Alfred W. Cox

Who was Alfred W. Cox?

Alfred Cox, who campaigned his horses under the assumed name of 'Mr Fairie', made his fortune in Australia as a young man, having spotted silver in the dirt of a derelict sheep farm that he had won at poker on the voyage out. The purchase of the mare Lady Muncaster laid the foundations of an equine family that was to do Mr Fairie proud, producing the classic winners Lemberg and Bayardo and the Triple Crown hero Gay Crusader. Unlike the Aga Khan III, he would not cash in on the sale of his stars - he refused £100,000 for Gay Crusader (equivalent today to £2.7 million).