Lonhro, Rain Lover, Dulcify and Surround are the latest equine stars to be honoured with places in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
The four great horses were among 10 inductees at a ceremony in Canberra on Sunday night.
In the other categories, jockeys Shane Dye and Jim Munro took their places among the elite along with trainers Frank Dalton and Leon Macdonald. Race caller Eric Welch and the Tait family were inducted in the associate section for their impact on the racing industry.
An 11-time Group One winner, the popular Lonhro joins his father Octagonal in the Hall of Fame, recognising his stellar career on the track which has been followed by a successful career at stud.
Dulcify was rated by the late Colin Hayes as the best horse he ever trained, winning 10 of 21 starts including the 1979 Cox Plate. He started favourite in that year’s Melbourne Cup but suffered fatal injuries during the race.
Rain Lover belongs to a select group of horses to win more than one Melbourne Cup, coming back after his eight length in 1968 to win a close battle the following year.
Surround had a short but spectacular career and is remembered as the only three-year-old filly to win the Cox Plate, a feat she achieved in 1977 when she was also Horse of the Year.
A dual Sydney premiership winning jockey, the now-retired Dye won four successive Golden Slippers from 1989-92 and was aboard a three-year-old Octagonal in his famous 1995 Cox Plate victory.
The late Jim Munro won two Melbourne Cups and was associated with legendary horses Phar Lap, Windbag and Amounis in a career which took him to India and Germany. He was the elder brother of Darby Munro, also a Hall of Fame jockey.
Dalton was recognised for his achievements during the 1940s and 1950s as one the country’s eminent trainers, winning a host of major races.
Macdonald’s career has so far spanned 40 years. From his Adelaide base he has sent horses east to win some of the country’s major races including Derbies with Gold Guru and Rebel Raider and the 2011 Caulfield Cup with Southern Speed.
Broadcaster Welch left journalism to become a race caller. His first Melbourne Cup call was in 1927 and he remained Victoria’s leading caller until failing eyesight forced his retirement in 1954.
The Tait family has bred and raced some of the best horses of the post-war era on their southern NSW property. With a band of broodmares including the great Whisked, the Taits have produced many Group One winners including Cabachon and Baguette, the first winner of Sydney two-year-old triple crown. Their other champions include 13-time Group One winner Tie The Knot and outstanding sprinter Spinning Hill.
