Turf Monthly November 2021

monthly

TURF

November 2021

THIS MONTH

SOME GREAT MELBOURNE CUP WINNERS ARCHER - THE FIRST WINNER CUTTY SARK AND HER CUP LEGACY ANOTHER GREAT RACE IN HISTORY

Editor’s Letter With the Melbourne Cup just about upon us, what better time to reflect on one of the truly great racing spectacles across the world. The Melbourne Cup is one of those events that transcends sport. It is a part of our folklore; of who we are as a country.

Irrespective of your views on the race, that is indisputable. The Melbourne Cup has shaped our nation for better or worse. A nation has cheered as one when Phar Lap won the Cup, and if that sounds like ancient history, we rose again as one when Makybe Diva won her third Cup in 2005. Since then, the world has joined in the spectacle as we see more and more overseas horses making the trek to take on our best handicappers in the iconic race. Or at least they did before COVID changed everything.

I am an unreserved fan of staying races and there are none more prestigious than the Melbourne Cup. They require so much more skill by participants.

Usually, it is the skill of trainers and jockeys that come to the fore more in these races than in the short ones. Trainers have to know their horse and have to get them to their peak for the race. There is not one leading trainer that would not love to include the big Cups on their resume. The same goes for the jockeys who have to use more skill in the longer races. There is no coincidence that trainers and jockeys who have multiple Cup successes are revered as among our greatest. This month we not only look at some of the greats that have won the race but also the great mare Cutty Sark who contributed so much to Australian racing.

CONTENTS 4

Makybe Diva

8

Might And Power

11

Archer

20

Cutty Sark

22

The Barb

31

John Tait

33

Merriwee

37

Herbert Power

39

Basha Felika

45

Dalray

50

Great Races - Kiwi

Until next month

Ross Prowd

Cover Image MAKYBE DIVA Courtesy of

Turf Monthly ABN 64 892 144 940 Phone 0412 712 181

Email editor@turfmonthly.com.au Unit 4/125 West St Menzies Qld 4825

TURF MONTHLY 3

MAKYBE DIVA THREE TIMES A LADY

M

akybe Diva will always be remembered for her three Melbourne Cup victories.

She is also the only of our Hall Of Fame entrants to be born in the Northern Hemisphere. She came to Australia in February 2000, just before her first birthday along with her dam, Tugela who had not been served that season. It took some time for the overseas filly to mature into a racehorse suited to local conditions. Her first race start did not come until 29 July 2002, almost the last day of her official 3yo season in the Southern Hemisphere. Makybe Diva’s debut was at a humble maiden at Benalla over 1200m, where she ran 4th, beaten almost five lengths. Two weeks later she stepped up to 1600m at Wangaratta as a 4yo, and her victory started a string of six wins that preparation culminating with stakes successes in the Listed Werribee Cup and Group 2 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington over 2500m.

M

akybe Diva returned for the Autumn, but her campaign was cut short after two runs. As a Spring 5yo, she ran 4th in her first four races, including behind Mummify in the Caulfield Cup carrying only 51.5kg. The first Tuesday in November though was a different story. Jumping from barrier 14 and dropping 0.5kg on her Caulfield Cup weight, she settled in the second half of the field. Staying towards the fence, Makybe Diva proved too strong and took her first leap towards equine immortality.

TURF MONTHLY 4

A

fter a well-earned break, Makybe Diva came back with high hopes of a strong Autumn. She was a disappointing sixth to Lonhro in the Australian Cup before heading to Sydney where she placed in both the Ranvet and BMW. She then won the Sydney Cup, her second 3200m success. The following Spring as a 6yo, Makybe Diva’s campaign followed the same pattern as 2003. She ran second to Elvstroem in the Caulfield Cup, this time carrying 55.5kg before attempting to become the first mare to win two Melbourne Cups. She carried the same weight as in the Caulfield Cup, and this year, jumping from barrier seven, she again settled in the second half of the field. In the straight she remained on the rail and dashed away for another impressive victory and into the record books.

T

he following Autumn saw Makybe Diva win the Australian Cup and the BMW before bypassing the Sydney Cup for a tilt at two Grade 1 races in Japan. Some controversy surrounded the campaign, with trainer Lee Freedman threatening to scratch the mare if the track was as hard as in her first run. In spite of a deal of watering, Makybe Diva finished 7th, tasting defeat over the marathon journey for the first time.

A

fter a well-earned rest, the great mare returned for her last preparation in the Spring of 2005. This time she was able to win first up over 1400m in the Memsie before running a narrow second in the Feehan. A win in the Turnbull was followed by victory in the Cox Plate. She then lined up carrying 58kg in the 2005 Melbourne Cup and her chance to become the only three time winner of the race. Again, she settled in the last third of the field, and again she stuck near the fence around the home turn. Makybe Diva hit the front with around 250m to go accompanied by a great roar from the crowd. Her victory took her total earnings to over $14.5 million and was the 15th of her career.

M

akbye Diva was a daughter of Desert King who was to eventually relocate to Australia largely on the basis on the deeds of this mare. He had been a topquality racehorse winning the Irish National Stakes, Irish 2000 Guineas, and Irish Derby. Desert King sired only seven stakes winners in the Southern Hemisphere; eight if you include Desert Master who won the Grand National Hurdle. He was a son of Danehill who was at the time, the leading sire in Australia and a dominant influence. The dam of Makybe Diva was Tugela, a daughter of Riverman, who has proven a quality broodmare. While none matched the performance of Makybe Diva, she produced another three other stakes winners in La Amistad, Musket and Valkyrie Diva, all by different stallions.

U

nlike many of the horses inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in Australia, Makybe Diva, as she was born in Great Britain, out of a US bred mare, has little local heritage. In fact, few from her family have made it to Australia although she is fairly closely related to multiple stakes winning siblings, Gold Lottey and Besame Mucho. One point of note in her pedigree though is quality of stallions in her female line. The first five of her damsires are all classified as chefs-de-race, so there is certainly a strong base there for her performance.

I

nternationally, there are probably four main stallions that hail from the same female family as Makybe Diva. All have been very important internationally.

They are Asterus and Prince Chevalier who were both bred in France, and Bull Lea and Sun Again both US bred stallions. Asterus proved to be central to the breeding empire of Marcel Boussac, renowned as France’s greatest thoroughbred breeder.

The stallion was among his first purchases and became a foundation of Boussac’s

TURF MONTHLY 5

famous stud. Asterus was a good racehorse, winning at stakes level in both France and England. Among his wins were the French 2000 Guineas over 1600m as a 3yo.

At stud he was to produce a number of quality runners, many of which were owned and raced by Boussac. Asterus was by the top stallion, Teddy out of a mare called Astrella by Verdun. Prince Chevalier was unplaced only once in a fourteen start career. This was at his second start after having won his first at the remarkable odds of 25/1. Bull Lea was a son of Bull Dog and was a moderate performer on the track.

He twice placed in stakes races as a 2yo and set track records at his first two starts at three including in the Grade 1 Blue Grass. Bull Lea was to race without success in the 3yo classic races later in the season but returned to win further stakes races at four. The horse was to become the foundation stallion for the famous Calumet Farm in Kentucky, and he was five times Champion Sire in the US. Sun Again was another stallion from the Calumet Stud in the US. He won nine stakes races including the Arlington Futurity, and a second in the Preakness Stakes. Sun Again was a son of Sun Teddy who was a son of Teddy.

M

akybe Diva was a relatively late foal, born it is said, five minutes past midnight on the 21 March 1999. In Australia, she was considered to be born during the 1998 breeding season, so was effectively up to eight months younger than her Southern Hemisphere counterparts. We can note that Makybe Diva did not win her first Group 1 weight for age event until March 2005 when effectively a 6yo, and at a point when the WFA scale no longer makes adjustment for age. In fact, Makybe Diva was to carry 56kg or more on ten occasions throughout her career. Her only victories with these weights were in her last two starts.

Watch video in text mode TURF MONTHLY 6

At 9.77%, Makybe Diva would likely be considered moderately inbred in recent times. Her pedigree though was among the first we saw in Australia that was dominated by Northern Dancer who is such a dominant force in the modern pedigree that we sometimes wonder if we can dismiss his influence as it is so prevalent. In the late 1990’s though, it was a time when Australian breeders were first infatuated with Danehill’s legacy and we started to see the common duplication of his dam Natalma which we now see anytime Danehill appears with another line of Northern Dancer. What is perhaps most interesting for the time is that we see Northern Dancer appear through a female, in this case as the third damsire of our subject.

MIGHT AND POWER A POPULAR CHAMPION

M

ight And Power was one of our most publicized horses due to the very public figure of its owner, Nick Moraitis. The 1997 Melbourne Cup winner regularly paraded not only on a farewell tour, but also at a range of other events for many years following his retirement such was his popularity. The gelding’s bold front running style, reminiscent of Vo Rogue a few years before was another part of the attraction of the horse for the public. Although some will vehemently disagree, it is this popularity that had a significant impact in his being included in the Hall Of Fame. Few horses win seven Group 1 races, so he was a great racehorse of which there is no doubt. It is the extent of his greatness that perhaps raises my query.

T

he gelding was certainly far from remarkable as an example of the thoroughbred.

There aren’t many beauty pageants that Might and Power would have won.

The plain bay colt had an understep which uncommon in good racehorses but it does reflect the wonderful variety in the breed, and is a great example of how thoroughbreds do not run on their looks.

M

ight And Power first raced as a late 2yo, not starting until June, 1996. He won his third start, over 1400m in a no metropolitan win race, but it was when he got to distances beyond a mile that we saw his true ability. His first start at 1900m came in February 1997 as a 3yo which saw him win twice over the journey in the space of a week. Might And Power was then stepped up to Group class over 1800m which saw him finish second. It was then to the Rosehill Guineas and the AJC Derby where he suffered badly from interference but neither time could he figure in the placings. His next start in the Frank Packer Plate over 2000m saw Might And Power victorious by six lengths.

T

he gelding returned in the Spring as a 4yo and surprised plenty by winning the Show County over 1200m first up. Seconds in the Tramway and Shannon Quality followed before a disappointing eighth in the Epsom when starting favourite. It was his next start though that was to cement his position among our best gallopers. With the lightweight of only 52.5kg, Might And Power lead all the way to beat Doriemus in the Caulfield Cup by an astonishing seven and a half lengths. In spite of a three and a half kilogram penalty, his next start in the Melbourne Cup saw jockey Jim Cassidy again lead. Might And Power had to dig deep to win in a deceptive photo again from the unlucky Doriemus.

A

TURF MONTHLY 8

fter a deserved break, Might And Power returned in the Autumn with a string of placings in shorter races, before rounding off his 4yo season with four

Watch video in text mode

successive wins in the Mercedes, Queen Elizabeth, Hollindale Cup and Doomben Cup. Unlike Octagonal, Might And Power, another champion son of Zabeel, did not make a habit of winning by small margins. He won the Queen Elizabeth by over ten lengths and set a course record in winning the Doomben Cup. As a 5yo, Might And Power resumed with moderate performances over shorter journeys, but did win the Chelmsford over 1600. When he got to Melbourne, he won three straight races at 2000m and beyond including the Cox Plate. That Spring was to be his last start for over a year, as a leg injury essentially ended his career. He did not start as a 6yo but had two races at 7yo before the curtain was drawn on his career.

A

s we have mentioned, Might And Power is a son of Zabeel, and like Octagonal hailed from equine royalty through his female line. With Might And Power, we see his female line traces to the mare, Selene. Selene was a daughter of Chaucer, and perhaps the best of her year. She won eight from eleven starts as a 2yo, and the same number at three, all at the highest level. Like most from her family, she was only small, and was not entered for the classic races but few of the time had any doubt that she would have continued her dominance in those races. As a broodmare, Selene had few equals. Among her progeny was Hyperion who is renowned as one of last century’s greatest sires and incidentally noted for his small stature. Other sons of Selene included Hunter’s Moon, Sickly, Pharamond II, Moonlight Run and Salamis.

She also produced a number of influential daughters including All Moonshine. All Moonshine is the daughter who gave us the line of Might And Power, and it is of interest that she also was to give us the line of Sir Tristram, the influential sire who was to produce Zabeel.

TURF MONTHLY 9

The gelding had a relatively heavily inbred pedigree at 14.06%. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect to his pedigree is the presence of All Moonshine in his tail female line, and also in the tail female line of Sir Tristram. All Moonshine is a daughter of the immortal Selene. Another important factor no doubt is the presence of multiple lines of Princequillo. This stallion appears as the damsire of Sir Gaylord, the sire of Sir Ivor, and who also appears as the sire of Habitat through the gelding’s damsire Day Is Done. Princequillo also appears as the sire or Round Table who is the damsire of Sir Tristram and also the sire of Artaius, the sire of Day Is Done. It should be noted that most of the inbreeding in the pedigree centres around the influences within Sir Tristram with only Nearco in Zabeel’s female side of the pedigree duplicated.

ARCHER

THE LEGEND BEGINS

A

rcher is the horse who is synonymous with the original Melbourne Cup. The stallion won the first two runnings of the event and is surrounded by legend, not all of them true. The most enduring legend is that of Archer walking from NSW to Victoria to contest the first Cup. While it sounds a good story it is at best an exaggeration. But before we get to the legend of Archer let us start at the beginning.

A

rcher was a son of imported sire William Tell by Touchstone from Maid of the Oaks by Vagabond. Both sire and dam had been owned by Thomas Molyneux "Tom" Royds of Ballalaba, NSW. Royds formed a breeding partnership with his uncle-in-law Andrew Badgery and the horses were kept on the Badgery managed Exeter Farm in Jembaicumbene. Royds purchased the mare Maid Of The Oaks at the dispersal of Charles Smith's Clifton Stud in 1845. Royds also imported the stallion William Tell in 1847 and another stallion called Sailor By The Sea. Tom Royds died

TURF MONTHLY 11

in an accident at the age of 27 in 1852. His widow, Betsy Royds married Rowland Hassall of Durham Hall who obtained all of her possessions upon marriage as were the laws of the time. Hassall then began selling off the Royd’s bloodstock despite Tom’s will having passed some of these on to his sons, Edmund Molyneux Royds and William Edward Royds. By then, Betsy’s brother, Tom Roberts had inherited Exeter Farm and Betsy persuaded her new husband to keep at least some of the horses including William Tell and six mares including Maid Of The Oaks. In order to protect his nephews’ interests, Tom agreed to look after the horses at Exeter. The progeny including Archer were recorded by the stud book as having been bred by the partnership of RH Hassell and TJ Roberts. The two sons were to successfully sue their stepfather in 1870 and the partnership was then identified as Hassell, Roberts and Royds.

I

n 1860 Tom Roberts leased Archer to his business associate and school friend, Etienne de Mestre from Terara near Nowra, New South Wales. De Mestre also leased Archer’s older half-brother Mariner and Tim Whiffler, who was to win the 1867 Melbourne Cup, from the partnership. It is claimed that de Mestre did not rate Archer all that highly as a racehorse, although it is hard to understand why. Archer did not race as a 2yo and was unplaced at his only two starts as a 3yo when he raced twice in three days at the end of May 1860. He was a different horse as a 4yo winning all of his seven starts at that age. His first win was in a Maiden at Randwick over 2800m on 6 September. Two days later he beat Flying Doe, the only other runner in the Randwick Plate over 2400m. Later that month he won two races over the three days of the Hawkesbury carnival before going for a spell. Archer returned to win the Australian Plate over 4000m and Randwick Plate again in the space of three days. A month later he won the Town Plate at Maitland again over 4000m when he was actually ridden by Etienne de Mestre. Returning as a 5yo, Archer had his first start in the Melbourne Cup.

I

n all but one of his starts, Archer was ridden by leading NSW jockey, John Cutts the son of a Sydney clerk. One Archer legend has it that Cutts was an indigenous jockey had been born in the area around Nowra, and was one of many of our First Nation people who replaced white stockmen who walked off the land to join the gold rush. Cutts was not from the region although his brother-in-law Walter Bradbury, worked for de Mestre. The most enduring of the Archer legends though is that the horse walked to Melbourne to run in the Cup. Newspapers of the day however reported that Archer travelled with two of de Mestre’s other horses in Exeter and Inheritor on the steam ship, City Of Sydney, from Sydney to Port Melbourne, departing 18 September 1861 and arriving on 21 September. Passengers on that boat included de Mestre and Cutts. However, Archer and de Mestre’s other horses had to also travel by boat to Sydney. This normally meant boarding a steamer at Adam’s Wharf near Terara. Floods in the region in late 1860 made that wharf unsuitable and from 1860 to 1863 de Mestre had to have his horses walked 13km to Berry’s Wharf at Greenwell Point in order to get to Sydney, a far cry from the legend. It was not uncommon in the time for horses to have to be walked or ridden to join up with the nearest port or rail head.

T

he first Melbourne Cup attracted a crowd of 4000 to travel to what was the first day of the Victoria Turf Club’s Spring meeting. Many had travelled by train from Spencer Street station that had opened earlier that year. The day’s racing consisted of a four race program and seventeen runners lined up in the Cup. Many had wondered if the race was going to be a success, but an interesting article appeared in May in the Melbourne Sporting Chronicle which read:

TURF MONTHLY 12

“A glance at the nominations for the Melbourne Cup, which appear in another column, shows us at once that the future prospects of racing in this colony are altogether the reverse of gloomy. The most determined importers of our great national pastime, at any rates have faith in the stability of the Victorian turf, when we find close upon three score of our best thoroughbreds entered for one race, and well-nigh three hundred pounds entrusted to the custody of the treasurer of the Turf Club, Our prophecy last week that nominations would roll in from the uttermost corners of our own fair colony, and from New South Wales, and from South Australia, have been most completely fulfilled; for there is scarcely a district in Victoria that is not represented by at least one candidate, whilst South Australia has come out with the best blood in the world, and New South Wales, never behindhand when a good thing is about, sent us at last one of her very best, and others of less fame to keep him in countenance. A nomination of fifty-seven for a weight for age handicap would hardly be believed in England and bears a highly favourable comparison to the average entry for the great spring handicap at home— the Chester Cup— the number for which this year was 187, of which 105 accepted. On looking over the list of aspirants to the Melbourne Cup, we find a strong muster of three year olds, and nearly all the great guns of four years old and upwards, the only division which is but poorly represented being the aged horses of the Attila school, horses possessed of plenty of pace, but averse to weight. Since the entries were read out on Wednesday evening, at the Bull and Mouth, five additional horses have come to band, and have been accepted by the stewards of the Turf Club, on the ground that the lateness of their entry was no fault of those who nominated them. It only remains now for the stewards to bring out a good handicap to make the Melbourne Cup the "greatest hit" next season.

A

rcher was rumoured to have hurt himself in the days leading up to the race and attracted little betting attention with de Mestre’s other entry, Inheritor the more fancied of his runners. However, the morning of the race saw the stable bet heavily on Archer bringing his price in to 6/1 with the Melbourne champion, Mormon still the favourite at 3/1. Mormon carried the top weight in the race with 64kg while Archer with 60.5kg was hardly well treated by the handicapper. Inheritor carried only 54kg in comparison making it a little less suspicious that the stable may have preferred the more generously weighted runner. The race was run in the slowest time ever for the event and was a roughly run event. Again, it is of interest to quote the Sporting Chronicle from the Saturday following the race:

“The Melbourne Cup after all was but a very second rate race and through one contretemps and another the chance of this rich stakes remaining at home was altogether extinguished, whilst the ill-luck of the South Australian mares was something almost incredible. There scants to have been a fatality about this race, and that the fates conspired together to dethrone all but Archer. First Arethusa died, then Midnight broke down, and then Stormy Petrel died. In the mean-time Moscow went amiss, then Flying Buck, and at the eleventh hour Colonel broke down. Gaffer Grey got into difficulties over his training, and Mr Cowell forgot at the last moment to enter Buzzard. Woodpecker met with an accident in his training, and Bolero also only a few days before the race. But to crown all, there must be a dire accident in the race itself, and as is generally the case, the most dangerous horses are the sufferers.

“The Moor, Black Bess, and Sorcerer escape, whilst Dispatch, Medora, and Twilight have all the misfortune to themselves, and the former couple fall never to race again. I do not wish though to detract from the glory of Archer's victory, and I am quite willing to confess that we have seldom, perhaps never, seen such a horse on the Australian turf.

When you get a good big 'un, take care of him, for they are very few and far between.

TURF MONTHLY 13

New South Wales lost a valuable horse when William Tell died, if Archer und Kyogle are samples of his vigour. The way that Archer shot to the front when Cutts shook him up was a sight to be remembered. I was quite wrong about Inheritor being the horse of the stable, but I, alas, am not the only man deceived, as the bookmakers can vouch for. According to rumour, in their trials, Inheritor was put down as the better horse, but Archer it seems is one of those horses that will not race except in company. I can scarcely believe that the stable made such a mistake, but the Sydneyites are quite our match in diplomacy, and it is hard to tell. Mormon ran a game horse under 10.1 and but for being run against early in the race might have finished closer. Poor old Flat went wrong in his feet at the last moment and The Moor and Nuthwith ought to be pensioned. Prince ran quite well as expected but Grey Dawn did no whilst Toryboy could run at top speed for only a mile and a half. Antonelli ran a thorough good colt and will grow into a better horse even than his sire. Fireaway, it is said, can go like the wind in private but on a racecourse, half a mile seems to be about his measure. The accident to which I referred above threw a gloom over the whole course which was not diminished when it became known that Dispatch and Medora could never recover, and that Morrison and Haynes were severely injured. Both the mares were destroyed before Saturday morning with Dispatch being buried in the centre of the racecourse. I am glad to say that both jockeys are doing as well as can be expected, Morrison at the Melbourne Hospital and Haynes at his home at Waldock’s stables.

T

he fallout from the betting scandal surrounding the race was prominently featured in the local Press who reported:

“Without exception the settling on the late Turf Club Races was the worst we ever remember to have attended, and it will be a long time before the ring recovers itself from the severe blow which the victory of Archer in the Cup administered. Two or three of the outside bookmakers were knocked out altogether, whilst a large percentage of the backers of horses, and one or two layers of the odds, were compelled to ask for time. The root of the evil lies not only in the inability of certain backers to meet their engagements, but in the fact of two of the ‘knocked out’ bookmakers having especially TURF MONTHLY 14

peppered Archer who, as the time for the race came round, was regarded by them as next to a ‘dead ‘un.’ The clients of the ‘knocked out brigade’ have not received their winnings, and consequently cannot pay their losings. Altogether, the betting world just now is in a fog, and in order to extricate themselves from the net in which they are entangled, the solvent members of the room will meet on Monday next, to decide what is best to be done under existing circumstances. In the meantime, we trust that some steps will be taken by defaulters to pay their betting debts, and so save themselves from the disgrace of seeing their names posted. In consequence of the “betting crisis,” there have been few investments during the week on forthcoming events, the Tasmanian champion sweepstakes being the only race operated upon.

I

t is fair to say that Etienne de Mestre despite his remarkable successes in the Cup in following years, was not always welcomed by Melbourne racing folk. The day after the Melbourne Cup though Archer won the Town Plate at Flemington again over two miles starting at 3/1 on in a field of six. He did not start again until 26 April when he suffered defeat finishing third in the 4000m Grand Handicap before winning the Queen’s Plate over 4800m again at Randwick a little over a week later.

Archer again was in the paddock and returned at Geelong over the 4800m of the Champions Stakes finishing third behind Tallyrand who had also beaten him in the Grand Handicap. On 13 November, Archer defended his Melbourne Cup crown.

He had again travelled to Melbourne on the steamer and again was accompanied

by Exeter. In 1862, Archer was a solid favourite starting at 2/1 this time carrying 64.5kg. Best backed to beat him was another Sydney horse in Talleyrand owned and trained by John Tait who was later to race The Barb. Bookmakers offered even money the field against the two favourites. Tait and de Mestre were to train nine of the first 18 winners of the Melbourne Cup. Seven thousand spectators attended the race in the second year with 20 starters. This time Archer won by 8 lengths running five seconds quicker than the year before in an era when hand timing may not have made for great accuracy. Two days later he started in the All Aged Stakes at Flemington over a mile and won at 5/1 on in his first attempt under 2000m.

Etienne de Mestre TURF MONTHLY 15

A

rcher was spelled and when weights came out for the 1863 Melbourne Cup, the champion was allocated the massive impost of 11 stone 4 lbs or 71.5kg. It did not deter de Mestre although fate was to step in. Archer and de Mestre’s other entrant in the Cup, Haidee were on board the City Of Melbourne which left Sydney on 16 June along with Tom Lamond who was in charge of the horses until de Mestre joined them later. Acceptances for the Cup were due by 8pm on Wednesday 1 July but de Mestre who was still in Sydney had overlooked the deadline. He was reminded that morning by Sam Jenner of George Kirk and Co, and de Mestre sent a telegram to the Melbourne office of that company which arrived at the Melbourne Telegram Office at 1 pm. However, 1 July was a public holiday in Melbourne and the telegram was not delivered until 7.30pm to George Kirk. The following morning Kirk handed the telegram to the Stewards at the Turf Club who decided that the deadline had passed and refused the acceptances. There was a great furore over the decision, but the VTC refused to back down, no doubt driven in part by the earlier betting scandal. Sydney owners in a show of solidarity boycotted the race and the resultant field of only seven Victorian horses was the smallest in Melbourne Cup history. By the end of July, de Mestre had arrived in Melbourne to oversee the training of his two horses for the seventh Champion Sweepstakes run at Ballarat on 1 October. Archer though was not a well horse. He had become ill and was showing signs of lameness. Still, he lined up in the 4800m event and started the even money favourite but could only finish third of the five runners. Supporters were angry that Archer had been allowed to run, but Rowland Hassall issued a strong statement saying that none of de Mestre’s horses were public property. On 10 October it was announced that Archer had “gone in one of his legs” after the race, and he was duly scratched from all of his remaining engagements. The furore over the Melbourne Cup acceptance was fruitless in that Archer would never have run in any case. In fact, the old horse was to never race again although he was put back in work to prepare for the Metropolitan at Randwick in September. His leg again caused issue and after a brief let up, he returned to work again to try and make the race. Sadly, he was not to stand up to hard training and was later scratched from the race. He was officially retired at the end of the Randwick carnival in 1864. Rather ironically, Archer would have had to have walked, or been ridden some 250km from the end of the railway line at Campbelltown to his final home in Jembaicumbene after his retirement.

A

rcher was retired to stud at a fee of 10 guineas per mare which was amongst the highest of his time, but he produced little of note. He died at Exeter Farm on 22 December 1872 after having wandered into a field of green barley. The consumption of the rich food caused a fatal inflammation of the lungs. His long time jockey, John Cutts had died only three months earlier. A horseshoe ornament made from Archer’s tail hair is on display at the Australian Racing Museum in Melbourne.

TURF MONTHLY 16

ARCHER

A MORBID CONNECTION

A

s we have seen, the legend of Archer has grown since his two Melbourne Cup wins. It is hard to imagine how popular the horse was in Australian folklore, and with fame brings strange bedfellows. Two particular coincidences struck me while researching the career of the champion. Archer quite remarkably is the surname of two men hanged in Australia. George William Martin Archer was hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol in Sydney in 1893, while Alfred Archer was executed in Melbourne in 1898. There was a little more than just a sharing of their surname with the great horse that make both stories remarkable.

he tended to float between jobs. Archer did however marry and was working as a groom for the Sydney Tramway and Omnibus Company when accused of the murder of a young woman who lived on the lower floor of the boarding house in which Archer and his wife also lived in Woolloomooloo. It was a rather gruesome murder so we will not go into detail, although Archer maintained his innocence until his death. Sometime after his execution though a watch belonging to the dead woman was found on a beam at the Tram depot above where Archer would hang his clothes. As a rather tragic end to this story, the hangman bungled George Archer had been born at Cootamundra, NSW, the execution. Archer had collapsed and, in his haste in 1865. When 3 years old the boy and his mother to attach the noose, the executioner did not affix it removed to Adelong, and he attended the Adelong properly. The doomed man hung for over ten minutes, public school until 9 years of age. He became skilled at at times appearing to struggle to talk and breathe, handling horses, and at only 12 came under the notice before being declared dead. of well-known jockey and trainer, William “Billy” The story of Alfred Archer who was hung in Melbourne Yeomans. Yeomans had ridden wonderful horses like only five years later was very different. He was born Newminster, First King, Wheatear and Kingsborough. with the name Archer which clearly is not that When he retired he brought a property at Young with uncommon, but there was a fateful connection with his good friend and rival, the great Tom Hales. Archer the Melbourne Cup. Alfred Archer lead a life that was at the time was known as George Fallon, and under rather transient, and like George Archer had a fondness that name he developed into a quality jockey. His first for alcohol. Alfred was a seaman and was a cook public mount was at Albury in 1878 when he rode onboard the British vessel Narcissus, from Liverpool, Nimblefoot who had won the 1870 Melbourne Cup. moored at the Williamstown Railway Pier discharging Not long after, Fallon moved to the stable of Mr CE cargo, on October 4, 1897. That morning the Captain McEvoy for whom he won good races at the Tasmanian called the local Constable Andrew Anderson to arrest Jockey Club’s meeting aboard Emerald and Waterford. the ship's cook for being absent without leave. Alfred He also won the Flemington Plate on Belladrum and Archer locked up at Williamstown told police that the Geelong Handicap on Fleetwing. Archer or Fallon he was 33 years of age, a seaman, and member of the rode Pollio at just 40kg in the 1879 Melbourne Cup Church of England. Archer had previously held jobs won by Darriwell. Fallon left the McEvoy stable around in Melbourne some years before at the Palace Hotel in 1880 and soon became too heavy to ride which seems Bourke Street and later as a cook at the nearby Pretty’s remarkable given his early ability to ride so light. He Restaurant. On the morning after his arrest, Archer worked as a miner at Adelong for 18 months and by was repentant before Mr. Pearson, JP, and he faithfully 1885 was employed to carry the mail between Adelong promised to return to duty. He was so remorseful that and Tumberumba. During his mail run one evening Captain Curd consented to withdraw the charge, and he broke into the store of a Mr Cohen and stole several Archer accompanied him back to the vessel. Eerily it items of value. He was convicted and sentenced to two was Melbourne Cup Day 1897, after owner William years imprisonment at Young Gaol. After having his Forrester of Warwick Farm had quinellaed the race sentence reduced by six months for good behaviour, with Gaulus and The Grafter, that Archer’s life was to Fallon took the name of Archer, and it seems likely take a tragic turn. We will let Alfred Archer continue that this was because of the fame of the great racehorse. the story in his own words. He penned a lengthy He drove a coach between Temora and Cootamundra confession that he gave to the Reverend Robert for a time before moving to Sydney. His life though Elliott who was tending to the spiritual needs of the was reported to have been one of lust and liquor and condemned man as he sat on death row. TURF MONTHLY 17

Gaulus

“Cup day 12 months ago I was returning to my ship, the Narcissus, when outside the Hotham Hotel I was accosted by a respectably dressed woman, who inquired for a certain hotel. On expressing my ignorance of its whereabouts, I was invited to partake of a drink. Having just sold my best coat for 2s to obtain drink, I saw here an opportunity of getting some without spending my own money. We had several drinks together, and the woman became drunk. What to do for a lodging that night I did not know. I resolved that we should make for the ship, and the night was passed on board. In the morning early she was taken ashore. In the evening I dressed and made my way to the address she gave, which was a small general shop. She came out and I took up my abode there. We spent the night in drinking. The next few days passed in the same way. Knowing I was a deserter I abandoned all idea of returning to the ship, so we set ourselves to enjoyment as long as the money lasted, or there was tiny thing to pawn or sell. Being out one day to get a drink I was surprised on my return to find the person and a little boy she had with her sitting upon a box in the back yard, having been ejected by the agent of the house. With no money, and no place to go to, we were in a plight. A note was written by the woman to a friend, which resulted in 7s. being sent. With this money, another room was taken. The next day I bustled about, got a job as a useful man at a hotel, and as time went on we were doing fairly well. One of my duties was to look after the wines and spirits in the cellar. Opportunities TURF MONTHLY 18

were thus afforded me of taking home nightly baby bottles of whisky. These we would drink during the night.

The result of such conduct was that I was dismissed. Out of work for some time, until everything that could be pawned or sold was gone, I was fortunate to get work at another hotel, but was discharged because of my taking away a few parcels of food for my partner and child. Here then was another period of privation until I obtained another post. Wages being very low, and quarrelling with the cook, I left. Quarrels now ensued between my partner and me on account of this, and for days we had but little to eat. At last, going out one morning with the determination to break up the life I was leading, I saw an advertisement, ' Wanted a man.'

I applied, was accepted, and started work. Stayed there for some time, I was dreadfully pressed for money and knowing a place where a diamond ring was kept, I was determined to have it. Having taken it, I left the job, feeling that I had something to fall back upon as a kind of stock, but how to dispose of it I was at a loss. Knowing some "houses" I visited when off the ship, I disposed of it at one. This enabled us to live fairly well again, but I was always fearful of being found out. Knowing where a watch could be had without much trouble, I boldly walked in, and, seeking for some pretended information, I took the watch and disposed of it at the same place as the ring. Suspicions were very much aroused against me. I was afraid of being arrested. It was agreed that my partner and I should separate, she taking one kind of

work and I another. But whilst looking for employment I was sheltered every night in her employer's house unknown to him, where food was always provided for me. I next tried to find work in the country. I obtained a free pass to Shepparton, spent some time there, and then tramped to Karrimba. Whilst there Mr Stidwell rode up on horseback and asked if I wanted work. I answered 'Yes.' Worked for him and a brother for a time and was then discharged. Knowing the poverty stricken condition in which I left the woman, I was most anxious for money and felt very keenly my dismissal, thinking the work would have lasted. At this juncture the man Matthews came and asked me if I would join him in possuming. I told him I had no money to go as a partner. He replied, 'Never mind, come; we'll go shares, as two men are wanted for the job. Come now at once." I told him I could not come just now, as I was waiting to get settled up with the Stidwells. We then arranged to meet at the bridge. I kept the appointment. We then both made our way, after some days trapping, towards Ulupna, where we were not successful, possums being hard to find. He said several times to me, "The job won't pay two men and find horse feed," and rather growled because I did not turn out in the morning before him. On the Tuesday Matthews said, " We had better separate; it won't pay."

All my past months of privation and a strong desire to be with my partner took hold upon me, and after the remark made by Matthews, I said to myself, 'By God, we shall separate, but not in the way you mean.' Thoughts rapidly filled my mind as to what I might get. I knew he had some money; how much I did not know, but calculated the horse, cart and harness would realise at least £10; his box and other belongings perhaps £3 or £4. I sat brooding upon this until night came. We went into our tent. Matthews undressed and rolled himself in his rug on the ground. I also laid down and tried to get to sleep but could not. I remained restless for some time.

I then got up and sat rocking myself, holding my knees and thinking, and saying to myself, 'I will, I will, by God, I will!' At last I jumped up, seized the tomahawk, and dealt him a blow on the head, saying, 'We will separate.'

I then dragged him out of the tent. Matthews got up on his knees, I then gave him the second blow with the tomahawk. As he fell over, I threw away the tomahawk, took up the knife and drove it through his throat. I cannot account for the cut on his hand, but I know he had his hand up when I hit him the second time. I stepped back and found myself covered with blood.

I went back to the body, shook it, called out 'Jack, Jack, speak!' and I realised then that I had murdered him.

I took hold of my hair with my two hands, bloody as they were, pulling it as I raced back and forward some

yards and calling out 'Jack, Jack, what shall I do?’ I saw that I must do something to get rid of the body. I got some sacking ready, which I had in the tent, picked up Matthews, squeezed him down hard, bent him up, put the oven lid on him, and sewed it all up into a parcel. My one idea was to get rid of the body. I did not even search for money at the time, I was too terrified. I harnessed the horse, lifted the body into the cart, drove down to Ulupna Creek and tipped the body in. It must have been about 2 o'clock in the morning. I thought it would never be discovered.

I then came back to the camp, burnt the bloodstained clothes, and then threw the knife, which they had at the trial, into the fire. I washed all the blood off my head, hands and face. Sometime after I struck the tent, put all the things into the cart and started off to Yarroweyah.

Whilst I was getting the things ready a man saw me at the camp and spoke to me. I drove away. Being some distance on the road, I noticed the camp oven and threw it out. I made for Dixon's public house, where I had several drinks, and picked up a gold locket. From here my movements are known. The cart and horse sold for much less than I expected. Having consigned the skins to a Melbourne firm, for which I subsequently got the cheque, I took train to Melbourne with Matthews's blankets box and tent. I exchanged the locket for a watch and disposed of the tent at one shop. The proceeds bought me the new serge suit of clothes, tanned boots and straw hat.

I then discovered the whereabouts of my partner, whom I found to be terribly hard up. After the greetings were over, I handed her some money to make purchases. She knew nothing as to how the money had been obtained or how the deed was done. My mind has been filled with horror ever since the deed was done, and my sentence is a just one. My subsequent actions after meeting my partner were carried on under the firm conviction that the body could not be discovered until at least Christmas, when perhaps some fishing party might find it. But when passing along Bourke Street saw the announcement on a placard of a murder at Strathmerton, my very heart stopped beating. I made for a public house and got the paper. There it was, plainly enough I decided to wait, but you know I was shortly after arrested. You saw me at Strathmerton lockup. It was not until at the trial, when Dr. Hoggan gave evidence, that I felt there was no hope for me, as the doctor described all that took place as though he had been there and seen the whole thing. I was dumbfounded at his statements. Not only so, but one gave evidence against me for whom I had done so much. When this thought came on me, I did what you all know at Benalla. This, then, was the reward for my actions— betrayed by the woman I loved, condemned by man, and abandoned by God." TURF MONTHLY 19

CUTTY SARK THE FOUNDATION

C

utty Sark is considered one of the foundation mares of the Australian thoroughbred and is seen as the mare that gave us the Bruce Lowe colonial number 7 family. There was considerable doubt about her pedigree, although much more is known than modern history will tell. The mare arrived in Australia aboard the Prince Regent under the control of Captain John Lamb on 22 March 1826.

According to newspaper reports the ship carried the stallion Peter Fin, who was unloaded in Van Diemen’s Land, and the mare Spaewife by Soothsayer. Spaewife was to found the line that gave us Shannon hence the origins of these mares was again raised when that wonderful horse was exported to the US causing more than a little discussion at the time. Interestingly the passenger manifest of the ship contained a Mrs Shannon. One stallion, four mares and 30 sheep were lost on the voyage which departed England the previous October. The ownership of some of the stock that arrived on the Prince Regent is uncertain, with some horses being owned by Captain Lamb, while the majority of the stock including the sheep were held in the name of the Australian Agricultural Company. In fact, it was under the name of the company that the first progeny of Cutty Shark were to go to sale. Both Spaewife and Cutty Sark were recorded as being in foal when they arrived although there seems no record of either foal. In 1827 Cutty Sark produced a colt who was sold via a newspaper ad in November 1829. The advertisement listed Cutty Sark as being by Oxford, out of a mare by Fidget, and her granddam by Dragon. Cutty Sark and Spaewife were both sold to Mr Charles Smith of Bungarribee, Doonside in May 1834 and the pedigree of Cutty Sark was similarly recorded at that sale. According to

Sweet Nell winning the 1903 Caulfield Cup TURF MONTHLY 20

Douglas M Barrie in his wonderful work, The Australian Bloodhorse published in 1957, he speculates that the reason that the pedigree of Cutty Sark was not accepted by the Australian Stud Book was that there was no stallion recorded by the name of Oxford at the time in the British tome. He argues that it was a handwriting error that saw the mare recorded as being by Oxford with her likely sire the similarly named Oxton. As for the female line, Barrie traces that to a mare called Giantess by Matchem which is recorded as Lowe’s number 6 family.

N

othing is known of the foal that Cutty Sark was supposed to be carrying when arriving in Australia, but her first local foal was the Herald colt of 1827 that was offered for sale. In 1830, Cutty Sark produced an unknown foal by another imported stallion in Peter Fin who had travelled with the mare on her trip to Australia. She then produced Bonnie Lass by Bachelor and the following year a sister, Bett Hyatt.

She was bred once more to another import in Skeleton but again we do not know what happened to this foal. Cutty Sark and her daughters Bett Hyatt and Bonnie Lass were put up for sale in 1834 at the Australian Agricultural Company dispersal sale. All were purchased by Charles Smith who, according to historian Keith Binney as outlined on the website tbheritage.com, had been a groom in Shropshire when convicted of pick-pocketing and transported on the Baring to Sydney arriving in 1819. He was a servant for various military officers and was granted an early Ticket of Leave, and a conditional pardon in 1830. Smith was a butcher in Sydney and his business included Government contracts to provide salted meat to ships. He later branched out into the wholesale cattle business. Smith had a keen interest in racing and in 1832 purchased a 2000 acre property at Bungarribee station along Eastern Creek, which he gradually enlarged by government grants and grazing licenses. He later purchased other properties, including Abbotsbury, near Prospect, Bayly Park, at South Creek, and Clifton, near Windsor, where he moved some of his bloodstock in the early 1840s.

S

mith became one of the leading breeders of the time. He bought the famous Rous Emigrant (1822) at auction and bred many of that stallion’s best progeny including Young Rous Emigrant and Charles O’Malley. Among his other stallions were Emigrant, Theorem, Zohrab and Gohanna who all had success with Cutty Sark

Sweet Nell

TURF MONTHLY 21

and her daughters. Cutty Sark is believed to have died in 1844 soon after foaling her last colt called Marske. Smith died the following year and his bloodstock were dispersed via sale in February 1845. Smith had actually sent three of Cutty Sark’s progeny to Calcutta in India in 1844 apparently with a plan to use the sale proceeds to buy exotic animals for a zoo, but this never came to fruition with Smith’s death.

C

utty Sark was continued by two daughters in Bonnie Lass and Deception. In terms of those stallions we have highlighted this month, Bonnie Lass was the dam of Charles Smith’s Zohrab mare. That mare was to give us the line of Archer as well as William Tell and Mariner. Deception was the mare whose descendants went on to produce The Barb and his full sister, Barbelle who also won a Sydney Cup. Basha Felika and the Hall of Fame entrant, Dalray are also featured this month as they also tail to the wonderful foundation mare, Cutty Sark as does the wonderful Royal Sovereign who is the only horse ever to win all three Eastern State Derbies.

The mare still plays an important role in Australian breeding although little of note has come recently and perhaps we can wonder if it has a great long term future.

Nevertheless, there have been many wonderful horses who owe their heritage to this family apart from those we cover at length. These include horses like Sweet Nell who was the best race mare in Australia in the 1903-04 season, and one of the top of her generation. Named for the stage actress Nellie "Sweet Nell" Stewart by her breeder, Sir Rupert Clarke, Sweet Nell won the VRC Sires' Produce Stakes, VRC Flemington Stakes and the SAJC South Australian Stakes as a 2yo. At three she won the Caulfield Cup, Caufield Guineas and the VRC Oaks, and was second to her stablemate FJA in the VRC Derby. She later won the AJC Autumn Stakes and the Wycombe Stakes. One of the most recent Group 1 winners from the line was the good sprinter Mighty Avalanche who won the 1984 Oakleigh Plate. He went on to become a good sire producing 15 stakes winners like Blixen, Candy Rock, Gem Of The West, Spot The Rock and 1996 Qld Derby and VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner, Valance.

Watch video in text mode

Valance winning the Queen Elizabeth

TURF MONTHLY 22

THE BARB

THE GREATEST EVER

W

hile Archer was rightly hailed a champion, it was within a decade that his title of Australia’s best was under threat. Etienne de Mestre was also to be rivalled as the star owner and trainer by John Tait and his stable was headlined by The Barb who won the 1866 Melbourne Cup. His deeds were to become legendary not only in Australia but throughout the UK and USA, a remarkable feat for the day.

T

he Barb was bred by the Lee family from Bylong near Bathurst. As a foal at foot, The Barb created news having been stolen, along with his dam and other horses, by bushrangers. The thieves were caught but there was no sign of the foal.

He was later discovered on a farm where he had been left being too lame to travel.

The Barb was by top stallion, Sir Hercules out of Fair Ellen, a mare by the imported stallion, The Doctor. He was not a big foal, and during his racing days stood at only 15.1 hands. Reports of the day though describe him as a distinguished type despite his short stature. According to the website kingsoftheturf.com by Ian Ibbett, he is described as “Possessed of a plain head, inclined to be Roman, on a short neck set into deep and very powerful shoulders, The Barb was short in the back but lengthy in his quarters, which were well let down with very muscular thighs and gaskins; and he boasted capital legs to the knees and hocks. Perhaps his only fault in conformation was his rather flat feet, but at a gallop, he moved with a long, sweeping stride.”

T

he Barb was purchased as a yearling by John Tait for the sum of 200 guineas with Tait taken by his extraordinary muscular development. He was sent to Tait’s stable in Sydney under the care of Ned Ingersole, a well known breaker and trainer who had been long time friends of the Lee family. Ingersole had for years been responsible for the yearlings from Leeholme and Yaralee and he joined brothers James and Joe Kean in taking these horses including The Barb to Sydney. The trio dined out for years on tales of how they tried to ride the black colt who bucked the entire journey from Bathurst to Parramatta and helping to earn him the nickname, The Black Demon. Tait’s friend, Jimmy Ashworth ultimately had the responsibility for schooling the colt.

I

t seemed to do little to soften his temperament and his first racetrack appearance in April 1866 at Homebush saw the colt put on a buckjumping exhibition. He dislodged the stable jockey Charles Stanley who was to ride the horse in most of his starts, and bolted as the field lined up. He was caught and lined up with the rest of the field for a second attempt at the start. The headstrong colt had been unwanted in the betting and was wayward in the race but finished strongly to narrowly miss the placings. He then lined up on the first day of the AJC Autumn carnival against the might of Hurtle Fisher’s stable and his very good horse Fishhook. The black colt raced well against the two Fisher entries but was taken off the track by Budelight, the second of the Fisher runners and just narrowly failed to get past that horse for second. The Barb was not entered for the Champagne Stakes and again the Fisher pair dominated that race with Fishhook widely hailed as the star 2yo of the season.

TURF MONTHLY 24

The trio then lined up for the final major 2yo race of the carnival, the Nursery Handicap a week later. Tait was pleasantly surprised when the handicaps came out with The Barb getting a stone in weight from Fishhook. The Barb was taken to the lead and won untouched in good time. It was reported that Tait had wagered heavily on his colt and spoke of him after the win as the best colt in Australia.

F

isher left his horses in NSW to spell and little was heard of them until they reappeared for the Spring. The Barb, under Tait’s spruiking, was watched closely by all and sundry as he matured into a lovely colt. The Barb though was never far from controversy, and in July he narrowly escaped a fire that spread through Tait’s stables in Upper William Street. It was a fire that could be seen by much of Sydney.

It was only the quick thinking of Jimmy Ashworth who rescued the four horses including The Barb and Volunteer from their boxes. Tait’s adjoining residence was only saved by using hoses and wet blankets before the Fire Brigade, which was operated by the Insurance company at the time, arrived. There was much suspicion over the cause of the blaze as the same night at Tom Ivory’s stables only a couple of miles away, another blaze broke out. It was rumoured that The Barb had been heavily supported in a range of doubles for the Spring and that there were plenty who stood to profit from the colt’s demise in a stable fire.

T

he Barb returned to Randwick in September to take his place against the star Fisher colt, Fishhook, in the AJC Derby. Only six horses, all colts, faced the starter as the field whittled down from the original 35 nominations. All but one runner was a son of either Fisherman or Sir Hercules. The small field though did not stop the race from being an eagerly awaited affair. A series of impressive gallops through the week preceding the race saw The Barb almost overtake Fishhook as favourite.

Fishhook had returned from the property at Richmond only a few days before the

TURF MONTHLY 25

race, and many expressed disappointment at his soft and flabby appearance. The race itself did not live up to expectations being a one sided affair as The Barb jumped to the front and won with ease. The Lee family also bred the second placegetter, the aptly named Bylong edging out Fishook who finished in third. Hailed as the new star, The Barb went into a Maiden on the following Thursday in a bit of a quirk of racing at the time. Conditions required only that a horse was a maiden at the time they were nominated and The Barb was a heavy favourite when he lined up over the same course and distance a few days later. He ran second behind Bulgimbar in a major upset. The defeat was later blamed on the fact that The Barb had run in plates unlike in the Derby. The shoes came off and the following day The Barb bounced back to win the Bruie Stakes over a mile, conceding 3kg to Fishhook who finished second some three lengths in arrears.

S

uch was the poor state of Victorian racing at the time that neither The Barb or Fishhook had been nominated for the VRC Derby that was lacking in both prestige and prizemoney in comparison with the NSW event. Fishhook had not even been nominated for the Melbourne Cup, but Tait took his champion to that race. The Barb faced the largest field to have lined up for any Australian race at the time at 28. For the second year, Melbourne had made Cup Day a half day public holiday and officials were rewarded with a record crowd of 18000. The Barb had a battle with Exile, an aged gelding owned by the starter, PG Keigliran, but eventually got the upper hand winning by a head on the line. Third was Falcon, another of Tait’s horses, and one of two who shared the same name in the race. The Melbourne owned Falcon started at 100/1. It seemed that The Barb was always around when controversy happened, and furore was to break out after the race as the Judge failed to put up a third horse in a day before saddle cloths. The Judge, Mr JD Dougharty, when questioned by reporters said, that as far as he was concerned, no horse had run third. It transpired that the Tait gelding had raced in a yellow jacket with a red cap and the judges had not been formally notified of these colours in the official card. The following day the Stewards announced that Falcon had been placed third, but many bookmakers refused to pay out as the Rules of Racing stated that the Judge had the sole power to determine placings and not the stewards. Two days later The Barb was beaten over a mile at Flemington by Sour Grapes in another upset.

T

he Barb did not start again until New Year’s Day when he lined up in the rich Champion Race at Flemington over 4800m beating another Tait horse in Volunteer. His next run was a win in the Homebush Plate beating Phoebe, but two weeks later he was to finish fourth to Fishhook in the Randwick St Leger. Again, controversy surrounded the horse as reports surfaced that the colt was amiss. Tait publicly claimed that The Barb had been nobbled and fearing that the colt would never race againg, Tait scratched The Barb from all of his remaining engagements for the rest of the season.

TURF MONTHLY 26

A

lengthy spell followed, and he resumed on New Year’s Day 1868 in his first start as a 4yo, winning the Port Phillip Stakes at Flemington. A trip to Tasmania saw The Barb run fourth behind his stablemate, Fireworks in the Champion Race (4800m) before winning the Launceston Town Plate the following day over 4000m.

Back in Sydney, The Barb was victorious in the Sydney Cup before crossing the line first in a two horse contest in the Queen’s Plate. Again, The Black Demon was at the middle of a controversy. He comfortably beat Tim Whiffler but was subsequently disqualified when his jockey, Charles Stanley weight in 2 pounds light. An Inquiry was held into the race about a month later with the committee finding that Stanley had weighed out properly, and no one could explain what happened to the weight.

It also found that while there was little betting on the race, Tim Whiffler was backed late in the running into even money. It was rumoured to be predicted that Stanley would weigh in light. The final verdict was that while the race was suspicious, it could not prove any wrongdoing on the part of any person.

T

he Black Demon returned for arguably his best season as a 5yo in a season that saw him unbeaten in seven starts. His first win was the Metropolitan over 3200m on 10 September 1868, and he proceeded to win the 2000m Craven Plate and 4800m Randwick Plate on the following two days. He went to Melbourne for the Spring but did not nominate for the Cup because of the huge weights he was being given. He had been allocated the incredible weight of 70kg for the event. His only start in Melbourne was the Royal Park Stakes where he was the only starter, having successfully scared off any competitors. The Barb won the Port Phillip Stakes on New Year’s Day and then was allocated 67kg in the Sydney Cup in the Autumn.

Despite facing a quality field of 16 runners, The Barb toyed with his opponents to

John Tait

TURF MONTHLY 27

silence even his harshest critics. His final appearance was in the Queen’s Plate two days later over 4800m when he was only asked for an effort for the last 50m but managed to outclass the rest and receiving a tumultuous reception from an adoring crowd. In all, The Barb started 23 times for 12 wins and stakes of £7,500.

T

he Barb retired to stud and both John Tait and Jimmy Ashworth accompanied the black horse to Tocal to personally hand him over to Charles Reynolds who had purchased the stallion for 2000 guineas, the highest price ever paid at the time for a stallion. He started his career at a fee of 15 guineas. Many claim The Barb to be one of the great failures at stud, especially as he was a descendant of the respected Cutty Sark. It is probably a harsh assessment and in hindsight we can say that while the family produced many quality horses, it certainly never produced any champion stallions. The Barb was certainly disappointing, siring only a handful of stakes winners. His best was most likely Tocal who won the AJC All-Aged Stakes and VRC Royal Park Stakes and was narrowly beaten in the AJC Derby. The Barb also produced Strathearn, bred by John Tait and winner of a Brisbane Cup, and The Barber, winner of a Moreton Handicap. He also produced the filly The Thorn who was sent to the UK where she won the 1872 Gimcrack Stakes. It is almost impossible to believe that an attempt was made by John Tait to put the old horse back into training for an attempt at the 1877 Champion Race some eight years after retiring from the track. Tait negotiated a deal with George Petty and Charles Reynolds to replace The Barb at stud with Goldsborough when that horse had finished racing.

Notably Goldsborough was a son of Fireworks out of the wonderful Hurtle Fisher mare, Sylvia by Fisherman out of Juliet.

TURF MONTHLY 28

T

he Barb re-entered training and made an appearance on the last day of the 1876 AJC Spring Meeting. The Barb showed such dash in the exhibition with Tait and Ashworth in attendance that Tait proceeded to give him a serious preparation for the Champion Stakes scheduled for the New Year. Sadly, the old champion was to break down in a gallop on the eve of his departure for Melbourne. Tait then sold the Demon to George Petty who was talking of again establishing a stud. Nevertheless, Petty had entered the horse for the 1877 Melbourne Cup and the handicapper allocated him the top weight of 58.5kg in the race ten years after his victory and not having raced for eight years, such was the reputation of the magnificent old champion. Petty was to die later that year and The Barb was sold again, this time for 600 guineas. The Barb was to change hands once more, in November 1883 when the now 20yo was sold for only 110 guineas to the Bowler family in Mitta Mitta on the Victorian border. He was eventually passed to the Wheeler’s station on Coolac Creek near Brindenbrong. The Barb was said to have been made earn his feed to his last by being used to run in the milking cows and working horses. He died in January 1889 at the age of 25 and was buried in a grave marked by a small headstone. The Black Demon was to court controversy even in death as Peter Mitchell of the region, and a man who was later to own the exceptional horse Trafalgar, had the champion’s body exhumed so as to get one of the legend’s hoofs which he had mounted on an inkstand with the black demon’s pedigree set out on silver plate.

TURF MONTHLY 29

F

ortunately, we do not have to end the tale of The Barb on such a gruesome note, although we should point out that it was a regular practice to display the hooves of some of best horses until far too recently. The Barb does continue his legacy in the Australian thoroughbred through his daughters. One, Sea Breeze, herself out of the Fisherman mare, Mermaid, was mated with Goldsborough to produce Sou’Wester who won stakes races in NZ and was to become a popular stallion in that region. A full sister to Sea Breeze in Melody produced Melos also by Goldsborough to win the AJC Derby, St Leger and Randwick Plate as well as the VRC Champion Stakes. He too stood at stud with little success producing only one stakes winner in Kingston who won the Dequetteville Stakes in Adelaide. Without doubt the best horse that we have seen carrying The Barb in their pedigree was Aquanita, a horse we looked at more closely when we looked at some of Hurtle Fisher’s legacy. Aquanita also traces to The Barb’s daughter Melody and was to win 18 stakes races including the Cox Plate, Underwood, Turnbull, Futurity and two George Adams Stakes in a stellar career. This line also gave us Latin Knight who won five stakes races including the AJC Sires Produce and Rosehill Guineas. Others tracing to the mare Melody include Blue Diamond winner, Undoubtedly, and champion WA galloper of the 1970’s Ngawyni who won the WA Guineas and Derby plus the AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes and VRC Australian Cup in a career that totalled 14 stakes wins. Another daughter of The Barb in Sunbeam continues another legacy of the Black Demon.

Among her descendants are the 9 times stakes winner, Danleigh by Mujahid who won the 2009 AJC All Aged Stakes and MVRC Manikato Stakes, the 2010 STC George Ryder and the 2011 ATC Chipping Norton all at Group 1 level. Another is the top galloper of the 1990’s in Poetic King who won a total of 8 stakes races including 3 Group 1 races in the VATC Vic Health Cup and Toorak Handicap, and the MVRC Manikato Stakes.

Watch video in text mode Undoubtedly winning the Blue Diamond

TURF MONTHLY 30

HONEST JOHN TAIT THE OWNER

Tait, John (1813–1888)

by Martha Rutledge

This article was published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, 1976 online in 2006

John Tait (1813-1888), racehorse owner and trainer, was born on 5 November 1813 at Melrose near Edinburgh, son of Robert Tait, jeweller and engraver, and his wife Margaret, née Maitland. Trained as a jeweller he with his wife Janet, née Buchanan (d.1880), and daughter, reached Hobart Town in the Hindo on 2 November 1837 and opened a business. He soon moved to New South Wales and in June 1843 became the licensee of the Albion Inn, Hartley, and in 1847 took over the Black Bull Inn at Bathurst. Strong and wiry, his 'great skill as a boxer' enabled him to cope with his rougher patrons.

In 1847 Tait won the New South Wales St Leger at Homebush with Whalebone. He soon acquired a string of horses from such local breeders as Thomas Icely and George Lee and engaged Noah Beale as trainer and James Ashworth as rider. In 1851-54 at Bathurst, Parramatta, Homebush and Penrith he won races with stakes totalling about £2500, including two more St Legers with Cossack and Surplice and three Queen's Plates with Cossack (twice) and Sportsman, carrying his first colours, a black jacket and red cap.

In 1854 in a match race at Homebush Sportsman defeated John Eales's Cooramin for £1000-a-side. Tait had probably moved to Sydney in 1853 and become licensee of the Commercial Hotel, Castlereagh Street.

In 1855 he sold his racehorses and visited England with Ashworth to choose breeding-stock. With Alfred Cheeke he imported Warwick, New Warrior and Magus, who sired Clove, winner of the first Australian Jockey Club Derby in 1865. He returned early in 1857 and was in partnership with Cheeke for several years in a stud farm at Mount Druitt and in racing some good horses. Tait adopted his famous racing colours of yellow jacket and black cap and in the early 1860s he set up with stables at Byron Lodge, Randwick. In the mid-1860s he acquired the Overland Stores at Dubbo which he still owned in 1888.

Unlike his fellow sportsmen Tait 'went into racing as a business'; as his fortunes depended upon the winning of many races he closely supervised the training of his

horses, which always ran in top condition. His most famous horse was The Barb, 'the black demon', among whose 17 wins in 24 starts were the A.J.C. Derby and the Melbourne Cup in 1866 and the Sydney Cup in 1868 and 1869. In 1868 The Barb won the Metropolitan and defeated E. de Mestre's Tim Whiffler in the Queen's Plate but weighed in 2 lb. (.9 kg) light; Tait vainly offered £100 reward for proof of foul play. He owned two triple Derby winners: Fireworks, who won 12 of his 16 starts including the 1867 A.J.C. Derby and the Victoria Racing Club Derbys in both 1867 and 1868 (when the date for the race was changed to 1 January); and Florence who in 1870-71 won the A.J.C., V.R.C. and Queensland Turf Club Derbys and the V.R.C. Oaks Stakes. His other notable horses included three Melbourne Cup winners: Glencoe (1869) who also won the A.J.C. Derby, The Pearl (1871) and The Quack (1872). Goldsbrough won the Epsom-Metropolitan double for him in 1875 and Amendment won Tait's last big race, the 1877 Metropolitan. 'Caspian', writing in the Australian Town and Country Journal on 1 May 1880, estimated that between 1865 and 1880 Tait had won almost £30,000 in stakes without added money. Known as 'Honest John', he won repute for fair dealing with the press and protested only once—after the 1866 Sydney Cup when Pitsford crossed Falcon and 'hocked' him; Thompson, the offending jockey, was disqualified.

In bad health in 1880 Tait visited England and on 18 August in London he married a widow Christian Ann Swannell, née Garie, who had borne him six children.

By 1883 he had moved to Toddington, The Boulevard, Petersham, where he was noted for his hospitality.

A justice of the peace from 1879, he was a committee-man of the Animals Protection Society and a New South Wales commissioner for the 1887 Adelaide and 1888 Melbourne exhibitions. On 21 May 1888 he collapsed and died of heart disease; he was buried in Waverley cemetery without religious rites. Tait was survived by two sons and a daughter of his first wife, by his second wife and by two sons and two daughters of their children. His estate was valued for probate at £24,296.

TURF MONTHLY 31

MERRIWEE THE FOUNDATION

M

erriwee was bred by the Hon. George Lee, of Leeholme near Bathurst, and was by the English stallion Bill of Portland, the first son of the illustrious St. Simon to be imported to this country. His female line traced to the mare, Sappho who was from the Cutty Sark family. Merriwee was raced by Herbert Power, a noted pastoralist and one of the founding members of the VATC.

T

he colt had a moderate start to his racing career which commenced on 12 October 1898. He had three unplaced runs that Spring before heading for the paddock.

He returned the following July to run third in a 2yo Handicap at Flemington before winning a few weeks later in the new Season. He then showed that he was a horse to be reckoned with by running third in the open WFA Memsie Stakes behind Veneda.

He then was kept off the scene for a couple of months, not returning until the VRC Derby which he won quite easily from Dewey who had rather remarkably won the Caulfield Cup at his start before. Merriwee started the 7/1 favourite in the Melbourne Cup of 1899. He faced a field of 28 runners and fulfilled a long time ambition for his owner who had been smarting since his best horse, Savanka had narrowly been beaten in the 1877 Cup by Chester. He had suffered serious interference during the race yet missed victory by only a half head. Merriwee was trained by James Wilson Jnr, the son of the famous trainer who founded the St Albans stable in the 1870’s and had trained Savanka. Wilson Snr and Power had been heavily criticised for

TURF MONTHLY 32

taking Savanka away from prying eyes before unleashing a betting plunge on the day of the Cup. Power and his new trainer adopted similar tactics with Merriwee but seeing as he had won the Derby a few days before, punters were not going to miss the opportunity, backing him into the 7/1 favourite. At the back of the track Blue Metal fell bringing down Burrabari which resulted in interference to Merriwee who dropped back through the field. Heavy rain had deluged the track all day, but jockey Vivian Turner did not panic steadily making up the lost ground. In fact, before the race Turner had been told by Power that he was on the best runner in the

Merriwee winning the Derby TURF MONTHLY 33

Merriwee Derby finish

race. When Turner suggested that he might have to swim around the back, Power responded by saying that he was on the best swimmer as well. By the time the field entered the straight, Merriwee was almost on terms with the leader, Voyou and the two had an epic battle to the finish with Merriwee eventually drawing away to win by a length. Reportedly Power had been struggling financially through the decade before the race along with many others, but his big betting on Merriwee helped restore his fortunes.

O

n the Saturday after the Cup, Merriwee started as the 9/4 on favourite when he ran second in the Spring Stakes over 2400m carrying 58.5kg, a huge impost for the 3yo who was beaten by Parthian who had finished third in the Derby. Later that afternoon Merriwee lined up again over 3200m in the CB Fisher Plate where he carried a more moderate 44.5kg. This time starting at 5/4, he was able to beat Dewey who had been runner up in the Derby. Merriwee had a history of leg issues, and at one point it seemed as if his 3yo Spring was to be abandoned before it even began because of lameness. Connection persevered with remarkable results, but the colt often appeared to have issues.

Merriwee winng the Melbourne Cup TURF MONTHLY 34

Merriwee has very little inbreeding at only 3.13% which is remarkable when we remember that he was born in 1896 at a time when the thoroughbred population in Australia was relatively small. Perhaps we can argue there is less variability in bloodlines now, but that is another story. All of the duplications in the stallion’s pedigree are in the sixth generation where we see the stallions Sir Hercules and Melbourne duplicated. The British Sir Hercules was a son of Whalebone and produced the legendary Birdcatcher. He was also the damsire of the Australian Sir Hercules. The British Melbourne was the sire of horses like The Peer whose son Darebin was a success at stud in Australia. We also see two mares duplicated in Decoy, the dam of Flatcatcher and the grandam of the great Toxophilite, the sire of Musket, and Barbelle the dam of The Flying Dutchman and Van Tromph, the grandsire of Tim Whiffler.

M

erriwee did not race again until the following March when he ran second to Parthian in the St Leger at Flemington over 2800m. Three days later he was unplaced in the Australian Cup behind La Carabine before finishing second two days hence in the Champions Stakes over 4800m, beaten again by Parthian who proved the quality of the three year olds of that season. Off to Sydney, Merriwee was unplaced in the Sydney Cup again behind La Carabine before finishing second in the Cumberland Stakes and AJC Plate behind Parthian and La Carabine respectively.

Merriwee returned for the following Spring but many suspected that his legs were a major issue. He did not run a placing in three starts although he was always rarely disgraced. He then put in one of his worst results when thirteenth in the 1900 Melbourne Cup behind Clean Sweep. Merriwee had one more start in the Fisher Plate when he finished fourth of the four runners on the following Saturday before being sold to Mr EJ Watts of NZ for stud duties. Merriwee was making a good name for himself before he died at the young age of only thirteen. He produced thirteen stakes winners mostly in NZ including Merrivonia who won the Manatu Cup three years in succession. Only two were able to win stakes races in Australia in Moonbria who won the Moreton Handicap in Brisbane and Aborigine who won five stakes races in NZ before winning the Williamstown Cup and Caulfield Cup in Victoria.

Aborigine was later sold to India for 1200 guineas.

M

erriwee has gone on to have a significant impact on Australian and NZ breeding. He is becoming a little difficult to find in pedigrees but one of his best descendants was a horse called Longfella who won eleven stakes races in the early 1970’s including races like the Memsie and CF Orr Stakes, and the Rosehill Guineas. The 1970’s were a pinnacle for the descendants of Merriwee and in 1979 we saw the very good horse, Zephyr Zip win both the QTC and AJC Sires’ Produce, as well as the Marlboro Stakes and Qld Guineas. The stallion had good success at stud and sired 16 stakes winners including the Qld Oaks and Derby winner, Bravery, AJC Sires Produce and VRC Oaks winner, Diamond Shower, Flight Stakes and Ansett Australia Stakes winner, Electrique and Epsom winner, Iron Horse. Most recently we have found Merriwee in the pedigree of Love You Lucy who won the 2020 Gold Coast Silk Stocking and BRC Dane Ripper Stakes.

Watch video in text mode

Diamond Shower winning the VRC Oaks

TURF MONTHLY 36

HERBERT POWER THE OWNER

H

erbert Power was born in 1834, the second son of Mr TE Power. He was born in Surrey in England but came to Australia as a young boy. Power was educated in Melbourne, and after leaving school decided to follow a career on the land. Herbert managed an estate at Mount Gambier that belonged to his uncle, David, at the age of only nineteen. During this time, his father had started a stock and station agency in partnership with Gideon Rutherford.

Eventually Herbert and his brother Robert were to become associates of the business. The business went through many changes eventually in 1880 comprising the Power brothers, MR JG Stanford and Mr TI Finlay.

Robert Power and Finlay dropped out and Herbert Power and Mr Stanford carried on the business for many years. When that partnership was dissolved, Power established a new firm with his son, Reginald called Herbert Power and Son. Reginald Power enlisted for WWI. The company then became finally Herbert Power, Manson and Co. Power was to have two sons

but his youngest enlisted shortly after Reginald and was to be killed overseas.

H

erbert Power’s business interests included a large property at Bungowannah park near Albury in NSW which he left to his son Reginald upon his death in 1919 aged 84. Power had also owned property in the Riverina in partnership with CB Fisher, near Capella in Qld with Thomas Chirnside, and Cowl Cowl on the Lachlan River in NSW with Charles Mackinnon and George Dill. Herbert Power was an excellent horseman and a good all-round sportsman. He is most noted though for being one of the original founders of the VATC which had its first meeting in 1876 at Ballarat but soon moved to Caulfield. He was a member of the committee until his retirement in 1916 and was chairman in 1889, 1895, and 1907. He was a successful owner, with Merriwee being his most outstanding horse. Power also owned Diffidence who won the 1899 Sydney Cup. TURF MONTHLY 37

BASHA FELIKA

AN UNDERRATED QUEENSLANDER

B

asha Felika is in many ways a forgotten horse in Australian Racing. He is still revered in Queensland where he is talked about almost in the same terms as Bernborough in some circles. His failing to win a Melbourne Cup relegated him to the annals of the also rans for many in the south. Combine that with chronic leg issues and we have a horse that follows the similar pattern of what might have been.

The Melbourne Cup loss was not his fault, and he was another certainty beaten as he had to hurdle a fallen horse in the race yet still managed to finish fourth.

T

o begin the story though, we are going to go back in time to another great galloper in Rivoli who won the 1922 AJC Derby and five other stakes races the following year. He was later to become a quality sire at Canning Downs Stud in Qld. The story of Rivoli though is a story of a family that would shape Queensland racing in particular. This was the Barnes family that developed the wonderful Canning Downes near Warwick in Queensland. Henry Barnes was born in February 1818 at Low Braithwaite, Cumbria, in the Lake District of England. Barnes learned practical husbandry on the home farm and bookkeeping and land surveying skills at elementary school. He emigrated to NSW in 1840 and his first job in the new colony was as a station superintendent at Tremayne near Broke in the Hunter Valley.

A few years later he moved to work for Clark Irving on a cattle station called Cassino on the Richmond River. Barnes showed great talent in buying and managing cattle, and in 1854, on the recommendation of Irving, joined the firm of Bundock, Barnes and Company that was established to import pure cattle sire lines to improve the quality of station cattle.

T

homas Hawkins Smith, the cousin of Fred Bundock’s wife, who had managed Yulgilbar station, later replaced Massie in the firm. In 1862, after Bundock had returned to England, Smith’s younger brother, Henry Flesher Smith joined the company, known locally as Barnes and Smith Brothers. By then, Barnes had moved to Dyraaba in charge of the Richmond River herds while Henry Smith founded Lyndhurst, a thousand square miles station on the Einasleigh River, Queensland.

Under the leadership of Barnes, the properties produced prize winning herds of Devon, Shorthorn and Hereford cattle. The Herefords at Dyraaba in particular were considered among the best in Australia. There was keen competition among the stations for their horses with racing thriving throughout the region at the time.

Bundock ably assisted by sending some quality stallions back to the firm including Leopold and Middlesex who both produced Brisbane Cup winners. The pinnacle of the fledgling thoroughbred breeding industry was to be Rivoli with all of the three original partners playing a part in his breeding.

I

n 1906, Henry Smith purchased a brown mare by St Serf, a son of St Simon, from the Cobham sale in England for 400 guineas. She was in foal to Melton, the 1885 English Derby and St Leger winner and was sent to Australian where she foaled a colt to be named Repartee in the paddocks of Gordon Brook Stud. Henry Smith died in 1909 and his estate was valued at £136,998. The stud was bequeathed to Charles Bundock, the son of original partner, Fred. Repartee was injured when being branded and did not race but he ended up with Henry Barnes Junior as a 3yo for a career as a station stallion at the family property of Dyraaba. He was a useful stallion producing his fair share of winners around the Northern Rivers region, but

TURF MONTHLY 39

only one son was to make his name outside of the region. It was a mating between Repartee and the imported mare, Lady Babbie by Neil Gow that produced Rivoli.

Although she traced to the Bruce Lowe number 5 family, little of note had come from her direct line when she was born in 1913 at Sir Tatton Sykes’ Sledmere Stud in Yorkshire. She was sold at as a yearling to Sir Thomas Dewar, the famous Scottish distiller, for 100 guineas only two months after the start of WW1. The War years were not a good time for the English thoroughbred, and Lady Babbie was shipped to Australian in foal to Braxted in 1917. She was sold to Charles Barnes, another of Henry’s sons for 400 guineas and sent to Bolivia Station near Tenterfield which Charles owned. The subsequent season she was put in foal to Repartee. Shortly after Rivoli was born, Charles decided to sell Bolivia Station and the mare and foal were offered around the region for a bargain price, but even then, he could get no takers.

Instead, he sent the pair to the property of his brother, John HS Barnes who had

TURF MONTHLY 40

recently acquired a property called Canning Downs Stud on the Darling Downs.

In June 1917, John Barnes, a keen student of pedigrees had purchased an imported English horse called Highfield, a son of William The Third. Highfield had been raced by expatriate Australian stockbrokers, William Clark and Lionel Robinson who had sent Highfield to race in Australia where he won the Farewell Handicap at Flemington before selling the stallion privately to Barnes. Rivoli arrived at the stud just as Barnes was preparing the first yearlings of Highfield for sale and he was to go on to a very successful career siring 13 stakes winners including another great Qld horse in High Syce.

R

ivoli was not sold as a yearling and would have likely had little value. Rather he was leased until June 1923 to Henry “Herb” Andrews who trained at Canterbury Park in Sydney. Andrews was originally from the Central Coast of NSW region and had trained some horses for Barnes in the country before moving to Sydney. Barnes reportedly respected his honesty and integrity and offered his colt to the trainer who had moved to Sydney in 1907. Andrews was described as a debonair man of the turf who had a love of fine cigars and who cut a dashing figure in the betting ring where he was regularly found. In Rivoli, he was to find his champion. He was to have 13 starts as a 2yo and managed to win two of these at Canterbury and Randwick. As a 3yo, Rivoli started first up in the Rosehill Guineas, finishing unplaced behind Cliffdale. He improved to run second to that horse in the Rosehill Hawkesbury Guineas before winning the AJC Derby and firmly establishing himself as a top liner. On to Melbourne he ran second to Harvest King in the Melbourne Stakes with champion Eurythmic finishing third. An unplaced run in the Melbourne Cup behind King Ingoda saw him sent to the paddock.

A

s an Autumn 3yo, he won the VRC Governor’s Plate beating Harvest King and was placed in the Autumn Randwick Stakes, AJC Cumberland Stakes and Randwick AJC Plate, the last two of those running second to the very good horse, David. Rivoli returned as a 4yo with two unplaced runs before again finishing second to David in the Spring Stakes. Following an unplaced run in the Metropolitan, Rivoli then won the Craven and Randwick Plates beating Harvest TURF MONTHLY 41

King and David respectively, before heading to Melbourne to finish outside the placings in the Caulfield Cup. He then won the Melbourne Stakes, before running second to the lightly weighted Bitalli in the 1923 Melbourne Cup. He won the CB Fisher Plate the following weekend but was out of racing for almost a year with injury. Rivoli returned as a 5yo but was retired after three unplaced starts. While Rivoli was an outstanding racehorse, he is not the centre of the story, for it was his retirement back to Canning Downs that leads us to his most famous son. Rivoli was a popular and well performed stallion and sired 12 stakes winners including two Qld Sires Produce winners, three Queensland Cup winners and a Brisbane Cup winner. In 1925 JHS Barnes was to attempt to disperse the historic Canning Downs property, but interest was poor and he sold only eight of his mares, refusing to sell his stock for the low prices. Again in 1938 the stock was put up for sale although Barnes refused to part with Rivoli, and the property returned to being used as a Hereford cattle stud. When John’s son, Charles “CEB” Barnes returned from WWII, he took over the stud returning it again to a leading thoroughbred nursery. As a welcome home gift from Jack McDougall from the nearby Lyndhurst Stud offered Ceb a service to his three time champion stallion The Buzzard. Barnes sent the mare Perfect Morn, a daughter of Rivoli, and a half-sister to two stakes winners in Condor by The Buzzard who had won 1940 QTC Sires’ Produce and Splitting Head by Highfield who had won the 1934 CE McDougall Stakes. The mare was also notable in that her female line traced back to the remarkable colonial foundation mare, Cutty Sark. The resultant foal born in 1947 was named Basha Felika which means lightning in Greek.

B

asha Felika, who was retained and raced by Ceb Barnes, was not to race as a 2yo but won seven of his 15 starts as a 3yo. His win in a maiden at Eagle Farm was the day that a Spring Campaign in Melbourne was planned. It was a historic day’s racing as the other heat was won by another future star in Carioca.

On the 4 November that year Basha Felika had surprised many by winning the Qld Derby when ridden by Bruce McLean and beating Mr Standby and Princess Rivoli. McLean’s uncle, Alexander, had ridden the Derby winner, Seremist some 30 years earlier. Basha Felika was originally trained by AG “George” Anderson who died suddenly in June 1951. The gelding then went to Toowoomba trainer, Jack Coonan who took him to a win in the Qld St Leger. Basha Felika, or Basha, as he was known to all and sundry, was spelled, returning for the Spring with a win over 1200m at Eagle Farm. Many brought comparisons with Comic Court who had won over a similar sprint distance on route to his Cup success. Basha Felika had one more start in Brisbane, winning the JHS Barnes Plate on the opening day of the Exhibition carnival, at the first start as a 4yo, before heading for his Melbourne campaign where he was under the care of Elwood Fisher. In Melbourne he finished second, beaten a short half head by Laurie Hussar in the Underwood and second behind Chiquita in the Craiglee Stakes. He then ran fifth behind Morse Code in the Turnbull although suffered severe interference. It was then to the Caulfield Cup

TURF MONTHLY 42

The gelding has 11.72% inbreeding and closest cross is a sex balanced duplication of Gallinule in the fourth generation.

His presence is especially important in that he is a grandson of Skirmisher Mare who we also see in the tail female line of Spion Kop, the sire of The Buzzard. We also see another female in Illuminata who was bred by Lord Rosebery and the dam of Ladas and the wonderful mare, Chelandry. Chelandry we see in the pedigree of Rivoli, while we see another line of Illuminata through her daughter Gas who appears in the tail female line of The Buzzard. Among the stallions duplicated are Isonomy, St Simon, Ayrshire, Hermit and Galopin.

and the horse was much better suited to handicap conditions carrying only 50.5kg.

Ridden by Neville Sellwood, Basha Felika travelled well behind the leaders which saw Blue Vest prominent. Blue Vest, another Queensland horse who had won the Queensland Cup over 2 miles before going to Melbourne, hit the lead but Basha Felika gained a run on his inside to score narrowly with the official margins being a half-neck by a head with Davey Jones narrowly third ahead of a fast finishing Laurie Hussar. It was a popular win with Basha Felika being well backed to start the favourite. Sellwood rode the champion Delta in the Melbourne Cup with Arthur Ward taking the mount on Basha. Blue Vest had hit the lead as the field entered the straight with Morse Code following closely and travelling well. Morse Code clipped the heels of the leader and fell, hampering a number of runners including Basha Felika who had to hurdle the fallen horse. To this day many argue that Basha Felika was one of the unluckiest runners and a certainty beaten. After the fall, Grey Boots was left in front but was quickly headed by Akbar. Under his big weight, and the urging of Sellwood, the great Delta overhauled Akbar near the post to win by three quarters of a length with three lengths back to Chiquita’s full brother, Double Blank.

Basha was another half-length away in fourth.

T

he gelding returned to the track in the Autumn with a lot expected from him and his track gallops had plenty of spruikers excited. His racetrack form though never quite lived up to expectations and he returned from Melbourne to the stable of another new trainer in George Boland. He ran second in the PJ O’Shea Stakes but his form again tapered off and connections believed that the effects of hard racing, had caused him to develop a wind infirmity. After a lengthy spell, Basha’s class allowed to win a further four races in Brisbane including the Moreton Handicap although it was clear that he was never the same horse after the Spring of 1951.

Basha Felika was to have his last run in the 1954 Brisbane Cup but was scratched by his trainer. Boland said that he feared the horse would break down if he had run and he was retired to Canning Downs. During his career Basha Felika started 54 times for 14 wins and stakes earnings totalling £20,074. CEB Barnes later moved into Federal politics and died in at the age of 96 in 1998. He continued his love of horses until his death, and lies buried with his wife, Sara, at Canning Downs, beneath a rough granite headstone erected in front of the stables built in memory of his father JHS Barnes.

Watch video in text mode TURF MONTHLY 44

DALRAY

ANOTHER NZ HALL OF FAMER

D

alray is an Australian Racing Hall of Famer who traces once again to the remarkable Cutty Sark.

He also was a Melbourne Cup winner, being successful in the 1952 edition, and importantly a successful stallion at Canning Downs Stud in Queensland. He was a NZ bred horse being by the imported British stallion, Balloch out of Broiveine by the French bred, Broiefort. His female line while tracing to Cutty Shark saw a mare called Ouida by Yattendon sent to NZ in the 1880’s where she had incredible success. She produced four stakes-winners in Artillery (Canterbury Cup and Dunedin Champagne Stakes), Hazel (Great Autumn Handicap), Hilda (ARC Easter Handicap Stakes, ARC Great Northern Champagne Stakes Hawkes Bay Cup and Auckland Guineas), and her best, Strathmore (VRC Victoria Derby, VRC St Leger Stakes, Foal Stakes,

All-Aged Stakes, Champion Stakes, VATC Caulfield Guineas and AJC Autumn Stakes).

D

alray had three starts as a 2yo in his native NZ without running a place. He was ridden by top NZ jockey Keith Nuttall and trained by CC McCarthy.

The colt returned as a 3yo with another unplaced run over 1400m but when stepped up in distance showed his quality by winning his next two runs at 2000m and 1600m. He then ran a good third over 2200m before winning the NZ Derby at Canterbury over 2000m.

A fourth in the King’s Plate over 1600m behind Wandering Eyes was followed a few days later by a win in the Great Northern Derby over 2400m. He then finished second to My Hero in the 3200m Wellington Cup but had something of a habit of “ducking in” under pressure. Dalray showed this trait in that race

TURF MONTHLY 45

Dalray beats Aldershot in the Queen’s Plate

and was subsequently relegated to fourth on protest.

The colt then won his next four races in the Gloaming and Trentham Stakes, the Autumn Handicap and the NZ St Leger before heading to Australia. Dalray’s waywardness saw him survive a protest in the Autumn Handicap leading to speculation as to how the tougher Australian stewards would view his bad habits.

Dalray’s first run in Sydney saw him finish third to the champions Delta and Hydrogen and he was far from disgraced although again showing his tendency to run waywardly. Next up he won impressively in the Autumn Stakes beating Aristocrat on the Saturday before lining up for a much anticipated Sydney Cup on the Monday.

Delta looked to have the race at his mercy despite his big weight. The heavy track however proved too much for Delta who finished a struggling ninth, and it was left to Dalray to battle out the finish with the outsider Opulent who overhauled the NZ colt, who had started equal favourite with Delta and Hydrogen, close to the line. Opulent was ridden by Noel McGrowdie and trained by ex-jockey Jim Munro and was in receipt

of 7kg from the younger horse. Nevertheless, VRC Handicapper Charles Davis allotted the NZ champion almost 60kg in the Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap was the only 4yo to have ever won carrying more weight and outspoken owner, Cyril Neville declared that he would not be running. Dalray then had a well earned spell awaiting the Spring.

H

is first start as a 4yo came in the Hill Stakes at Rosehill where he finished seventh to Hydrogen over 1700m. Next up over the more suitable 2400m of the Colin Stephen Quality, Dalray beat Hydrogen into second. Two days later he was victorious over the George Ryder owned Jan in the Metropolitan on another heavy track when the 6-4 favourite. Charles Davis promptly penalised Dalray a further kilogram for the Melbourne Cup much to Neville’s disgust. A few days later Dalray was controversially beaten into third in the Queens Plate behind Salamanca and Friendly Feeling. The race appeared to be a match race between Dalray and old rival Hydrogen with Darby Munro aboard. The two jockeys were only interested in each

Watch video in text mode

TURF MONTHLY 46

other, and at one stage the fancied pair were 25 lengths from the leader. Dalray ran past Hydrogen inside the last furlong, again showing his tendency to lay in and having to be pulled off his rival and straightened, losing any slight chance he may have had to win. As a result, Neville announced that Nuttall would not be riding the horse in Melbourne. In the meantime, Neville had been fielding international offers for Dalray. A sale to Mr Hirschberg of San Francisco was cancelled when the horse failed a vet examination.

N

uttall refused to accept his sacking and was dressing in Neville’s silks for Dalray’s next start in the Mackinnon Stakes before having to be restrained.

Nuttall duly left the course, flew to Sydney and then on to New Zealand. Partnered by top Melbourne jockey, Bill Williamson, Dalray impressed the Melbourne crowd with a commanding win over the Caulfield Cup winner, Peshawar. At his next run, Dalray started as the 5/1 favourite for the Melbourne Cup and, as was his normal racing pattern, settled back towards the tail of the field, being third last with only half the race left to run. At the 800m mark, Williamson started to urge the champion forward, and by the time they reached the home turn he was in sixth but very wide. The 200/1 outsider Welkin Sun looked like he might be about to spring the biggest upset in Melbourne Cup history as he bounded away, but Dalray gradually hauled in his lead. He hit the front around 50m from the finish and won quite comfortably in the end by a half-length to a

popular reception from the crowd.

R

eturning for the Autumn in Sydney, Dalray’s first engagement was in the Ercildoune Stakes which again appeared to be a match race between the NZer and Hydrogen. Things did not go to plan as the outsider Aldershot led all the way for an upset victory. What was more distressing was that Williamson dismounted Dalray who had finished second, and lead him from the track suffering obvious lameness. Williamson reported that the horse did not have the same freedom of his action as he did in the Spring and that he felt him dip as they rounded the home turn. Dalray however appeared to be fine after he had cooled off, and he line up again the following Wednesday again at Flemington in the Queens Plate. The champion showed his brilliance by winning comfortably, turning the tables on Aldershot who finished second. Dalray though was again lame after the race, with commentators saying that he appeared even worse than the previous Saturday. Dalray wore heavy bandages and had obtained permission to wear boots in the race. There had been some furore in Sydney the previous year when stewards ordered the boots removed, but it was evidence that the leg issues had dogged the champion for some time. Dalray nevertheless was sent out the following Saturday in the 3600m Carbine Stakes. It was tragically to be his last start as he broke down badly. Williamson dismounted immediately as the valuable horse stumbled past the winning post. Dalray was in such obvious distress that

TURF MONTHLY 47

Dalray beats Jan in the Metropolitan

he actually went down on the track. He got back to his feet and was able to walk off the track behind the horse ambulance, but at one stage his injury looked to be so severe as to threaten his career at stud.

sixteen stakes winners during a long career. Many had their success in Queensland like 1960 QTC Oaks winner, Ton, Refulgent who won five stakes races in the 1960’s including the Moreton Handicap and QTC Sires uckily Dalray went on to stud where he proved Produce and High Society who won the Doomben and a good stallion. The transition was not without Tattersalls Cups. A few like Man About Town won in some drama though as he originally was leased to the south and he won the Wagga Gold Cup, Parramatta stand at the Peel Brothers Coolangatta Stud at Geelong Cup and STC Winter Cup while Grand Garry won the where he seemed to be thriving and recovering well 1959 Hotham Handicap and 1960 Sydney Cup. All of from his injury. In September at the start of the his progeny though have to play a distant second fiddle season Dalray suffered from a heart issue and was to his most famous son, Tails. Tails won 16 stakes races immediately withdrawn from service. After extensive and was an idol of Queensland racing during the late tests and treatment at Prince’s Farms in Sydney under 60’s and early 70’s. He is one horse that we will save for the care of well known veterinary Ray Stewart, there another day as he deserves his own place in history. was confidence that the stallion still had a career at One interesting connection though is that Tails had stud ahead of him. CEB Barnes of Canning Downs a racing pattern very similar to his sire, often settling purchased the horse who became a good source of at the very rear of the field an unleashing a long and quality horses from limited numbers. He produced powerful run at the end of his races.

L

TURF MONTHLY 48

Dalray before being loaded into the Ambulance after breaking down

His pedigree at 8.59% should look relatively inbred but instead it looks an interesting balance. What is remarkably about this pedigree is the duplications of the mares Maid Marian and La Fleche. Maid Marian was the foundation of the 3f line of an extension of Lowe’s family numbers. She produced horses like Grafton and Polymelus, through which she appears in this pedigree. She also appears through her daughter Lady Disdain who in turn is the dam of Thrurnham. La Fleche was arguably an even more important influence and we see her twice through her son, John O’Gaunt and also through Baroness La Fleche, the dam of the great Cinna who won both the 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes. What is even more remarkable is that we see the positions of the two mares swapped in the pedigrees of Cinna and Thurnham.

KIWI’S MELBOURNE CUP

STILL STUNNING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

W

ithout fail, the 1983 Melbourne Cup remains one of the most memorable for those who saw it. The Melbourne Cup has never been without heroics and drama, but few horses have made such an indelible mark as the aptly named Kiwi did on that first Tuesday in November. His last to first win is still talked about as one of the most sensational runs ever seen on an Australian racetrack. When one of Australia’s most experienced and respected albeit now retired racing journalists in Mark Oberhardt has no hesitation in naming it among the top performances he has ever seen on a track, you know it must have been good.

T

o go back to the 1980’s, this was a time when the Melbourne Cup was facing some challenges. It seemed like some of the gloss had been taken off the race, and this may have been due to the fact that many were still hurting from Kingston Town’s defeat the year before. It was an era largely of the handicappers and we had seen some great champions like Kingston Town, Leilani, Gunsynd and Tails come up short against lesser horses under the conditions of the race. There was also a trend away from breeding stayers in an era when Star Kingdom bloodlines still dominated. We also saw that the great rivalry of the three champion trainers, TJ Smith, Bart Cummings and Colin Hayes was taking a lot of the focus away from the individual horses in general. This probably made the win of Kiwi even more important. The gelding had good form in NZ but his unheralded trainer Ewen “Snowy” Lupton chose to keep Kiwi away from prying eyes. To most he was a mystery horse, although still very much in betting contention as Australians had learnt by then not to discount their rivals from across the Tasman. It was not intentional, rather Lupton had sought to recreate Kiwi’s home environment at Sandastre Lodge at Mornington, away from the hustle and bustle of busy Flemington. Lupton rode most of his own work, hacking Kiwi about the Mornington property just as he did back home on his sheep and cattle property about 5km from Waverley, around 50km from Wanganui. The Luptons had purchased the son of the US bred Blarney Stone for only $1,000 at a Dalgety sale In Waikato.

A

n interesting sidenote to the race was that three apprentices had mounts in the race. Australian racing had some wonderful jockeys at the time, and the line up that included Dittman, White, Hall, Thomson and Cook would rate among the best that we have had. This makes it all more remarkable that they were joined by Darren Gauci, Craig Dinn, and Michael Clarke, all still apprentices. The jockey though that found fame from the race was a NZ hoop by the name of Jim Cassidy who was to make Australia his home, and while his career often courted controversy, it become an impressive litany of great race wins. Kiwi was Jim Cassidy’s second ride in the Cup, having ridden Amarant who ran tenth the year before.

I TURF MONTHLY 50

n hindsight, it is probably fair to say that it was a relatively moderate field, given the history of the race. Still, it was a Melbourne Cup and the betting suggested it was one of the most wide open races ever held. To set the scene, here is a bit of a form guide for the runners.

JUST A DASH (White 57kg 12-1) Trained by TJ Smith and had not won since his success in the 1981 Cup. He had run last in the Moonee Valley Cup behind Toujours Mio but finished well for fourth behind Chagemar in the Dalgety on the Saturday.

FOUNTAINCOURT (Harris 55.5kg 10-1) Top NZ stayer who had started favourite in the Caulfield Cup and finished sixth but won the Werribee Cup at his last start. He had won the Auckland Cup and was third in the Sydney Cup behind Veloso VELOSO (Cook 55.5kg 8-1) Sydney Cup winner who had finished tenth behind Hayai in the Caulfield Cup before winning the Mackinnon on Saturday HAYAI (Voigt 55kg 8-1) Won the Metropolitan and the Caulfield Cup before finishing a disappointing tenth in the Mackinnon but was favourite NO PEER (Miller 54kg 33-1) Trained by Bart Cummings but form had been ordinary on wet tracks – finished sixth in the MV Cup and third in a 2000m race at Caulfield AMARANT (Letts 53kg 25-1) Had won the Brisbane and Adelaide Cups but finished eighth to Hayai in the Caulfield Cup and a poor last in the Mackinnon MACHTVOGEL (Jarman 53kg 33-1) Fourth in the MV Cup and eighth in the Mackinnon. Had won over 3200m in Germany TRIUMPHAL MARCH (Thomson 52.5kg 14-1) Trained by Colin Hayes who had finished third in the Underwood and fifth in the Caulfield Cup. BIANCO LADY (Hall 52kg 33-1) Another CS Hayes runner who had finished sixth in the Cup the year before. 8th in the MV Cup and 8th behind Chagemar in the Dalgety CHIAMARE (Dittman 52kg 10-1) Another TJ Smith runner who had beaten Hayai in the Newcastle Cup earlier in the year. Did not like the wet track when finishing 12th in the Caulfield Cup. A good second to Veloso in the Mackinnon KIWI (Cassidy 52kg 8-1) Won the Wellington Cup early in the year and had won over 2100m at Egmont at his last start two weeks before. Had only had five runs in the preparation.

CHAGEMAR (Gauci 51.5kg 14-1) Close second in the MV Cup, followed by a fourth in the Herbert Power before winning the Dalgety and ridden by star apprentice Darren Gauci HUSSAR’S COMMAND (Treloar 51.5kg 40-1) Sydney horse who had ran third in the Dalgety CHEZ NOUS (Clarke 51kg 15-1) Another of the Hayes runners.

Had won two races in Melbourne before finishing 15th in the Caulfield Cup and ninth in the Mackinnon and untested at the distance

NOSTRADAMUS (Clements 51kg 15-1) Won the Herbert Power but again did not handle the wet finishing 11th in the Caulfield Cup but a good sixth in the Mackinnon TOUJOURS MIA (Dawkins 51kg 12-1) Unlucky third in the Herbert Power and then won the MV Cup. Had earlier ran second to Amarant in the Adelaide Cup NOBLE COMMENT (Heffernan 50.5kg 15-1) Second in the Werribee Cup and winning the Cranbourne Cup. He had finished third behind Gurner’s Lane and Kingston Town in 1982 HOME MAID (Andrews (50kg 66-1) Sydney horse who had raced poorly in Melbourne in both the Caulfield Cup and MV Cup MR JAZZ (Marshall 50kg 12-1) Another Bart Cummings horse who had won the Tasmanian Derby the year before. He had won at Flemington in October but a distant fifth in the Geelong Cup. Finished a strong fourth in the Mackinnon NOBLE HEIGHTS (Quinton 50kg 16-1) Third to Hayai in the Metropolitan and seventh in the Caulfield Cup before seventh in the Mackinnon MEVRON BOY (Skelton 49.5kg 140-1) Tenth in the MV Cup and form ordinary ENGLISH WONDER (Shepherd 48.5kg 66-1) Trained by John Hawkes who won the SA Derby the year before and ran well in the Autumn in Sydney. Won in Adelaide and finished fifth in the Dalgety COMBAT (Dinn 47.5kg 100-1) Another TJ Smith horse who finished eleventh in the MV Cup LA COCOTTE (Alderman 47.5kg 25-1) Won the Coongy Handicap and a strong third to Hayai in the Caulfield Cup and then seventh in the Dalgety behind Chagemar. Doubts about the distance but a lightweight chance

Watch video in text mode

TURF MONTHLY 51