| Melbourne Cup | |
| Location | Flemington Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 November 1872 |
| Distance | 2 miles |
| Winning horse | The Quack |
| Winning time | 3:39.00 |
| Final odds | 5/1 |
| Jockey | William Enderson |
| Trainer | John Tait |
| Owner | John Tait |
| Surface | Turf |
| Attendance | 40,000 |
The 1872 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race that took place on Thursday, 7 November 1872.[1]
This year was the twelfth running of the Melbourne Cup. It was the fourth Melbourne Cup win for owner and trainer John Tait.[2]
The Quack was a half-brother to 1870 Melbourne Cup winner, Nimblefoot.[3]
There would be 22 runners in the race following the withdrawals of the heavily-backed Pyrrhus, as well as Kingfisher, Hamlet and Lady Athole.[4] Dagworth had been supported by many following its win in The Metropolitan in the autumn at Randwick, but the horse had not impressed local judges since arriving in Melbourne.[4] Following its win in the Melbourne Stakes the previous weekend, Contessa started as favourite for the Melbourne Cup looking to be the first mare to win the race.[4]
In warm and dusty conditions whipped up by a hot northerly wind,[5][6] Valentine, Irish King, and Benjiroo held the early lead, while King of the Ring was well behind the field at the first post.[5] Benjiroo would lead the race down the back straight, but faded before the final turn for the winning post.[3] In its place The Quack took up the running and lead comfortably down the Flemington straight to win by two lengths.[5] The Ace finished second closely followed by Dagworth who had come hard at the finish.[5]
Tasmanian-bred, The Quack had finished second in The Metropolitan behind Dagworth in the autumn, repeating the performance of the previous year's winner The Pearl. To the dismay of the local contingent, the first five runners were all bred outside of Victoria.[5]
Full results
This is the list of placegetters for the 1872 Melbourne Cup.[7][8][1][9][6][5]
| Place | Horse | Age Gender |
Jockey | Weight | Trainer | Owner | Odds | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Quack | 6y h | William Enderson | 7 st 10 lb (49.0 kg) | John Tait | John Tait | 5/1 | 2 lengths |
| 2 | The Ace | 4y h | Tom Hales | 8 st 4 lb (52.6 kg) | Harry Tothill | Thomas Joseph Ryan | 5/1 | Neck |
| 3 | Dagworth | 4y h | George Donnelly | 7 st 12 lb (49.9 kg) | Etienne de Mestre | Mr. R. Bloomfield | 13/2 | |
| 4 | Barbelle | Aged m | Joe Kean | 8 st 7 lb (54.0 kg) | Edward Lee | 20/1 | ||
| 5 | Misty Morn | 6y h | C. Hough | 7 st 9 lb (48.5 kg) | Robert Standish Sevior | Austin Saqui | 33/1 | |
| 6 | Benjiroo | 4y h | Chalker | 6 st 4 lb (39.9 kg) | Mr C.S. King | 50/1 | ||
| 7 | King of the Ring | 3y c | William Wilson | 6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg) | James Wilson | Joe Thompson | 13/2 | |
| 8 | Early Morn | 5y h | James Wilson Jr | 7 st 4 lb (46.3 kg)[a] | James Wilson | John Coldham | 10/1 | |
| 9 | Patriarch | 3y c | Sam Cracknell | 6 st 2 lb (39.0 kg)[b] | Edward Lee | 12/1 | ||
| 10 | Dolphin | 4y m | H. Grubb | 6 st 4 lb (39.9 kg) | William Filgate | 10/1 | ||
| 11 | The Count | 5y h | H. Lewis | 8 st 1 lb (51.3 kg) | John Tait | John Tait | 20/1 | |
| N/a | The Baron | Aged g | McClelland | 8 st 2 lb (51.7 kg)[c] | Andrew Chirnside | 100/1 | ||
| N/a | Valentine | Aged g | Sullivan | 8 st 1 lb (51.3 kg) | Patrick Keighran | 16/1 | ||
| N/a | Irish King | 4y h | Swales | 8 st 0 lb (50.8 kg) | Mr Cassidy | James J. Miller | 16/1 | |
| N/a | Emblem | 5y h | Corrigan | 7 st 11 lb (49.4 kg)[d] | Mr E. Moran | 16/1 | ||
| N/a |  Gironde (FRA)
|
4y m | Rowe | 7 st 8 lb (48.1 kg)[e] | Andrew Chirnside | 100/1 | ||
| N/a | Boatman | Aged h | W. Rees | 7 st 4 lb (46.3 kg) | Robert Standish Sevior | Mr R. Whitehead | 20/1 | |
| N/a | Contessa | 4y m | J. Sherringham | 7 st 3 lb (45.8 kg) | William Filgate | William Filgate | 4/1 fav. | |
| N/a | Planter | 5y h | Samuel Davis | 6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg)[f] | Mr J. Evans | 50/1 | ||
| N/a | Shannon | 4y m | Nolan | 6 st 4 lb (39.9 kg) | Andrew Chirnside | 50/1 | ||
| N/a | Athelstane | 5y h | Robinson | 5 st 9 lb (35.8 kg)[g] | Mr J. McFarland | 100/1 | ||
| N/a | Novice (late Alfred) | Aged g | Swannell | 5 st 11.5 lb (37.0 kg)[h] | Mr A. Anderson | 100/1 |
Prizemoney
First prize £1090, second prize £50, third prize £20.[1]
See also
Notes
- ^ Was supposed to carry 7st 1lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 6st 0lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 8st 1lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 7st 9lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 7st 7lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 6st 10lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 5st 7lb
- ^ Was supposed to carry 5st 7lb
References
- ^ a b c "1872 Melbourne Cup MillersGuide". millersguide.identika.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ Rutledge, Martha (1976). "Tait, John (1813–1888)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ a b "The Melbourne Cup - 1872". The Pastoral Times. South Deniliquin, New South Wales. 9 November 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "THE VRC Spring Meeting - The Cup Day". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 7 November 1872. p. 7. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "THE VRC Spring Meeting - The Cup Day". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 8 November 1872. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Second (Cup) Day - Thursday, Nov. 7". The Australasian. Melbourne, Victoria. 9 November 1872. p. 11. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ^ "1871 to 1880 Melbourne Cup Winners". races com au. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Cavanough, Maurice (1978). The Melbourne Cup (8 ed.). p. 445. ISBN 0727004859.
- ^ "Melbourne Cup Winners - 1861-1880". Victoria Racing Club. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
External links
- 1872 Melbourne Cup footyjumpers.com
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