1877 Melbourne Cup

1877 Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
Wood engraving of the race published in the Australasian Sketcher
LocationFlemington Racecourse
Date6 November 1877
Distance2 miles
Winning horseChester
Winning time3:33.50
Final odds5/1
JockeyPaddy Piggott
TrainerEtienne de Mestre
OwnerJames White
ConditionsSlippery and muddy
SurfaceTurf
Attendance≈85,000

The 1877 Melbourne Cup was a two-mile handicap horse race which took place on Tuesday, 6 November 1877.[1]

This year was the seventeenth running of the Melbourne Cup. Although the track was slippery and muddy, the race time of 3:33.50 was a new record.[2]

Entries and odds

Following its win in the 1877 Melbourne Stakes on the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup,[3] Robinson Crusoe the colt that survived of the SS City of Melbourne shipwreck the previous year had firmed in pre-race betting. Other runners that were highly favoured included The Painter, Aldinga and Tom Kirk. 1874 Melbourne Cup winner Haricot, now owned by William Samuel Cox, wasn't favoured to be among the leading pack, whereas The King was the more likely winner from Cox's horses. Of the lightly-weighted runners, Pluto and Amendment were fancied, as was the winner of the 1877 AJC Derby Woodlands.[3] Woodlands had been prepared with the Melbourne Cup in mind, skipping the Victoria Derby. Owned by bookmaker Joe Silberberg, Woodlands was the subject of a bungled attempt to nobble the horse in the days before the race, with assailants throwing glass and oyster shells onto the colt's stable. Woodlands emerged unscathed from the attack with only minor scratches.[4]

Chester, the Victoria Derby winner on the Saturday before the Melbourne Cup in wet conditions, was said to be a strong chance of repeating the performance of Briseis by winning the Melbourne Cup, but would not start the race as favourite, with plenty of money behind James Wilson's trained horse Savanaka to be ridden by Peter St Albans.[3][5] Savanaka had been kept out of many of the lead-up races, with Wilson trying to win his third Melbourne Cup, although Savanaka was owned by VRC committee member and steward Herbert Power.[4]

The race

In the first truly wet Melbourne Cup race,[6] Etienne de Mestre sent out Chester without full horseshoe plates, instead electing just to have just a few nails hammered into the horse's hooves to prevent the colt from slipping.[4][5] There were 33 runners that started the race,[7] following the withdrawal of a number of runners. The rain eased just before the running of the race, with Fisherman rushing to the front.[4] Both Robinson Crusoe and Amendment had been left at the start losing ground on the field.[7] Fisherman had set a fast pace and joining it in the lead was Waxy. 1875 Melbourne Cup winner Wollomai joined the lead bunch down the riverside straight with Tom Kirk. Just after the far turn, The King slipped and fell, while Glemormiston joined the leaders as Fisherman started to fall back.[7] It was at this point that Waxy fell and failed to finish, with the jockey injured and taken to hospital.[5] The fall of Waxy severely interfered with Savanaka who lost a lot of ground behind what was a large leading pack.[7][5][8]

As the field turned for home, Glenormiston was leading just in front of Chester and The Vagabond.[7] Glenormiston faded down the Flemington straight, leaving Chester to jump well clear of The Vagabond.[7] Chester won in a close finish after jockey Paddy Piggott had eased off thinking the race won.[5][4] Savanaka sprinted down the straight to almost catch the winner, recovering from the earlier interference to almost give Wilson and St Albans the win.[5][7][9] The Vagabond came home third, with Tom Kirk beating home Glenormiston for fourth.

For the winning jockey, it was Piggott's second Melbourne Cup win following his win on board Haricot in 1874, while for trainer Etienne de Mestre, it was his fourth win in the race, equalling John Tait's record.

Newspaper The Australasian criticised James Wilson's stable for the secrecy behind the preparation of Savanaka commenting "Certain we are that with the general public, there is a feeling of intense satisfaction that the clever party at St Albans, whose deeds are dark and ways mysterious, got bowled over for once and that de Mestre won the Cup for a man who races for sport, not money."[10]

Bookmaker Joe Thompson and others in the ring paid out big sums on Chester's win, including £10,000 to James White the owner of the winner.[4][11]

Attendance was down on the previous year, mostly due to the unfavourable weather conditions. Estimates ranged from 80,000 to 90,000 people were at the racecourse which turned into something of a quagmire.[5][6]

Full results

This is the list of placegetters for the 1877 Melbourne Cup.[2][12][1][13][3][14][7][5][6]

Place Horse Age
Gender 		Jockey Weight Trainer Owner Odds Margin
1 Chester 3y c Paddy Piggott 6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg) Etienne de Mestre James White 5/1 ½ head
2 Savanaka 3y c Peter St Albans 6 st 2 lb (39.0 kg) James Wilson Herbert Power 4/1 fav. 3 lengths
3 The Vagabond (late Wizard) 4y h Charles Ivemy 7 st 0 lb (44.5 kg) George W. Petty 16/1
4 Tom Kirk 6y g J. Mascall 7 st 4 lb (46.3 kg) Ike Carslake Mr C. James[a] 16/1
5 Glenormiston 3y c George Williams 5 st 12 lb (37.2 kg) William Filgate William Filgate 16/1
6 Woodlands 3y c Connor 5 st 7 lb (34.9 kg) Joe Cook Joe J. Silberberg 8/1
7 Pluto 3y c Williamson 6 st 0 lb (38.1 kg) William Lang Mr Phillips 16/1
8 Amendment 3y c J. Williams 5 st 12 lb (37.2 kg) John Tait John Tait 15/1
9 Lockleys 3y c Donald Nicholson 6 st 11 lb (43.1 kg) Tom Jordan Tom Jordan 50/1
10 Pride Of The Hills 4y h J. Jenkins 9 st 0 lb (57.2 kg) Mr R.T. Reid 25/1
11 Wollomai 8y h Robert Batty 8 st 11 lb (55.8 kg) John Cleeland 20/1
12 Royalty 3y c Braithwaite 6 st 7 lb (41.3 kg) Mr C. Edwards 50/1
13 The Painter 5y h Sam Davis 8 st 0 lb (50.8 kg) Charles Brown Fisher 12/1
14 Robinson Crusoe 4y h Joe Morrison 8 st 10 lb (55.3 kg) Charles Brown Fisher 12/1
N/a Imperial 8y g D. Sullivan 8 st 5 lb (53.1 kg) William Samuel Cox 50/1
N/a Janitor 5y h Brickwood Colley 8 st 4 lb (52.6 kg) John Mayo 100/1
N/a Newminster 4y h William Yeomans 8 st 3 lb (52.2 kg) Andrew Chirnside 50/1
N/a Kingfisher Aged g Huxley 8 st 1 lb (51.3 kg) Mr W.S. Hill 33/1
N/a Aldinga 4y h Tom Hales 7 st 10 lb (49.0 kg) William E. Dakin Samuel Gardiner 8/1
N/a Haricot 7y g McInnes 7 st 7 lb (47.6 kg) Ike Carslake William Samuel Cox 14/1
N/a Coquette 6y m Harrison 7 st 4 lb (46.3 kg) Mr W. Mackenzie 100/1
N/a Filibuster 4y h William Murphy 7 st 2 lb (45.4 kg) Eli Jellett 20/1
N/a Artful Joe 5y g James Wilson Jr 6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg) James Wilson James Wilson 20/1
N/a Fisherman 5y h Power 6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg) Mr Grant 100/1
N/a Ralph Leigh 4y h McLachlan 6 st 9 lb (42.2 kg) James Bathe 33/1
N/a Device 3y f John Kilduff[b] 6 st 3 lb (39.5 kg) Mr Rounsevell 100/1
N/a The Diver 7y h Walter Higginbotham 9 st 2 lb (58.1 kg) Charles Madden Lloyd 25/1
N/a Lord Harry 6y g Nolan 6 st 8 lb (41.7 kg)[c] Mr A. Smith 100/1
N/a Peerless 4y m King 6 st 9 lb (42.2 kg) Stephen Mahon Stephen Mahon 25/1
N/a Waterford 3y c T. Aspinall 6 st 9 lb (42.2 kg) Mr H.J. Bowler 33/1
N/a Adelaide 4y m W. Hughes 8 st 0 lb (50.8 kg) Mr H. Phillips 33/1
Fell Waxy 5y h Jerrard 6 st 6 lb (40.8 kg)[d] Mr Henty 100/1
Fell The King 6y g Heywood 7 st 2 lb (45.4 kg) William Samuel Cox 20/1
SCR Irish Stew 5y g N/a 7 st 5 lb (46.7 kg) N/a Mr W. Dargin
SCR Meteor 5y h N/a 6 st 12 lb (43.5 kg) N/a Mr Paterson
SCR Salisbury 3y c N/a 6 st 3 lb (39.5 kg) N/a Mr Drewett
SCR Devilshoof 3y c N/a 5 st 12 lb (37.2 kg) N/a Joe Thompson
SCR Idalia 3y f N/a 5 st 7 lb (34.9 kg) James Wilson James Wilson
SCR Hotspur 3y c N/a 5 st 7 lb (34.9 kg) N/a Mr Holmes
SCR Explosion 3y c N/a 5 st 7 lb (34.9 kg) N/a James White

Prizemoney

First prize £1870, second prize £50, third prize £20.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Alias of Friedrich Wilhelm Prell, a Melbourne businessman.[15]
  2. ^ Also known as Jack Kilduff
  3. ^ Was supposed to carry 6st 6lb
  4. ^ Was supposed to carry 6st 2lb

References

  1. ^ a b c "1877 Melbourne Cup MillersGuide". millersguide.identika.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b "1871 to 1880 Melbourne Cup Winners". races com au. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Cup Race". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 6 November 1877. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Ibbett, Ian (21 December 2017). "1877 - The Defeat of Chester!". Kings of the Turf. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Second Day - Tuesday Nov. 6". The Australasian. Melbourne, Victoria. 10 November 1877. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "The Victoria Racing Club Meeting - The Cup Day". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. 7 November 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Cup Day". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 7 November 1877. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  8. ^ "WINNERS AND PLACED HORSES IN MELBOURNE CUP. 1861-1913". Winner. Melbourne, Victoria. 28 October 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  9. ^ Guthrie, Ben (6 November 2018). "Geelong's Melbourne Cup-VFA flag double". Geelong Football Club. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  10. ^ "The Savanaka Coup". The Australasian. 17 November 1877. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  11. ^ Rolfe, Costa (2008). Winners of the Melbourne Cup. Fitzroy, Australia: Red Dog. pp. 42–43. ISBN 9781742035093.
  12. ^ Cavanough, Maurice (1978). The Melbourne Cup (8 ed.). p. 445. ISBN 0727004859.
  13. ^ "Melbourne Cup Winners - 1861-1880". Victoria Racing Club. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Melbourne Cup Day". Australasian Sketcher. Adelaide, SA: The Argus. 24 November 1877. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Death of Mr F.W. Prell". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria. 29 April 1912. p. 13. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
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