From Blue Spec to Knight’s Choice: Walcha’s Melbourne Cup legacy

Situated some 45 minutes from Armadale, NSW, Walcha boasts a population a little over 3100 people. It’s known as a rural service town situated on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and most importantly the town where two Melbourne Cup winners were bred. Blue Spec (1905) and Knight’s Choice (2024).  

There is possibly something in the soil that assisted both horses but the location of where the Cup winners were bred is about as much as they have in common. In fact, in arriving to Flemington on Cup Day one winner established its reputation in Western Australia and the other up north in Queensland. 

While Knight’s Choice is fresh on everyone’s minds having wintered and group placed in Queensland in the middle of the year, it is the other Cup winner from Walcha that needs refreshing. Especially when it’s 120 years since he won. 

Initially, Blue Spec was owned by John Mayo, who also enjoyed fame by winning the 1903 Melbourne Cup with Lord Cardigan before also winning the 1908 Melbourne Cup with his ¾ brother Lord Nolan. 

Mayo was an astute owner however Blue Spec had shown little in his time with Mayo recording just one win from 17 starts. He was later sold at auction to Paddy Connolly for 155 guineas. 

Connolly, who had been a successful Kalgoorlie businessman, secured the 1904 Kalgoorlie Cup with Blue Spec as well as the 1904 Perth Cup before readjusting the sights to bigger targets in the east. 

As history will show, Maikai won the 1938 Perth Cup before running second in both the 1939 and 1940 Melbourne Cups. And Rogan Josh ran second in the 1999 Perth Cup before winning the 1999 Melbourne Cup, however it can be recorded that Blue Spec is the only horse to secure a Perth Cup/Melbourne Cup double back in 1905. Albeit one year apart. His rise to the occasion is well documented. 

Connolly was a most successful Western Australian owner winning 6 Perth Cups and 3 Western Australian Derbies. Few shared his confidence, and few called him as a friend however, he knew three-time (at that point) Melbourne Cup winning trainer Walter Hickenbotham (Flemington based) and had an understanding that if he had a horse good enough, he would send him over to the east to try win the feature Cups. Blue Spec was that horse. 

And once Connolly received a letter from Hickenbotham reinforcing the improved progress of Blue Spec since arriving at Flemington, Connolly proceeded to back the son of True Blue to win the Melbourne Cup at odds as long as 33/1. He started 10/1 on race day. By the time the Cup came around, Connolly stood to win over £30,000. A fortune for the times. The average Australian home was approximately £150 to £200. 

The actual 1905 Melbourne Cup Day presented hot conditions of 31.8 degrees Celsius. Winds were gusty and the popular favourite was subsequent third place-getter, Tartan. Blue Spec was coming off a win in the Moonee Valley Cup ten days before the Melbourne Cup. He was ridden by Norman Godby at the Valley however when Godby chose to ride Gladsome in the Cup, this opened the door for Frank Bullock who recently returned from a riding stint in Europe.  

Bullock, an inductee of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (1987) and Australian Racing Hall of Fame (2006), became a two-time winner of the Caulfield Cup (1918 and 1919); a five-time champion jockey in Germany; multiple feature race winner in England and a dual Prix De L ’Arc de Triomphe including the inaugural winner in Comrade (1920). He was a champion rider and made best use of the opportunity.   

For Hickenbotham he was very familiar with Melbourne Cup success having won the 1888 Melbourne Cup with Mentor; the 1890 with the great Carbine and the 1896 Cup with the brilliant Newhaven.  

Hickenbotham, considered one of the master trainers of all time, was as confident as Connolly going into the race and he was reported as saying Blue Spec worked better than Mentor when he won the Cup back in 1888.  While not recorded as one of the great victors in the Cup’s history it is noted that Blue Spec recorded a new race record time of 3mins 27.50secs. 

Blue Spec raced again in Poseidon’s 1906 Melbourne Cup finishing unplaced before returning to Perth to win the 1907 WATC Perth Stakes before running fourth in the Perth Cup two days later. He had one more start (2nd) in the WATC Imperial Stakes before being retired. 

In all, Blue Spec had 73 starts for 12 wins; 9 seconds and 7 thirds. He was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Fame in 2012. 

As for the breeder of Blue Spec, that honour goes to Mr Augustus Hooke, a pastoralist and former AJC Committeeman.  

As for Knight’s Choice, breeding honours go to Norm Bazeley who bred the Cup winner from a More Than Ready mare called, Midnight Pearl which was secured by Beazley for no more than $1,000.  

Being by sprinting stallion, Extreme Choice he probably thought he’d be running in a Golden Slipper as opposed to a Melbourne Cup. Such are the vagaries of thoroughbred horse breeding.   

Norm Bazeley was presented with the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Breeders Trophy when the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour visited Walcha on 15th August. It was the second time a Melbourne Cup winner was bred in Walcha. Blue Spec being the first back in 1905.