Snowy Lupton had the big stayer ready to go and Jimmy Cassidy knew he could win back-to-back Cups, until....

There have been many memorable Melbourne Cup victories for New Zealand horses, but none as unforgettable as Kiwi over 40 years ago. Chestnut gelding Kiwi's remarkable dash to victory in the 123rd Melbourne Cup in 1983 remains one of the greatest triumphs of the time-honoured race that stops the Australasian racing world for five minutes on the first Tuesday each November. At the 2200m mark and with only 1000m remaining on the Flemington track, New Zealand jockey Jim Cassidy initiated a remarkable surge from the rear of the pack. Turning on the afterburners, he swiftly overtook 22 quality stayers to secure victory by a narrow margin of just over a length.

So quick was Kiwi's run down the home straight that race commentators only picked up on him towards the finish line, with the call "and here comes Kiwi out of the blue!" In addition to this noteworthy achievement, Kiwi participated in the Melbourne Cup race without any prior experience on an Australian racetrack or any racing history there, which is an unprecedented occurrence in the industry, surprising the Australian racing community.

Snow's wife Anne Lupton had bought the Dargaville-bred horse as a yearling for $1000. She named him Kiwi, unaware of how iconic that would become. Initially, Kiwi was used to help round up sheep on their farm in Waverley, South Taranaki, just north-west of Whanganui. Snow identified that the young horse showed promise as a distance runner, and so began the training. Kiwi continued to round up sheep as part of his conditioning routine. Several years later and with sights set on a big race, the Luptons entered him in the Wellington Cup at Trentham Racecourse in January 1983. In that, Kiwi also settled at the rear of the field, waiting until the home straight to make his move, flying to take the win. it was a sign of things to come.

Kiwi was entered again in the 1984 Melbourne Cup, however he was controversially scratched after a veterinary check. The event sparked criticism of the scratching as a potential act of bad sportsmanship, due to the rivalry between New Zealand and Australia. Kiwi's owner and trainer, humble hobby farmer Ewen "Snowy" Lupton, considered the horse was fit to defend his crown. And not just fit to run, but a moral to emulate previous back-to-back winners Archer, Rain Lover and Think Big in the world's richest two-mile race. Snow Lupton, in his unflappable style took it all in his stride.

The 1983 victory was so amazing, that some conspiracy theorists from his homeland are still determined it sparked payback, or insurance against further Aussie embarrassment, in Victoria Racing Club chief vet John Bourke's decision to put a line through Kiwi on the eve of the following year's race. They deemed his scratchy action displayed lameness despite Lupton and Cassidy protesting his soundness. It was the cricket underarm incident of 1981 revisited for many New Zealander's, who couldn't believe Kiwi had been ruled out. It fired up debate again about the origin of pavlova, Phar Lap, Split Enz and who really deserved Russell Crowe.

Kiwi had only run three times in 1984, all over 2000m. A tidy 4th fresh up at Fielding with Noel Harris aboard was followed by a 3rd at Hastings behind Deb’s Mate with Jimmy Cassidy riding. On October 5th, David Walsh steered the big chestnut to a 2nd placing in the Perry Dines Stakes at New Plymouth on a good surface, which showed the gelding was well and truly on his way up and searching for more ground. The horse was flown to Australia primed to the minute, with Snow following the same program and preparation as the previous year.

An official diagnosis of a pastern injury was made, despite Lupton's and Cassidy's objections. The injury was located in the bone above the hoof in one of Kiwi's forelegs. Remarkably, the soreness appeared to heal just in time for Kiwi and Cassidy to travel to Japan and participate in the 2400m Japan Cup, where they finished in fifth place, only three weeks later.

Cassidy summed it up in his own style. "He would've pissed in. He would've won by further."

Kiwi returned to Australia in the year of 1985 and achieved the position of second in the Sandown Cup (2400m) behind Sir Zephyr. Subsequently, Kiwi demonstrated remarkable resilience by securing a commendable fourth place as a nine-year-old participant in the 1986 Melbourne Cup, which was ultimately won by At Talaq on a challenging and hardened Flemington track. Upon retiring, Kiwi had accumulated an impressive record of 13 victories throughout his illustrious career. His Wellington and Melbourne Cup wins were the obvious highlights, but he also won the Taranaki Cup twice.