Rain Lover

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Rain Lover


caption =
sire = Latin Lover
grandsire = Ribot
dam = Rain Spot
damsire = Valognes
sex = Stallion
foaled = 1964
country = Australia
colour = Bay
breeder = Clifford A. Reid
owner = Clifford A. Reid
trainer = Mick L. Robins
record = 46:17-10-11
earnings = A$188,500
race = Adelaide Cup (1968)
Mackinnon Stakes (1968)
Fisher Plate (1968)
Melbourne Cup (1968, 1969)
Chipping Norton Stakes (1969)
VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1969)
Craiglee Stakes (1969)
Underwood Stakes (1969)
St George Stakes (1969, 1970)
VRC Queens Plate (1970)
AJC Autumn Stakes (1970)
awards= Australian Horse of the Year (1969)
honours = SAJC Rain Lover Plate at Morphettville Racecourse
updated= CURRENTTIME, CURRENTDAYNAME CURRENTMONTHNAME CURRENTDAY CURRENTYEAR (UTC)

Rain Lover (1964-1989) was a Champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse. He was owned and bred by Clifford A. Reid, who won the 1945 Melbourne Cup with Rainbird. From the mare Rain Spot, he was sired by Latin Lover, a son of the unbeaten European superstar, Ribot.

Trainer Mick Robins, a former coal miner from Broken Hill, New South Wales had obtained his trainer's licence just three months before he took over Rain Lover's conditioning. He and the horse are best remembered for their back-to-back wins in the 1968 and 1969 VRC Melbourne Cup. In his first Melbourne Cup triumph, under jockey Jim Johnson, Rain Lover won by a record eight-length margin and in a record time of 3:19.1.

Controversy surround his second win as the hot favourite and heavily backed Big Philou trained by Bart Cummings was the victim of a doping scandal and was withdrawn from the race 39 minutes before the start. Rain Lover went on the win the race from Alsop and created history as the first back-to-back winner since Archer in 1861 and 1862.

Amongst his other major wins were the SAJC Adelaide Cup, VATC St George Stakes (twice) and the AJC Chipping Norton Stakes.

Retired to stud in 1970, rain Lover enjoyed moderate success as a sire before his death in 1989.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/rain+lover Rain Lover's pedigree and partial racing stats]