Great Sensation (foaled 1952) was a champion
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
bred
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
stayer. He was sired by Cassock and out of the mare, Speedy. Great Sensation began his racing career in 1956 at Wingatui Racecourse in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
.
Nicknamed ''Cracker,'' he was ridden by
Bob Skelton, who rated him as the best stayer he had even ridden.
Great Sensation won a number of important New Zealand races but is best remembered for his winning three consecutive
Wellington Cup
The Wellington Cup is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand held annually in late January at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham by the Wellington Racing Club.
History
Inaugurated in 1874, the Wellington Cup has been raced over various ...
s from 1961 through 1963. In winning his first Cup in 1961, Great Sensation posted an
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
n record time of 3:17.50 for two miles.
See also
*
Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand
The racing of Thoroughbred horses (or gallopers, as they are also known) is a popular gaming and spectator sport and industry in New Zealand.
History
Thoroughbred horse racing commenced soon after European settlement. The first totalisator machi ...
*
Repeat winners of horse races A list of racehorses which have won the same race on three or more occasions.
Footnotes
See also
* List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
* List of historical horses
* Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand
* Harness racing in New Zealand
Harne ...
References
Great Sensation's pedigree and partial racing stats
1952 racehorse births
Thoroughbred family 7-d
Racehorses bred in New Zealand
Racehorses trained in New Zealand
Wellington Cup winners
{{Racehorse-stub