Turf Monthly June 2023

monthly

TURF

June 2023

THIS MONTH

ANAMOE RETIRES DUBAI HONOUR STARS MO’UNGA EARNS ANOTHER TILT MAGE WINS THE KENTUCKY DERBY

Editor’s Letter This month we look back at some of the Sydney Autumn. Actually it is more of one race in the Queen Elizabeth that certainly was the highlight for me at least. It is a race with a great history dating back to 1851 when it was run as the Queen Plate. Among the winners are legendary names like Tim Whiffler, The Barb, Chester, Wakeful, David, Phar Lap, Windbag, tulloch and a host of other greats. Arguably the winners list is the most impressive of any race in the country. Even in this edition, we have discovered some interesting coincidences in the race and the connection of families and runners over the years.

This year’s race unearthed a horse that looks like he is the best middle distance horse currently in Australia in the winner Dubai Honour. The overseas bred gelding is by a stallion Pride Of Dubai who is a local horse who shuttles overseas. The different in success between the two countries that he has stood in highlights the old adage of horses for courses, and maybe there are some lessons to be learned from the success of Dubai Honour. The Queen Elizabeth saw the retirement of Anamoe who goes to stud as probably the most expensive local stallion in history.

Mo’Unga’s brilliant finish earned him another year of racing and it will be interesting to see if he can improve his record. Given his racing style, it is going to be difficult for him, but congratulations to connections for wanting to find out. If only they would try him in the Cups races, but winning these will probably do more damage to his stud value than failing in mile races. What a strange world we live in.

CONTENTS

4

Anamoe

16

Mage

20

Dubai Honour

24

Mo’Unga

29

Jim Pike on Trainers

Cover Photo

MO’UNGA

Until next month

Ross Prowd

Turf Monthly ABN 64 892 144 940 Phone 0412 712 181

Email editor@turfmonthly.com.au 2 Swan Street Parkside Qld 4825

TURF MONTHLY 3

ANAMOE A STAR RETIRES

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arley called a close on the racing career of the wonderful Anamoe after his third in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on 8 April. Sadly like many champions, Anamoe was unable to go out a winner, but few will hold that against him. Anamoe will become one of the most expensive stallions standing at stud in Australia next season with a fee of $121,000. We will look at his stud prospects in a later edition when we investigate more of our Freshman Sires, but this month is all about Anamoe on the track.

TURF MONTHLY 4

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namoe had his first race start on 10 October 2020 running fifth in the Debutant Stakes at Caufield over 1000m behind Fake Love and Extreme Warrior. Five weeks later he won the Merson Cooper at Sandown over the same distance beating Forbes and The Art Of Flying. A break saw him return in the Blue Diamond Prelude for the Colts where he was a narrow second behind General Beau. Two weeks late in the Blue Diamond Anamoe ran third behind Artorius and Ingratiating running on strongly again from towards the rear. Cummings took him to Sydney where he won the Todman in a top-notch effort beating Profiteer and Home Affairs in a strong field. He then was an unlucky second behind Stay Inside in the Golden Slipper, coming from fourteenth at the 400m to get within two lengths of the winner.

The colt was to find the extra 200m of the Sires Produce to his liking, and punters supported him strongly ensuring he started odds on in winning the 1400m Group 1. Hilal was second with Captivant third.

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well-earned spell saw Anamoe return to win the Run To The Rose at Kembla Grange over 1200m, beating In The Congo and Remarque. Surprisingly he was beaten by In The Congo in the Golden Rose over 1400m at his next start. Back to Melbourne, Anamoe stepped up to the 1600m of the Caulfield Guineas, winning impressively from Captivant and Artorious. He then faced the older horses in the Cox Plate and was an unlucky second to the imported State Of Rest where jockey Damien Oliver protested unsuccessfully. Champion mare, Verry Elleegant finished third. Another let-up saw the colt back in Sydney commencing his Autumn campaign by running third in the Expressway over 1200m at Rosehill behind Overpass and Forbidden Love. Anamoe then won the Hobartville over 1400m before suffering another shock defeat in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas behind Converge over 1600m. He bounced back to win the Rosehill Guineas over 2000m beating Converge by over 6.5 lengths. Anamoe then finished a poor last in the Queen Elizabeth behind Think It Over and Zaaki.

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arley surprised some by racing Anamoe in the Spring, commencing his campaign in the Winx Stakes over 1400m at Randwick. He beat Fangirl by a length and half as the warm $2.50 favourite. Next up he beat Icebath and Hinged in the George Main over 1600m at Randwick before again heading to Melbourne. He won the Caulfield Stakes over 2000m beating I’m Thunderstruck and Zaaki before atoning for his defeat the year before in the Cox Plate. With star jockey now firmly entrenched aboard the champion, Anamoe settled closer to the lead and beat I’m Thunderstruck and the Irish El Bodegon on the heavy track around Moonee Valley.

He backed up in the Mackinnon Stakes but could only finish fourth behind Zaaki and Mo’Unga at Flemington. Despite talk of taking Anamoe to England, he was to remain in Australia and his last campaign was in the Autumn in Sydney. He started by winning the Apollo Stakes over 1400m beating Hinged and Fangirl. Next up he won the Chipping Norton over 1600m with Fangirl second and Mo’Unga third.

Anamoe then again beat Fangirl in the George Ryder, this time with Converge in third. His final run was to be in the Queen Elizabeth but he was to find Dubai Honour, the Irish son of Pride Of Dubai too good, with the fast finishing Mo’Unga grabbing second on the post.

TURF MONTHLY 5

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n all, Anamoe was to retire with 14 wins from 25 starts and over $12 million in prizemoney. Nine of the wins were at Group 1 level, and while there is no doubt that he was the best of his year, his record might not quite match some of the stars who grace our pages from years gone by. This is certainly no criticism of the horse, merely an observation especially in light of his service fee. It is hard not to make comparison with the likes of Lonhro, Redoute’s Choice and The Autumn Sun who all went to stud on the back of dominant racing performances.

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namoe is a son of Street Boss, the US bred son of Street Cry. Street Boss had only four starts as a 3yo, having not raced at two. He won a Special Weight maiden at Del Mar over 6 furlongs at that age. As a 4yo, Street Boss won six of his nine starts, setting two new course records, and equalling another. He equalled the record for 5.5 furlongs at Santa Anita in an Allowance race winning by five lengths.

Street Boss won the Grade 3 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park setting a new record for the six furlongs. He was also to set a new record over the six furlongs at Del Mar in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Handicap. The stallion also won the Grade 1 Triple Bend Handicap at Hollywood Park over seven furlongs and was placed in the Ancient Title Stakes and Breeders Cup Sprint both at the same level. His dam was Blushing Ogygian by Ogygian who was a 2yo winner and placed at Listed level. In turn, her dam was Fruhlingshochzeit by Blushing Groom, a winner in France who was also placed on multiple occasions at Listed level. In Australia, Street Boss’ only other Group 1 winners are The Quarterback who won the 2016 VRC Newmarket and Elite Street who won the 2020 WATC Winterbottom Stakes.

TURF MONTHLY 6

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namoe’s dam was the Group 1 winning daughter of Redoute’s Choice in Anamato.

The mare was to win four stakes races including the 2007 SA Schweppes Oaks.

Anamato is a half-sister to Drum by Marauding who won the VATC Oakleigh Plate.

A sister to Drum in the stakes placed Tambour was to produce Grand Armee, the champion older horse in Australia in 2005. Grand Armee was the winner of 13 races including twice winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the race that saw Anamoe finish his career in. Another sister in Volte was to also produce the Rosehill Guineas winner, Dealer Principal by Flying Spur. In turn, Anamato was a daughter of Voltage

by Whiskey Road who won six races and was three times placed at Listed level. This is the Bruce Lowe number 18 family, which has more recently become known as the Belle family from NZ. It is one of the most prolific stakes winning producing families in recent times and has a long and impressive history, tracing back to a mare called Manto who was the first recorded thoroughbred mare imported into Australia. In researching the family, a mare called Old Days who was born in 1933 was something of a star of her era, starting over 100 times. We have reprinted some of the articles on that mare which tells interesting stories of the background of the family, even if some may not have always been the most accurate.

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lthough we will talk in more depth about Anamoe’s pedigree when we look at his stud potential, we must make at least a passing comment especially when we look at other pedigrees highlighted this month. The six-generation pedigree of Street Boss has only 1.56% inbreeding making it almost a total outcross. The only duplication we see is that of Natalma, the dam of Northern Dancer. Interestingly Street Boss’ pedigree is devoid of Northern Dancer although we see that Machiavellian traces to Natalma. No doubt this has been an important factor in many pedigrees that see Street Boss, and more particularly Street Cry prominent. It is also likely important that the tail female line of Anamoe is such a strong colonial one given the overseas nature of the pedigree of Street Boss in particular.

TURF MONTHLY 8

Mercury (Hobart, Tas.: 1860 - 1954), Thursday 17 April 1941, page 10

DESCENDANT OF MANTO Old Days' Pedigree Dates Back To 1780 THE feat of Old Days in having started in 100 races is accomplished rarely by thoroughbreds. Her race in the Meander Cup on Tuesday was her 100th, and while she just failed to win, she ran a wonderful race, and her form prob-ably is higher than at any other stage of her useful career. More glamour is associated with Old Days when it is realised that she is a descendant of Manto, the first thoroughbred mare imported to Australia.

THE story of the breeding of Old Days begins from the year 1780, or 45 years before Manto reached Australia. In 1780 the Duke of Portland bred a mare named Rose. To Buzzard, Rose produced a filly who, later mated with Soothsayer, gave birth to a filly. This filly was named Manto and was the first thoroughbred of her sex imported to Australia. Before leaving England at the age of three, Manto visited the stallion Young Grasshopper, and a few days after she reached Sydney in 1825 she foaled a filly. Through this filly, Cornella, some thousand Australian and New Zealand thoroughbred horses trace their origin to Manto.

Mention of Cornella brings Into the picture Captain Rous, who later in life became Admiral Rous, R.N., the recognised authority on all racing matters and regarded as one of the few responsible for placing the English Jockey Club In the high position it holds In the racing world He also was regarded as the greatest handicapper of all times.

Capt Rous in 1828 imported to New South Wales the English stallion Emigrant.

Cornelia was among those mated with Emigrant and from the alliance came the filly Flora McIvor. Like many of the successful brood mares of her time Flora McIvor lived long and bred freely In Australia she had 11 foals of which there are records but as her breeding records were carelessly kept it is probable she had several more. When more than 20 years of age Flora McIvor was taken to New Zealand having been bought by Mr Henry Redwood. In the Dominion the mare had three foals the last when she was about 29 years old. The mare died four years later.

FLORA McIVOR’s INFLUENCE A celebrated performer from Flora McIvor was Mr John Tait’s mare Zoe. Zoe, foaled in 1852, was the winner of many races among them the second and third Australia New Zealand, and Tasmanian Championship Race the most valuable prize of that time in the Colonies. The race was over three miles and was raced at various points in Australia and New Zealand. In 1861 the event was run at Hobart, and in 1865 at Launceston.

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Waimea a chestnut filly foaled in 1857 was the last foal of Flora McIvor. In 1869 Waimea produced a filly named Raupo. Raupo produced the high-class New Zealand racehorses Mata, Martyr, and various others. Martyr was sent to the stud as a three-year-old and one of her foals was Huguenot who In turn was the dam of Nantes. Nantes foals Included Artillerie (Christchurch Jockey Club Oaks and twice winner of Caulfield Slakes) and Marsa. Marsa was the dam of Nightmarch one of the best horses seen in New Zealand and Australia.

The foals of Artillerie included La Chapelle and Black Powder. La Chapelle was the dam of Nasmyth, Doradus, Danton and Lorette, all high-class winners in Tasmania. Half-sister to them was Resonance, the dam of Sea Nance. Mr H S Cook has a fine yearling filly foal by Jack Horner from Sea Nance now at Berriedale.

Black Powder to Chivalrous (imp) produced a bay filly in 1933 at the Nook stud Nagambie, Victoria. She was acquired by Mr R J Chandler and was named very appropriately Old Days. So ends the story of her breeding over the years since 1780. It would take a book to complete the history of all the descendants of Manto.

Reverting to Admiral Rous who was a regular visitor to Australia and Tasmania early in the 80s in his ship Rainbow, it is worth recording that in October 1828, he inspected the Derwent and selected the site for the lighthouse at its mouth. The Derwent light, commonly known as the “Iron Pot" was the first light exhibited in Tasmania. It was established on September 16, 1833 and its rays have shone as a guide to mariners since without a break.

TURF MONTHLY 11

Examiner (Launceston, Tas.: 1900 - 1954), Thursday 13 February 1941, page 1

OLD DAYS' GREAT RECORD Crowning Success in Launceston Cup Old Days, one of the best all-round maressprinter and stayer-seen in Tasmania since Seignorina eclipsed her many good performances yesterday by winning the Launceston Cup brilliantly with 8.12 in time just outside the course record. She was in second place until three furlongs from home and then she went to the front and won from Cackle. She has now won 23 races and £2601 in stakes.

In the autumn of 1935 Mr. R. J. Chandler was pottering about Melbourne sales with a view to picking up a youngster at a moderate price. A low-set bay filly by Chivalrous was led into the ring. He took a fancy to her and bid 100 guineas. At this he secured a rare bargain, as already she has earned for him £2601 in stakes.

In addition, she has given him the pleasure of collecting six cups. Since she began as a two-year-old Old Days has been racing persistently for six seasons and has contested 93 races, 18 of them being in Victoria. At first Old Days was a sprinter. Then she became a miler. When tried at a mile and a quarter she won the Deloraine Cup and yesterday she crowned her career by winning her first race at a mile and a half. Her performances as a sprinter and stayer now rank with that fine all-round mare Seignorina, who won two Launceston Cups and two Newmarkets.

EASY TO TRAIN Old Days is a remarkable mare in that after so much racing she has come to the peak of her form at seven years. One of the reasons she has lasted so long is that she is so easy to train. There is never anything amiss with her. It is probably the easy home training that has done so much to develop Old Days and if she had been in a stable where she would have been given the usual track work, probably she would not have been half as good. Old Days is trained by Mr. Chandler, who has a small private track at Bellerive. There is also a stretch of beach about half a mile long and the mare is frequently galloped on this, but she rarely goes to Elwick. Fortunately for Mr. Chandler he has a rider of the capacity of Don

TURF MONTHLY 12

McDonnell, who is able to tell him just how the mare shapes or tender any advice.

Mr. Chandler has so much confidence in McDonnell that he frequently says to him, "Just do as you like" when Old Days is sent out for a gallop. Old Days had not had a strong gallop between the Hobart carnival and the Launceston Cup, and yet she fairly outstayed the field in a soundly run race. Old Days has already had three campaigns in Victoria, and she is to be sent over again to run in a mile and a quarter race at Moonee Valley this month. She will not race again at the carnival this week.

SOME GOOD WAGERS Though Old Days started at 10 to 1 there were some substantial bets about her. A well-known Hobart backer secured £200 to £16 about her from Mr J. T. McGrath, who also laid £60 to £5 and £50 to £4 against her. Her stablemate, Mac O'Roni, was supported for £300 to £25 and £100 to £10 with the same bookmaker. Other good wagers noticed were: - Mantalini, £350 to £50, £100 to £16, £50 to £6.

Against Windlite £70 to £20 (four times). Two bets about Mercator were £300 to £100 and £150 to £ 50.

Old Days' record for the six seasons she has been on the turf is as follows: Starts 1st

2nd

3rd

Two years

10

3

2

2

Three years

17

6

3

0

Four Years

22

2

3

5

Five Years

13

4

2

3

Six Years

23

4

6

1

Seven Years

8

4

2

0

23

18

11

93

Old Days is by Chivalrous (an imported son of Amadio) from Black Powder, by All Black from Artillerie by Royal Artillery.

WON TEN CUPS Mr. Chandler has been racing gallopers only for about 10 years, but he has had a phenomenal run of success. He has won ten cups, including Launceston, Hobart, Deloraine, Newnham, Meander and Longford (three times). At first, he raced pacers, but in 1931 purchased the galloper Lunation. Thereafter he bought yearlings and among his good performers have been Old Days, Mac O'Roni, Beaudekin and Tessie.

CUP PRESENTATION The gold cup, valued at £45, was presented to Mr. R. J. Chandler, owner of the Launceston Cup winner, by the Premier (Mr. R. Cosgrove). The Premier remarked that Mr. Chandler had won nearly every cup in the state, but the Launceston Cup had been evading him, and now he had added even that to his collection. He complimented Mr. Chandler on the condition in which he had sent Old Days to the post and also D. McDonnell for his good riding. Responding, Mr. Chandler said that he had been trying to win the Launceston Cup for many years and he was pleased that he had succeeded at last with a more like Old Days.

HOW OLD DAYS WON THE LAUNCESTON CUP

Old Days winning from Cackle (rails) with Mercator (outside) third, Royalty (centre) fourth, Mac O'Roni (rails) fifth, then Windlite. -Burrows TURF MONTHLY 14

MAGE

THE KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER

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age became the 149th winner of the Kentucky Derby and, unless he was to win the Triple Crown, we are going to suggest that he is a longshot to be seen in Australia at stud. His pedigree should be relatively well known to many Australian breeders in what looks to be a fairly dirt track biased family. Before we get to the pedigree of the colt, let us look at what he has achieved. His win was impressive and remarkably it was only his fourth race start. Trained by the former top Venezuelan conditioner, Gustavo Delgado, Mage is one of few to achieve the feat joining the champion filly, Regret who did it in 1915 while Big Brown, the damsire of Mage also did it in 2008. The most recent colt was the Triple Crown Champion Justify who interestingly beat Mage’s sire Good Magic into third in the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

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he Derby winner started his racing career on 28 January in a bold front running display over 7 furlongs at Gulfstream. His next start on 4 March saw him finish an unlucky fourth behind Forte, the US Champion 2yo from last season in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes. He then went to the Florida Derby where he put in a top run to finish second again behind Forte. Forte had been the ruling favourite in the Kentucky Derby but rumours had abounded for over a week in the lead up that things were not well with the colt. He was eventually scratched on the morning of the race with the official reason being given as a stone bruise. The absence of Forte took some of the shine off the victory and it is hoped that the colt will be able to line up in a later leg of the series. Forte himself has an interesting pedigree being the latest star from the family of the champion broodmare, La Troienne and the famed 1-x family of Bruce Lowe. His sire is another that many in Australia are unfamiliar with in Violence who was a Grade 1 winning 2yo himself and also going on to win the Fountain of Youth Stakes at three. Violence is a son of Medagia D’Oro who has had good success in Australia, out of a mare by Gone West who was in turn out of a mare by Storm Cat. The female line of Forte sees his dam by Blame, a son of Arch by Kris S out of a mare by Seeking The Gold. His second dam was by Forestry by Storm Cat while his third dam was by Seattle Slew. His next two damsires were Fappiano and In Reality, both stallions who have had influence in Australia so perhaps we are more likely to see Forte venture to Australia at some point than Mage.

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age is a son of Good Magic who was the Champion US 2yo of his year. He won three races and almost $3 million in prizemoney with his biggest win in the Breeders Cup Juvenile. Good Magic is a son of Curlin, the outstanding racehorse Curlin who won the Breeders Cup Classic, Preakness Stakes and Dubai World Cup in a long line of successes. In turn, Curlin was a son of the champion Canadian stallion, Smart Strike out of a mare by Deputy Minister. Curlin was actually represented briefly in Australia by Vino Rosso. The dam of Good Magic in Glinda The Good who was by Hard Spun, another top line US racehorse who came to Australia briefly. He was not without success producing the likesof Gatting and Le Romain. Mage’s dam is Puca by Big Brown and she won four races including the Steve Pini Memorial Stakes. She was not short of speed winning an early 2yo race by an incredible 16 lengths. Big Brown was another top-quality racehorse winning the first two legs of the US Triple Crown in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before suffering injury prior to the Belmont. Nonetheless he took his place in the field but failed to finish the race earning himself a unique place in history as the only Triple Crown contender not to finish the Belmont. Big Brown shuttled to Australia from 2009 to 2014 with limited success.

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he female line of Mage traces to the Bruce Lowe number 5 family, but this particular line has been in the US for generations. Few would be familiar with many of the runners, but the family did produce a colt in 1961 called Traffic who won four races including the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes. He was also placed in the Champagne, Sanford and Gotham Stakes. He was sent to stud in France where he was to become Champion sire in 1971. Japanese interests then purchased the stallion who made an impact in their burgeoning bloodstock industry. Australians would probably recognise him in the tail female line of Mer De Glace who won the 2019 Caulfield Cup at his first Australian start before finishing an unlucky sixth in the Melbourne Cup behind Vow And Declare where he was still 19th at the 400m before being beaten by only 1.2 lengths. Interestingly, despite finding Traffic’s daughter in his female line, the particular mare, Bruyere was born in France rather than Japan. Few of this particular branch of Mage’s female line have made it to Australia, although one was to produce the 2020 Sunshine Coast Winx Stakes winner, Wapiti.

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he six-generation pedigree of Mage is interesting in that it is heavily inbred at 13.67%. We see six lines of Northern Dancer including two of these through sons of Danzig in Hard Spun and Boundary, the sire of Big Brown. We also see four male lines of Raise A Native, a son of Native Dancer, with three of these through his most important son in Mr Prospector. If there is any balance in the pedigree it is through the sex-balanced cross of Roberto, a highly underrated influence in the modern thoroughbred, and we see a significant similarity in the pedigrees of Hard Spun and Big Brown. Perhaps the influences of Northern Dancer and Mr Prospector in current breeding can be largely ignored in terms of past breeding patterns. Given the US nature of Mage’s pedigree, Mage is unlikely to be a stallion that would attract strong interest in Australia on the basis of a Kentucky Derby win alone. With racing though, we never know what the future holds, and the colt may go on to greatness.

The colt was double figures in the Kentucky Derby, and we might suggest that the chances of him coming to Australia are a lot longer than that.

TURF MONTHLY 18

DUBAI HONOUR THE AUTUMN SENSATION

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ubai Honour came to Australia with relatively little fanfare but has now established him as likely the best middle-distance horse in the country at present. The son of Pride Of Dubai has helped reinvigorate the career of this vastly underrated stallion who stands at Coolmore but arguably has not been used to his best advantage by breeders. Perhaps the success of Dubai Honour may go some way towards a rethink of what the stallion has to offer Australian breeders.

TURF MONTHLY 20

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he gelding came to Australia with sound performances, but arguably not the top of the international tree. He certainly brings with him some reminiscences of Addeybb who made a similar impact only a few years ago defeating another star local in Verry Elleegant. Dubai Honour had his first race start as a 2yo at Newmarket in August 2020, finishing fourth of nine over 7 furlongs. At his next start he ran second to State Of Bliss over 7.5 furlongs at Chester. Up to a mile Dubai Honour broke his maiden at his third start at Haydock Park winning by 3.5 lengths starting at $3.50.

He rounded off his 2yo season by finishing fourth at York in October. Returning as a 3yo in June at Ascot, Dubai Honour finished fourth over a mile before winning over 10 furlongs at Newmarket. Taken to France he won the Group 2 Guill D'Orano beating the Irish horse Pretty Tiger by almost two lengths. He then won the Group 2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp before heading back to the UK to run second in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot behind the French bred Sealiway, beaten less than a length. Dubai Honour then ventured to Asia to round off his 3yo season by running fourth behind the Japanese Loves Only You in the Hong Kong Cup.

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ubai Honour returned as a 4yo by running fifth in the Sheema Classic at Meydan in March and did not race again until July when he ran second in the Group 2 York Stakes. Next up it was fourth, beaten over nine lengths, in the Group 1 Juddmonte International at York won by the star, Baaeed. Next start was on the synthetic at Kempton Park in the Group 3 September Stakes where he finished second behind Mostahdaf, a son of Frankel. His last UK start was at Ascot in October again in the Group 1 Champion Stakes where Dubai Honour ran sixth behind Bay Bridge. It seems that Dubai Honour enjoyed his travel to Australia with his two Autumn starts showing dominant performances in the Group 1 Ranvet over 2000m beating Montefilia and Mo’Unga by over four lengths, and the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth over the same trip beating Mo’Unga and Anamoe by over 2 lengths in what was one of the premier events of the Sydney Autumn this year.

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he gelding as we mentioned is a son of Pride Of Dubai who won the 2015 Blue Diamond Stakes and Sires Produce. A precocious 2yo, Pride Of Dubai retired after only five starts and many breeders look to him to produce those early types that the yearling market craves. He has produced thirteen stakes winners to date, and by and large, these have been over shorter journeys although few have been the early 2yo type. His best locally bred horse is no doubt the Group 1 winning sprinter Bella Nipotina who won the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Dubai Honour becomes only his second Group 1 winner and the fact that he has done this over distance may be a turning point in the stallion’s career. Being a son of Street Cry, out of a Danehill mare, the pedigree obviously attracts certain patterns to breeders and again, the success of his best progeny may offer the best clues as to

TURF MONTHLY 21

how to breed from the stallion. The female line of Dubai Honour is also the Lowe number 5 family, but a different strain to that we saw of Mage, the Kentucky Derby winner. This particular line has spent much of its time in France although we do have a line that had some considerable success in Australia. A mare called Toscan Girl by Lyphard came to Australia in the 1970’s where she produced two stakes winners in Marwong by Whiskey Road, and Nanutarra by Biscay. Marwong won the WA Railway Stakes, VATC Caulfield Guineas and TS Carlyon Cup and STC Phar Lap Stakes, while Nanutarra won the Blue Diamond Prelude and AJC Carbine Club Stakes. Both went to stud but neither produced a stakes winner. Instead it was a lesser performed sibling in Captain Piper by Kaoru Star who was to produce the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes winner Ballook and Group 1 Doomben 10,000 winner, Unequalled.

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he dam of Dubai Honour is Mondelice by Montjeu by Sadler’s Wells. She was unraced but was a half-sister to Last Kingdom by Frankel who won five races in France and Hong Kong, including the Group 3 Prix Daphis. Her dam was Compelling, a winning daughter of Kingmambo who was a half-sister to the Group 2 winning Requinto. Their dam in turn was the champion Irish 2yo filly in Damson

by Entrepreneur. Dubai Honour is quite heavily inbred at 10.46%. We see close duplications of Mr Prospector which oddly we seem to be seeing a little more often in pedigrees, perhaps as a result of the multiple lines of Northern Dancer in the modern breed. It is no different in this case, as Dubai Honour sees four lines of Northern Dancer in his pedigree. The only line of Danehill is in the pedigree of Pride Of Dubai where we see that stallion appear through a daughter. We have seen many of his progeny including Bella Nipotina with a duplication of Danehill. In the case of Bella Nipotina, the male line of Danehill is found back in the fifth generation.

The success of Dubai Honour is important to our breeding even though he is a stallion in that hopefully it will see some of our breeders now looking with interest to breeding some more middle distance types from the sire. We can also hope that the gelding races again in Australia as he certainly has proven himself a star under local conditions.

TURF MONTHLY 22

MO’UNGA

ANOTHER CHANCE AT STARDOM

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o’Unga was an eye-catching second in the Queen Elizabeth, coming from eighth at the 400m to nose out Anamoe. He finished almost 2.5 lengths from the winner, so we can take nothing away from Dubai Honour. Connections announced their intention to race the stallion on, and he is currently the highest rated horse in Australia with Anamoe’s retirement. Whether it will prove a masterstroke for Newhaven Stud and the other owners is another question. Interestingly the colt was purchased as a yearling by Aquis Farm but sold to Newhaven Park and others in April 2022.

TURF MONTHLY 24

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he colt had four trials as a 2yo before finally making his debut at that age on 12 June 2020 winning a Gold Coast maiden over 1400m on a heavy track. He reappeared at the races as a 3yo winning a BM64 at Newcastle beating another NZ bred colt in Lion’s Roar by 1.5 lengths again over 1400m. His next start at Rosehill saw him win the Listed Dulcify Stakes over 1500m from Global Quest and Jet Propulsion.

Mo’Unga then went to Melbourne but found the step up in class to the Caulfield Guineas a little much at that stage, although finishing strongly to run seventh after being well back. He was almost five lengths behind the talented winner, Ole Kirk.

A spell ensued, and the colt was switched from the stable of Chris Waller to that of Annabel Neasham before his first start as an Autumn 3yo. Mo’Unga finished third behind Tagaloa in the Group 3 Colin Hayes over 1400m at Flemington, and then went to Sydney to run second to Lion’s Roar in the 1600m Randwick Guineas. He then won the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas over 2000m starting as the $2.90 favourite, beating Sky Lab and Montefilia. Back to the mile of the Doncaster, Mo’Unga finished tenth behind Cascadian before finishing his season with a disappointing seventh in the Queen Elizabeth behind Addeybb and Verry Elleegant.

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s a 4yo, Mo’Unga commenced by winning the Group 1 Winx Stakes beating Verry Elleegant before heading to Melbourne to run a close second to Incentivise in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes. He then returned to Sydney where he was fifth in the Epsom behind Private Eye. Another trip to Melbourne beckoned and he lined up in the Cox Plate, finishing fourth behind State Of Rest and Anamoe. A third in the Mackinnon behind Zaaki and Cascadian saw the end of his Spring. Things did not go right in the Autumn and he had only two starts. He finished second to Sierra Sue in the Futurity over 1400m before connections called an end to the season after the stallion finished sixth behind Cascadian in the All Aged Stakes.

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houghts must have gone to sending Mo’Unga to stud, and there may have been some regret when he finished tenth of ten runners behind Anamoe in the Winx Stakes first up in August 2022. A good third however followed behind I’m Thunderstruck and Alligator Blood in the Makybe Diva, and he then finished second to Alligator Blood in the Group 1 Underwood held at Sandown. A fifth followed behind Anamoe in the Cox Plate and Mo’Unga then finished a close second to Zaaki in the Mackinnon again ending his Spring. The Autumn saw him start with a fifth behind Anamoe in the Apollo closing late. A third behind the champion in the Chipping Norton followed and he then finished third behind Dubai Honour in the Ranvet over 2000m with Montefilia in second. His final start for the Autumn was the Queen Elizabeth, and this run is what prompted connections to again shelve the plans to send Mo’Unga to stud. We hope that he can take the mantle of Australia’s top middle-distance horse, and it would be great to see him perhaps look at some of the Cups races in the Spring as an older horse. Sadly in this day and age, it is a long-shot as victories in these races are likely to diminish his stud value rather than enhance his reputation.

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o’Unga is a son of Savabeel, the top NZ stallion who has seven times been leading sire in that country, as well as once topping the Hong Kong sires table. He has sired over 120 individual stakes winners including Lucia Valentino, Probabeel, Savvy Coup, The Chosen One, and the boom sprinter, I Wish I Win. Savabeel is a son of Zabeel who won two Group 1 races as a 3yo in the Spring

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Champion Stakes and the Cox Plate where he beat Fields Of Omagh and Starcraft.

Interestingly if you read the story on Anamoe, Savabeel’s last race start came in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes where he ran eighth behind Grand Armee. Mo’Unga is out of a mare by another NZ champion stallion in O’Reilly. Chandelier won at 1600m and was placed in the Group 3 Hawkes Bay Lowland Stakes. She is a full sister to Irlanda who won three black type races in NZ including the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes. Their dam was Seraphic by Imposing who won eight races and was second in the Group 1 Air NZ Stakes. She is also the grand dam of Auckland Cup winner Chenille by Pentire. The female family of Mo’Unga does not get any more colonial, tracing as it does to one of the original Bruce Lowe Colonial families. It traces to a mare called Sybil whose dam was imported to NZ from NSW when British regiments were sent to secure land claims by early settlers. These mares have their roots in the Wanganui district where the British had established a garrison against the Maori uprisings. Sybil was out of a mare by Aether, a stallion who had been imported by Henry Petre. Petre also brought out a stallion called Riddlesworth to the Wellington area in 1843 who had the honour of being the first thoroughbred stallion imported into NZ direct from Great Britain. Sybil was a result of the mating of the Aether mare and Riddlesworth and this line is known as the Colonial 17 line.

While it has been a prolific line of winners in NZ, few have had success in Australia.

One that readers may recall was a mare called Reggie by Germano who won the BTC Premiers Cup and Caloundra City Cup in Qld, and the Bagot Handicap in Melbourne. At stud she produced Heavens Above by Street Cry who won the 2017 Group 1 Coolmore Classic.

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he stallion has only limited inbreeding at 5.08%. The closest cross is Northern Dancer through his sons Nuyerev and Try My Best. We see a sex-balanced duplication of Round Table who we see importantly through the sire line of Sir Tristram, as well as My Babu who also appears in the pedigree of Sir Tristram. It is potentially important that both of these stallions are found in key positions through Mo’Unga’s dam. Round Table is present in the sire line of Courtza while My Babu appears in the sire line of Centaine. The other cross we see represents three lines of the great Todman. That stallion appears in the female line of Savabeel as well as Centaine. Todman also appears as the sire of Imposing and the grandsire of Ceraphic and these multiple lines are likely to have an influence on his performance both on the track, and later in the breeding barn. Again, we will have a closer look at his stud prospects when the time comes nearer to Mo’Unga going to stud.

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JIM PIKE

MORE OF HIS WORDS

Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Monday 20 April 1936, page 23 Things I Have Never Told by Jim Pike TRAINERS -AS THE JOCKEY SEES THEM When Jim Pike Broke His Rule In Using Whip In this instalment of his life story, Jim Pike tells some intimate things about his association with Australia's great trainers.

A great bettor put him on a horse who wouldn't do his best for previous jockeys. How he broke his rule about the use of the whip, and gave the horse a hiding, and its effect, are told in this intriguing chapter of his career.

W Kelso

The "Boss," Mr Kelso, was always a man o£ great enterprise who thought no project too much bother if he calculated that to take a horse to the smallest meeting would make his racing transactions pay. "Little fish are sweet,” he I used to say, and you would see him taking horses to races in Brisbane or Melbourne, or to small meetings on the Northern line.

But he was a great judge, and if he had to take short odds, he would still know that he was getting fair value to his money to make the trip pay. In the old days he must have won hundreds of races in this way with horses that other trainers wouldn't be bothered about. I have seen him take poor performers and poor lookers to the bigger meetings in Melbourne or Brisbane, too, and people would criticise him for troubling with such horses, but invariably they won races for him. That he could get horses fit too for the greater events of the Turf was obvious from results.

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Great Triumph HE won his Derbies with Beverage, St Leger with Millieme, and too many two-yearold classics to mention. Then came his great triumph in the Melbourne Cup of 1928 with Statesman, whom he kept for a year, showing that he could train a horse “to the day." Mr Kelso is a man of deep Turf knowledge, needs nobody's advice and never seeks it. He has the courage of his own convictions and has always been game to bet upon them. Few have been able to train horses to jump faster from the barrier. He got them to go out of it like greased lightning, and even horses who later tum out slow plodders learned this in their youth under his early guidance. He uses simple methods and doesn't weary a horse tutoring him at the barrier too often. It must be just a knack, but few horses of his ever failed at this. In the same way he turned out a lot of useful jockeys, including Geo. Meddick, S. Weiss, Albert Callinan and W. Mason, not mentioning myself. One of Mr Kelso's clients was Mr Percy Miller, who in years gone by did me many a good turn. He didn’t tell me, but I have learned since that several times when I had dropped out of the game through hitting the high spots, he said to the "Boss," "Here's a horse we can keep for Pike to ride because I know he is due to get his ticket again now, and thus is a chance to bring him back into the game."

Two Good Turns ONE of these was Aries, and I won the Challenge Stakes on her, and another was a mare named Bandurria that won a race on at Rosehill. Those kindly turns he did right of his own bat, without even a suggestion of my asking for the chance.

But I appreciated their value then, and I have since, because I know that they put me on the map again as a jockey and were instrumental in getting me back into the swim- so that I secured such great riding in later years as Phar Lap, Peter Pan, Amounis, and a lot of other champions. It shows what great sportsmen there are in the racing game. When Mr Kelso broke up his traiining establishment to go to England In 1911 Pat Nailon, until then his foreman, blossomed out as trainer in Brisbane. There wasn't much he hadn't learned about a horse and he got a "go" on in the Northern capital, and then Mr E. J. Watt employed him as private trainer and he came back to Sydney in that capacity, eventually taking horses from other prominent owners, and he has been a complete success in the game. So you see what a splendid tutor the "Boss” has been. Mr Kelso has turned out winning trainers, winning jockeys, and winning horses.

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George Meddick returning to scale on the 1914 Cup winner Kingsburgh

"Deepest I Know" FRANK McGRATH was a successful jockey in his day, and even more successful as a trainer, for he has made and developed many great horses since he began training. He is a good man to ride for, although some jockeys might think him a little too painstaking in his explanations about the peculiarities of horses and how they should be ridden in races. But that never upsets me. I used to wonder where he got all his inside Information about the horses he trained. He was amazing in telling you the things they might and would do in races, and what methods would suit them best when you got on them for a race. He had some knack of finding out things that you would expect only those who rode the horses to know. Yet he hasn't been on n horse for donkey's years. I would say in this respect he is the deepest man I know in the racing game. So you can readily understand that when he tells me anything about a horse and what might be the best way to ride him, I don't wipe off his opinions as something that don't count. I know that 99 times out of a hundred they will prove to be true.

Knew His Horses I RODE for McGrath as a young lightweight, and in later years I have ridden many horses for him, including those two champions, Amounis and Peter Pan. And whether I was on these or lesser performers, I was struck with the deep knowledge of their chances possessed by Mr McGrath. He always summed them up pretty well, and of course I have learned to know that he is a very sound judge of the form, not merely of the horses he trains, but those they have to race against. He is good to ride for because of this, and because he is very helpful before a race. And, moreover, he never complains afterward about defeat. I've ridden a lot of winners for McGrath, and a lot of losers too, I suppose, in my time, but I've never heard him growl or in fact say a cross word about anything in the matter of races won or lost. It was a treat to be associated with such a capable and shrewd judge of racing, and one who treated it as a business and not an adventure governed by luck.

Frank McGrath

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Williams A Wizard AS a trainer who gets horses ready for the job of winning races, whether they are big or small, I suppose, Fred Williams has never had his peer in Australia. I have often heard the word "wizard" applied to men who do this, but it certainly fits Mr Williams. Playing golf in Victoria on one occasion with Mr Darcy Eccles not so long ago, I heard a fine tribute to Mr Williams' skill. "It should be an object lesson to most of the trainers of Victoria the way he turns out his horses," he said. "He keeps coming up every spring and autumn and winning races continually." The big point is that his horses arc always as good at the end of a meeting as at the start, the reason being no doubt that he has started their preparation with a sound foundation, which enables them to go right through without weakening. It isn't easy to keep horses at their top in this way for three months, but he does it." I agreed with Mr Eccles. Ho knows racing backward and has owned and trained many horses. It was a high compliment to be paid by a man of his deep experience. My sincere hope is that when I become a trainer, I can follow in Mr Williams's footsteps.

Mates For Years MICK POLSON and I have been mates for many years. This friendship began when he came to my place on one occasion and tried to get me as rider for a colt of his named Malurys in the Derby. That was the spring of 1920. Malurys hadn't much of a reputation as a racehorse then, but it wasn't because of that I had to turn down the mount. I had been engaged for Nautical, so he got Roy Walker. But Mick's judgment wasn't astray at all. Malurys split a hoof near the end of the race, and was in great pain, and ran out under the judge's box. Even then he was beaten only narrowly by Salitros, and Salitros had to put up a new Derby record of 2.32 to win it.

Barring that injury to the foot, I believe Malurys would have won the Derby, and it would have made a big difference to Mick. He and I have been close friends ever since, and I have ridden whenever possible for his stable. Mick gets his horses very well and is a shrewd judge. Consequently, he is a sound man for a jockey to ride for. Socially, Mick is a fine follow to go racing with on country or interstate trips.

He becomes the moving force in all the little social adventures which add to the pleasures of these racing ventures. He is always the best-dressed man in racing, whether things are going well or not, and rarely despondent about a failure. I have seen him miss as much as £8000 by a whisker and forget it long before the sun sets.

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Mick Polson

Polson Was Angry ONE day he was a bit despondent, and, in fact, snapped at me. That was over Winooka's Newmarket defeat in 1933. He really believed the horse unbeatable, which, in truth, he should have been, barring accidents, but I have told in an earlier instalment how the barrier strand broke and smacked him in the face, almost unseating me. Mick didn't know that when he came back to scale, and he bawled at me, "What the hell were you doing on the horse?" I replied that I was in enough trouble. "Let me get off and weigh in, and I'll tell you," I replied. "We can't stand here keeping them waiting, and that's how long It will take. I was hot under the collar at the moment, too, at the trick that fate could have picked me out for of all that Newmarket field. Mick went to the jockeys' room and waited, and after weighing in we sat down on the boxes there, and when we cooled off I explained everything that had happened, how the barrier strand had hit Winooka, how he'd stumbled, and how I'd lost my irons through it. Fuji San, Winooka, Ready Ay Ready, and many other smart horses he has trained were a credit to Mick Polson, the way he had them right for their races and kept them right, and nothing pleases me more than to see him get hold of good ones. He deserves them.

Real Live Wire JACK KING was one of the live wires as amateur. Later I rode with him as professional.

As trainer he is still one of the live wires of the profession. He is a keen man, who manages a big team, and is always very attentive to them. He is rarely away from them, in fact, and is sure to go a long way as trainer. Mr Joe Cook is a very keen judge of horses and their chances. I rode Wish Wynne for him in a Villiers, and many thought that from her price, 25 to 1, she was a forlorn and unfancied outsider, but he was keen on her chance, and won a big stake. Geo. Price hopped into the game right away with success when he started training in Sydney, A happy purchase was Stoney, whom Mr Ned Moss bought to give him proved horse to go on with, and he commenced winning Welters. He nearly won a Sydney Cup, being beaten

by Scarlet narrowly at the finish. From Welter standard to Cup prospects is a fair step, but George has improved a lot of horses like that, and it shows how good he is with the thoroughbred. Since then, of course, he has won his Melbourne Cup with Windbag, and many classics. I principally rode Mr J. E. Brien's horses when George trained them, and soon realised that Mr Price was a good judge of a horse and very attentive.

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Veilmond's Career LATER I got the riding on Veilmond. Maurice McCarten had been riding him, but told Ned Moss, his owner, that he didn't think Veilmond went as well for him as he should, and he ought to try somebody else as jockey, suggesting myself. That was a happy stroke for me, anyway, because I won straight away on him. It was in the Sydney Handicap at the 1931 Spring meeting. I broke my resolution that day about using the whip, freely. I felt Veilmond was loafing on me, as Maurice said he used to do on him, so I pulled the stick, and laid it on pretty hard that day. In fact, I'd say I gave Veilmond the worst hiding I ever gave a horse. Veilmond must have wondered what had struck him. I had seen him turn and try to bite the whip out of Maurice McCarten's hand in the Derby when I beat him on Balloon King. Veilmond didn't resent my punishment, however. He jumped ahead at top speed, and tried hard and generously, and we won the race. I knew then Veilmond was a good horse. He had 9.7 that day, but he beat Loquacious, a Metrop. winner.

Took No Risks THE next day of the meeting he was In the Waverley Handicap, 1¾ miles, with 9.12.

It was a pretty big job ahead of him, for Strength, who had won the Metropolitan a few days before, was in It as well as Concentrate (second in the Metrop.) and First Acre. Veilmond started a 5 to 1 favourite. Mr Moss was wondering how he would go this second time for me, and whether he would wake up to my bluff with the whip and sulk or do his best again. But I believe he fancied he would win again and backed him well. Anyway, I decided to take no risks, but to ride him the same way as I did before. I pulled the whip, and he came on generously. So I wasn't so free with it. I shook it a couple of times, and didn't give him so many cuts, but he battled right on and beat Strength a length at the finish. When Veilmond went to Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup meeting the following month I wasn't on him for the weight-forage race, the Melbourne Stakes, and thereby hangs a tale. That was the last race Phar Lap won in Australia, and, of course, I was on him and consequently not available for Veilmond, so Jim Munro took the mount. Phar Lap was a sick horse that day.

I mean, he was far below his best form, but nobody realised it but me until the Melbourne Stakes was over. He won it, but by only a half-length from Concentrate, with Veilmond third.

Won At 6/1 On IF the jockeys of either of these pursuers had realised what was wrong with Phar Lap, and how I was nursing him to get him to the post in this race, that should have been a soft snap for him, they wouldn't have wasted time; They'd have gone after the supposed invincible champion— and would have beaten him, too. With

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Pike on Veilmond

Phar Lap out of action, I was again on Veilmond on the last day of the Melbourne Cup meeting, and he had only one opponent. Idle Banter, a moderate three-yearold, in the C. B. Fisher Plate. They laid 6 to 1 on Veilmond. and he won it all right.

The following autumn I rode him in the Sydney Cup, with 9.9, and he ran third to Johnnie Jason and Admiral Drake. Nightmarch beat me in the two earlier weightfor-age races at that meeting, and I was glad of a chance to turn the tables on the great New Zealander the last day. They laid 7 to 4 on him for the A.J.C. Plate, and Veilmond was 5 to 2 against.

What happened to Nightmarch I don't know, but I think he was tired. I know this, though, that Veilmond was a very fit horse, and the best he ever was in his life that day. He won it by three lengths, and I was glad to land a good weight-for-age classic for such a good sportsman as Mr Moss. I was rather proud of the way I had improved Veilmond for him. I must have bluffed him, and apparently, he stayed bluffed, because Maurice McCarten won a race on him the following season. It was a sprint at Rosehill, but unfortunately, he lost it on protest. The following spring, I won the Spring Stakes at Randwick on Veilmond, and then in the autumn the Essendon Stakes, weight-for-age, and the King's Plate, but in each case, he met easy opposition.

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