21 Facts About Vintage Crop

Vintage Crop was a British-bred Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse best known for becoming the first northern hemisphere trained runner to win Australia's premier race the Melbourne Cup.

Vintage Crop won 16 races in Ireland, England, and Australia.

Vintage Crop won international fame in 1993 by becoming the first northern hemisphere-trained horse to win the Melbourne Cup.

Vintage Crop is commemorated by a statue in the Curragh Racecourse.

Vintage Crop returned to Australia for the 1994 and 1995 Melbourne Cups, where he finished seventh and third, respectively.

Vintage Crop was trained by Dermot Weld, who returned to Australia in 2002 and again won the Melbourne Cup with the Irish horse Media Puzzle.

Vintage Crop was a chestnut gelding with a white star and three white socks bred in the United Kingdom by Bertram and Diana Firestone.

Vintage Crop was from the first crop of foals sired by Rousillon an American stallion who raced in Europe, winning the Queen Anne Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix du Moulin in 1985.

Vintage Crop entered the ownership of Michael Smurfit and was sent into training with Dermot Weld at the Curragh.

Vintage Crop began his racing career by winning a two-mile flat race at Thurles Racecourse in October 1991 and was then campaigned in National Hunt races, winning two novice hurdle in December.

Vintage Crop returned to the flat in 1992, winning handicap races at Gowran Park and Tralee and finishing fifth to Mashaallah when moved up in class for the Group One Irish St Leger at the Curragh Racecourse.

In 1993, Vintage Crop made a brief return to hurdling to finish sixth to Granville Again in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse before being aimed at long distance races on the flat.

Vintage Crop won a minor race at Leopardstown Racecourse and the Listed Curragh Cup as well as being placed in the Saval Beg Stakes and the Meld Stakes and finishing sixth in the Ascot Gold Cup.

Vintage Crop was then sent to Australia in an attempt to become the first foreign-trained horse to win the Melbourne Cup.

In 1994 Vintage Crop won the Saval Beg Stakes and finished three-quarters of a length second to Arcadian Heights in the Ascot Gold Cup.

Vintage Crop took the race for the second time, beating Rayseka by three lengths with the British challenger Bob's Return in fifth.

Vintage Crop then won the Listed Ballycullen Stakes before finishing fourth behind Strategic Choice, Moonax and Oscar Schindler in the Irish St Leger.

On his final racecourse appearance, Vintage Crop finished third behind Doriemus and Nothin' Leica Dane in the 1995 Melbourne Cup.

Vintage Crop retired at the Irish National Stud in Kildare and could be visited by the public as part of the stud's Living Legends exhibit, alongside Kicking King, Beef Or Salmon and Moscow Flyer.

Vintage Crop died at the Irish National Stud on 14 July 2014 at the age of twenty-seven.

Vintage Crop was buried on the K Club golf course, with a substantial grave marker.