Melbourne Racing Club is to be applauded in continuing to name a race remembering Manfred.

Manfred raced during the mid twenties, 90 years ago, for 50 years thereafter stories were related to how he stood flat footed at the barrier, yet still won the AJC Derby.

That story was refuted some years later, when discussing the incident with Bill Duncan who rode Manfred in that memorable Derby.

Duncan’s version was that Manfred didn’t stand flat footed, he ran down the barrier which was a strand start, and was likely to jump into the public area.

He was unpredictable, a saint one day and a villain the next, he had a mood for every season, he would try the patience of all that came in contact with him.

From his 28 starts he refused to take part six times, on four of the occasions he started at odds on, he was not always a favourite with punters.

Raced by Ben Chaffey, former Chairman of the Victorian Amateur Turf Club, he was trained at Bendigo by Harry McCalman, in stables opposite the members drive way to the racecourse.

Manfred was a very good racehorse with an unusual temperament, he was downright wilful, you could not bounce him as he would bounce you back, possibly inherited via his sire Valais, as was Heroic, he would not take any fooling around with, nor would his son Nuffield, who often gave his trainer, Jack Holt, a hard time.

Manfred finally went to Leslie Aldridge’s stud in South Australia, where every foal in his first crop died due to soil contamination.

Aldridge moved to Kismet Park Sunbury with Manfred, where he met with success, siring Red Manfred, a very good performer in New Zealand, The Trump, dual Caulfield and Melbourne success, Manrico, Manolive and Mildura, plus he proved an excellent brood mare sire.