The enigmatic Sol Green bought a young horse from Britain who would win the 1910 Melbourne Cup

Comedy King, foaled in 1907 was a British bred thoroughbred racehorse that raced his entire career in Australia and sired great stayers. He is most notable for winning the 1910 Melbourne Cup and becoming the first Northern-Hemisphere bred horse to do so. Comedy King was owned by leviathan bookmaker Sol Green, one of Australia's biggest bookies, and one of the country's richest men. Green opened the Melbourne Tattersall's Club and was a flamboyant character, with a penchant for Havana Cigars and gold Rolls-Royces. On a trip to England in 1906, Green bought certain racehorses, including broodmare Tragedy Queen for 1700 Guineas, which was in foal to the 1896 English Derby winner and and King Edward VII's greatest racehorse, Persimmon (St Simon). After the foal was weaned it was exported to Australia after a a long journey on the White Star Line where he was to race for Green under the name Comedy King. The colt was trained by James Lynch, originally from Warrnambool, who spent 30 years training at his base in Flemington before his untimely death in 1918 after falling ill at Randwick Racecourse.

Comedy King, a rich brown colt with fire in his eye and  skin like satin, showed every vein as he prepared for one start as a three-year-old, winning the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield over Maltine in February 1910. His four-year-old season was quite remarkable, beating the powerful Prince Foote in the Spring Stakes at Randwick in October before tackling the Melbourne Cup. The unfortunate Trafalgar would be runner up to Comedy King on numerous occasions and only get the better of him late in his career. 'The King' would defeat him again in the St George Stakes in February 1911 and once again in the Essendon Stakes at Flemington in March. The All-Aged Stakes followed and Trafalgar played second fiddle in the Autumn Stakes in April. Comedy King could only manage 3rd in the Cumberland Stakes at the end of a long and arduous campaign, although an incredibly successful one. As a five-year-old Comedy King would start out his campaign with a 2nd to Failth in the Memsie Stakes and 2nd to Malt King in the Caulfield Stakes. His only win of that year would come in the Eclipse Stakes in October, followed by a string of 2nd placings, with Trafalgar victorious on three occasions, finally gaining some comeuppance. His last race would be a 2nd to Popinjay in the All-Aged Stakes.

Comedy King won the 1910 edition of the Melbourne Cup,  known as the Jubilee Cup, celebrating the reign of King George V. The crowd exceeded 100,000 and, for the first time, the VRC introduced a “motor paddock” which held around 400 cars. Two firemen were on duty to prevent anyone from smoking in the area among the combination of fuel and upholstery. Comedy King won eight races in his career, with his most famous victory being the 1910 Melbourne Cup. Starting at the odds of 10/1 he won by a margin of a 1/2 neck carrying 7st 11 lb (49.5 kg) and collected first prize money of £6,178. He defeated the perennial Trafalgar and Apple Pie and Sol Green donated £500 to charity as he continued to invest in his Shipley stud, near Warrnambool.

Comedy King retired from racing in 1912 and commenced stud duties at owner Sol Green's Shipley Stud in Victoria. When the stud was dispersed in 1918, Comedy King was secured by pastoralist Norman Falkiner for 7300 guineas. Comedy King had great success as a sire, producing the 1919 Melbourne Cup winner Artilleryman and the 1922 Cup winner, King Ingoda. He was also crowned Australian winning sire in 1920 and 1923 as there was always keen demand for his progeny. Comedy King died in December 1929 and was buried at Falkiner's Noorilim Stud. A few months after his death, Comedy King's remains were exhumed and his bones sent to be displayed at the newly formed Australian Institute of Anatomy.

RACE RECORD - 28: 8-7-4
EARNINGS - £12,000 +

Futurity Stakes (1910)
Spring Stakes (1910)
Melbourne Cup (1910)
St George Stakes (1911)
Eclipse Stakes (1911)