Back in the Poitrel era, Thursday's Summer Cup field at Royal Randwick would be pulling carts. Mind you, the fragile nature of the modern thoroughbred would demand that their load wouldn't be too heavy.
Obviously the Australian Turf Club has catered for them, making the Summer Cup only 2000 metres from 2400m, thus history and records now mean little for the historic second leg of the Sydney Christmas double.
The Villiers, a 1600m sprint at group2 level, has always been the feature but the honour roll of both indicates the Summer Cup (group3) was the better race.
Take Bernborough (1945), judged as Australia's greatest handicapper, away from the Villiers and the greats are difficult to find, whereas the staying test following Poitrel (1917) more recently has top liners such as Super Impose (1988), Rising Prince, (1984), Ming Dynasty (1976), and Carioca (1952).
Super Impose is regarded as "Australia's greatest miler" but also has a Cox Plate triumph and Melbourne Cup placings to his credit, while Rising Prince also captured the Cox Plate, Ming Dynasty has two Caulfield Cups in his group1 tally and Carioca, outstanding over sprint and staying journeys, notched the Villiers – Summer Cup double plus the Sydney Cip and The Metropolitan at Randwick.
But they probably fell short of Poitrel, Summer Cup successful with only 7.3 stone (45.5 kilos) when the race was 13 furlongs (2500m) but as a three-year-old following a successful protest.
Poitrel had a parrot mouth, the upper jaw protruding over the lower jaw, which can lead to eating problems, thus he was unwanted as a yearling.
John Wren, the Melbourne sportsman, immortalised in Frank Hardy's Power Without Glory, was attracted by his bloodlines. Wren went to 300 guineas but on condition that the purchase price included the colt's £6 fare from Sydney to Melbourne. The breeders, W. and F. Moses, of Arrowfield Stud, declined on the fare issue and decided to race the horse.
Apart from his mouth, Poitrel had shelly feet, a thin hoof meaning they could split and present difficulty in shoeing, a situation so delicate Poitrel required a special stall with a clay floor constantly kept soft with watering.
Poitrel could not be spelled in a paddock and never left the stable.
Yet he became the first horse to beat Desert Gold, which had a 19-race winning streak, and in the same race the following year accounted for another great, Gloaming, being the first Australian horse to do so. Taking the Melbourne Cup under 10st. (63.5kg) in 1920 he shared a record with the immortal Carbine of carrying 10st or more to win the Big One.
Trainer Harry Robinson couldn't attend the Cup presentation because of concern over the horse. Fourteen nails had been applied by a farrier to keep one plate in place, but Wren was in a worse state. For six quid – he'd have more money on the toss of a coin or backing a racing pigeon – Wren missed out on a Melbourne Cup, one of the few trophies power didn't buy him.
Hoofnote: It's difficult to find anything in common in Thursday's field with Poitrel, but one aspect he didn't have was Chris Waller's magic wand, which I'm tipping will work for Kathy O'Hara's mount, Multilateral, drab in the Villiers last start. In 1917, females were lucky to get into Randwick let alone ride a Summer Cup chance.
