Tawrrific

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The Australian thoroughbred Tawrrific established a new race record of 3 minutes and 17.1 seconds in winning the 1989 Melbourne Cup. He was trained by Lee Freedman and ridden by Shane Dye.

After doing his early racing in New Zealand, Tawrrific won the South Australian St Leger at three, and, despite finishing 12th in the 1988 Melbourne Cup, showed staying talent in winning the AJC St Leger at four, and finishing fourth in the Sydney and Brisbane Cups. Alloted 54 kilos for the 1989 Melbourne Cup, Tawrrific was placed in lead-up races at Sandown, Caulfield, Flemington, and Moonee Valley, but fell out of favour with many punters when finishing second-last in the Caulfield Cup. But in receipt of two kilos from stablemate Super Impose, Tawrrific came down the centre of the track with a well-timed run by Dye, and won the Melbourne Cup in decisive fashion. The victory was Freedman's first in the race, and a significant career milestone for the young trainer, who would go on to prepare some of Australia's best horses of the modern era; the win also significant in the rise of Dye, a former champion New Zealand apprentice who would go on to win many of Australia's biggest races.

Tawrrific raced for a further 18 months, following his Melbourne Cup win, but with limited success, including a minor win at Flemington, and a 16th in the 1990 Melbourne Cup. Tawrrific was an entire but very few of his progeny have come under notice in his time at stud.

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