The man known as ‘Black Bill’, William Forrester, was the owner of Warwick Farm and a number of racehorses. As a trainer, he landed the Melbourne Cup twice in a row in the late 1800’s.
We’re looking at his background and career, in particular his Melbourne Cup victories.
About William Forrester
William Forrester was born in August 1842. Having a cousin with exactly the same name meant William became known as ‘Black Bill’. This distinguished the two men.
Forrester bought the land known as Warwick Park in 1881. He renamed it Warwick Farm in order for it to correspond with his own initials.
Unfortunately, a lot of Forrester’s life was blighted by gambling addiction. He once even put up Warwick Farm in a card game, luckily winning although he did have to sell off land to pay debts.
After forming the Warwick Farm Racing Club, ‘Black Bill’ Forrester held the inaugural horse racing meeting at Warwick Farm on March 16, 1889. The Australian Jockey Club bought Warwick Farm in 1922. After refurbishments were completed, racing resumed there in 1925.
Forrester died in 1901 having trained runners in five Melbourne Cups, winning it twice.
Melbourne Cup Achievements
Though the rest of his training achievements were strong if not particularly outstanding, two Melbourne Cup wins will always add interest to anyone’s story. Mind you, ‘Black Bill’ probably didn’t need that.
Forrester landed first and second place in 1897 with Gaulus and The Grafter. Having finished second, The Grafter came back the very next year to win a Melbourne Cup of his own.
William Forrester’s Melbourne Cup Wins
‘Black Bill’ recorded some high-profile victories in his time. His career however was highlighted as a trainer and owner by this pair of Melbourne Cup successes:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Horse Owner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | The Grafter | 5 | John Gough | Black Bill Forrester | 3:29.75 |
| 1897 | Gaulus | 6 | Stephen Callinan | Black Bill Forrester | 3:31.00 |
In terms of time, William Forrester’s Melbourne Cup success was rather short lived. Gaining two Melbourne Cup wins with two different horses however does show off his prowess.
The fact that he owned both horses as well as trained them make the feat rarer. With two wins, in the grand scheme of things Forrester is in the minority when it comes to managing more than one career-defining Melbourne Cup victory.
The Grafter, having run second to his stablemate in 1897, came back to score in 1898. There was a protest however, which The Grafter survived to add his name to the cup.
