What A Nuisance (1978–2005) was a New Zealand-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. He was best known for winning the Melbourne Cup at

Flemington Racecourse Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is the world's richest handicap and the world's richest 3200-metre horse race. The racecou ...

in November 1985.

Background

What A Nuisance was a bay horse with a white

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on his right hind foot bred in New Zealand by. He was sired by St Puckle, a British-bred son of the 1960

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

winner St. Paddy. His dam, Fashion Bell was a descendant of The Witch, a British mare who was exported to Australia in the late 19th century, becoming the grand-dam of the 1902 Melbourne Cup winner The Victory.

Racing career

In early 1984 What A Nuisance, trained by Ken Rogerson won four consecutive races and was made favourite for the

Sydney Cup The Sydney Cup is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred handicap horse race, for horses three years old and older, run over 3200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in the autumn during the ATC Championships series and it is ...

in April despite being treated for a leg injury on the eve of the race. The gelding finished sixth in the race, aggravating the injury. What A Nuisance had recently been one of a group of fifteen horses bought from Rogerson's stable by the businessman Lloyd Williams who along with Dennis Gowing co-owned the gelding for the remainder of his racing career. Williams had previously owned the 1981 Melbourne Cup winner Just A Dash. Attempts to bring What A Nuisance back in the spring failed, as he developed problems with his suspensory ligaments and was kept off the racecourse for a further nine months. He was then sent to be trained by John Meagher. In the winter of 1985, What a Nuisance returned to racing at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

where he ran five times, winning once. He then finished second to Black Knight at

Moonee Valley Racecourse Moonee Valley Racecourse, currently marketed as The Valley, is a horse-racing track in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria Australia. History Moonee Valley Racecourse was established in 1883 by William Samuel (W.S.) Cox, who purchased a farm ...

in September and then finished sixth in the Group 1

Caulfield Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group One, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield R ...

. He completed his Cup preparation by running fourth in the

Moonee Valley Cup The Moonee Valley Gold Cup is a registered Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four-years-old and upwards under Set Weights with penalties conditions, over a distance of 2,500 metres, held annually at Moone ...

and fifth in the Mackinnon Stakes. At

on 5 November What A Nuisance started at odds of 15/1 in a field of twenty-three runners for the Melbourne Cup. The race was sponsored for the first time by the

Foster's Group Foster's Group Pty. Ltd. was an Australian beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks, known for Foster's Lager, now called Carlton & United Breweries since the company was renamed in 2011. Foster's was founded in 1888 in Melbourne, Vi ...

and carried record prize-money of over A$1,000,000, making it the most valuable race ever run in Australia. The race attracted a crowd of 79,126 which included the

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and

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. Ridden by the veteran Pat Hyland, What A Nuisance was drawn badly but appeared well-suited by the wet conditions. Hyland allowed the gelding to relax in the early stages before producing a strong late run to win by a nose from the mare Koiro Corrie May.

Retirement

What A Nuisance was retired to Hyland's property at Clyde, near

Cranbourne, Victoria Cranbourne () is a city in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 43 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey local government area. Cranbourne recorded a population of 21,281 at the 2021 census. ...

. He died suddenly on 19 April 2005 at the age of 26. An emotional Hyland described him as "a truly honest and game racehorse".

Pedigree

*What A Nuisance was inbred 3 × 4 to Aureole, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.

Namesake

Australian rail operator CFCL Australia named locomotive FL220 after the horse.Motive Power Roundup '' Motive Power'' issue 87 May 2013 page 28

References

{{reflist 1978 racehorse births 2005 racehorse deaths Melbourne Cup winners Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in Australia Thoroughbred family 1-o