The protest, the doping of a horse, a match race; the Big Philou scandal stunned all in 1969

This is the tale of Melbourne Cup hopeful, Big Philou and how money, fear and greed combined to deprive him of the opportunity to establish his place in the annals of history. Big Philou is primarily remembered for the contentious circumstances surrounding his withdrawal from the 1969 VRC Melbourne Cup. As the prominent favourite, he became embroiled in a doping scandal, resulting in his withdrawal from the race just 39 minutes prior to its commencement. In the Spring of 1969, substantial financial bets were placed on Big Philou's potential victory in both the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup. Commonly referred to as the Cups Double, it is a rare accomplishment. Ethereal saluted in both events. Four years prior to that, Might and Power produced a Cups Double and Without A Fight in 2023. Big Philou (foaled in 1965) was a New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He was by the good sire Le Filou (imported from France) from Pink Lady by Contact.

The stallion, trained by Bart Cummings, successfully fulfilled the first part of the wager by winning the Caulfield Cup; but only after being declared the winner on protest after crossing the line second. Big Philou, trained by Bart Cummings and frequently ridden by Roy Higgins, achieved the first part of the double in a contentious victory. The win was initially awarded to Nasouri, ridden by Des Lake, but Higgins successfully contested that Nasouri crossed Big Philou's path at the 200m mark, checked him without maintaining a two-length separation. The stewards deliberated and agreed with Higgins. It's believed that Higgins won the race through his superior speaking in the stewards’ room and that Nausori was unlucky to lose. Big Philou was hereby promoted to 1st place, Nasouri demoted into second. Bookies were now faced with a huge liability if he went on to win at Flemington. This is where the seedy underbelly of horse racing reared its ugly head.

The conditions were set for what would have been only the seventh Cups Double. Both Cummings and Higgins were confident in Big Philou's victory, and the horse received significant backing despite the presence of the previous year's Melbourne Cup winner, Rain Lover. However, the stallion appeared in ill health only a short time our from the race and the connections were seriously concerned as to why a perfectly fit horse was now struggling to function. Big Philou, being walked just before the 4 November race, had dropped his head and looked "very distressed" claimed Cummings. Veterinary surgeon of the Victoria Racing Club, Dr J. Bourke, declared Big Philou unfit to race. Just minutes before the start of Australia’s premier horse race, came a dramatic announcement over Flemington’s loud-speakers: hot favourite Big Philou is scratched. The big crowd was suitably stunned as Roy Higgins claimed he was "waiting to wake up from a bad dream, it's as if just hasn't happened."

Jockey Roy Higgins believed that the horse was a certainty to win the race, with many believing he was in the right condition to dominate the 3200m event. The thunderstruck pair of Higgins and Cummings were forced to sit it out. Afterward, Higgins, perhaps reflecting on some of the possible consequences, and venting his disgust, said, "Now the horse could have collapsed. If it was another 20 minutes down the line, that horse could have collapsed and brought half the field down. Killed me, killed others, killed horses, you know." On the night before the Cup, a strapper called Les Lewis who had recently been sacked by Cummings for ill-treating horses, used his knowledge of the stables to get access to Big Philou and fed the horse a huge dose of the laxative Danthron - likely a two man job. Police and racing stewards soon picked up Lewis' trail and he was extradited from New Zealand back to Sydney but refused to admit his guilt or name who put him up to it. Lewis was charged with conspiracing to cheat and defraud. The civil courts acquitted Lewis on the Big Philou charge but he was found guilty of attempting to incite another to nobble King Pedro.

Punters desirous of a huge payday will often put some of their bank on the Cups Double, and this one occasion when the potential liability to bookies proved too strong to accept, resulted in one of the biggest scandals of all time. Rain Lover went on to win the Cup and created history as the first back-to-back winner since Archer in 1861 and 1862. Big Philou eventually made a full recovery, went on to win the 1970 VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the Underwood Stakes. Big Philou beat Rain Lover in what turned out to be a $8,400 match race with trophy, perhaps demonstrating what might have been. When it became obvious the both Rain Lover and Big Philou were entered in the 2500m QEII stakes, all other trainers pulled their horses. This created a problem for the club. They were about to cancel the race, but were talked into letting it become the "match race of the century." The two set down to battle it out on the turn with Rain Lover bowling along in the lead. Big Philou drew up swiftly on his outside and powered up to drive past the Mick Robins trained champion, but but Rain Lover came back near the line with Big Philou holding on by a nose. Many considered it the race of the year and some revenge for Big Philou. He was retired shortly thereafter and never raced again.

Although he missed out on winning a Melbourne Cup the horse did record wins in the 1969 VATC Caulfield Cup, 1970 VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Autumn) and the 1970 VATC Underwood Stakes. It was confirmed many years after the incident that a former strapper in the Cummings operation was definitely responsible for ruining Big Philou's Melbourne Cup chances. Les Lewis, dying of cancer, had poisoned Big Philou, along with another runner, Tail. The sum of money involved was around $10,000 and Lewis hoped to clear his conscience before dying, but apparently his guilt was not sufficient to cause him to implicate the mastermind behind the scheme. The name Bill Waterhouse was commonly mentioned in relation to the doping of Big Philou. It was clear Lewis phoned Sydney and it is clear he made the calls to Starlight Investments of which William Waterhouse and John Waterhouse are directors. It was an incident that created intense ill-will between Sydney's two most powerful racing dynasties - the Waterhouse and Cummings clans that lingered for decades. 

Caulfield Cup (1969)

VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1970)

Underwood Stakes (1970)