Lonhro's name is based on the stock exchange code of the London Rhodesian Mining and Land Company, LONRHO.

Settling near the rear of the field, he came wide in the straight, making ground on the leaders but unable to catch the eventual winner, True Jewels, finishing 1½ lengths fourth.

Instead of pressing on to the Sydney carnival, Lonhro was spelled as another near-black Woodlands colt called Viscount won the AJC Sires Produce and Champagne Stakes.

For his next start, he went back to his own age group in the Ming Dynasty Quality-Gr3 (1,400 m) and held on to win by a short half-head after being sent out a very short-priced favourite.

That honour went to the multiple Group 1 winner Viscount, who had started his spring campaign in Sydney and won the George Main Stakes-Gr1 (1,600 m) where he, like Lonhro, defeated Shogun Lodge.

In the Caulfield Guineas, the boom colts Ustinov and Viking Ruler also lined up along with New Zealander Pure Theatre, Dash for Cash and Magic Albert.

After the victory, it was reported that Lonhro had suffered an injury with a minor wrench to a joint and it was felt in his best interests to spell for the autumn, meaning he would miss the W. S. Cox Plate.

As the short priced favourite, Lonhro was expected to have no problem taking out the Warwick S-Gr2 (1,400 m) at his next start but was beaten a half head by Defier.

At his next start, only six horses lined up for the George Main Stakes-Gr1 (1,600 m) but it was described as a mini Cox Plate with Sunline, Defier, Lonhro, Excellerator and Shogun Lodge entered.

Sunline set a moderate pace in front from Defier, then Shogun Lodge outside Lonhro with Hey Pronto and Excellerator at the rear.

Around the turn, Sunline raced clear of Ustinov with Lonhro steadily making ground but giving the mare a huge head start.

Inside the final 50 m, Sunline and Lonhro were level with the mare fighting back strongly, but her younger rival edged in front to win by a half neck in race record time of 2:00:60.

Lonhro backed up a week later in the Mackinnon S-Gr1 (2,000 m) at Flemington, edging out Royal Code to finish his 2002 spring campaign on a winning note.

He was back a week later in the Chipping Norton Stakes-Gr1 (1,600 m) at Warwick Farm, coming away to win under hands and heels riding by 1½ lengths from Shogun Lodge.

Defier and Shogun Lodge looked to be his main dangers, but then the rain fell and both his rivals were scratched when the track was rated officially slow.

There was brief speculation that Lonhro might be retired to stud, but it was soon announced that he would return to racing as a 5-year-old with the WS Cox Plate his spring target.

In the running, Fields of Omagh hit the lead around the turn as Defier challenged and Lonhro lost ground trying to balance up for the straight.

Again, he settled near the rear, but Grand Armee's rider rode a tactically clever race, taking the lead and slowing the pace in the middle part, whilst opening up a large gap between himself and Lonhro.

His winning strike-rate (74%) is the highest of any Australian champion with a comparable number of starts since the introduction of the award, and is higher than that of four of the five inaugural Hall Of Fame inductees – Phar Lap, Bernborough, Tulloch, and Kingston Town – and second only to Carbine, who raced more than 100 years earlier.

Lonhro's winning strike-rate in Group One races (64%) is the highest of any comparable Australian champion since the introduction of the system, including Kingston Town.

A Lonhro colt from a Royal Academy mare, Palme d'Or, brought NZ$1,050,000 at the 2007 Karaka premier Sale in New Zealand, while Denman, from his second crop, won the Golden Rose at Rosehill in August 2009.

Lonhro's Group One winners are: c = colt, f = filly, g = gelding Other Stakes winning horses include Euryale, Celts, Parables, Obsequious, Launay, Pinwheel, Tampiko and Dysphonia.

In August 2011 Makybe Diva, a fellow Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year (2005 & 2006) produced her fourth foal, a colt by Lonhro called Taqneen.