Bill Duncan a career best 893 wins which included major notable races including two Melbourne Cups and Caulfield Cups, major handicaps and weight-for-age races. His 11 premierships stood as a record only to be matched by Roy Higgins.
Bill Duncan was one of Australia’s champion jockeys between the wars. Born in 1900, Duncan was a natural lightweight, learning in 1916, where he rode his first winner in a race at Mentone. At the age of 18 he won his first major race in 1918, the Coongy Handicap. Nicknamed ‘Little Billy’, he weighed less than seven stone when he first rode the Melbourne Cup in 1918. He was chosen to ride the Richard Bradfield-trained Night’s Watch as there were few riders who could reach the weight of 42.18 of the Night’s Watch. kg. The 1918 Cup was the fifth and final Cup race during World War I. Duncan led Night Watch to victory in a time of 3:25.75, followed by Kennaquhair in second and Gadabout in third.
Duncan’s other memorable victory came in the Caulfield Cup in the spring of 1925, running the second favorite 7–1, to win by two and a half lengths, the first of his two cup victories. He also won a Sydney Cup and many other weight-for-age events. A favorite on the Melbourne slopes, Duncan won 11 Melbourne Jockeys Premiership titles, including one as a trainee. The 1925 AJC Derby was a race in which he displayed his exemplary skills to steer Manfred to victory despite falling within 100 meters of the barrier. Duncan was also a VRC Derby winner.
Duncan’s last race was to be the 1932 Melbourne Cup in Peter Pan, a crowd favorite from the start. In a fast-paced run, Duncan made a move to lead Peter Pan across a gap as the horses closed in. However, the horse was struck, but was saved from tripping headfirst after taking a hit from stablemate Denis Boy. Peter Pan then regained his footing and headed home to win by a neck. Soon after, a serious fall from Rose Valais forced Duncan to retire in 1933 to finish with 893 winners. 74 of his wins were in stakes races, while the rest were due to numerous major handicaps and weight-for-age races.
After his retirement, Duncan served on the committee of the Fitzroy Football Club from 1952 to 1955. His achievements were recognized with an induction into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. Duncan’s record 11 premierships was matched by Roy Higgins. However, Duncan’s first premierships were only counted from the time official records were kept.
