Poitrel was an Australian 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 ...

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 pr ...

that won the 1920 Melbourne Cup carrying 10 stone (63.5 kg) to victory.

Background

Poitrel was bred by the Moses brothers at

Arrowfield Stud Arrowfield Stud is a thoroughbred stud farm comprising 2,500 acres in the fertile Segenhoe Valley, near Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley. Established in 1985, Arrowfield Stud is the largest Australian owned thoroughbred stud and currently stands ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1914. At the 1916 Sydney yearling sales he failed to reach his 300 Guineas reserve price and was therefore retained by the brothers.

Racing career

Poitrel was often described as plain and wiry. He also suffered from hoof problems, so he was sparingly raced. Nevertheless he blossomed to become a champion stayer. He was trained astutely throughout his career by H.J. Robinson. In Poitrel’s four- and five-year-old seasons, he proved almost unbeatable, winning 16 races in Sydney including two dead-heats. His usual jockey was Ken Bracken. Among the other horses he vanquished were acknowledged champions in their own right,

Desert Gold Desert Gold may refer to: * ''Geraea canescens'', a wildflower also known as Desert Sunflower * Desert Gold (horse), a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse **Desert Gold (1919 film), ''Desert Gold'' (1919 film), an Australian film about the racehorse ...

Gloaming Gloaming may refer to: * Twilight, the period after sunset and before the darkness of night * The Gloaming, an Irish traditional music group ** ''The Gloaming'' (album), their first album * Gloaming (horse) (1915–1932), a Thoroughbred racehorse ...

and

Eurythmic Eurythmic (1916–1925) was a versatile Australian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who had the ability to produce a brilliant finishing run in staying races and he also won important sprint races, too. At four he won 12 of his 13 starts including the ...

. For this reason, as a six-year-old, he was allocated the handicap of 10 stone (63.5 kg) for the 1920 Melbourne Cup. Poitrel 1920 AJC Randwick Plate Trainer Harry Robinson

Poitrel 1920 AJC Randwick Plate Trainer Harry Robinson

Melbourne Cup

Poitrel started the race wide, trailed the field for most of the race, and then came home in the final stages to win by half a length. Some reporters called it the performance of a century: ‘He is entitled to be included among the limited band of great horses that have raced in Australia’. His victory under this heavy burden was Poitrel’s only win in Melbourne, but racegoers at Flemington responded to the achievement.

Stud career

Poitrel was retired to

, where he stood until the stud was sold, in 1924. He then went to L.K.S. Mackinnon’s Maribyrnong Stud, Melbourne. The best of his progeny was Begamba who won St Leger Stakes’ in three states. Poitrel died on the 2 May 1932 while performing stud duties at Tarong Station north of

Toowoomba, Queensland Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...

. He was aged 17. In 2018 Poitrel was inducted to the

Australian Racing Hall of Fame The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000. The numbers in brackets afte ...

1920 racebook

File:1920 AJC All-Aged Stakes Racebook P1.jpg, Front cover of the 1920 All- Aged Stakes racebook. File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P2.jpg, Starters of the 1920 Cumberland Stakes showing the winner, Poitrel. File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P4.jpg, Information for Totalisator Investors. File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P5.jpg, Control of Queues Notice. File:1920 AJC Cumberland Stakes Racebook P3.jpg, Back cover showing charges at the entrance gates.

References

{{reflist Melbourne Cup winners 1914 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia 1932 racehorse deaths Australian Racing Hall of Fame horses Australian Racing Hall of Fame