The Race of the Century was the name given to a 1986 W.S. Cox Plate, a thoroughbred horse race in held in Melbourne, Australia, between two great New Zealand racehorses of the 1980s.
The W.S. Cox Plate, held annually at Melbourne's Moonee Valley Racecourse, is one of the most significant races on the Australian calendar. It is run at weight-for-age, and considered to be the weight-for-age championship of Australia and New Zealand. The race had been won by some of the great thoroughbreds of Australasian turf since its inception in 1922, including Phar Lap, Tulloch and Kingston Town. However, the build-up, media hype and fervour of the 1986 epic contest raised the profile of the race to what was only secondary to the Melbourne Cup.
The race centred on the encounter between Our Waverley Star[1] and Bonecrusher. The two horses came into the race with outstanding form. Bonecrusher was a New Zealand Champion - with a cult-like following - having won most of the three-year-old classics, including the New Zealand Derby. His form continued in Australia winning the Tancred Stakes, the AJC Derby, the Underwood Stakes, and the Caulfield Stakes. In turn, Our Waverley Star had being winning almost all his races in New Zealand in the lead-up to the Cox Plate. Given this, the race was highly anticipated, especially as it was the first time the two horses had been in race together. It was, in essence, a race to decide which was the best horse.
The race was run at a good pace, in good weather and track conditions, neither favouring or disadvantaging either horse. Our Waverley Star settled wide, in mid-field, while Bonecrusher - as usual - was towards the back of the field. At the 800 metres mark, Bonecrusher (ridden by Gary Stewart) moved around the field to be immediately shadowed by Our Waverley Star (ridden by Lance O'Sullivan). Quickly, the two horses cleared out from the rest of the field. Race caller Bill Collins - giving what is considered to be one of the finest ever race calls - questioned whether the horses had gone to early: "Here come the New Zealanders . . . have they gone too early...?"[2].
From this point it was in essentially a two-horse race. At first, Our Waverley Star built up a length lead, which was countered by Bonecrusher. As they entered wide into the short home straight at the Moonee Valley Racecourse, Bonecrusher had a slender lead. Quickly, Our Waverley Star gathered in Bonecrusher and it seemed he would pull away - but with the determination that Bonecrusher would turn into legend - he fought back down the straight to win by a neck at the post...to which race caller Bill Collins added "...and Bonecrusher races into equine immortality..."[3]
Subsequently, the 1986 W.S. Cox Plate has become folk-lore - both inside and outside of horse racing. It is one of the most replayed versions of the race and one of the most remembered horse races in Australia and New Zealand of all time. This was largely due to the build-up and expectation being fulfilled in such a compelling outcome. "This was one of those races where the hype in the lead-up was matched, surpassed even, by the race"[4]
Of note, the 3rd place-getter was The Filbert, another well performed New Zealand horse. This gave New Zealand the trifecta in the race.