AUCKLAND CUP | A look back at some of those winning moments...

Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup Day is nearly upon us and the day is renowned for bringing the best of racing, fashion and hospitality together into one fun package.

With the time-honoured $500,000 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup supported by not one but two Group 1 races – the quality of horsepower on display is top notch.

The Auckland Cup has an illustrious history and has been run since 1874 with names such as Templeton, Castletown and Jezabeel associated with it.

The more recent iterations have yielded the likes of Who Shot Thebarman and Sangster as well as Glory Days and Ocean Billy.

We take a look back at some of our (more recent) favourite wins…

2021- Ocean Billy

Who can forget the fairytale result in 2021 when Ocean Billy swept the field and won convincingly for trainer, Bill Pomare.

2019 – Glory Days

It felt like the entire town of Waverley was oncourse in 2019 to watch Glory Days triumph – and the win also gave Samantha Collett her first at Group 1 level, what a day!

2016 – El Solado

El Solada surprised them all when he crossed the line first in 2016 – a $125 chance.
It was trainer, Phillip Devcich’s, first at Group 1 level but he gave all credit to the bold ride by veteran jockey, Darryl Bradley.

2014 – Who Shot Thebarman

2014 saw the entire O’Leary family join us oncourse to cheer home their pride and joy (and crowd favourite) Who Shot Thebarman.

When he retired in 2018, he’d taken to the track in six Sydney Cups, four Melbourne Cups, four BMWs, three Moonee Valley Cups, three Zipping Classics and two Caulfield Cups in Australia alone, winning over $A4.5 million for the O’Leary clan. What a champ!

1998 – Jezabeel

We couldn’t leave off the mighty mare, Jezabeel, the only horse ever to win both the Auckland and Melbourne Cup. Her Auckland Cup win also set the scene for Opie Bosson’s first-ever Group 1 win, while he was still an apprentice.

We can’t wait to see who takes out the 2023 running of the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup, taking place at Pukekohe Park for the first time due to Ellerslie’s track upgrade.