Known for his 1990 Melbourne Cup win, Kingston Rule is a really special horse.
An American-bred runner, Kingston Rule managed to win the Melbourne Cup in an incredible time of 3 minutes, 16.3 seconds. A record at the time, it has stood the test. As of the 2022 renewal, Kingston Rule’s win still stands as the fastest Melbourne Cup ever.
Check out more about the horse and take a closer look at his 1990 success.
About Kingston Rule
Kingston Rule, foaled in 1986, was a Kentucky-bred. He was bred by David Hains, a Victoria man who had also bred Kingston Town.
Kingston Rule was by Secretariat, the great Triple Crown winner in the US. He was also out of Rose of Kingston, the 1982 Australian Horse of the Year, so it seemed he was destined for greatness.
Patrick Biancone was Kingston Rule’s first trainer in France. He only ran once there before heading off to Australia where conditions were more to his liking. He was initially with Tommy Smith, but was not too successful at first.
Though Tommy Smith didn’t get the very best out of him, there were great things to come.
Kingston Rule’s Melbourne Cup Win
In 1989, Kingston Rule was sent to Bart Cummings. He of course was known as a master of training Melbourne Cup winners.
After winning a couple of races at Sandown he was placed in the Carlyon Cup. He ran in several races, looking to qualify for the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup. He managed 7th in the Australian Cup, 5th in the Memsie, 4th in the Craiglee and 2nd in the Coongy Handicap.
Though he didn’t qualify for the Caulfield Cup he eventually managed a big win. His success in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup was achieved in a record time. Clearly peaking, he was ready for the Melbourne Cup.
1990 Melbourne Cup
There had been some confusion over jockey bookings before the race. The main jockeys connected to Bart Cummings could not commit. Kingston Rule didn’t get a start in the Mackinnon Stakes, so went for the Hotham Handicap under young rider Darren Beadman.
After getting into the Melbourne Cup, Beadman was allowed to keep the ride on Kingston Rule. As it turns out, the horse and Beadman were great partners and swept to Melbourne Cup victory.
It quickly became clear that the time was spectacular. Kingston Rule beat The Phantom and Mr Brooker is a race record time of 3:16.3, a time that has yet to be beaten.
