'Red' Remembered At Flemington

Robin Trevor-Jones & Steve Nicholson | Sharon Chapman

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At the entrance to Flemington Racecourse stands a statue to commemorate Phar Lap, whose 37 victories included the Melbourne Cup of 1930. Translated, his name means lightning, but he was known to his many fans as 'Big Red.'

It is fitting that on Lightning S. day at Flemington, the life of a modern-day Big Red was celebrated with the unveiling of a plaque in memory of Red Cadeaux, who died last November a fortnight after fracturing his fetlock in his fifth attempt at winning the G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup.

Australia is a famously sporting nation and, in sport, it's generally the winners we idolise. Red Cadeaux became loved not for winning, but for trying, again and again. He did win, of course. Seven of his 54 starts ended in triumph, including the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase and G2 Yorkshire Cup. The fact that his prize money tally stands just shy of £5 million–sending him past Fantastic Light as Britain's highest-earning racehorse–is testament to how often he tried at the top level and ended up in the frame in some of the world's most valuable races.

In hindsight, the memory of no race is likely to haunt his trainer Ed Dunlop and owner Ronald Arculli more than Red Cadeaux's second-place finish to Dunaden in the 2011 Melbourne Cup, mere pixels splitting the overseas raiders at the line. It was his first run at Flemington and the first of three runner-up finishes in his five consecutive appearances there on the first Tuesday of November. No wonder the Australians took him to their hearts. Here was a horse who always gave his followers a run for their money. A proper battler, as the locals would say.

Now that battler will be remembered forever at Flemington, as will the names of Stephen Nicholson and Robin Trevor-Jones, who traveled the world with the horse who was as much their friend as their charge. Such regular visitors were they to the quarantine facility at Werribee racecourse that one of the barns was named after Red Cadeaux last year.

For this particular racing fan, there's no finer sight than a good, honest stayer in full cry and Red Cadeaux embodied everything that so stirs the soul of those of us who love racehorses: a warrior on the track and the kindest of gentlemen at home. When he wasn't traveling the world, his home was close to mine, which afforded me the extra privilege of seeing him regularly on Newmarket Heath. It was impossible not to love him.

A fond last memory was watching him lead his stablemates Trip To Paris and Manndawi in a gentle exercise around the Werribee track during his final Melbourne Cup preparation. “He's never felt better,” said Steve as he rode past on Red. He knew the old horse better than anyone and has been around long enough to have ridden his sire, Cadeaux Genereux. The many years of toil in racing yards haven't hardened his heart, however, and when he spoke of Red, it was always with the gentle pride reserved for that of a favourite son.

Forty-eight hours later Red Cadeaux and Trip To Paris were in the open stalls next to each other at Flemington, counting down to the race that stops the nation. As second favourite, Trip To Paris received plenty of attention from the cameras while Red stood at the back of his stall, head down, seemingly asleep. “He always does this,” assured Steve as I enquired if everything was okay. After all, Red had been here before.

With the excitement surrounding Michelle Payne's historic win on Prince Of Penzance, the sheer awfulness of the situation back down the track, where Gerald Mosse had dismounted Red Cadeaux, had initially failed to register.

In the weighing-room after post-race interviews with the ecstatic winning connections, the electronic board showed the order of the finishers. There were only 23. Somehow I knew his name wouldn't be there and as I frantically scanned up and down the list, that seemingly irrational fear turned to reality.

As we now know, the initial prognosis for recovery from his injury turned from being relatively upbeat to profoundly sad in just over a fortnight. Red Cadeaux was stoic throughout, receiving get-well cards from school children and giving us all cause for hope, even when knowing that secondary complications can provide such a threat when a horse undergoes surgery for fractures or colic.

His place in retirement at Melbourne's wonderful Living Legends farm had already been booked but remains sadly unfilled, but his place in racing's history books will not. Red Cadeaux's ashes have now been interred in Flemington's pre-parade ring beneath a bench bearing testament to his Melbourne Cup record.

If ever a horse deserves to be commemorated for not winning a race it is this one, and it is of great credit to the Victorian Racing Club that Red Cadeaux was honoured on Saturday. As the final line on his memorial plaque says, may he rest in peace at his favourite racetrack.

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