Turf Monthly November 2024

turf monthly

November 2024

THIS MONTH

THE SPRING OF 1924 THE NIGHT PATROL BACKWOOD

Editor’s Letter It is Melbourne Cup Time again and we have another year when the imports look to be the key to the race. We keep hearing that the appetite for Australian breeders is for the opportunity to breed more stayers, but how much of that is lip-service rather than any real attempt to breed elite stayers. The Australian bloodstock industry, despite some wonderful attempts by Darley and Coolmore to introduce staying blood, is focussed almost solely on our early 2yo racing. Darley brought out the well performed Too Darn Hot with the idea that he would produce middle distance types. The wonderful colt Broadsiding though has shown that the stallion can get decent 2yo’s which has largely put the notion of breeding stayers on the backburner. Potential staying stallions will again be judged by their ability to get early runners. With the new season 2yo’s about, stallions like Russian Camelot may well again have their success measured against the early comer market. If we look at history, even if we go back 100 years to the career of Backwood who we look at this month, his career was defined largely by his star 2yo from his first crop. This pattern has continued to repeat over the years and I cannot immediately recall a local stallion who made his name with staying progeny without siring early 2yo’s. Perhaps Shamus Award is a surprisingly popular stallion given that he has had few 2yo results even despite being a son of one of our great speed sires in Snitzel.

You may have noticed that this month’s edition is a bit different from in the past. Unfortunately, costs and time constraints have made it difficult to continue with the same amount of content as previously. We are transitioning to the magazine being available on the ISSUU platform, so if you can not find it in future, head to www.issuu.com where you can find our back catalogue as well as our new editions.

CONTENTS 4

Backwood

13

The Night Patrol

21

Drama in the Spring of 1924

COVER PHOTO Glen Boss - a tribute to the three time Melbourne Cup winning jockey 20 years after Makybe Diva’s second win

Until next month

Ross Prowd

Turf Monthly ABN 64 892 144 940 Phone 0412 712 181

Email editor@turfmonthly.com.au 2 Swan Street PARKSIDE Q 4825

TURF MONTHLY 3