A GARDEN GROWN FROM A CUP WIN
For 25 years, a waterfall near the roundabout at Flemington sat quietly in the landscape. This year, it became the centrepiece of the Prosperity Garden, a Japanese- inspired space shaped as much by memory as by horticulture.
“I’d always wanted to build a Japanese garden, but it never quite tied in with the roses,” said Michael Ryan, Flemington’s Head of Grounds and Gardens. The waterfall had been there for decades, undeveloped and waiting for the right project to bring it to life. The timing was too good to ignore. This year marks 20 years since Delta Blues stormed to victory in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, with stablemate Pop Rock second, becoming the first Japanese-trained horse to win the race. For a small group on the Flemington team, the memory never quite faded. “Delta Blues was in the back of my mind,” Ryan said. “Between the anniversary and the fact that some of us backed it and still have fond memories of that win, it felt like the right tribute.” The result is the newly developed Prosperity Garden, with a dedicated corner named in the horse’s honour. Its name is spelled out in Japanese script on a granite marker: Delta Blues Garden.
Step through the large torii gate, and the garden unfolds. A pond holds goldfish and Japanese koi, overlooked by three pagodas – two small and one large – among Japanese maples, crab apples, a lace-leaf maple and azaleas. Himalayan bamboo provides screening, while a stone pine bonsai adds another distinctly Japanese touch. Decking for viewing and a traditional Japanese seat invite visitors, on race day and every day, to slow down rather than simply pass through. It is a fitting way to mark a horse whose win still carries weight two decades on. Trained by Katsuhiko Sumii and ridden by Yasunari Iwata, Delta Blues delivered more than a memorable Melbourne Cup. His victory, with Pop Rock, completed an historic Japanese-trained quinella and opened a new chapter for Japanese horses at Flemington. Two decades later, a garden gives that moment a permanent place in the landscape.
WORDS CELIA PURDEY
64 | 2026 OFFICIAL SOUVENIR MAGAZINE
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