Every now and again I chase down a race call made famous in Oz way back in 1970. The great Bert Bryant had the pleasure of calling one of the more memorable races in Australian horse racing. It was a match race between Rain Lover, the winner of the previous 1968 - 9 Melbourne Cups and the Cummings trained Big Philou, a horse nobbled when favourite for the 1969 race. He had to be withdrawn 39 minutes before the race. Big Philou had been backed in doubles to take out the Caulfield - Melbourne Cup double for half a million dollars, huge money in those days. He won the first leg on protest. Bookies were shuddering. Another favoured runner, Tails, was also nobbled in the 69 cup. Tails wasn't as badly hit, and he looked ok, but after race testing found that he'd nailed as well. He started favourite and ran a monster of a race considering that he'd been poisoned. The link below is Bert Bryant's legendary call of the clash when Rain Lover and Big Philou finally met in the 1970 running of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington.
http://www.racerate.com/1970 MATCH RACE OF CENTURY BIG PHILOU RAIN LOVER.mp3