SIR BLINK was a champion of the 1950's and trainer Jack Godley lined his pockets pulling off one of the biggest betting coups ever seen in the 1958 Caulfield Cup

I. R. Cole, an accomplished equestrian, hunting enthusiast and amateur rider from Taranaki, bred SIR BLINK, a robust November foal, who was subsequently acquired by Mrs. W. M. Kellett of Melbourne for 475 guineas during her initial visit to the sales in New Zealand. It was a spur of the moment purchase and on returning to Australia, she convinced her brother to become part-owner. Nick-named Little Blinky, he never grew beyond 15h hands high yet proved a high-class stayer. The colt was by the sire BLUE CORAL from the mare INKY, hence the moniker.

In 1956, Tom Hogan, consistently seeking new challenges within his agricultural profession, was perusing an English Stud publication when he became particularly interested in the lineage of a stallion named BLUESKIN from the 1936 British champion, BLUE PETER, who won both the Epsom Derby and the 2000 Guineas in 1939. Tom Hogan was unable to meet the asking price for Blueskin independently, and his Fencourt Stud lacked the capacity to accommodate the increased equine population, so he pursued a 50/50 partnership with fellow Irishman Tom Laird, who resided a short distance away at a property Laird had named Cambridge Stud.

BLUESKIN II is recognised in the stud books as the foundational sire for Cambridge Stud, making an immediate impact by producing the nation's top two three-year-old colts from his initial progeny, BARGOED and BLUE LODGE. Blue Peters array of sons at stud included BLUE CORAL and his most notable offspring included MATRICE, WALTZING LADY, BENDRUM, and AMARCO. Amarco secured victory in the 1957 VRC Oaks, subsequently achieving greater renown as the dam of the esteemed international racehorse and stallion, TOBIN BRONZE.

Trained at Caulfield by Jack Godby, the offspring of Blue Coral in SIR BLINK won four times at two, his first win taking place on Oaks Day of the 1957 Melbourne Cup Carnival in the VRC Kempton Stakes. The following March he landed the VRC Gibson-Carmichael Stakes and in the next two months added a further two wins, both at a mile at Caulfield and Flemington displaying a wealth of natural speed. In his final juvenile appearance, SIR BLINK won the Ferndale Handicap carrying 9st 8lb (60kg).

His three-year-old season began with winning the VATC Heatherlie Handicap on his home course against the older horses, then third, a good thing beaten in the Gr.1 STC Rosehill Guineas after Godley decided on a Sydney visit. Jockey Bill Williamson had overplayed his hand trapped on the rail and landed a one-month suspension - the Derby mount going to Arthur Ward. Early in October he finished fast for second by one-and-a-quarter lengths to the top-class SKYLINE in the Gr.1 AJC Derby, but the favourite was hindered in the barriers when becoming restless and an attendant grabbed his head at the wrong time leading to the horse last away when the field was released. Skyline covered the first mile in 1:38 but Sir Blink delivered a magnificent finishing burst from the rear of the field and just failed to reel in the champion colt. Skyline had covered the mile and a half in 2:28.8, eclipsing TULLOCH’s time of a year earlier by three tenths of a second.

Back home in Melbourne SIR BLINK won the 1958 Gr.1 Caulfield Cup comfortably by two lengths with Alan Yeomans in the saddle, incredibly technically still a two-year-old and getting one back on SKYLINE who would be scratched from all further spring engagements. There was an avalanche in the betting for Sir Blink in the Caulfield Cup from 14/1 to 6/1. It was reported that trainer Jack Godby’s team of punters won the equivalent of $5 million. The stake for the 1958 race was £12,000. It turned the race into one of the most famous betting sensations in Australian turf history.

Jack Godby was a leading Caulfield trainer with an interesting crew of mystery punters. One such stable punter was a New Zealander who was warned off in his homeland because of 'tote manipulation'. Back then you couldn't bring money across from New Zealand, so he wore diamonds; earrings, necklaces, anything. He'd cash the diamonds in for cash at a pawn brokers in Sydney and play baccarat all night at illegal casinos. The Godby's were everywhere. Gordon Godby worked at Moonee Valley for 48 years and owned the 1945 Australian Cup winner SPECTRE. Bill Godby owned champion filly WIGGLE. Before the dramatic 1924 Cup, Cecil had trained the champion HEROIC and also GAINE CARRINGTON to win the 1933 Caulfield Cup.

The Godbys had been pulling up horses and pulling off plunges for years and Jack had been instructed by his father and Uncle in the dark art of the set-up; a necessity of the times. As recently as 1977, Jack was still terrorising the bookies. They had big coats with long pockets. Went to the car to unload, then went back to fill their pockets again. Jack's uncle Cecil won the 1924 Caulfield Cup with PURSER - and copped a 12-month disqualification (along with the owners, jockey and horse) three days later, after being found guilty of pulling up Purser in the Coongy Handicap three days before the Cup. Purser was to have been scratched from the Cup after failing to beat a runner home in the Coongy. THE MONK would be the stable's runner.

There was a minor sensation on the day of the race when The Monk was scratched and Purser, who had a late jockey switch - to an unknown Kiwi who'd never ridden at Caulfield - remained in the field. There was a greater sensation when Purser was plunged from 50-1 to 16-1 and gasps (mainly from the bookies' ring) when he looped the field and bolted in, giving Cecil one of his three Caulfield Cups. They reckon the stable took £50,000 from the bag men that day.

At SIR BLINK's next start, against his own age, he was too strong by three-quarters of a length in the 1958 Gr.1 VRC Victoria Derby ridden by Arthur Ward and avoiding the Brian Crowley and Jack Green colt SKYLINE who they thought was too brilliant to face the Derby distance again. It was an amazing feat, but a punishing effort having only triumphed in the Caulfield Cup a week earlier, and it saw him finish the spring as the highest rated three-year-old. In the autumn he racked up placings in the Gr.2 VRC Blamey Stakes, St George Stakes and the St Leger. At four he won at Caulfield, then ran second to the prolific winner LORD in the Gr.1 Caulfield Stakes.

He then ran second, unlucky to go down by a neck conceding the winner REGAL WENCH 30lbs, in an attempt to defend his 1958 Caulfield Cup crown. Another second, this time to NOHOLME in the CB Fisher Plate was preceded by a win in the Port Adelaide Cup. In the autumn he placed second to the great champion TULLOCH in the Gr.1 AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Sir Blink later shattered his near foreleg sesamoid in the 1961 Bendigo Cup and had to be destroyed.  In all, he won ten races and £31,860 in stakes. Among a season of champions, he was possibly the best to emerge from the class of 1958, and his deeds should not be forgotten.

RACE RECORD - 10 wins

STAKE EARNINGS - £31,860