Gurner's Lane (1978−2000) was a

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 ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic ...

who was the 1983

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, ...

. He is best remembered for winning the Caulfield and

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Me ...

s double in 1982. Gurner's Lane was just the seventh of 11 horses to complete this rare double. Foaled in New Zealand, and trained by Geoff Murphy, Gurner's Lane was sired by Sir Tristram. His dam was Taiona, who also produced the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern race system introduce ...

winners Sovereign Red and Trichelle (both full siblings), and was named New Zealand Broodmare of the Year in 1981 and 1983. Gurner's Lane was the first of three Melbourne Cup winners by Sir Tristram, preceding Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000), and was bred on the same cross as Empire Rose, as both were out of Sovereign Edition mares.

Racing career

Prior to winning the

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

and

, Gurner's Lane had won the VRC and AJC St Legers during the autumn of 1982, and had run third in the AJC Derby. Returning at four years, he won the Newcastle Gold Cup and was fourth in The Metropolitan. Ridden in the

Brent Thomson Brent Thomson (born 1958 in Wanganui) is a New Zealand jockey, who is best known for winning the Cox Plate on four occasions and his association with the champion horse Dulcify. The son of a leading trainer Kevin Thomson, Brent became the ...

, at 53.5 kilograms, Gurner's Lane defeated Gala Mascot and Veloso.

Mick Dittman Leonard Ross "Mick" Dittman (born 2 July 1952 in Rockhampton Queensland) is a retired Australian Racing Hall of Fame jockey. Nicknamed "The Enforcer" due to his strong use of the whip, he was renowned for his vigour and strength in a tight fin ...

rode Gurner's Lane in the

. He was penalised two-and-a-half kilograms for the Caulfield Cup victory, which took his Melbourne Cup weight to 56 kilograms. For a four-year-old gelding this was just one kilogram below

weight-for-age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rou ...

and, relative to the weight-for-age scale, was the same weight as the older Kingston Town which was a winner of 13 Group One races. Turning for home Kingston Town sprinted clear for his jockey, Malcolm Johnston, and appeared likely to win until

brought Gurner's Lane through on the rails to bring "sadness to a million lovers of racing".Just Racing - Mick Dittman's Retirement
/ref> In the early part of 1983, Gurner's Lane broke down but had done enough to be named Australia's champion racehorse. After a lengthy break, he returned to the track but failed to recapture his best form and was retired.

References

{{Reflist 1978 racehorse births Caulfield Cup winners Melbourne Cup winners Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in Australia Thoroughbred family 7-d

Racing career

See also

References