Russia was a notable Australian thoroughbred racehorse. He was a chestnut son of Excitement from the mare Lady March. A hardy competitor he competed for seven seasons over distances from 5 furlongs (1000m) to 2 ΒΌ miles, starting 89 times for 22 wins. His biggest win was the 1946 VRC Melbourne Cup which he won by 5 lengths in a time of 3 minutes 21.25 seconds that equalled the then race record set by Wotan ten years earlier. He won a further 10 races following his Melbourne Cup win before his owners sold him to American interests.
