We are hoping to uncover the First name of the trainer of the very first Melbourne Cup. We have a photo of him being presented by Jack Woodward, we have the Cup donated to Sandown by Max Johnson’s family engraved E Patterson. It worried me is this story that Frank Morley didn’t know who he was. Perhaps John Reid you may remember him. Doug Scott thought Syd Barrett trained him, he might have as John Stephens said that sort of things went on in those days.
2024 and the update to this story and mystery of the Rocketeer’s trainer. The mystery is solved for more years than I can remember there has been a question mark over who in fact trained Rocketeer the first Melbourne Cup winner in 1956. As I wrote back in 2020. For some reason club records listed E. Patterson as the trainer. Was is it Eddie or Ernie nobody seemed to know. The official Race Book certainly listed E Patterson as trainer. The Owner was never in dispute iconic Greyhound man of the ages the late great Max Johnson raced the black dog by Rocket Jet. Thanks to Max’s Granddaughter Robyn Todd has donated some of Max’s trophies and also sent me a quaint square case of memorabilia of all sorts of paperwork. Among the treasure trove I found this articual by Sun racing scribe Brian Meldrum. It clearly states the trainer was the late Jack Brown.Who is the mystery man accepting the trophy in the below photo it certainly wasn’t Jack Brown or Max Johnson. Was E Patterson the handler who knows I have changed the club records.
