A brilliant galloping machine, Octagonal earned a cult following in Australia with his electrifying finishing burst which carried him to 10 Group I victories. He became known as The Big O and was one of the most popular racehorses ever to grace the turf. A $210,000 yearling purchase from Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, Octagonal was bred to be a champion with his blue-blood pedigree. He lived up to expectations from day one and was the first horse in 23 years to capture Australia’s Triple Crown of three-year-old races featuring the AJC Australian Derby.

As a four-year-old he completed another notable treble by winning the Cox Plate, Mercedes Classic and Australian Cup. A crowd of 28,000 turned up for his farewell appearance in the 1997 Queen Elizabeth Stakes and though he had to bow to Intergaze the reception he received was a winning one. At stud in Australia Octagonal has already been very successful.

Statistics

1992 brown horse

Zabeel-Eight Carat by Piece Of Eight

Breeder: Cambridge Stud

Owners: Bob and Jack Ingham

Trainer: John Hawkes (Australia)

Race Record: 28 starts, 14 wins, 7 seconds, 1 third

Prize Money: AU$5,892,231

Group 1 Wins: AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes, Canterbury Guineas, Cox Plate, Rosehill

Guineas, Mercedes Classic (twice), Australian Derby, Underwood Stakes, Chipping

Norton Stakes, Australian Cup