He also won the Champion Stakes and was noted for his performances in the top handicap races.
Carrying 6 st 10 lb he won the race by a neck from Tonans, with Medicus a further three lengths back in third place.
[5] For the Cambridgeshire Stakes of 1884 he started at 100/8, but was carrying significantly more weight (8 st 2 lb).
[7] At Royal Ascot he lined up for the Hardwicke Stakes, where he started as the 4/6 favourite and faced six opponents.
As the field turned into the finishing straight Crafton took the inside line and went into the lead, followed by Bendigo and Lucerne.
In the closing stages of the race Bendigo fought with Eastern Emperor for second, the former coming out on top by a neck.
The race was worth £10,000, a record in British horseracing,[10] and attracted many top horses, including 1884 Epsom Derby winner St. Gatien, Gay Hermit, Candlemas and 1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks winner Miss Jummy.
In the finishing straight Bendigo, ridden by Tom Cannon, took the lead while still pulling hard.
With a quarter of a mile left to run he was slightly clear of St. Gatien, with Candlemas and Gay Hermit nearby.
St. Gatien attempted to catch Bendigo, but ended up fighting for second place, as Cannon let Bendigo stride clear to win by three lengths from Candlemas, with St. Gatien a further half length back in third place.