Nimblefoot (horse)
| Nimblefoot | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Panic (GB) |
| Grandsire | Alarm (GB) |
| Dam | Quickstep (AUS) |
| Damsire | Lugar (GB) |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 1863 |
| Country | Australia |
| Colour | Bay |
| Owner | Walter Craig (1825?-1870) |
| Trainer | William Lang (1827?-1899) |
| Jockey | Johnny Day |
| Record | 58: 19-16-3 |
| Major wins | |
| Melbourne Cup (1870) Hotham Handicap (1870) Australian Cup (1871) | |
| Last updated on 2 August 2022 | |
Nimblefoot was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse that won the 1870 Melbourne Cup.[1]
Nimblefoot's owner, Walter Craig, dreamt four months before the race that his horse won the Cup but noted the jockey wore a black armband. Craig's prediction came true. His horse won the Cup and the jockey, John Day (1856-1885) [2] [3] wore the armband in Craig's honour, as Craig had died of gout and pneumonia at the age of 45 on 16th Aug 1870, 3 months before the running of the race.[4]
Johnny Day, the jockey, was a notable person in his own right. As a child, he had been a leading figure in the sport of pedestrianism and travelled to England to compete against leading pedestrian athletes of the day [5] before returning to Australia and becoming a speed walking performer in the theatre, although it was said that his backers did not receive the profits they expected from supporting him [6][7]. After a dispute resulting from Day's abscondment from the trainer William Lang soon after the 1870 Melbourne Cup, Day was required to return to his apprenticeship [8] and continued to ride horses [9]until at least 1877 when he suffered a bad fall in a ride in Yarrawonga [10]. He died in 1885 in Inglewood of Addison's disease [11].
References
- ^ "Past Melbourne Cup Winners 1861 to 1870". races.com.au.
- ^ "Johnny Day 1856-1885". portrait.gov.au.
- ^ "The late John Day.To the editor of the Sportsman". 2 November 1885.
- ^ "The Dream Cup of 1870". craigsroyal.com.au.
- ^ "Johnny Day 1856-1885". portrait.gov.au.
- ^ "This Evening, the Grand Pantomime". 27 June 1866.
- ^ "Notes by Nimrod=29 March 1884".
- ^ "Sporting Intelligence". 9 September 1871.
- ^ "Sporting Notes. By "Playboy"". 14 June 1873.
- ^ "Sporting notes". 24 March 1877.
- ^ "The late John Day.To the editor of the Sportsman". 2 November 1885.