The Horse That Bart Built — So You Think's Incredible Journey

As a youngster, So You Think caught the eye of Australia’s legendary trainer Bart Cummings. He liked the future he saw in his gangly frame, and thought his luckiest owner Dato’ Tan Chin Nam might have some fun with him. As a racehorse, So You Think captivated Australasia with his rock star good looks, his brilliance and strength. As a three year old, and at just his fifth race start, he led all the way to win the prestigious W.S Cox Plate. A year later, he won the great race again in scintillating style, the only horse victorious in the race as a three and four year old. The handsome black stallion was Australasian racing’s biggest star, almost as famous as his master trainer. When he surged to the lead for the Cups King in the 2010 Melbourne Cup, the roar of the crowd could be heard suburbs away from the famous Flemington track. Experts debated whether he was the best horse the octogenarian had trained, better than the mighty Saintly, better even than the wonderful Galilee; who knew what legacy the pair would leave? He was certainly the best horse jockey Steven Arnold had ridden, a favorite too of Bart’s loyal horsemen Reg Fleming and Joe Agresta. So You Think was so good he also captured the attention of the racing world, and eventually breeding giant Coolmore made an offer too big to refuse. The sting in the sale saw the horse taken from Bart’s stable in Melbourne and transferred to Aiden O’Brien’s Ballydoyle in Ireland. The move stunned Australia. But it was the start of an international odyssey that has seen So You Think compete across several different continents, in some of the world’s most elite races. He is now the most successful Australasian thoroughbred to grace the international stage, earning more than $7 million in prize money. Yet, wherever he goes, he is always the horse from Down Under…the horse that Bart built.

Helen Thomas has been a journalist for more than 30 years. Currently manager of ABC NewsRadio, she is the author of Past the Post and A Horse Called Mighty.