1866 Melbourne Cup

1866 Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup
The 1866 Melbourne Cup trophy, currently held by the National Museum of Australia
Location	Flemington Racecourse
Date	1 November 1866
Distance	2 miles
Winning horse	The Barb
Winning time	3:43.0
Final odds	6/1
Jockey	William Davis
Trainer	John Tait & James Ashworth
Owner	John Tait
Conditions	Good
Surface	Turf
Attendance	18,000
← 1865 1867 →

The 1866 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Thursday, 1 November 1866.

This year was the sixth running of the Melbourne Cup. The race was won by 6/1 favourite The Barb, nicknamed 'The Black Demon', beating Exile. Falcon was placed third by the stewards the day after the race.^[1] The race saw two horses named Falcon take part and the VRC judge failed to recognise its colors which were different to the official program. The Barb became the first horse to win the Melbourne Cup and the AJC Derby as The Barb had won the race back in September. The AJC Derby now takes place in the Autumn.^[2]

Fifty-three horses nominated for the race, with 44 horses accepted. Following acceptances, 31 horses paid the entry fees, although two were scratched before race day.^[3] This year marked the return of Sydney-trained horses to the race, following the controversy surrounding the non-acceptance of Archer's nomination in 1863.^[4]

The Barb, one of three horses owned by John Tait in the race, started as the favourite ahead of stablemate Falcon, with Tim Whiffler, Lady Heron and Seagull the next fancied runners. Of the Victorian-trained horses, Exile had attracted a number of bets, while 1865 Melbourne Cup winner Toryboy was one of the more fancied runners.^[4] After the morning scratching of Volunteer, 28 horses started the race. Following a false start where Seagull broke away and was not stopped for some time,^[3] Cowra and Minstrel missed the start and after the rest of the field got off to a strong start, The Barb and Glenyuille went ahead at the first turn, followed by Tim Whiffler and Barwon. Glenyuille's race was done at about the mile marker, leaving Tim Whiffler to try and catch The Barb.^[4] Exile went up to the leader before the final turn and it was a two-horse race down the final straight, with The Barb holding firm to win by little more than a head.^[5] It was reported that the jockey aboard Exile lost the whip which might have affected the final result.^[3]

Full results

Painting of 1866 Melbourne Cup winner The Barb

This is the list of placegetters for the 1866 Melbourne Cup.^{[6][7][8][9][5]}

Place	Horse	Age Gender	Jockey	Weight	Trainer	Owner	Odds	Margin
1	The Barb	3y c	William Davis	6 st 11 lb (43.1 kg)[a]	John Tait & James Ashworth	John Tait	6/1 fav.	Head
2	Exile	Aged g	John Kavanagh	7 st 10 lb (49.0 kg)		Patrick Keighran	20/1	3 lengths
3	Falcon (Sydney)	5y g	Charles Stanley	8 st 2 lb (51.7 kg)		John Tait	7/1
4	Playboy	Aged g	Waterman	8 st 0 lb (50.8 kg)		Patrick Keighran	25/1
5	Seagull	3y f	Alf Hill	6 st 7 lb (41.3 kg)		Charles Brown Fisher	8/1
6	Mozart	Aged g	Arch Hill	7 st 1 lb (44.9 kg)		Mr J. Armstrong	200/1
7	Coventry	4y g	Griffin	6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg)		Mr T. Henry	50/1
8	Tim Whiffler	4y h	Harry Chifney[b]	8 st 9 lb (54.9 kg)	Joe Carter	Walter Craig	8/1
—N/a	Barwon	7y h	Haynes	8 st 7 lb (54.0 kg)		John Cleeland	20/1
—N/a	Cowra	4y m	Stevens	8 st 7 lb (54.0 kg)		Mr E.M. Bagot	25/1
—N/a	Lady Heron	4y m	Joe Morrison	8 st 6 lb (53.5 kg)		Charles Brown Fisher	8/1
—N/a	Falcon (Victoria)	Aged g	Bateman	8 st 6 lb (53.5 kg)		Mr Lewis	100/1
—N/a	Sparrowhawk	5y g	Harvey	8 st 5 lb (53.1 kg)		William Pearson	12/1
—N/a	Warwick	5y g	Holmes	8 st 5 lb (53.1 kg)		John Tait	20/1
—N/a	Musidora	Aged m	McDonald	8 st 4 lb (52.6 kg)	James Wilson	James Wilson	20/1
—N/a	Woodman	Aged m	Bishop	8 st 4 lb (52.6 kg)		Mr S. Thompson	100/1
—N/a	Miss Fisher	4y m	Joe Carter	8 st 0 lb (50.8 kg)	Joe Carter	Walter Craig	20/1
—N/a	Viscount	Aged m	Mason	7 st 12 lb (49.9 kg)		William Pearson	200/1
—N/a	Toryboy	9y g	Green	7 st 8 lb (48.1 kg)		William Cross Yuille	12/1
—N/a	Dun Dolo	Aged g	Tyrrell	7 st 5 lb (46.7 kg)		Arch McDonald	50/1
—N/a	Minstrel	6y g	Gregory	7 st 5 lb (46.7 kg)		Mr G. Watson	50/1
—N/a	Shenandoah	6y m	Thomas Pullar	7 st 2 lb (45.4 kg)		John Cleeland	50/1
—N/a	Deception	5y m	Parr	7 st 0 lb (44.5 kg)		Mr H.D. Parr	8/1
—N/a	Glenyille	6y g	J. Hill	7 st 0 lb (44.5 kg)		Louis Lawrence Smith	100/1
—N/a	Protection	5y g	J. Davis	6 st 4 lb (39.9 kg)		Louis Lawrence Smith	100/1
—N/a	Lunatic	3y c	Howell	6 st 0 lb (38.1 kg)[c]		Mr S. Waldock	20/1
—N/a	Solitaire	3y c	T. Bennett	5 st 8 lb (35.4 kg)		Mr W.I. Faris	100/1
—N/a	Songster	5y g	Parslow	8 st 6 lb (53.5 kg)		Geoffrey Wright	100/1
SCR	Volunteer	Aged h	—N/a	10 st 0 lb (63.5 kg)	—N/a	John Tait	—N/a
SCR	Midshipman	6y	—N/a	8 st 6 lb (53.5 kg)	—N/a	Walter Craig	—N/a
SCR	Sultana	5y m	—N/a	8 st 2 lb (51.7 kg)	—N/a	—N/a	—N/a

Prizemoney

First prize £980, second prize £20.^[8]

See also

• Horses portal
• Sports portal
• Australia portal

• Melbourne Cup
• List of Melbourne Cup winners
• Victoria Racing Club

Notes

1. Was supposed to carry 6st 9lb
2. Jockey Henry Dawes rode under the name Harry Chifney.
3. Was supposed to carry 5st 8lb

References

1. "1866 Melbourne Cup MillersGuide". millersgudie.identika.com.au. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
2. O'Reilly, Paddy (2016). "The Barb (1866)". Facts, Stats & Trivia of The Melbourne Cup. Melbourne: New Holland Publishers Pty Ltd. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9781742579054.
3. "Victoria Racing Club Spring Meeting". The Australasian. Melbourne, Victoria. 3 November 1866. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
4. "The Turf - Melbourne Spring Races". Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle. Melbourne, Victoria. 3 November 1866. p. 3. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
5. "Melbourne Spring Races". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 2 November 1866. p. 5. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
6. "1861 to 1870 Melbourne Cup Winners". races com au. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
7. Cavanough, Maurice (1978). The Melbourne Cup (8 ed.). p. 445. ISBN 0727004859.
8. "1866 Melbourne Cup MillersGuide". millersguide.identika.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
9. "Melbourne Cup Winners - 1861-1880". Victoria Racing Club. Retrieved 5 November 2025.

External links

• 1866 Melbourne Cup footyjumpers.com