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subject: Might And Power: A True Champion Thoroughbred [print this page]

A truly magnificent thoroughbred horse, the New Zealand bred and Australian owned gelding, Might and Power conquered Australian horse racing in the 1990s. He was named Australian Horse of the Year twice. The brown very plain horse that could of passed off for a few dollars at the yearling sales did his owner and trainer proud, and wealthy, with an astonishing $5 million dollars in prize money. His indefatigable spirit to win made him one the very few thoroughbreds to succeed in winning both the Melbourne and Caulfield Cup double

Might and Power by Zabeel, a champion sire, is rated among greats such as Tulloch and Kingston Town, who each had their moments of glory on Australian racing tracks. Owner Nick Moraitis, jockeys Brian York and Jimmy Cassidy, trainer Jack Denham, all had much to do with the horses great success. After his first victory in only his third start on 24 July 1996, never looked back, winning back-to-back restricted races at Canterbury and an impressive victory in the Frank Packer Plate, winning by six lengths.

What made the sprinter different from the pack was his free, front running style that made him win a number of races by big margins, breaking many course records along the way. The bay gelding as a four year old reaffirmed his greatness on the racecourse with a great win in the Show County Quality run over 1200 metres. Racing at the rear of the field Might and Power came home strongly to beat Alfa, winner of the Caulfield Guineas. With Jim Cassidy in the saddle, Might and Power made mincemeat of his rivals in the 2,400 Caulfield Cup, smashing the racecourse record by seven and a half lengths. Credit must also go to Cassidy who allowed the gelding to stride freely. This emphatic victory was the stepping stone to further success, making punters revamp their betting strategies with generous wagers solely on Might and Power. His next taste of victory was in the Cox Plate, getting the better of Doriemus, whose jockey Greg Hall thought he had the race in his kitty. By the end of 1996, Might and Power was named World Champion Stayer.

At the start of 1997 Might and Power ran into third place in the Orr Stakes and then ran into second position in the St. George Stakes, behind Dane Ripper, while a minor injury forced the gelding out of the Australian Cup. Brian York took over the reins in Sydney, steering the gelding to a five-length victory in the Mercedes Classic. Might and Power was now definitely the horse to back, soon becoming every punter's favorite by winning four weight-for-age races. The AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes was the icing on the cake which the gelding won by ten and a half lengths in a race that included the best among Group 1 winners including the like of Champagne and Juggler. Might and Power couldn't stop his winning ways with further victories by five-and-three-quarter lengths from Summer Beau in the Hollindale Cup in Queensland, followed by another length's victory in the Doomben Cup, beating Intergaze.

After a few defeats, Brian York was again replaced by Jim Cassidy, who whipped up the Caulfield Stakes once again. The gelding had 40,000 punters in Moonee Valley on their toes on 24 October 1998 in the Cox Plate, winning comfortably in record time by over a length from Northern Drake. The VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes was perhaps his last victory, winning by seven lengths after which a tendon injury kept the gelding out of racing until September 2000, trotting off into retirement at the Living Legends in Woodlands Historic Park, Greenvale, Victoria, after two starts. Undoubtedly, Might and Power is also an inductee in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

by: K Cummings



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