NZ bred Martini-Henry was a star 3yo winning a St Leger, VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup

Martini-Henry was a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse bred in the 1800's. Martini Henry, a three-year-old colt of exceptional equine qualities, achieved the distinction of being New Zealand's inaugural victor in the prestigious Melbourne Cup. He was the first New Zealand bred horse to win the race. He was called one of the finest thoroughbreds ever seen in Australia at the time. Martini-Henry sire was Musket and from Sylvia, who was by Fisherman and from Juliet, who was by Touchstone. He was Sylvia's last foal and the first to establish Musket as the sire of great performers.

Martini-Henry was purchased by the politician James White for something over 1000 guineas, at the time the highest price paid for a yearling. Martini-Henry was delicate, and none too robust at two and James White left him in the Kirkham paddocks throughout most of his two-year-old season, only putting him into work in late in the season. The Newmarket stable realised that it sheltered something special when Martini-Henry galloped on a chilly Thursday morning in mid-July with his stablemate Aberfoyle. For the Cup Martini-Henry was backed in a series of large wagers to win more than £25,000. The Australian reported on the hype of the unraced 3yo…

“Seldom, if ever, has a novice created so favourable an impression as Martini-Henry has at Randwick, and if he is elected to carry the blue and white banner he will have a very numerous body of followers.” 

Martini-Henry failed to make an appearance at the AJC Spring Meeting before being transported to Melbourne in the company of Michael Fennelly. Martini-Henry's first ever race start was in the 1883 Victoria Derby. In a field of 9 runners he won by 2 lengths in the fastest Victoria Derby ever run up to that time. Just days later he competed in just his second race, the Melbourne Cup. In a field of twenty-nine and before a crowd estimated at 100,000 people, he started the race as the 3/1 favourite. Always well placed during the race, he came with a well-timed run and was an easy winner, again establishing a race record to become the fifth horse to win the coveted Derby/Cup double. He was never whipped from stary to finish by the jockey, Wlliamson. Martini-Henry completed a brilliant hat-trick of wins on the fourth day of the meeting when he won the Mares’ Produce Stakes of 10 furlongs (2011m) in a canter, obviously at the peak of his powers.

The big, talented stallion Le Grand got the better of Martini-Henry in the Championship Stakes, defeated him in a match race at Randwick and ran 2nd to Malua in the Newmarket. Both colts started in the Sydney Cup, run that year on very heavy ground. Whereas Martini-Henry carried 8st. 10lb, Le Grand had 5lb less and went off the 5/2 favourite while Martini-Henry drifted out to 14/1 in a field of twenty-one. It was to be an eventful race, as the horses had covered less than half-a-mile, when the Melbourne Cup winner tripped and fell, bringing down his stablemate Morpeth who broke his near foreleg in two places and later had to be shot. Le Grand ran a bold race, but after losing ground by Martini-Henry’s fall he finished 6th to Favo.

Martini-Henry was successful in the 1884 VRC St Leger, however his final ever start came in the 1884 Caulfield Cup where he failed to finish the race due to a leg injury, his suspect leg giving way a sorry sight for the crowd. The horse was saved though and retired to stud duties. His 1886 foals included the brilliant juvenile Rudolph as well as the A.J.C. Derby winner Singapore and the useful Sinecure.  After that, while he had a number of capable horses, he proved largely disappointing. However, Martini-Henry’s daughters included the remarkable Pie Crust and Jacinth, (dam of Poseidon) as well as the talented Conundrum and Tea Rose. The aged Martini-Henry was purchased by Ted Blume and taken to Bexley on the Thompson River near Longreach, where he died in May 1903.


Victoria Derby (1883)
Melbourne Cup (1883)
VRC St Leger (1884)