Darwin Cup

Winners and Past Results for the Darwin Cup

Darwin Cup is the biggest tourist attraction in the Northern Territory.

Held over eight days, the Darwin Cup Carnival includes some high quality racing.

The Darwin Cup Carnival is held in July and August every year at the picturesque Fannie Bay Racecourse in central Darwin, approximately seven minutes from the CBD.

Fannie Bay Racecourse is a 1780 metre racecourse and unlike some of its southern counterparts it has an oil mixed sand track rather than a turf overlay. Fannie Bay has a three hundred and forty metre finishing straight and has been the home of the Darwin Turf Club since its formation in 1955.

The Gold Cup is the premier event of the Darwin Cup Carnival and has been run at the Fannie Bay course since 1956.

The Darwin Cup with a prize purse of over a million dollars. It attracts some of the best horses and trainers in the country to the month long carnival of racing as well as providing hugely popular winter entertainment to visitors from all over Australia.

The 2012 Darwin Cup Carnival is from 7th July to 6th August 2012, with the Darwin Cup run on the first Monday of August.

Facts About the Darwin Cup:

• The first Darwin Cup winner at Fannie Bay was Satan’s Son, owned and trained and ridden by Peter McCracken. Satan’s Son, is the only non thoroughbred to win the Darwin Cup, ran over 1200 metres due to the unfinished track in 126 seconds.
• In 1965, Record post war stakemoney of $470 had been assigned by the Darwin Turf Club for the 6 races. A field of four raced for the Darwin Cup with prize money worth $260 plus a trophy valued at $42.
• Since the first Darwin Cup in 1956 no Darwin Cup winner had had to survive a protest re interference. But there is always a first time, in 1971 Kentuckey Colonel’s Jockey Peter Dempsey protested against Apian for alledged Interference over the final 100m. The protest was eventually dismissed by Stewards.
• The 1990 bicentennial Darwin Cup was the first $100,000 race staged in the Northern Territory, an amazing turnaround for the Club virtually decimated by Cyclone Tracey 15 years before.
• Since the turn of the Century the Darwin Cup is the biggest sports event in Northern Territory with over 20,000 race patrons attending each year.
• One of Australia’s best race callers John Russell called into Darwin for the first time in the year 1972. He viewed Son Of Cyrus win the Darwin Cup then worth $4,000. Son Of Cyrus a horse many claimed was the greatest horse to have ever raced in the Territory.

2012 Darwin Cup Goes To Hawks Bay Again

KYNETON iron horse Hawks Bay cemented his spot in Top End racing history when he won a second straight Darwin Cup carrying the huge impost of 64.5kg. Hawks Bay was headed in the closing stages by former Victorian horse Bolton, who had 7.5kg less.But the photo revealed he had fought back to win by a short half-head.Both his trainer Neil Dyer and jockey Steven Arnold thought he had just been beaten.Arnold described winning his third Darwin Cup as a great thrill.

"He's such a great horse and he was all courage today," Arnold said.

"When Bolton got to me I thought he had me, but he fought his heart out to the line."

Dyer said he was almost speechless after the win."He's got a lot of heart," he said.

"That was satisfying as he's had his problems."

Hawks Bay has contested the past four Darwin Cups.After finishing unlucky seconds at his first two attempts, he has since won at his past two attempts.