sire, being the leading sire for five seasons, the leading sire of two-year-olds seven times as well as heading the broodmare sires' list three times.Foaled on 30 April 1946, Star...
blood on both sides of his pedigree. The imported Irish stallion was a dominant influence on Australian racing before the preponderance of Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
-line stallions, such as Danehill
Danehill (horse)
Danehill was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was bred in the United States. During his phenomenal stud career Danehill became a champion sire on both sides of the Equator...
, in the 1990s. Taipan, via his sire Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
, also introduced powerful American-bred descendants of Nearco
Nearco
Nearco was an Italian bred Thoroughbred racehorse described by Thoroughbred Heritage as "one of the greatest racehorses of the Twentieth Century" and "one of the most important sires of the century." He was not only unbeaten, winning 14 races at distances from 5 furlongs to 1 mile 7 furlongs ,...
into the pedigree. Super Impose descended from an old colonial New Zealand family, (C-23), that had not produced many notable winners until the last few decades.
The beginnings (1986–1987)
The chestnutChestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
colt who would become Super Impose was selected by trainer Lee Freedman at the 1986 Trentham yearling sales, 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...
, for a small syndicate who paid $40,000. Interviewed for ‘Super Better Best’, along with Lee Freedman, managing part-owner Chris Biggins explained that Freedman had rung him from New Zealand and said that there were three horses he had liked at the sale. Freedman predicted that the first two would make ‘too much money’, while the third was a ‘beautiful Imposing horse’. The first two were sold to Bart Cummings
Bart Cummings
James Bartholomew 'Bart' Cummings, AM is one of the most successful Australian racehorse trainers. He is known as the Cups King, referring to the Melbourne Cup, as the he has won the 'race that stops a nation' a record 12 times....
, and became the multiple Group One winners Sky Chase and Beau Zam, while the third became Super Impose. He was unraced as a two-year-old.
Three-year-old season (1987–1988)
Super Impose entered training as a three-year-old, and made a winning debut in a maidenMaiden race horse
A Maiden race horse is the term that refers to a race horse that has yet to win a single race. The races are generally run for younger more inexperienced horses at two and three. However, many maidens never "break their maiden", and will continue to race at later ages, often retiring winless.Zippy...
at Seymour
Seymour, Victoria
Seymour is a township in the Shire of Mitchell in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Seymour had a population of 6,063...
on December 28, 1987. His next five starts produced three seconds and a third before a let-up. He resumed at Benalla
Benalla, Victoria
Benalla is a city of just over 9,000 people located just off the Hume Freeway in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, about southwest of Wangaratta. Its Local Government Area is the Rural City of Benalla.- Overview :...
, in early-May, with a win in an improvers, and his next three starts included a second placing in a three-year-old handicap at Flemington
Flemington Racecourse
Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River...
. Super Impose was yet to win a metropolitan
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
race, but, in coming from last at Flemington, had shown a glimpse of his 'preferred racing style'. He had also shown a dislike for rain-affected going.
Four-year-old season (1988-1989)
Super Impose again resumed at Seymour, in early-September, and finished third in a progressive. His next five starts produced as many defeats, but included seconds in the Grey-Smith Stakes and the Ballarat Cup. At his next start, Super Impose broke a nine-race losing run, and recorded his first Black TypeGroup races
Group races are the highest standard of Thoroughbred horseraces in Australia. The Australian Pattern Committee recommends to the Australian Racing Board which races shall be designated as Group races...
win, in the Eclipse Stakes. He was then taken to 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...
for the first time, where he won a welter at Rosehill
Rosehill Gardens Racecourse
The Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is located in the Western Sydney suburb of Rosehill, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is home of the Sydney Turf Club. Rosehill holds horse races for thoroughbred gallopers on a grass surface. It is one of the two premier racecourses in Sydney, the...
(over 1,900 metres), and backed-up nine days later to win the AJC
Australian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
Summer Cup, on Boxing Day. By this point, the Freedman stable knew that they had 'a pretty smart handicap type horse' on their hands.
Back in Melbourne, in the new year, Super Impose raced at weight-for-age for the first time, finishing second to Vo Rogue
Vo Rogue
Vo Rogue is an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by American-bred Ivor Prince whose racing career ended from injury after just two starts. Ivor Prince was a son of the British champion Sir Ivor who won the 1968 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. His American damsire, Dignitas, was a...
in the Orr Stakes
C F Orr Stakes
The C F Orr Stakes is a Group 1 Australian thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne in February. Prizemoney in 2010 is A$400,000...
, the St George Stakes
St George Stakes
The St George Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged two years old and upwards, over a distance of 1800 metres. It is held at Caulfield racecourse in Melbourne every February. Total prize money is A$200,000.-Distance:1900 -...
, and the Australian Cup
Australian Cup
The Australian Cup is a Group 1 Weight for Age race for Thoroughbred racehorses run over 2000 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in March...
, and won the Carlyon Cup
Carlyon Cup
The Carlyon Cup is a Group 3 Australian Thoroughbred open horse race held under set weight conditions with penalties, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne in February...
(under handicap conditions) in course record time. In Sydney, wet weather forced Super Impose out of his races over the autumn carnival, including the Mercedes Classic, and the 'dark clouds followed his float' to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, where he was unplaced in two starts before a spell.
Five-year-old season (1989-1990)
In a campaign leading to the Melbourne CupMelbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
, Super Impose resumed at Sandown
Sandown Racecourse
Sandown Racecourse is one of the four horse racing venues located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Built for the Victoria Amateur Turf Club, it is the only metropolitan racecourse built in the 20th century and was opened before a crowd of 52,000, in June 1965.Sandown Racecourse is situated 25...
, in late-August, and, after defeats by Apollo Run, Painted Ocean, and Almaraad, broke through in the 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...
, at his fifth run back. He defeated Research and finished in front of Vo Rogue for the first time. This was followed by midfield finishes in the Caulfield Stakes
Caulfield Stakes
The VATC Caulfield Stakes is now a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, at Caulfield Racecourse. The race was previously known as the Caulfield Stakes but since 1997 it has been referred to as the...
and the Caulfield Cup
Caulfield Cup
The Caulfield Cup, one of Australia's richest Thoroughbred horse races and the richest of its type in the world is held annually by the Melbourne Racing Club. The race is a handicap like the Melbourne Cup, which means that horses that compete in the Caulfield Cup are capable of running on the...
, and a fourth behind 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...
in the Mackinnon Stakes. Super Impose carried second-topweight of 56 kilograms in the Melbourne Cup, and, according to Lee Freedman, turned in one of his 'greatest performances'. Freedman recalled that jockey Darren Gauci
Darren Gauci
Darren Gauci is an Australian jockey. Born in Melbourne on 26 December 1965, he won the Senior Victorian Jockeys Premiership in 1983-84, 1985-86, and 1990-91. He has come close to winning Australian racing's greatest prize on three occasions, with seconds in the Melbourne Cup on Chagemar , Super...
made 'the best possible use of an inside barrier, got out, had the race won' and was only beaten by Tawrrific, who was 'a little bit better weighted on the day' and 'better equipped' for the distance (3,200 metres).
Super Impose opened the new year with a string of placings, and was scratched from his main mission, the Mercedes Classic, when wet weather again closed in on Sydney's autumn carnival. Entered a week later in the Doncaster Handicap
Doncaster Handicap
The Doncaster Mile is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney. Although the race has traditionally been held on Easter Monday, the race is now run on the third Saturday in April. The race is contested over 1,600 metres . The prizemoney in 2010 was A$1,510,000...
, and carrying topweight of 57 kilograms, 'the weather held', and Super Impose came from the tail of the field on the home turn to defeat Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue (horse)
Shaftesbury Avenue was a versatile Australian racehorse who won Group One races from 1,000 to 2,000 metres, and was placed in the Japan Cup over 2,400 metres. He was a regular rival of Super Impose, and the head-to-head scoreline read four apiece in their eight clashes: Super Impose won the big...
. He was ridden in the Doncaster by Bruce Compton, who gained the ride only after higher-profile jockeys had taken other mounts, with doubts over whether Super Impose would take his place in the field. This was Compton's first and only ride on the horse, but his tactics and the horse's 'amazing zip' would provide a template for success in the big Randwick ‘mile’ races over the next 18 months.
Six-year-old season (1990-1991)
Super Impose resumed in the Warwick StakesWarwick Stakes
The Warwick Stakes is a Group 2 Australian thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age that was traditionally run over a distance of 1400 metres at Warwick Farm Racecourse, Sydney in August...
, in late-August, and defeated Eastern Classic - coincidentally, a horse he had finished second to, as a virtual unknown, almost two years earlier. Super Impose was then runner-up to Stargazer and Shaftesbury Avenue, in his next two starts, before taking his place in the Epsom Handicap
Epsom Handicap
The Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held over 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse. It is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival. Many great milers have won the race, including Chatham, Gunsynd, and Super Impose, who was also a dual winner of the...
with topweight of 58.5 kilograms. As was the case in the Doncaster Handicap, Super Impose was near the tail of the field on the home turn, but came down the outside 'like a bullet' to overhaul a line of leaders over the closing stages, including Our Poverty Bay and Ricochet Rosie. Taken to Melbourne to prepare for the 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...
, Super Impose's campaign ended abruptly when he bled
Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage
Exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage , also known as "bleeding" or a "bleeding attack", refers to the presence of blood in the airways of the lung in association with exercise. EIPH is common in horses undertaking intense exercise, but it has also been reported in human athletes, racing camels and...
in the Caulfield Stakes
Caulfield Stakes
The VATC Caulfield Stakes is now a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, at Caulfield Racecourse. The race was previously known as the Caulfield Stakes but since 1997 it has been referred to as the...
, and incurred an automatic three-month ban. The ban also meant that connections were unable to accept the Japan Racing Association
Japan Racing Association
The Japan Racing Association is a public company established to operate Chūō Keiba and to manage racecourses, betting facilities, and horse-training facilities....
's invitation to compete in the Japan Cup
Japan Cup
The is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...
. Ultimately, Better Loosen Up won both races, and took an unassailable lead in Horse of the Year
Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year
The Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year is awarded to the Thoroughbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within an Australian racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within Australia, regardless of age and sex, and includes overseas performances.This award...
calculations.
Facing the prospect of a lifetime ban from Australian racing if he bled for a second time, Super Impose reappeared in the new year, and won one of his three starts - the Chester Manifold Stakes - in Melbourne. In Sydney, he won the Chipping Norton
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 the Ranvet Stakes
Ranvet Stakes
The Ranvet Stakes is a 2000 metre weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds and over, run at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney Australia, early in March each year...
for new jockey Darren Beadman, and appeared to be back to his best. Super Impose then stunned the racing community by finishing 'stone-motherless' last of six in the Mercedes Classic. Then chief steward John Schreck explained that they had considered ordering Super Impose to barrier trial before being permitted to race again. Instead, their vets monitored the horse in the lead-up to the Doncaster Handicap, and 'Fortunately, everything went right'. Super Impose won the Doncaster Handicap, and had his final start for the season when runner-up to Shaftesbury Avenue in the All-Aged Stakes
All Aged Stakes
The All Aged Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May...
.
Super Impose had had the best season of his career, with four Group One wins, including the Epsom and Doncaster Handicaps, and his dam, Pheroz Fancy, was named New Zealand Broodmare of the Year in 1991.
Seven-year-old-season (1991-1992)
Now a veteran of 53 starts, Super Impose again resumed in the Warwick Stakes, and defeated Livistona Lane and Royal Creation, before an unplaced run in the Chelmsford StakesChelmsford Stakes
The Chelmsford Stakes is an Australian Group 2 Thoroughbred horserace run over 1600 metres at Weight for Age at Randwick Racecourse Sydney in September...
and a win in the Hill Stakes
Hill Stakes
The Hill Stakes is a STC Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at run at Weight for Age over a distance of 1900 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in September.-Past winners:*2011 - Trusting *2010 - Descarado *2009 - Miss Marielle...
(which was run at Canterbury Park
Canterbury Park Racecourse
Canterbury Park Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located 11 km from the Sydney Central Business District, in the suburb of Canterbury, adjacent to Canterbury railway station.- Races :...
, with its usual venue, Rosehill, closed for renovations). At his next start, with his win in the Epsom Handicap, Super Impose created history in winning the AJC
Australian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
’s Epsom and Doncaster Handicaps two years in a row, in 1990 and 1991. In a moment of 'insanity bordering on genius', Darren Beadman switched Super Impose back to the inside, and he weaved through the field, emerging over the closing stages to veteran racecaller John Tapp's cry of ‘He’s going to do it, it’s history at Randwick!’ In winning each of these races for the second time, he also set modern-day weight-carrying records of 61 kilograms in the Epsom Handicap and 59.5 kilograms in the Doncaster Handicap. Following these wins, Super Impose was named Australia’s 'Greatest Miler' by racing author Warwick Hobson, and the club named a bar in his honour in the public grandstand at Randwick Racecourse.
After the Epsom Handicap, Super Impose campaigned in Melbourne, and finished second to Shaftesbury Avenue, Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise (horse)
Surfers Paradise was a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse who is best remembered for winning the Cox Plate in 1991. By Crested Wave, Surfers Paradise was named after Queensland's iconic beachside strip....
, and Let’s Elope in the Caulfield Stakes
Caulfield Stakes
The VATC Caulfield Stakes is now a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, at Caulfield Racecourse. The race was previously known as the Caulfield Stakes but since 1997 it has been referred to as the...
, the Cox Plate, and the Mackinnon Stakes, respectively. He then finished fourth in the Melbourne Cup under topweight of 60 kilograms, and gave nine kilograms to the winner, Let's Elope.
Super Impose opened the new year with a second placing to Quick Score in the Apollo Stakes
Apollo Stakes
The Apollo Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age run over a distance of 1400 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney in February...
, and defeated him second-up with a rails-hugging win in 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...
(both run at Randwick Racecourse, instead of their usual venue, Warwick Farm). He was then unplaced in the last four runs of his campaign, including the Doncaster Handicap, where he finished sixth under topweight of 62.5 kilograms, and gave 15 kilograms to the winner, Soho Square.
Eight-year-old season (1992-1993)
In his final campaign, Super Impose again resumed in the Warwick Stakes, but was denied a record-equalling third win in the race by Shaftesbury Avenue - who was appearing for the first time since the previous year's Japan Cup, and never raced again. Super Impose was then placed in the Chelmsford Stakes and the Hill Stakes, and finished fourth in the Epsom Handicap, under topweight of 61.5 kilograms. He then broke an eight-race losing run in the CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
Cup, on his way to Melbourne for the Cox Plate. So easy was the win in that his jockey, Mick Dittman, slowed Super Impose to cantering pace approaching the finish line, more than three lengths clear of the runner-up.
In the Cox Plate, veteran jockey Greg Hall took the ride on Super Impose, with Mick Dittman booked to ride the hot favourite, Naturalism. The 'stellar field' of 14 included 12 multiple Group One winners, and proved a race full of drama. Kinjite and Slight Chance alternated in the lead, with Naturalism drifting toward midfield, and Let’s Elope, Better Loosen Up, and Super Impose near the rear. The pace was slow, and the field was tightly-packed entering the final 800 metres. Suddenly, Palace Reign clipped heels, and put Naturalism, Sydeston, and Rough Habit out of the race in a chain reaction, while the remainder of the field made for the home turn. Let’s Elope loomed up with ‘a mighty run out wide’, stalked by Super Impose, with Better Loosen Up in a pocket to the inside. In a thrilling finish, Better Loosen Up had to check when Let’s Elope rolled in, and Super Impose came at the leaders to Bryan Martin's memorable call of ‘Super! I think Super Impose a nose to Let’s Elope in the Cox Plate’.
The win took Super Impose to an Australasian record $5.6 million in prize money, and gave him the rare feat of Group wins at each of the eight city racetracks in Sydney and Melbourne. Super Impose finished his career with a 15th placing in 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...
’s Melbourne Cup, 10 days later, but fans simply displayed the reverse-side of their giant banner, which read ‘Bad luck Super. We still love you’. He was officially retired in February 1993.
In retirement (1993–2007)
Super Impose made guest appearances at various racetracks, including Randwick for the Epsom and Doncaster Handicap parades, and Moonee ValleyMoonee Valley Racecourse
Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club...
for a Night of Champions in 2005 with Subzero, Doriemus
Doriemus
Doriemus is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who began his career in New Zealand and rose to prominence in Australia by winning the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in 1995. He became just the ninth of eleven horses to complete the double....
, Saintly
Saintly
Saintly was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who was named Australia's champion racehorse in 1997. A giant chestnut gelding by Sky Chase out of All Grace , he was bred by his trainer, Bart Cummings, who owned him in partnership with a Malaysian businessman, Dato Tan Chin Nam.Saintly gained...
, and Brew
Brew (horse)
Brew is a small, plain bay Thoroughbred gelding who won the 2000 Melbourne Cup for trainer Mike Moroney and jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Brew carried the lightweight of 49.5 kilos, and defeated the veteran Yippyio and the stablemate Second Coming...
. Super Impose appeared small later in life, due to a sway back, common in old horses, but enjoyed running in the paddocks of Glenlogan Park Stud in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
as a ‘nanny’ to some of the farm's young horses.
Due to infirmities associated with old age, Super Impose was humanely euthanised in 2007 at the age of 22. He has been buried at Glenlogan Park Stud with a tribute stone and plaque erected in his memory.
In 2007, Super Impose was posthumously inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
.
Tabulated pedigree
External links
- Super Impose's pedigree and partial racing stats (Note: Pedigree Query incorrectly shows Super Impose as being foaled in Australia)
- Super Impose - Profile of a Champion
- More photos of Super Impose
- Link to videos of Super Impose at YouTube
- Freedman Racing (Trainer's web site)