New England grazier Tim Moses is the fourth generation of his family to keep the 1920 Melbourne Cup in his possession after Poitrel, a horse owned by his great grandfather Fred Moses, won the event in 1920.
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And, he said the Melbourne Cup legacy continues to fascinate 100 years later.
When the 2020 Melbourne Cup tour kicked off at a fundraising dinner in Moree recently, Mr Moses was asked to come along and show the century-old trophy to those gathered.
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"They asked me to take it along and it was amazing how few people people had seen a Melbourne Cup, and equally amazing how many people lined up to to have their photo taken with it," Mr Moses said.
Mr Moses said he keeps the family heirloom in a very safe place but does take it out to get winner inspiration each year.
"I gaze into it to see if it can tip me the winner - it hasn't been that successful but if I give up now it will never tip me a winner, " laughed Mr Moses.
"This year it is saying Anthony Van Dyck - the reason being he ran the English Derby and we were in England last year and we walked the English Derby course - that's our connection."
Poitrel will run in the 2020 Melbourne Cup The Race of Dreams - a virtual race pitting the top 24 past champions of the Melbourne Cup against each other in a computer-simulated event set to be shown live across Australia on Network 10 and streamed on Melbourne Cup Day.
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The novelty race was developed by the station to add excitement to the broadcasting of the 160-year-old annual horse race during the COVID-19 pandemic which prevents racing fans from experiencing the event trackside at Flemington.
The field was selected by a panel of racing experts including VRC Ambassador Gai Waterhouse and legendary race caller Greg Miles and seeks to answer the question - who is the ultimate Melbourne Cup champion?
Poitrel will compete alongside iconic gallopers such as Carbine, Phar Lap, Might and Power, and Makybe Diva, with data algorithms including historical handicapping information about each horse used to determine the finishing position of the runners.
It was the toss of a coin won by Mr Moses' great grandfather Fred Moses more than 110 years ago that saw the famous three-handled trophy become a Moses family heirloom.
Poitrel carried 10 stone to the finishing post to win the 1920 Cup and it's quite a story how two brothers won Australia's greatest race.
Fred Moses had started breeding and racing horses in partnership with Will Moses, his brother, when they had a property near Moree.
They later moved to the Hunter Valley and set up Arrowfield Stud about 1910 and it was here that one of their stallions sired Poitrel. Poitrel failed to reach his reserve of 300 guineas as a yearling at a sale in 1916 and the Moses brothers ended up keeping the horse, which was another piece of luck because it wasn't until he was three years old that Poitrel showed his true potential.
Four years after the 1916 sale the Moses brother were at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November in 1920, where their six-year-old chestnut, with jockey Ken Bracken aboard, was ready for the two mile race.
Bracken was a relation of Hugh Bracken, a policeman, who had been the only officer on duty in Glenrowan when the Kelly Gang rode into the Victorian town in June 1880. The gang held residents hostage ahead of their final shootout with police.
Hugh was a fine horseman and it ran in the family. Ken is reported to have been one of the most accomplished jockeys in Australia and a great rider in weight-forage races.
In 1932, the year that Poitrel died while on stud duty in Brisbane, The Sydney Mail voted the cup winner as the best stayer for the previous 50 years.
According to the paper, from a mile and a half upwards Poitrel raced with the best finishing efforts.
In fact, Poitrel was never beaten at weight for age when the race was run over a mile and a quarter or longer.
The 1920 Melbourne Cup was no different. Poitrel carried 10 stone to beat stablemate Erasmus, who had been in front until the last half furlong before Poitrel shot through to win the cup and £9,252 prizemoney. Trainer Harry Robinson had scored the quinella.
Only two other previous Melbourne Cup winners, Archer in 1862 and Carbine in 1890, had carried 10 stone and won. No horse has managed it since.
The Story of the Melbourne Cup, a book published by the Slattery Media Group, reports that the presentation of the cup appeared to be a dilemma, which wasn't lost on the Governor-General Lord Forster who was there to present the cup. Which brother would accept the trophy?
While both Moses brothers held up a handle each at the presentation there was no debate about which brother would keep the cup.
As luck would have it, it was Fred's turn to keep the cup, which has now been passed down to Fred's son Reg, his grandson Reg junior (known as Tig), and now his great grandson Tim. After the brothers sold their stud, and Poitrel, in 1924, Fred retired to live in Sydney until his death in 1940, aged 76.
His eldest son Reg inherited the cup, which was then kept in a bank vault in Sydney for 40 years due to Reg's fear the cup would be lost.
The Story of the Melbourne Cup listed some of Reg's successes as a breeder and owner. His filly Fairy Walk won the 1971 Golden Slipper Stakes and her foal Cheyne Walk won Queensland Derby then the Australasian Champion Stakes at Randwick in 1976.
Following Reg's death the 1920 Melbourne Cup went to Inverell and into his son Tig's possession.
Tig didn't own a horse stud like his father; instead he bred horses from a small number of mares at a property near Inverell.
His wife Barbara regularly polished the cup and Tig allowed it to be displayed alongside other trophies during the town's Sapphire City Festival one year.
In July 2010, Poitrel was named in a field of 24 Melbourne Cup winners at the launch of The Story of the Melbourne Cup. The aim of the exercise was to choose the best 24 Cup winners.
Tim inherited the Poitrel's 1920 cup when his father Tig died 10 years ago.
