Trainer Hanlon passes away

Legendary trainer George Hanlon, who trained three Melbourne Cup winners, has passed away at the age of 92 after a long battle with illness.

Hanlon had an extraordinary 65-year career as a trainer, winning Australia's biggest race in 1972 with Piping Lane, 1978 with Arwon and in 1984 with Black Knight.

A contemporary of the likes of Australia's two greatest trainers Bart Cummings and Tommy Smith, Hanlon achieved amazing things with small teams of horses and was specialised in producing top quality stayers.

His final Group One winner came in the 2001 Sydney Cup, while in one of the greatest training feats of the past 15 years, he prepared Diatribe to win the 2000 Caulfield Cup. As an 85-year-old, he prepared Mr Prudent when he was beaten by Media Puzzle in the 2002 Melbourne Cup.

He challenged Cummings as the premier trainer of stayers in Australia in the 1970s and 80s, and won a Cox Plate with Family of Man in 1977.

He famously once described horses as 'only being human' a measure of the hands-on manner he applied to his training. He was initially based at Epsom in Melbourne, but switched his operations to Geelong in the 1980s.

He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2002.