Racing’s grand old horse, Subzero, answered Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School pupils’ questions on Thursday, with the Melbourne Cup winner nodding enthusiastically when asked “are you rich?” and “do you have a girlfriend?”
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The horse, who won the Cup in 1992 and also served as the clerk of the course’s horse for many years, was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in Canberra last month.
Racing Victoria community education manager Rebecca Wilde said the visit was more about horses in general than racing.
“This is about fostering a love and appreciation of horses and also safety around horses,” she said.
During her presentation to the first group of pupils – preps, and grades 1s and 2s – she quizzed the pupils on ‘Subbie’. Her question of “how many kilograms do you think he weighs?” was immediately met with a excited response: “10,000!” After a few more guesses, pupils got to his real weight – 520kg.
Owner Graham Salisbury bought the Lee Freedman-trained horse when he retired from racing in 1994. Subzero was ridden by the clerk of the course until 2008.
Grade 6 pupil Jack Sampi said it was “pretty cool” to meet such a successful horse, and his question would be “do you think you’re the best racehorse?”
Humble after his years of service to the racing industry, Subbie would likely say “neigh.”
