Better Loosen Up will always be remembered as a great racehorse, he passed away just opposite the Melbourne Airport at Living Legends, a caring institution for retired geldings, as entires and mares have a life thereafter for stud purposes.

He was a great favourite with the staff, he answered to the name of Blue, he shared a paddock with the Caulfield Cup winner, Paris Lane, until his death at 30 years of age.

Better Loosen was bred by Howard Martin at Berrigan, from the mating of the American bred Loosen Up, a son of Never Bend, at Len Rhodes stud Corowa, to the Better Boy mare, Better Fantasy, she produced 16 foals, 10 raced 7 were winners.

While being broken in by Les Theodore he developed Ross River Fever and was on a drip for six weeks, he nearly died, and possibly would have, except for the expertise of Bob Knight of Popular Arm fame, who supplied ingredients that saved the life of Better Loosen Up.

Connections were well rewarded when he won at Bendigo, it was his second start in a race, he was ridden by Ron Burgess, bookmakers were hit to the boundary, he was backed in from 7-1 to even money, with Bendigo being a very strong ring at that time, led by the late Roy Hayes and Joe Arblaster.

Better Lossen Up eventually graduated to weight for age, he was the proven master at that stage of his career in the early nineties, besides the numerous weight for age races; he won the Cox Plate and Japan Cup.

The key to Better Loosen Up was he conserved his energy like no horse I’ve known, every lap of the mounting yard his head was closer to the ground, David Hayes almost had to wake him up for the jockey to mount. Was he a champion? Well if he wasn’t, I haven’t seen one.