The hardy Kiwi was primed and ready for a Trans Tasman assault in Sydney & Melbourne

Sasanof Lodge is a homestead in Hastings named in honour of the Hawkes Bay trained and owned mare that achieved greatness when winning the 1916 WWI era Melbourne Cup. The late Wilfred Gatonbury Stead, of Christchurch, owned Sasanof, who as a three year-old brown gelding became only the 2nd New Zealand horse to win the Cup before 1916, following on from Martini Henry, who won the prestigious race in 1883. Foaled in New Zealand in 1913 by breeder T. M. Wilford, Sasanof was sold for 400 guineas as a yearling. He was a small brown gelding, taken to Australia in 1916 after winning several major races in New Zealand.

He was by the sire Martin (Martagon) out of the dam Ukraine (by Stepniak). George’s Steads two sons, Wilfred and Gerald, each decided to continue their father’s sporting legacy, albeit on a more limited scale. The brothers had raced a number of decent horses in partnership in the past including Ring Dove, Bon Reve, Nautiform and Culprit, but now began to go more their separate ways. The year 1916 saw each of the brothers in possession of a top-class three-year-old - Wilfred with Sasanof and Gerald with The Toff; the former was by George Stead’s great champion, Martian, while The Toff was by Martian’s half-brother, Boniform. The Toff had proven himself one of the best juveniles in the Dominion as a two-year-old by winning the Great Northern Foal Stakes, while Sasanof had run the champion mare Desert Gold to a length in the Challenge Stakes at Trentham.

While George raced in New Zealand, Wilfred embarked on an ambitious programme in Australia aimed at the big Cups and weight-for-age events, with Sasanof and Eligible, together with four other horses.  In the middle of August, Stead’s Hastings trainer of three years standing, Tom Quinlivan, arrived with the team and took up stabling in William Duggan’s establishment at Randwick. Eligible was injured early and duly shipped home. The Sydney racing public got its first opportunity to assess the respective merits of Kilboy led by Riccarton trainer, Murray Hobbs, and Sasanof when each were prepared for the Chelmsford Stakes. They say money sings on a racecourse, and it was positively humming a tune after being backed in from 12/1 to half that quote. Sasanof, a modest and efficient gelding, belied his unassuming appearance in the paddock with a distinguished performance on the racetrack, narrowly defeating Woorak and securing the prestigious prize. Sasanof, handicapped at 6 st.12lb in the Melbourne Cup, was already emerging as a strong prospect for the race.

1916 was a bad year for the Allied forces in World War I, for it was the year of Verdun and the Somme. It was the year when the armies of Britain, France and Germany were bled to death. It was also the year in which Australian divisions finally joined the British Army in France and Belgium – the main theatres of battle in World War I. It was a year of dreadful sacrifice for little or no gain. The excitement, enthusiasm and sense of adventure so misplaced at the time of Gallipoli were gone. Almost everyone knew some young man killed in the War. The losses intruded into many racing families, but also proved a much needed distraction to the atrocities. War efforts aside, after Sasanof’s unplaced effort in the Craven Plate, Murray Hobbs departed with Kilboy and Sasanof and the rest of his team for Melbourne in search of more rich pickings. 

There were expectations that crowds would be down because the Cup had been postponed, but in some ways the extra few days served to heighten expectations. In the days leading up to the race, Sasanof had injured its hock, and was looking like it wouldn’t run. Sasanof improved in time for the race, but his odds had slipped to 12/1. There were hundreds of servicemen among the crowds at the race, many of them back from serving overseas, along with “gaily dressed” women. But a witness at the time noted that the enthusiasm of the crowd was somewhat muted. Jockey F. Foley rode the Hobbs trained Sasanof to victory in the Melbourne Cup by more then two lengths, missing the race record time of 3:27.7 by only half a second. For the record, the race was delayed to the following Saturday due to torrential rain that dumped silt and debris over Flemington course racetrack. On the day of the race, Stead apparently sold a third of the horse to his pal, E.S Luttrell so he could share the winning experience with him, but reportedly offered to buy back the share of the gelding if he didn't win. The prize winners stake was £9200 and Sansanof started the race at odds of 12/1, and the talk was the owners had plenty on with the Australian bookies.

The trophy awarded in 1916, the first gold trophy, was a three-legged, three-armed rose bowl. The three-handled Peace cup design was first awarded in 1919. Sasanof was to earn more money than any other horse in Australia that season and return home a champion. Sasanof proved somewhat more durable than his classic-winning stablemate Killboy and gave his connections a second classic during that racing season when he took out the Great Northern Derby at Auckland.  He was a top-class horse; later in his career he won a New Zealand Cup with 8 st. 9lb for Wilfred Stead and was one of the few horses to beat Gloaming at weight-for-age, a victory coming appropriately enough for his owner, the named stalwarts in the G.G. Stead Memorial Stakes at the 1918 Canterbury Jockey Club meeting.

RACE RECORD  - 67: 20-15-8
EARNINGS - $39,580

1916 AJC Spring Stakes
1916 Melbourne Cup
1916 Chelmsford Stakes
1918 New Zealand Cup
1919 / 1921 Awapuni Gold Cup
1921 Ormond Gold Cup