Clfield Cup 1971: The rise and fall of Cup champ Gay Is

Contents:

• THROWBACK: THE RISE AND FALL OF CLFIELD CUP CHAMP GAY IS
• GAY IS VICTOR

THROWBACK: THE RISE AND FALL OF CLFIELD CUP CHAMP GAY IS

This is the story of Gay Is, the Clfield Cup champ of 50 years to 1971, the galloper had jt two ws unr his belt om 12 trips to the rac - granted he ran a Cox Plate (12th) and was nner-up the Victoria Derby, but his rerd certaly didn't reflect jt how good he the space of ne months he would go on to add another ne victori, culmatg  Clfield Cup was a horse that overme humble begngs - and a slow start to his racg reer - to sle some ser heights Atralian were plenty of swgs and roundabouts along the way and his crowng glory very nearly didn't happen, but his lourful traer certaly ensured was an tertg ri for all volved... ORIGINSGay Is was bred by the man that would tra him to w the Clfield Cup, Cranbourne-based horseman Cyril Beechey.

GAY IS VICTOR

Beechey bought the dam Gay Mamselle for a mere $270 and sent her to stalln Is, a matg that would produce Gay Is - the sire's lone stak wner (on the Atralian rerd books, anyway) RACING DAYSGay Is had four starts as a 2YO, wh his bt showg g when narrowly beaten by Msage at Clfield as a 100-1 broke his main at Werribee over 1358m September 1970 and five starts later found himself a Cox Plate, albe failg to figure the horse then bounced back a week later to fish nner-up the Victoria Derby, beaten 3L behd Silver Sharpe who had been cnched bettg. BREAKOUT YEAR Beechey tipped him out for a uple of months after the Derby, then he was back to his racg by late January of ' Is won the Blamey Stak third-up,  what proved the begng of a stellar n that saw him barely out of the placgs until a fateful n the Melbourne tumn hl clud a momento hat-trick that began wh the Blamey, then took the Peter Young (then St Gee Stak) and Atralian Cup w wasn't whout a b of drama eher, as jockey Mick Mallyon me off the horse about a half-e after the le and was taken om the urse wh "stomach cramps" hot-streak end when Filr (16-1) upset Gay Is (2-1) by a head the Queen Elizabeth Stak at Flemgton jt five days Gay Is head on to Sydney and took all before him, clean sweepg the Chippg Norton (by 4L), Atralasian Champnship Stak (now the Sprg Champn, by 2L) and the Queen Elizabeth Stak (Randwick), turng the tabl on Filr by 5L  Sydney's versn of the rults saw him ved to the Uned Stat for a feature race, but Beechey had his ey firmly on one thg - the Clfield for his explos his 3YO season, Gay Is was crowned Atralia's champn Racehorse of the Year for Is (Image: Ptert).

BLUFFING THE HANDICAPPERAfter that high-flyg tumn, punters - too - had Gay Is firmly their mds for the Cups, as he head the market for the Clfield feature a long way much so that Beechey was issug warngs months out om the race that if was wet, there’d be some disappoted all- July, Beechley then pulled out the old le about wantg a “fair handip” otherwise he wouldn’t n - a classic play to bluff the handipper which we still see to this day. Gay Is was the clear 5-1 fav at the time.

Beechey was likely jt playg a b of poker - who uld blame him, eher - and Gay Is would go on to rry ne stone two pounds (or 58kg), which evintly didn’t stop PREPGay Is’ sprg prep saw him rema Melbourne throughout, wng the Unrwood and Clfield Stak, before backg up seven days later to thrash them the Clfield Cup. “Gay Is uld cut his legs open the loose shiftg sand at Cranbourne.

”Not sure where exactly he had been dog his trackwork prr, but certaly stck as a strange for all that he mt’ve found somewhere suable to gallop his charge bee Gay Is won the Clfield Stak jt days after the Epsom - maybe Beechey jt need an exce to opt out of the trip your everyday exce (Image: Trove). SCRATCH THREATS RESURFACEHavg earlier the year threatened to not n the Cup if Gay Is was given too much weight, Beechey doubled down the lead-up wh threats to scratch if Clfield was gog to be too turned out, there was ra forest jt a day out om the Cup, and Beechey was pretty firm his view of what would happen if h.

"THE RACEWhatever ra they predicted eher didn’t e or had dried out e the big a good-rated ck, Gay Is romped home wh the Clfield Cup by the whoppg margs of 2L x 6L, wh nner-up Igloo the only horse wh 8L of him on the margs are even more imprsive given  was reported he was “virtually easg up” on the le unr jockey Mick manner of that w earned him a 7lb (~3kg) penalty for the Melbourne Cup, takg his allotment for the Flemgton feature to 9.

CONTRASTING CUP FORTUNESGay Is’ ns the Clfield and Melbourne Cups were momento, but for polar oppose domance at Clfield was then juxtaposed wh a fateful n at drew barrier 21 his bid to w the Cups double and his bad luck didn’t stop there, endurg a tough n before peterg out to fish nth of 21, well behd wner Silver Knight (who was the subject of threats pre-race, but more on that later...

Mallyon’s prence already proved fateful after he had a one-month spensn phed back to ensure he uld stick wh Gay Is the Cup - an unmon occurrence at the was the 111th nng of the Melbourne Cup, and Gay Is emerged om as the proverbial Nelson of the famo race as reports suggted he staed leg juri that would hib him for seasons to CAREERAfter the Cup he would only add one more w to his reer rerd, claimg the Craiglee Stak (now Makybe Diva Stak) almost two years later - which turned out to be his fal n that sprg as the tendon issue attributed to his ‘71 Melbourne Cup n flared up w me unr a new traer the Flemgton-based Tony Lop, who took over the horse durg the 72-73 season after the prev ownership - which clud Beechey - was dissolved.

Although there was talk of a remarkable eback 1976 as a ne-year-old, wh Gay Is movg on to traer Brian Hall who had worked for Lop as stable he was entered for the Cups, they abandoned the plans to revive his reer given he'd had such a long time ON SILVER KNIGHTWhile Gay Is was beg touted as a possible Cups double wner the lead-up to Flemgton 1971, Silver Knight was the news for a very different reason...

HIS LEGACYGay Is has a stud named after him Victoria, although a’t a thoroughbred Park Stud was named honour of the Clfield Cup wner.

Heavy Rashomon 7.

horse Gay Is was foaled 1967 and was by Is out of the mare. Gay M'selle(by Bilbao). Gay M'Selle.

Gayuga. Gay Day. GAY ICARUS.

75) 1901LANIUS 6th at 7/4 1917MANFRED 2nd at 7/4 1925BEAU VITE 4th at 7/4 1940HOWE 5th at 7/4 1948RED CRAZE 2nd at 7/4 1956GAY ICARUS 9th at 7/4 1971 Biggt Melbourne Cup Bets The average spend per punter on the Melbourne Cup is $8. 20) 2nd1971 – Gay Is (7/4 - $2. Bunratty Castle (1968) Gay Is (1971) and Leilani (1974).

Lomondy1985Tristarc1984Affy1983Hayai1982Gurner's Lane1981Silver Bounty1980Mg Dynasty1979Mighty Kgdom1978Taksan1977Mg Dynasty1976How Now1975Analight1974Leilani1973Swell Time1972Sobar1971Gay Is1970Beer Street1969Big Philou1968Bunratty Castle1967Tob Bronze1966Galilee1965Bore Head1964Yangtze1963Sometime1962Even Stevens1961Summr Fair1960Ilumquh1959Regal Wench1958Sir Blk1957Tulloch1956Redcraze1955Risg Fast1954Risg Fast1953My Hero1952Phawar1951Basha Felika1950Grey Boots1949Lln1948Red Fury1947Columnist1946Royal Gem1945St. 20) 2nd1971 – Gay Is (7/4 – $2. Favoure Gay Is won the Clfield Cup and Silver Knight, who started at 10-1, also did the right thg for the punter.