Think Big (horse)
Encyclopedia
Think Big was a Thoroughbred
racehorse who raced in Australia
, winning the Melbourne Cup
in both 1974 and 1975. Bred by the estate of the late L. A. Alexander, Think Big was purchased by Australian trainer
Bart Cummings
for Malaysian businessman, Dato Tan Chin Nam
for $10,000 at the Trentham yearling sales in New Zealand.
Conditioned for racing by Cummings, who maintained a share in the horse, Think Big started eight times at age two, earning just one win. As a three-year-old he had fifteen starts for five wins. His third to Igloo in the Brisbane Cup
was an indication of better things to come.
The popular Bart Cummings
trained mare Leilani
was the favourite for the 1974 Melbourne Cup but she was run down in the last fifty metres by her stablemate Think Big under jockey Harry White
. The win gave Cummings his fourth Melbourne Cup win and his third quinella of the race.
Following his second last in the lead up MacKinnon Stakes
, Think Big started at 33-1 in the 1975 Melbourne Cup, assigned high-weight of 58 kg. He had not won a race since his victory the previous year. But at his favourite course and distance, again under jockey Harry White, he fought off a challenge from stablemate Holiday Waggon to record his second win.
A gelding, after his racing career was over Think Big lived out his days at jockey Harry White's 200-hectare farm in Gisborne
near Victoria, Australia where he died and is buried.
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 raced in 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...
, winning the Melbourne Cup
Melbourne 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...
in both 1974 and 1975. Bred by the estate of the late L. A. Alexander, Think Big was purchased by Australian trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
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....
for Malaysian businessman, Dato Tan Chin Nam
Dato Tan Chin Nam
Dato' Tan Chin Nam is an entrepreneur and developer in Malaysia and an owner of Australian-based Thoroughbred racehorses. His family is the majority shareholder of IGB Corporation Berhad....
for $10,000 at the Trentham yearling sales in New Zealand.
Conditioned for racing by Cummings, who maintained a share in the horse, Think Big started eight times at age two, earning just one win. As a three-year-old he had fifteen starts for five wins. His third to Igloo in the Brisbane Cup
Brisbane Cup
The Brisbane Cup is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds and upwards, run under handicap conditions over a distance of 2400 metres at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane in June...
was an indication of better things to come.
The popular 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....
trained mare Leilani
Leilani (horse)
Leilani was a champion Thoroughbred racemare that was bred in New Zealand and raced in Australia. She won six Group One races and a total of 12 black type equivalent races, during her short racing career...
was the favourite for the 1974 Melbourne Cup but she was run down in the last fifty metres by her stablemate Think Big under jockey Harry White
Harry White (jockey)
Harry White was a top Australian jockey in the late 70s. He usually rode for the "cups king" Bart Cummings. He rode the winners of four Melbourne Cups on Think Big and Hyperno for Bart Cummings and also on Arwon for George Hanlon....
. The win gave Cummings his fourth Melbourne Cup win and his third quinella of the race.
Following his second last in the lead up MacKinnon Stakes
LKS MacKinnon Stakes
From 1869 to 1936 the LKS Mackinnon Stakes was known as the Melbourne Stakes.The LKS Mackinnon Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 2000 metre Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on the Saturday before...
, Think Big started at 33-1 in the 1975 Melbourne Cup, assigned high-weight of 58 kg. He had not won a race since his victory the previous year. But at his favourite course and distance, again under jockey Harry White, he fought off a challenge from stablemate Holiday Waggon to record his second win.
A gelding, after his racing career was over Think Big lived out his days at jockey Harry White's 200-hectare farm in Gisborne
Gisborne, Victoria
Gisborne is a town located approximately northwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As it is close to Melbourne, but in attractive countryside, it is proving an increasingly popular place to settle. The town was named after Henry Fyshe Gisborne , the first Commissioner for Crown Lands of the...
near Victoria, Australia where he died and is buried.