Blue Spec was a good Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse who established a new record in winning the Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...

 in 1905. He was a brown stallion bred by Augustus Hooke, jnr. and foaled in 1899 at his Tia River

Tia River

The Tia River is a river on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The headwaters of the river rise in high country on the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range about south west of Tia. It flows generally north east crossing the Oxley Highway before spilling over the Tia Falls...

 Station, Tia

Tia, New South Wales

Tia, is a settlement and parish located approximately 30 kilometres east of Walcha, on the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia....

, near Walcha, New South Wales

Walcha, New South Wales

Walcha is a parish and town at the south-eastern edge of the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia.The town serves as the seat of Walcha Shire. Walcha is located 425 kilometres by road from Sydney at the intersection of the Oxley Highway and Thunderbolts Way...

.

Pedigree

His sire, True Blue (NZ) was a good racehorse, winning the Carrington Stakes and the Waverley Handicap carrying as a four-year-old. True Blue was purchased by Augustus Hooke in 1893 and sired 13 stakeswinners that won 19 principal races. Blue Spec's dam, Specula, was by Splendor (GB) who was a useful sire. Kennaquhair

Kennaquhair (horse)

Kennaquhair was an Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse that won the Sydney Cup , and the AJC Metropolitan Handicap as well as finishing second in the 1918 Melbourne Cup.-Pedigree:...

 (won Sydney Cup

Sydney Cup

The Sydney Cup is an Australian horse race, held for Thoroughbred horses and run over 3200 metres. It is run every year at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, New South Wales in April/May...

 and AJC Metropolitan Handicap

Metropolitan Handicap

The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile," is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile .The Met Mile was first...

 etc.) and Eric were from the same family and closely related to Blue Spec.

Racing record

Blue Spec was sold in Sydney during 1903 for 155 guineas to Mr P.A. Connolly of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. He was then taken to Western Australia where he won the Kalgoorlie Cup and Perth Cup

Perth Cup

The Perth Cup is Western Australia's premier Thoroughbred horse race and is held at Ascot Racecourse on New Year's Day each year. It has been run since 1887....

, the two most important races in that state. Blue Spec had carried Connolly's red and white colours to the start of an amazing five consecutive and two later wins in the Perth Cup, with different horses, for his owner.

The Melbourne Cup was the next target and Blue Spec was taken to trainer, Walter Hickenbotham's stables in Victoria in 1904 with this in mind. From this base he won the 1905 Moonee Valley Cup and then the 1905 Melbourne Cup in the record time of 3:27½. Blue Spec's victory in the Melbourne Cup was the trainer's fourth success in this important race.

Stud record

At stud Blue Spec sired two stakes winners, Blue Rain (WATC Easter Handicap) and Semi Blue (WATC Osborne Stakes) as well as other winners.

Blue Spec was inducted into the West Australian Racing Industry Hall of Fame.