Incentivise (foaled 22 October 2016) is a multiple

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 races, Pattern race sys ...

winning Australian thoroughbred racehorse.

Background

Incentivise was homebred by his owner and original trainer Steve Tregea at his Windermere Stud property in the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

of southern Queensland. Incentivise's

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

, Miss Argyle, has also produced three other Stakes winners, Ardrossan (by

Redoute's Choice Redoute's Choice (15 August 1996 – 26 March 2019) was a multiple Group One-winning Australian Thoroughbred racehorse and also a champion sire. He is by the phenomenal international sire Danehill (USA) out of the lightly raced mare Shantha' ...

) winner of the Concorde Handicap in New Zealand; Cheyenne Warrior (by

Not A Single Doubt Not A Single Doubt (1 October 2001 - 27 June 2022) was an Australian thoroughbred racehorse and successful stallion, having sired over 70 individual stakes winners. Background A first-crop son and the first stakes winner of champion sire Redout ...

) winner of the Gold Sovereign Stakes in Tasmania and Bergerac (by Drumbeats) winner of the Ipswich Cup.

Racing career

2020/21: four-year-old season

Incentivise had his first race start as a 4-year-old on the 19 August 2020 in an Ipswich

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the se ...

over 1,350 metres. He finished 9th of 12 runners. His next start was seven-months later at

Eagle Farm Eagle Farm is an eastern industrial suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Eagle Farm had a population of 0 people. The neighbourhood of Whinstanes is located in Eagle Farm (). Geography Eagle Farm is situated nor ...

where he finished sixth. Three weeks later he finished 8th at Toowoomba beaten 16 lengths. On the 11 April 2021, Incentivise won his first race over 1,600 metres at Sunshine Coast Racecourse. Starting at odds of 17/1 he won by over 3 lengths. Incentivise won again next start at the Sunshine Coast over 1,790 metres. Incentivise would then win his next four starts over a period of six-weeks by huge margins. This included a 7 length win over 2,150 metres at Toowoomba, a 9 length victory over 1,810 metres at Eagle Farm, a 9 length victory at Ipswich over 2,500 metres, culminating with a 12 length victory in the Tattersall's Cup over 2,400 metres.

2021/22: five-year-old season

Incentivise was transferred to the stable of Victorian trainer Peter Moody, with the main target being the upcoming 2021

Spring Racing Carnival The Spring Racing Carnival is the name of an Australian Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually in Melbourne during October and November. The Carnival and its status in the wider community Although racing in Australia is held every day exc ...

. On the 11 September 2021, Incentivise contested his first

race in the

Makybe Diva Stakes The Makybe Diva Stakes, previously called the Craiglee Stakes, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for age conditions for three year olds and older, over a distance of 1,600 metres held at Flemington Racecourse in M ...

at Flemington. Starting at $3.90, he was taken to the front by jockey

Brett Prebble Brett Prebble (born 23 September 1977 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is a leading Australian jockey, currently based in Melbourne, Victoria. Having ridden over 1200 career winners, Prebble's most famous win came aboard Green Moon in the 2012 ...

and was never headed, winning by a half length from the fast-finishing Mo'unga. On 2 October, Incentivise ran in the Group One

Turnbull Stakes The Turnbull Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, for horses four years old and older, run under set weights with penalties conditions over a distance of 2,000 metres. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse, Melb ...

at Flemington. He started at $2.70, behind the favourite

Verry Elleegant Verry Elleegant (foaled 12 October 2015) is a New Zealand-bred Australian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that has won 11 Group One races. She was crowned the 2020/2021 Australian Racehorse of the Year, and was the winner of the 2021 Melbourne ...

at $2.10. He jumped well, settling in second on the rail with 1800m to run. He stayed in this position until the 400m, where he took the lead on the rail. He fought off a hard-charging Young Werther to claim his second Group One victory with a margin of half a length. On the 16 October, Incentivise started the $2.25 favourite in 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 ...

. Jumping from the widest barrier he settled just behind the leaders. At the 800m mark, jockey Prebble pulled out and swept around the leaders. He hit the front with 250m to go and won by a comfortable 3 lengths. Commentator

Bruce McAvaney Bruce William McAvaney OAM (born 22 June 1953) is an Australian sports broadcaster with the Seven Network. McAvaney has presented high-profile events including the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup, Australian Open, Test cricket and both Winter ...

said of the performance, "What we have seen today, we've seen a horse that we thought was going to be a champion. And he is a champion. This is one of the great Caulfield Cup winners of all-time." On the 2 November, Incentivise started as the $2.90 favourite in the

2021 Melbourne Cup The 2021 Melbourne Cup (known commercially as the 2021 Lexus Melbourne Cup) was the 161st running of the Melbourne Cup, a prestigious Australian Thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over , was held on 2 November 2021 at Melbourne's Flemingto ...

. After sitting just behind the leader throughout the race, he hit the front at the top of the Flemington straight, only to be overtaken by

who went on to win the race by 4 lengths, with Incentivise finishing in second position. There were fears after the race that the horse may have suffered an injury after pulling up lame and experiencing swelling in his

fetlock Fetlock is the common name in horses, large animals, and sometimes dogs for the metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints (MCPJ and MTPJ). Although it somewhat resembles the human ankle in appearance, the joint is homologous to the ba ...

. Scans however revealed no serious injury. Trainer Peter Moody reported, "He’s still a bit battle-weary. He did himself extremely proud and we are extremely proud of him. He got beat by an absolute champion".

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia 2016 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 2-e Caulfield Cup winners