Rising Fast

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Rising Fast


caption =
sire = Alonzo
grandsire = Md-Day Sun
dam = Faster
damsire = Mr. Standfast
sex = Gelding
foaled = 1949
country = New Zealand flagicon|New Zealand
colour = Bay
breeder = Frank & Bruce Robertson
owner = Leicester R. Spring
trainer = Ivan Tucker
Fred Hoysted
record = Not found
earnings = Not found
race = Caulfield Stakes (1954)
Cox Plate (1954)
Melbourne Cup (1954)
CB Fisher Plate (1954)
John F Feehan Handicap
LKS Mackinnon Stakes (1954, 1955)
Turnbull Stakes (1954)
VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1954, 1955)
Blamey Stakes (1956)
C F Orr Stakes (1956)
Memsie Stakes (1956)
awards=
honours = Australian Racing Hall of Fame (2002)
updated= CURRENTTIME, CURRENTDAYNAME CURRENTMONTHNAME CURRENTDAY CURRENTYEAR (UTC)

Rising Fast (foaled 1949 in New Zealand) was an Australian Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse and considered one of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses ever bred in New Zealand. In 1954 he became the only horse in history to win the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate in the same season - the Spring Grand Slam - and since that time no Melbourne Cup winner has performed such a feat. He returned in 1955, again winning the Caulfield Cup but coming an unlucky second in the Melbourne Cup.

Rising Fast was bred by Frank Robertson at his Platform Lodge farm at Greytown in the Wairarapa. Sired by Alonzo and from the mare Faster, Rising Fast, as a robust foal, showed great potential. Raced by owner Leicester Spring and trained by both Ivan Tucker and Fred Hoysted, Rising Fast's blue, gold and black silks soon became familiar on New Zealand race tracks.

He was a seasoned five-year-old when he made the sea voyage to Melbourne in 1954 for the spring (Southern Hemisphere) carnival. He was already well known in racing circles when he arrived, but his accomplishment of winning the Grand Slam put him on front pages of newspapers in Australia, New Zealand and internationally.

Although many people consider the Melbourne and Caulfield Cup handicaps to be the blue ribbon events of the carnival, racing aficionados generally agree the weight-for-age Cox Plate is the contest that establishes genuine champions.

Nowadays, the Melbourne Cup is known internationally. Race-goers still remember that the nine stone five pounds (59.5kg) Rising Fast carried to win in 1954 has never been matched or exceeded by a winner since. Nor has the race been won since by any top weighted horse, wearing No 1.(Until Makybe Diva, 2005)

Rising Fast was ridden in the 1954 events by Melbourne jockey Jack Purtell, but he was replaced by Bill Williamson the following year 1955 he again won the Caulfield Cup, for the second time, but was just beaten by fellow New Zealand horse Toporoa in the Melbourne Cup in controversial circumstances. Toporoa was one of the lightly weighted horses to contest the Melbourne Cup that year,It was a very wet and heavy track, a holdup at the barrier caused a delay of some five minutes, Bill Williamson the jockey decided to remain in the saddle, together with the lead weights making a veryheavy burden for Rising Fast, He was handicapped with the formidable top weight of nine stone ten pounds but during the race seemed to be coping admirably and biding his time. However, in the last 200metres to the line he was jostled offstride by Toporoa ridden by Neville Sellwood and came second. The crowd expected jockey Williamson to protest, but owner Leicester Spring philosophically declared it was a racing incident and the protest was not lodged.

However, Neville Sellwood, the rider of Toporoa, was subsequently suspended for two months for interfering with the run of Rising Fast. Had Rising Fast won his record would have been two Caulfield Cups, a Cox Plate and two Melbourne Cups! and those wins would have been insuccsessive years!,

When Rising Fast retired, the Moonee Valley Racing Club held a special farewell for the champion, who strode up the straight with a garland of flowers around his neck, while the band played "The Maori Farewell."

External links

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/rising+fast2 Rising Fast's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://www.racingmuseum.com.au/ Australian Racing Hall of Fame]