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February 26, 2025

Top 10 Most Iconic Racing Colours in Australian Horse Racing History

Home Horse Racing Top 10 Most Iconic Racing Colours in Australian Horse Racing History

Iconic Australian racing colours are part of the visual history of the sport. A distinctive jacket and cap can bring back memories of a champion, a famous victory or an enduring ownership legacy before the horse’s name is even mentioned.

Racing colours are registered by owners with the relevant racing authority, then worn by the jockey riding that owner’s horse. Fans naturally associate memorable designs with champions such as Winx and Black Caviar, so this guide connects each famous horse with the ownership colours it helped make recognisable. The National Museum of Australia explains how owner colours are registered and protected.

About this guide

This curated selection considers public recognition, major-race success, longevity and cultural impact. Colour descriptions and racing records were cross-checked against racing-club records, museum material, official horse profiles and established racing publications. Last reviewed: 27 July 2026.

10 Iconic Australian Racing Colours at a Glance

These famous racing colours are summarised below using documented race-day descriptions.

Colour connection	Verified description	Strongest association
Magic Bloodstock	Royal blue with white “M”	Winx
Black Caviar’s ownership connection	Salmon pink with black “caviar” spots	Black Caviar
Tony Santic	Royal blue, white Southern Cross, red-and-white checked half and checked cap, royal blue pom pom	Makybe Diva
Harry Telford’s 1930 colours	Red body, black-and-white hooped sleeves, red cap for the 1930 Melbourne Cup	Phar Lap
Dato Tan Chin Nam	Black-and-white checks, yellow sleeves, black-and-white checked cap	Saintly, Viewed and So You Think
Bart Cummings-associated colours	Green-and-gold diagonal stripes, white cap	Red Handed, Think Big in 1974 and Let’s Elope
Sunline’s ownership connection	Pale blue, red-and-yellow striped sleeves, yellow cap	Sunline
Nick Moraitis	White, grey sash, pink-striped sleeves, grey cap	Might And Power
Ingham family	All cerise	Octagonal, Lonhro and Fangirl
Lloyd Williams	Navy blue with white armbands; white cap in the base configuration	What A Nuisance, Efficient, Green Moon and other Melbourne Cup winners

1. Magic Bloodstock’s Royal Blue and White “M” — Winx

The royal blue jacket with its white “M” is the Magic Bloodstock design made famous by Winx. Racing.com identifies the design as Magic Bloodstock’s blue with white “M”, a combination that became unmistakably linked with Winx’s record-breaking career.

Ownership: Winx was owned in partnership by Magic Bloodstock, managed by Peter Tighe, Debbie Kepitis and Richard Treweeke.
Key jockey: Hugh Bowman was Winx’s regular rider. Her official profile records six riders across her career.
Why the colours are iconic: Winx won 33 consecutive races, a record four Cox Plates and 25 Group 1 races during a 43-start career.

Those ownership, rider and career details are recorded on the official Winx website.

Video: 60 Minutes Australia.

2. Salmon Pink with Black “Caviar” Spots — Black Caviar

Black Caviar’s ownership connection used one of the most immediately recognisable designs in modern racing: salmon pink with black spots. The Victoria Racing Club describes them as black “caviar” spots and calls the set Australia’s most iconic colours associated with a single thoroughbred.

Ownership: The colours represented Black Caviar’s ownership syndicate and became synonymous with her unbeaten career.
Key jockey: Luke Nolen partnered Black Caviar in most of her defining victories.
Why the colours are iconic: Black Caviar retired unbeaten after 25 starts, with 15 Group 1 wins and a Royal Ascot victory among her achievements.

The colour description is documented by the Victoria Racing Club.

Video: 60 Minutes Australia.

3. Tony Santic’s Australian and Croatian-Inspired Colours — Makybe Diva

Makybe Diva raced in owner Tony Santic’s highly detailed design. The full Melbourne Cup description is royal blue, white Southern Cross, red-and-white checked half and checked cap, with a royal blue pom pom. The Southern Cross represented Australia, while the red-and-white checks referenced Santic’s Croatian heritage.

Owner: Tony Santic.
Key jockey: Glen Boss rode Makybe Diva in all three of her Melbourne Cup wins.
Why the colours are iconic: Makybe Diva remains the only horse to win the Melbourne Cup three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

The colours and their meaning are recorded by the Victoria Racing Club.

Video: 60 Minutes Australia.

4. Harry Telford’s Red, White and Black — Phar Lap

During his early career, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup, Phar Lap raced in the colours of his trainer and lessee Harry Telford. The Victoria Racing Club records the race-day design as a red body, black-and-white hooped sleeves and red cap. The colours changed after Telford’s lease expired in 1931, making the race and year an important part of the description.

Racing connection: Harry Telford was Phar Lap’s trainer and lessee; American businessman David Davis was the legal owner.
Key jockey: Jim Pike rode Phar Lap to his 1930 Melbourne Cup victory.
Why the colours are iconic: The 1930 Cup is one of the defining victories in Phar Lap’s career and in Australian sporting folklore.

The VRC documents both the 1930 set and the later change in its account of racing’s colourful history. Read more about the champion in Mittys’ Phar Lap and Seabiscuit comparison.

5. Dato Tan Chin Nam’s Black-and-White Checks with Yellow Sleeves

The late Dato Tan Chin Nam’s black-and-white checked body, yellow sleeves and black-and-white checked cap created one of Australian racing’s most enduring owner identities. The design became closely associated with several champions trained by Bart Cummings.

Owner connection: Dato Tan Chin Nam.
Famous horses in this design: Saintly, Viewed and So You Think.
Melbourne Cup highlights: Darren Beadman wore the checks aboard Saintly in 1996, while Blake Shinn carried them to victory on Viewed in 2008.
Why the colours are iconic: Their long association with Dato Tan Chin Nam, Bart Cummings and multiple generations of elite horses established them as a familiar sight in major Australian races.

The VRC’s Melbourne Cup honour roll records Saintly’s exact colours, trainer and jockey.

Popular Racing Colour Patterns in Australia

Australian racing colours are known for bold, highly visible patterns, including checks, spots, sashes, hoops, stars, monograms and contrasting sleeves. The Mittys 3D illustrations below demonstrate popular racing colour styles and pattern combinations.

Visual guide: These Mittys renders illustrate popular pattern styles. Refer to official race and registration records when identifying historical colours.

3D illustration of royal blue racing colours with a contrasting white monogram — **Monogram**

3D illustration of salmon racing colours with contrasting black spots — **Spots**

3D illustration of blue racing colours with white stars and red and white checks — **Stars and checks**

3D illustration of red racing colours with contrasting hooped sleeves — **Hooped sleeves**

3D illustration of checked racing colours with contrasting yellow sleeves — **Checks and contrasting sleeves**

3D illustration of green and gold diagonal stripe racing colours — **Diagonal stripes**

3D illustration of pale blue racing colours with contrasting striped sleeves — **Contrasting striped sleeves**

3D illustration of white racing colours with a diagonal sash and striped sleeves — **Diagonal sash**

3D illustration of solid cerise racing colours — **Solid colour**

3D illustration of gold racing colours with contrasting striped sleeves — **Striped sleeves**

Inspired to Create Your Own Jockey Silks?

Use these popular pattern styles as inspiration, then build an original colour combination for your stable or racing team with the Mittys online design tool.

Design Your Own Jockey Silks

6. Bart Cummings’ Green-and-Gold Diagonal Stripes

The green-and-gold diagonal stripes with a white cap became closely associated with Bart Cummings, the trainer known as the “Cups King”. The Victoria Racing Club records that the Australian Racing Board protected the design from being copied, even after retirement, until 2063.

Connection: Trainer Bart Cummings.
Melbourne Cup winners in this design: Red Handed in 1967, Think Big in 1974 and Let’s Elope in 1991.
Why the colours are iconic: The design became part of the public identity of a trainer who won a record 12 Melbourne Cups.

The design’s history and its Melbourne Cup record are documented in the Victoria Racing Club’s history of successful silks.

7. Pale Blue with Red-and-Yellow Striped Sleeves — Sunline

Sunline’s familiar race-day colours were pale blue with red-and-yellow striped sleeves and a yellow cap. Their high-contrast combination became a defining visual of the champion mare’s front-running performances across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

Owners: Trevor McKee, Thayne Green and Helen Lusty, as recorded in Sunline’s Emirates Racing Authority profile.
Trainers: Trevor McKee, later in partnership with his son Stephen.
Key jockey: Greg Childs partnered Sunline in both Cox Plate victories.
Why the colours are iconic: Sunline won the Cox Plate in 1999 and 2000 and became one of the defining Australasian race mares of her era.

LOVE Racing New Zealand preserves the footage and race history of Sunline’s second Cox Plate victory.

8. Nick Moraitis’s White, Grey and Pink — Might And Power

Might And Power’s 1997 Melbourne Cup colours are recorded as white with a grey sash, pink-striped sleeves and a grey cap. The restrained body and sash were balanced by the distinctive sleeve treatment, creating a memorable design for one of the great front-running careers.

Owner: Nick Moraitis.
Trainer: Jack Denham.
Key jockey: Jim Cassidy rode Might And Power in the 1997 Melbourne Cup and many of his defining wins.
Why the colours are iconic: Might And Power won the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup in 1997, then the Cox Plate in 1998.

The exact Cup configuration is listed in the VRC Melbourne Cup honour roll.

9. The Ingham Family’s All-Cerise Colours

The Ingham family’s primary colours are best described simply as all cerise. The solid design became a fixture in elite Australian racing during the Woodlands Stud era and continues through the next generation of the Ingham family.

Ownership connection: Jack and Bob Ingham, Woodlands Stud and the Ingham family.
Famous horses: Octagonal, Lonhro and, more recently, Fangirl.
Key jockey moment: Shane Dye wore the cerise when Octagonal won the 1995 Cox Plate.
Why the colours are iconic: Their simplicity, longevity and association with generations of top-level horses made cerise one of the most recognisable sights in Australian racing.

Racing.com documented the Ingham family’s iconic cerise returning to the Cox Plate with Fangirl.

10. Lloyd Williams’ Navy Blue and White

Lloyd Williams’ best-known base design is navy blue with white armbands and a white cap. It was worn by What A Nuisance in the 1985 Melbourne Cup and by later Cup winners including Efficient in 2007 and Green Moon in 2012.

Owner connection: Lloyd Williams and his racing partnerships.
Cap variations: When the stable had multiple runners, different caps helped distinguish them. For example, Almandin and Twilight Payment won in red caps, while Rekindling won in a pink cap.
Racing legacy: Multiple Melbourne Cup-winning jockeys have worn the navy-and-white ownership colours.
Why the colours are iconic: The VRC describes the navy-and-white silks of the seven-time Melbourne Cup-winning owner as arguably the most recognisable modern Cup colours.

That history and the use of the colours by multiple Cup winners are documented by the Victoria Racing Club.

Why Racing Colour Descriptions Sometimes Differ

A famous horse may appear in more than one colour description because racing colours can change with the ownership, race or field configuration. Common reasons include:

Ownership changes: A horse can race for different owners during its career.
Second colours: An owner may have more than one registered set.
Different caps: Stewards may approve cap variations to distinguish runners with the same or similar ownership.
Informal shorthand: Fans often name colours after the champion horse that made them famous.

For the most accurate historical identification, check the horse, race, year, ownership connection and full jacket–sleeve–cap description. Mittys’ guide to looking up racing colours and their owners explains where to start.

Design Racing Colours That Are Distinctly Yours

The strongest racing colours combine clear visibility with a distinctive identity. Before ordering, check the relevant racing authority’s rules and confirm that your proposed jacket, sleeve and cap combination is available. Mittys’ jockey colours registration guide explains the process across Australia and New Zealand.

Create Your Own Racing Identity

Turn an original concept into race-ready jockey colours designed for visibility, movement and performance.

Design Your Own Jockey Silks Contact Mittys

Iconic Australian Racing Colours: Frequently Asked Questions

Do racing colours belong to the horse or jockey?

Racing colours are registered by an owner or ownership connection. The jockey wears those colours when riding the owner’s horse, while fans often refer to a design by the champion horse that made it famous.

Why did some famous horses race in different colours?

A horse may change ownership, race for a different partnership or need an approved alternate cap when related runners appear in the same race. That is why an accurate historical description should be tied to a particular race and year wherever possible.

Can I copy a famous set of racing colours?

Registered and specially protected designs may be unavailable for official racing. Use famous colours as inspiration for an original combination, then submit the proposed design to the relevant racing authority for approval before manufacture.

What colours did Phar Lap wear in the 1930 Melbourne Cup?

For the 1930 Melbourne Cup, the VRC records a red body, black-and-white hooped sleeves and a red cap. Phar Lap raced in different colours at other points, so the race and year matter when describing his silks.

How do I check and register racing colours in Australia?

Registration is managed by the relevant state or territory racing authority. Search existing colours, review the authority’s design rules and submit the proposed jacket, sleeve and cap combination for approval before ordering the finished garment.