1870 Melbourne Cup

Edition of the Melbourne Cup April 2022 September 2021 1870 Melbourne Cup Melbourne Cup Flemington Racecourse 10 November 1870 2 miles Nimblefoot 3:37.0 12/1 John Day William Lang Thomas Bailey Turf 30,000 1869 1871 The 1870 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Thursday, 10 November 1870. This year was the tenth running of the Melbourne Cup. The entire carnival was pushed back a week due to a waterlogged track. The race became a big part of Melbourne Cup folklore. Ballarat publican Walter Craig bought Nimblefoot from Melbourne bookmaker Joe Thompson. The story goes that several months before the 1870 race Craig dreams of a horse in his colours winning the race but with its jockey wearing a black arm band, a sign of mourning. Craig told friends about this and was sure that Nimblefoot would win, but he would not live to see the 12/1 shot's tense battle with Lapdog. Nimblefoot (1870) Facts, Stats & Trivia of The Melbourne Cup O'Reilly Paddy 2016 New Holland Publishers Pty Ltd Melbourne 22–23 9781742579054 William Craig died on the morning of 17 August from gout and pneumonia. The story of his dream first appeared three months later, in the Bendigo Independent and was recounted in The Age newspaper the day before the Cup.http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189331845 The News of the Day The Age 4991 Victoria, Australia 9 November 1870 30 May 2023 3 National Library of Australia 4 May 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240504052700/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189331845 live In the story Craig saw a horse, whose jockey was wearing his colours and a black armband, win the Cup. Samuel Griffiths, handicapper and turf historian, scotched the story as having been fabricated by the bookmaker Joseph Bragge "Leviathan" Slack.http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183743699 Nimblefoot Dream a Pure Invention Sporting Globe 1280 Victoria, Australia 5 November 1934 29 May 2023 8 National Library of Australia 4 May 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240504052716/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/183743699 live In the end, Nimblefoot wore the colours of Craig's son-in-law Thomas Bailey and Slack made a payment of £500 to Walter Craig's widow following Nimblefoot's win.Laherty has found training more profitable than buckjumpers https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225570230 18 December 2025 The Weekly Times 22 April 1942 Melbourne, Victoria 31The Melbourne Cup https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9936252 19 December 2025 The Mercury 26 October 1907 Hobart, Tasmania 2 Winning jockey Johnny Day was just 14 years old,Fraser Morag He won the Melbourne Cup at 14, then vanished. Who was Johnny Day? https://www.smh.com.au/culture/books/he-won-the-melbourne-cup-at-14-then-vanished-who-was-johnny-day-20220801-p5b68e.html 19 December 2025 The Age 4 August 2022 Melbourne, Victoria while Hiram Howard the jockey of third-placed Valentine was just 13 years old.Oldest Ex-Jockey Living? Riders in Early Days https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74342984 19 December 2025 The Advertiser 27 November 1936 Adelaide, South Australia 8 A total of 56 runners were accepted for the race.Victoria Racing Club - Spring Meeting https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/196733474 19 December 2025 The Evening Journal 20 August 1870 Adelaide, South Australia 3 From a field of 30 horses, 28 runners made their way to the start of the Melbourne Cup following the scratchings of Cortherstone and Sheet Anchor. In sunny conditions,Cup Day - Thursday No. 10 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/11282699 19 December 2025 The Australasian 12 November 1870 Melbourne, Victoria 618 three runners (Lapdog, Warrior and Trump Card) shared favouritism. Praetor had the best start of the runners, but it would be Barbelle that led the field at the first turn. 1868 winner Glencoe joined the leader down the back straight a few lengths in front of the head of the field. As the halfway post, Lapdog took the lead ahead of Nimblefoot, with Lapdog taking a slender lead into the Flemington straight. It was a two-horse race down the straight and both horses went stride for stride to the final post. Spectators thought the two horses might have dead-heat for first, but the judge awarded the victory to Nimblefoot. The heavyweight horses didn't feature in the finish, although Tim Whiffler did finish in the top ten. The winning time of 3:37.0 was at the time the fastest winning time in the race's history, while Nimblefoot became the first Tasmanian-bred horse to win the race. Full results This is the list of placegetters for the 1870 Melbourne Cup.1861 to 1870 Melbourne Cup Winners http://www.races.com.au/melbourne-cup/melbourne-cup-history/past-winners/1861-to-1870-melbourne-cup/#1870 races com au 27 May 2022Cavanough Maurice The Melbourne Cup 1978 0727004859 445 81869 Melbourne Cup MillersGuide http://millersguide.identika.com.au/1870-melbourne-cup/ millersguide.identika.com.au 19 December 2025 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20220323111114/http://millersguide.identika.com.au/1870-melbourne-cup/ 23 March 2022Melbourne Cup Winners - 1861-1880 https://www.vrc.com.au/racing/melbourne-cup-winners-honour-roll/1861-1880/ Victoria Racing Club 5 November 2025THE VRC Spring Meeting - The Cup Day https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5837622/227031 18 December 2025 The Argus 10 November 1870 Melbourne, Victoria 5THE VRC Spring Meeting - The Cup Day https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5837678/227047 18 December 2025 The Argus 11 November 1870 Melbourne, Victoria 5-6Reubertstein The History of the Melbourne Cup from 1861 to 1894 James J. Miller Melbourne, Australia 19-20 1895 PlaceHorseAgeGenderJockeyWeightTrainerOwnerOddsMargin1Nimblefoot 7y gJohnny Day 6 st 3 lb kg 1 onWilliam LangThomas BaileyNimblefoot As representative of the estate of Walter Craig12/1½ head2Lapdog 6y gJames Wilson Jr 7 st 0 lb kg 1 onJames WilsonMr J. Gilbert5/1 eq. fav. Equal favourite4 lengths3Valentine 5y gHiram Howard 6 st 4 lb kg 1 on Henry Bowler20/14Croydon4y hT. Brown 7 st 10 lb kg 1 on Mr W. Winch8/15Tim Whiffler8y hGeorge Donnelly 10 st 0 lb kg 1 on Etienne de Mestre Etienne de Mestre6/16Flying Dutchman5y hBell 7 st 0 lb kg 1 on Mr J. Haimes25/17Duke of MontroseAged hRowe 6 st 12.5 lb kg 1 onDukeOfMontrose Was supposed to carry 6st 9lb Mr J. Brown25/18Glencoe6y hWilliam Lang 9 st 12 lb kg 1 onWilliam LangThomas Bailey8/19StropAged gJoe Carter 7 st 12 lb kg 1 on William Field25/1Warrior7y gJoe Morrison 9 st 0 lb kg 1 onRobert Standish SeviorAustin Saqui5/1 eq. fav. Equal favouritePraetor5y hWilliam Yeomans 8 st 4 lb kg 1 on Mr P. Lewis25/1Barbelle5y mBrickwood Colley 8 st 4 lb kg 1 on Edward Lee25/1The Earl5y hCharles Stanley 8 st 0 lb kg 1 on John Tait33/1MilesianAged gThomas Enderson 7 st 12 lb kg 1 on John Cleeland50/1The Monk6y hJ. Adderley 7 st 12 lb kg 1 on Mr F. Henty20/1Barbarian4y hSamuel Davis 7 st 10 lb kg 1 on Edward Lee12/1Sir William5y hJ. Kean 7 st 11 lb kg 1 onSirWilliam Was supposed to carry 7st 9lb Andrew Town25/1The Pearl4y hH. Lewis 7 st 4 lb kg 1 on John Tait33/1Trump Card5y hS. Atkins 7 st 5 lb kg 1 on Mr G. Adams5/1 eq. fav. Equal favouriteSir JohnAged hC. Greene 7 st 2 lb kg 1 on Jack Chaaffe14/1Partisan4y hLemon 6 st 10 lb kg 1 on Edward Lee100/1Mischief5y mBourke 6 st 5 lb kg 1 onJames WilsonJames Wilson50/1Freetrader6y gSwales 6 st 4 lb kg 1 on Mr L. Sararan100/1Palmerston6y gWilliam Enderson 6 st 4 lb kg 1 onPalmerston Was supposed to carry 6st 2lb Sam Waldock100/1Paddy's LandAged hJ. Sherringham 6 st 0 lb kg 1 on Mr H. Gamble100/1Huntsman5y gW. Brown 6 st 0 lb kg 1 on Mr H. Kett100/1Saladin6y gEwart 5 st 10 lb kg 1 on Mr J.E. Crook25/1Patience6y mChalker 5 st 7 lb kg 1 on Mr J.R. Harper100/1SCR ScratchedCotherstoneAged h 6 st 2 lb kg 1 onMr A. DouglassSCR ScratchedSheet Anchor6y h 5 st 12 lb kg 1 onMr S. ThompsonSCR ScratchedFarmer's Daughter6y m 6 st 5 lb kg 1 onMr H. Hepburn Prizemoney First prize £1210, second prize £50, third prize £20. See also Horses Sports Australia Melbourne Cup List of Melbourne Cup winners Victoria Racing Club Notes References External links 1870 Melbourne Cup footyjumpers.com 1870 Melbourne Cup Melbourne Cup Category:19th century in Melbourne Category:1870s in Melbourne Category:Long stubs with short prose