Kiwi (19 October 1977 – 2 February 1995) was a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse who won both the Wellington Cup in New Zealand and the Melbourne Cup in Australia in 1983. He is especially renowned for his last-to-first victory in the Melbourne Cup, and remains the only horse in history to have won both of these cups.
Background
Kiwi was bred by Brian Fischer in Parore, New Zealand. He was purchased for NZ$1,000 by Waverley sheep farmer Snow Lupton and his wife Anne. His sire was Blarney Kiss (USA) and his dam was Malrayvis (NZ). He was a chestnut gelding.
Racing Career
Kiwi won the Wellington Cup in January 1983 from the rear of the field in a close finish, with a time of 3 minutes 20.29 seconds. Despite this victory, he was considered an outsider for the Melbourne Cup and started at odds of 10/1.
In the 1983 Melbourne Cup, ridden by jockey Jim Cassidy, Kiwi settled at the very back of the 24-horse field. At the turn with 500 metres remaining, he was positioned second-last. He then produced a storming run through the field to win by just over a length. His victory is regarded as one of the most memorable performances in Melbourne Cup history.
Kiwi entered the 1984 Melbourne Cup but was controversially scratched due to a veterinary check. He ran in the 1985 Melbourne Cup finishing thirteenth, and in the 1986 Melbourne Cup finished fourth despite being injured and pulling up lame. He also represented New Zealand in the 1984 Japan Cup, finishing in sixth place.
Retirement and Death
Kiwi raced from 1980 to 1987, compiling a record of 60 starts: 13 wins, 8 seconds, and 2 thirds, with earnings of NZ$549,839. He was retired to the Luptons' farm in 1987, where he died of natural causes on 2 February 1995 at age 17. His headstone reads: "Kiwi, 1983 Melbourne Cup."
Honours
- In 2012, Australian rail operator CFCL Australia named locomotive CF4406 "Kiwi" after the horse.
- A bronze statue of Kiwi with jockey Jim Cassidy was unveiled on 10 September 2023 at Gulley Park in Waverley, New Zealand.
