Turf Monthly May 2021 by turfmonthly

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May 2021

THIS MONTH

PART ONE OF THE REMARKABLE STORY OF HURTLE FISHER FISHERMAN - A BREED SHAPER ANOTHER GREAT RACE IN HISTORY

Editor’s Letter Since our last edition we have seen the Golden Slipper and Sires’ Produce, not to mention the premier Yearling sale in Inglis Easter. Slipper winner Stay Inside went to the paddock, but it seems that Anamoe is the likely colt to make a name for himself as a 3yo at this stage, and also the likely Australian 2yo of the Year. The difference in pedigrees between Stay Inside and Anamoe is stark when it comes to the level of inbreeding. This alone can sometimes help us predict what the future may hold, especially when it comes to their future careers. As we have seen with many recent Golden Slipper winners, they have done little after their win. Last year’s winner, Farnan, goes to stud later this year with little else on his resume. If Stay Inside was not to race again, he would also go to stud as a Golden Slipper winner and attract plenty of attention. We can look at the Inglis sales results and see that there are similarities in this type of horse and the big money paid. Arguably, Anamoe is a far more exciting prospect from a racing perspective, but oddly not really the type that is going to make the magical million dollars in a yearling sale. This anomaly really reflects that the goals of the racing and breeding industries do not align all that closely. This month we look at some of the legacy of Hurtle Fisher, a man whose contribution to racing and breeding has never been fully acknowledged. Such was his impact that we have only scratched the surface and we will continue with the rest of the story and some more remarkable horses that share the Hurtle Fisher legacy next month. Until then

Ross Prowd Cover Image This month we feature an obscure gelding called Bold Sam who we found racing out in Mount Isa. He has not won for a while, but he is still competitive as a 6yo. His female line traces back to a mare called Mermaid who is a daughter of Fisherman who you will get to know a little better later in this edition. It goes to show that the modern thoroughbred owes its existence to the wonderful horses of yesteryear who are much more than just names in a pedigree.

CONTENTS 4

Golden Slipper 2021

Hurtle Fisher

Sir James Hurtle Fisher

C B Fisher

The First Horses

The Second Imports

Fisherman

Robinson Crusoe

Maribyrnong

Winfreux

Poseidon

Wakeful

Trident

Eye Liner

Great Races - The 1995 Cup

Turf Monthly ABN 64 892 144 940 Phone 0412 712 181

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

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GOLDEN SLIPPER 2021 S

tay Inside won the 65th Golden Slipper and while there have certainly been more dominant displays, it was a very impressive victory nonetheless. It will go down in history as the first Slipper to be run a week late following the big wet in Sydney and much of NSW that led to devastating flooding. This was not the first Slipper to be delayed, as we saw the race postponed in 1963 due to wet weather. That race was eventually held the following Wednesday and won by Pago Pago, arguably one of the most talented of all Slipper winners. We can wonder if this is a good omen for the future of this year’s winner.

tay Inside is one of the most lightly raced of all Golden Slipper winnings, going into the race with only three starts behind him. Trained by Richard and Michael Freedman, he started his career in a 2yo handicap over 1000m at Randwick on 23 January, making him relatively unusual in the history of the race in that he kicked off his career so late. He started at $7.00 that day and beat Headliner by Star Turn who was also having his first race start. Stay Inside won by almost three lengths and stamped himself a colt to watch. He sat behind the leaders and kicked clear as the field entered the straight.

e started next three weeks later in the Pierro Plate over 1100m again at Randwick. This time Stay Inside was sent out the $2.10 favourite and could hardly have been more impressive beating the James Cumming trained Teofilo filly, Vianello by four lengths. Again, he settled just behind the leaders and kicked clear again around the 300m mark to career away. His biggest test came a further three weeks later in the Todman Stakes over 1200m at Randwick. Stay Inside started the

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second favourite at $3.20 behind the unbeaten Profiteer. Drawn the outside, Stay Inside dropped back to the tail of the field with the speedy Profiteer leading comfortably. The colt tried to go to the outside as the field straightened but was held in a pocket and became unbalanced. He finished off well to run fourth behind the James Cumming trained Anamoe who narrowly pipped Profiteer on the post.

ossibly the delay in the Golden Slipper was of benefit to the colt as it meant he went into the race with a three-week break like his previous starts. He drew barrier three and again got a good run just off the speed. He hooked out around them early in the straight to kick clear as they approached the 200m when he overtook leader Profiteer. Stay Inside established a winning lead but the unlucky Anamoe, who settled second last finished strongly to reduce the margin to 1.8l. Ingratiating also ran solidly to finish third, a further 2.3l back.

tay Inside is a son of the first season sire, Extreme Choice, a son of Not A Single Doubt. Extreme Choice had won the G1 Blue Diamond, AJ Moir at Moonee Valley and the G3 Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield. Last year he stood at Newgate Farm for $22,000, although his fee when Stay Inside was born was $38,500. Extreme Choice is fittingly a son of Not A Single Doubt who was retired from stud duty last year. He has sired 72 stakes-winners to date including last year’s Golden Slipper winner, Farnan who coincidentally was retired to stud shortly before this year’s race.

tay Inside is a son of the Anabaa mare, Nothin Leica Storm. That mare had won only one of her 20 starts, with that being an 1150m maiden at Cessnock in her third career start as a 4yo. Anabaa was a son of Danzig who had won five stakes-races in France and the G1 July Cup in the UK. He shuttled to Australia from France between 1997 and 2006. That year he went to the USA and returned for his last season here in 2007. In all, Anabaa produced over 40 stakes winners internationally including the wonderful Irish bred Goldikova who won 16 stakes races internationally including three Breeders Cup Miles in the US. In turn Nothin Leica Storm was, rather importantly given this month’s feature on Hurtle Fisher, a daughter of Nothin’ Leica Dane, out of Nothin’ Leica. Nothin Leica had won three races including two in Sydney and is also the granddam of the stakes placed Dinnigan and Pouting Lips. Her dam was El Rello by Cerreto who produced the stakes placed Convent Girl by Snippets who was the dam of Wonderful Lass by Catbird who in turn was the granddam of Husson Eagle by Husson. El Rello was also the granddam of Wonderful World by Agnes World who won the G1 Caulfield Guineas. She was also a half-sister to Pazzihi who was the dam of Spartacus by Snippets, probably the best descendant of this line in Australia having won three G1 races in the Australia and Manikato Stakes and the Oakleigh Plate.

tay Inside traces back to a mare called Fairy Lamp by Volta who arrived in Australia in the 1920’s. She was part of the Kingsfield Stud dispersal in Sydney which had been sold upon the passing of Mr Cecil Brien, the son of Mr JE Brien who had been the owner of Malt King among a number of good horses. Kingsfield Stud stood the renowned stallion Rossendale by St Frusquin. He had produced TURF MONTHLY 5

the Irish Oaks winner, Ixia before coming to Australia where he produced horses like Caulfield Cup winner, Maple, dual Derby winner, Rampion, and Sydney Cup winner, Winalot. Fairy Lamp was sold to Walter Brunton, a member of the AJC committee and owner of a large flour milling enterprise, in foal to Rossendale for 550 guineas in the March 1922 sale.

namoe traces back to one of the oldest Australian families headed by the great Flora McIvor. This particular branch of the family headed to NZ in the mid1950’s and is often referred to as the “Belle” family including as it does such horses as Shannon Belle, Belle De Jour, Star Belle, Delightful Belle and Kazakh Belle among other similar names. Not all have carried this suffix, and others from this family include Sharscay, Grand Armee and champion 2yo, Dance Hero. Anamoe is out of the good mare, Anamato, a daughter of Redoute’s Choice. His sire is Street Boss who is having perhaps his best season of 2yo’s this year with Arcaded winning the Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies and the Magic Night. Street Boss who is a son of Street Cry has sired over a dozen stakes winners including Kentucky Oaks winner, Cathryn Sophia, Hanseatic and The Quarterback.

ngratiating is by another first season sire who also stands at Darley in Frosted. Frosted is a son of US stallion Tapit and was a very good US galloper winning the Wood Memorial, Metropolitan and Whitney Handicaps. Ingratiating’s dam was the San Domenico and Light Fingers Stakes winner, Obsequious by Lonhro. This family arrived in Australia in the 1920’s through a mare called Emu by the Hungarian sire, Adular who was brought here by Rundle Brenton. She was sold for 500 guineas to Mr HS Thompson of Oakfield Stud.

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Stay Inside has a moderately inbred pedigree (12.11%). Given that we feature the impact of Hurtle Fisher on Australian breeding, we must acknowledge the presence of Nothin’ Leica Dane in the pedigree of the colt. That stallion was a high-profile son of Danehill, and one who essentially helped promote the idea that locally we needed the sprinting sons rather than those who got over some ground. Nothin’ Leica Dane was a very good galloper who perhaps wasn’t a true stayer despite his Melbourne Cup placing, and this might be played out with him featuring in a Golden Slipper winning pedigree. No doubt an important part of the pedigree is the presence of another son of Danehill in Redoute’s Choice and his son, Not A Single Doubt. We have spoken about Not A Single Doubt before as he traces to the dam of Snippets. We also see another line of Danzig, making it three sons of that stallion in the pedigree. Interestingly we also see a duplication of a very important mare called Missy Baba, a daughter of My Babu, who produced the stakes winning Gay Missile and Raja Baba that we see in this pedigree. Her line gave us some wonderful stallions like Bite The Bullet and Summer Squall, but none have been better than the legendary AP Indy who dominated US breeding for many years.

HURTLE FISHER

Hurtle Fisher is arguably the most important thoroughbred breeder in Australian history. Although his name is not all that well known now, his brother Charles Brown ‘CB’ Fisher was a long-time Chairman of the VRC and was honoured by the CB Fisher Plate, a race held at wfa at Flemington over a mile and a half (2400m) from 1870 to 1977. In 1973 it was moved to 2500m and in 1969 and 1974 was held under the name of the Queen’s Cup. By 1979 it was permanently renamed the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the introduction of Group racing when it became a Group 2 event rather than the Principal Race that it had been under the old system. In 2005 it was downgraded again to a Group 3 event, and in 2010 again was held under the name Queen’s Cup. The brothers were the sons of Sir James Hurtle Fisher, the first Mayor of Adelaide and later MLA.

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SIR JAMES HURTLE FISHER Fisher, Sir James Hurtle (1790–1875) This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1, (MUP), 1966

ir James Hurtle Fisher (1790-1875), lawyer and commissioner, was born at Sunbury, Middlesex, England, the eldest son of James Fisher, of Green Street, London, architect, and Henrietta Harriet, second daughter of Henry Knapp, rector of Stoke Albury, Northamptonshire. He was articled to the London solicitors, Brown & Gotobed, and admitted to practice in July 1811. On 5 October 1813 he married Elizabeth Johnson. In 1816 he commenced practice as a solicitor in London.

rawn into the colonizing movement in 1835, Fisher became a member of the South Australian Building Committee in September, and in November was selected as resident commissioner, one of the most important offices under the South Australian Act (4 & 5 Wm IV, c. 95). On 13 July 1836 he was formally appointed registrar, and next day resident commissioner. The Colonization Commission delegated to him powers to dispose of the public lands in the province, the proceeds from the sale of which were to finance emigration. Fisher was thus second only to the governor, but his instructions stressed the 'entire separation which is made by the Act between the functions of the Government officers and those charged with the disposal of land and the arrangement of emigrants'. Fisher was also asked by Colonel Robert Torrens to 'prepare drafts of Colonial Acts for establishing a Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and for facilitating the transfer of real property'. In 1836 the commissioners published his Sketch of Three Colonial Acts, Suggested for Adoption in the New Province of South Australia, With a View to Ensure the Most Perfect Security of Title to Property, to Simplify and Facilitate the Mode and Moderate the Expense of its Transfer. These Acts were not passed, however, for it was claimed that the chief justice of South Australia, Sir John Jeffcott, opposed their adoption.

ccompanied by his family, Fisher left England in July 1836 with the governor's party in the Buffalo, arriving on 28 December 1836 at Holdfast Bay, where the official oaths were administered, a proclamation was read and a ceremony marked the beginning of settlement. In January 1837 Fisher erected his reed hut and Land Office near the survey camp of Colonel William Light at the north-western corner of the new capital site; the destruction of these temporary buildings by fire on 23 January 1839 caused both men serious loss. Fisher had been allowed to draft his own instructions, which were not shown to Governor (Sir) John Hindmarsh. Disputes between the two men over their respective powers had begun on the voyage and were soon revived in the new Council of Government, and more violently outside, and led in February 1837 to the Resident Magistrate's Court binding the participants over to keep the peace towards each other. Further dissension arose over the site for the capital city, and over the slow progress of the survey. By March advance of the survey enabled Fisher to summon the holders of land orders to a general meeting to select

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their town acres by lot; two weeks later the remaining town lands were auctioned. In April further controversy arose from the encroachment by the governor's garden on public land. Next month Hindmarsh was openly critical of Fisher in his dispatches to the Colonial Office, and Fisher contemplated resignation from the council. On 29 July 1837 an anonymous letter criticizing Fisher appeared in the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register; with his supporters he signed an address, printed as a broadside, claiming that the editor had scarcely alluded to the 'great and leading principles of the Colony', and proposing that a second newspaper be established. At a later meeting Fisher replied to the criticism. In August Hindmarsh suspended Robert Gouger from his office of colonial secretary, contrary to the opinion of the majority of council. John Brown, who was the commission's servant and not subject to Hindmarsh's control, was suspended on 11 September. Next day Fisher issued a handbill stating that Brown still held office; a month later Hindmarsh issued a printed proclamation denying authority to Fisher's handbill, and warning loyal subjects against disobedience. Accusations and counter-charges continued, with both sides appealing to London. By March 1838 little co-operation was possible between the two principal officers of the colonial government. Hindmarsh was recalled and left Adelaide in July. Meanwhile in London Torrens had suggested to Glenelg that what he called the 'evils of divided and undefined authority' be ended. The new governor, George Gawler, was appointed both governor and resident commissioner, a radical departure from the principles on which the colony had been founded and landowners had purchased their holdings. On Governor Gawler's arrival in October 1838 Fisher ceased to act as resident commissioner, although he claimed to have counsel's opinion that his tenure was for life. He returned to his profession, and became a leader of the South Australian Bar. His most popular triumph was in 1848 when as counsel for the defendant he won the mineral royalty case before the Supreme Court. He also published two scholarly works: in 1843, an annotated edition of the Acts of Council, and in 1858, The Real Property Act … with Analytical and Critical Notes.

isher's political activity was long and distinguished. In October 1840 he was elected first mayor of Adelaide, and held the office again in 1852-54. He was elected a member of the Legislative Council in 1853, became speaker in 1855-56 and president from 1857 to 1865 when he retired from politics. He was also much in demand for public functions. In February 1843 he laid the foundation stone of the first monument to Colonel Light in Light Square. In March 1851 he chaired the Old Colonists' Festival Dinner to commemorate the first sale of Adelaide town land, and at another well-attended dinner in his honour at the Freemasons' Tavern, he was given a presentation. In 1857 he presided at the banquet after a plaque was affixed to the 'Old Gum Tree' at Glenelg, where he had landed with the first governor in 1836. In 1860 he was made K.B., the first resident South Australian to be knighted. He died at Adelaide on 28 January 1875, predeceased by his wife but survived by four sons and four daughters.

isher was one of the most important pioneers of South Australia. He was also associated with many public movements, being one of the first trustees of Trinity Church, where there is a memorial plaque, chairman of the bench of Magistrates, a founder of the Collegiate School of St Peter, chairman of the meeting to found the Savings Bank, and a president of the South Australian Jockey Club. His portraits are in the possession of Parliament House, and family members.

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CHARLES BROWN FISHER Fisher, Charles Brown (1818–1908) by J. M. Main This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, (MUP), 1972

harles Brown Fisher (1818-1908), grazier, was born on 25 September 1818 in London, the second son of James Hurtle Fisher and his wife Elizabeth, née Johnson. He spent two years on his uncle's farm in Northamptonshire before sailing with his parents in the Buffalo. He arrived in South Australia in December 1836, served briefly as a clerk to his father and then joined his elder brother James in Adelaide as merchants and carriers. In 1838 the brothers sought another partner and occupied their first pastoral lease, Little Para, a few miles north of Adelaide. The run was sold in 1840 but the Fisher brothers soon acquired other pastoral leases from which they supplied Adelaide with sheep and cattle. Such leases were then issued on condition that they were stocked within three months with 16 cattle or 100 sheep to the square mile. In 1844 the Fisher brothers were charged by the commissioner of crown lands with understocking their holdings or moving stock from run to run in order to establish occupancy. The charge was not denied but the Fishers do not appear to have lost their leases. In the early 1850s they sent large numbers of sheep and cattle to the Victorian goldfields and used the profits to expand their landholdings. In 1854 they bought Bundaleer for £31,000 and in 1855 Hill River, near Clare, for £160,000; they then claimed 800 square miles (2072 km²) under pastoral leases and were again accused of moving stock between their runs to establish occupation. Charles was also buying freehold land including the Levels, near Adelaide, where he started a merino stud. In 1856 he wrote to James in England estimating that they would shear 115,000 sheep that year: 'Such a state of things, I venture to say is unexampled even by golddiggers'.

noted sportsman, Fisher had ridden at the first race meeting in Adelaide in 1838 and helped to organize the first steeplechase over four miles (6.4 km) of stiff country. In the 1850s he imported several thoroughbreds and after he moved to Melbourne in 1865 bought most of his brother Hurtle's Maribyrnong stud in April 1866 and made his début racing under his own colours at the spring meeting of the Victoria Racing Club. He retired from the turf as an owner and sold his stud for a sensational total of £64,376 but continued to import blood sires. Well known at Flemington for his courtly manner and English dress, he was vice-president of the V.R.C.

isher became one of the biggest pastoralists in Australia. In Victoria he bought Cumberland, near Melbourne, and Pirron Yallock, near Colac, for breeding from imported Lincoln sheep and stud Shorthorns: one bull cost him £4000. In TURF MONTHLY 11

South Australia he sold most of his land including Bundaleer and Hill River where he had 50,000 sheep and some 4000 acres (1619 ha) under wheat. He bought Yanga near Balranald, Gunbower near Echuca and Thurulgoona on the Warrego River. In 1868 he began to take up leases in Queensland; by 1877 he had sixteen runs but lost them when the Supreme Court ruled that his claim to qualify as a resident was fraudulent. After his appeal to the Privy Council failed he turned with great enterprise to the Northern Territory. With Maurice Lyons as partner he took Victoria River Downs and other leases, stocking them with some 30,000 cattle overlanded from south Queensland. The partners also attempted to cultivate coffee and rubber near Darwin but without success. Their partnership was dissolved in May 1886, and by 1887 Fisher held in the territory about 34,000 square miles (88,060 km²) much of which they stocked and extensively improved. In 1884 Fisher & Lyon sent a trial shipment of cattle to south-east Asia with little profit and in 1890 Goldsbrough Mort took over some of their leases. Overcapitalization, falling prices and six bad seasons forced Fisher into bankruptcy in 1895. His liabilities were nearly £1,500,000 against assets of £786,000. Destitute, he retired to Melbourne where in November 1896 friends took up a subscription which Franc Falkiner headed with £500. Later Fisher moved to Adelaide and died at Glenelg on 6 May 1908. Predeceased by his wife Agnes Louisa, whom he had married in 1855, and survived by their only son, he left an estate valued at £1600.

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HURTLE FISHER THE HORSES H

urtle Fisher was a popular figure around the racetracks and throughout Victoria and South Australia. He was successful in his pastoral endeavours although his business interests were closely tied with the rest of the family. With such a powerful position in Adelaide society, Hurtle, Charles and their older brother James took up pastoral leases that were allocated by the Crown. They were ideally situated to obtain these leases and they provided the growing needs of the developing city with sheep and cattle with the name Fisher being associated with a new line of the Merino sheep. Their dealings were rumoured to have not always been entirely ethical. At the time quotas were imposed on stocking of land held under lease, and in 1944 the brothers were charged with understocking their holdings and with moving stock between leases to establish occupancy. These charges were never challenged but they still retained their leases, no doubt in part due to their privilege.

ames returned to England but the younger brothers continued to increase their fortune largely through the gold boom in Victoria as they supplied large numbers of sheep and cattle especially to Bendigo and Ballarat. Their landholdings increased with their profits and they purchased freehold land that was now available. Both Charles and Hurtle were accomplished horsemen, riding in early races. Father James had a strong interest in horseracing, becoming a founding member and president of the early South Australian Jockey Club, and his sons followed his interest. Hurtle and Charles would regularly take their horses from Adelaide to Melbourne by ship, and it was here that fate played its role.

JF Herring’s Painting “Fisherman”

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he Admella was a passenger steamship that travelled between Adelaide and Melbourne and, in fact, her name was a combination of the three towns she serviced in Adelaide, Melbourne and Launceston. It was one of the most luxurious in Australia and was made in Scotland in 1857. It was 60 metres long and almost 8 metres at its widest point. The ship made the journey from Adelaide to Melbourne in around 42 hours. Skipper Hugh McEwan had sailed the ship for her entire career, and it left Adelaide on 5 August 1859 carrying 84 passengers and 29 crew. Her cargo consisted of 93 tons of copper, flour for the Victorian goldfields, general merchandise, and four racehorses. Hurtle Fisher, and his younger brother George were among the passengers. One of the horses fell over and the ship changed course slightly, while the horse was put on its feet. Around 4am on the morning of Saturday, 6 August, they were approaching the Cape Northumberland light, with the captain believing them well offshore. Tragically the ship was close to a dangerous reef and struck a submerged reef off the coast of Carpenter Rocks, south west of Mount Gambier South Australia. The Admella keeled over and the huge swell pushed it further onto the reef. Within 15 minutes the ship had broken into three with many passengers being washed overboard. They tried to put out lifeboats but two were smashed and one broke adrift. Attempts to light flares failed as they were wet and they could not attract attention from the lighthouse-keepers at Cape Northumberland, 13 nautical miles (25 km) away.

aylight revealed a deserted coast about a kilometre away beyond the dangerous surf. The sister ship, Havilah passed by without seeing the wreck despite the best attempts to attract attention. On the second day, with calmer seas, two crewmen, John Leach and Robert Knapman, succeeded in reaching the shore with the aid of a raft. Although exhausted, they travelled through the night to alert Cape Northumberland lighthouse.

he lighthouse had no telegraph and Ben Germein, the lighthouse keeper, rode 10 miles (16 km) to Mount Gambier to telegraph authorities in Adelaide. The Corio was despatched from Adelaide and the Ladybird from Portland but both rescue boats had difficulty locating the Admella because of poor information. Meanwhile, the Admella continued to be battered by the heavy swell and Captain McEwan shared out what little food remained. It took a week before the survivors were rescued as the large seas thwarted all attempts to get lifeboats near the wreckage.

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Admella

H F

urtle Fisher rarely spoke about the event publicly, but he recounted part of the ordeal in the Australasian newspaper on Saturday 29 October 1898,

rom the bulwark Fisher recounted seeing the sharks swimming around hence saying there was no inducement to try and swim to shore. One passenger who had been seated next to Fisher did try “He jumped in just underneath where I was sitting, and the sharks tore him to pieces at once.”

I L

n all, 89 people died in the wreck of the Adella including Hurtle’s brother, George Fisher. When Hurtle Fisher boarded the Admella he weighed 9.7 (60.5kg) but when rescued he weighed in at 5.12 (37kg). ater, famed poet and excellent horseman, Adam Lindsey Gordon wrote "From the Wreck’” about the ride to Mount Gambier to raise the alarm following the wreck of the Admella. Gordon lived in Dingley Dell, near Port MacDonnell in SA from 1864–1867. The wreck of the Admella remains one of Australia’s worst nautical tragedies and is commemorated at the Portland Maritime museum.

FISHER’S FIRST IMPORTS

isher went to England to recuperate away from the media attention and commission of inquiry that made the story one of the biggest of the day. While there, Hurtle hatched a plan to establish a world class thoroughbred stud in Australia. His first horses sent to Australia were the stallion, Muscovado, and the mares Omen, Nightlight and Coquette. They were sent to Hurtle’s property in Adelaide while he searched for the perfect establishment for his ambitions.

MUSCOVADO

uscovado was a son of Sweetmeat out of the Bay Middleton mare, Surprise. He had been bred by Colonel Windham and proved a moderate stallion. He was only to produce three stakes winners, but one of these, Lantern was to give Hurtle Fisher one of his greatest racetrack thrills by winning the 1864 Melbourne Cup, his only success in that race. Musvovado’s other two stakes winners were Lubra who won the 1863 SAJC Derby, and The Sign who won the SA St Leger and the VRC Royal Park Stakes. The Sign was a son of the mare Omen.

y 1964, Hurtle Fisher, was known as the Squire of Maribyrnong, and was one of the foundation members, and first committee members of the newly established VRC. The Melbourne Cup of that year was held on the Thursday, and it was not until the following year that the race was shifted to the Tuesday. Lantern was out of Fisher’s Nightlight and started at 15/1. The field of 19 competed on a heavy track and the 3yo colt appreciated both the conditions and light weight of 6.3 (39.5kg) to win fairly comfortably by 0.5 lengths. Fisher’s mare, Rose Of Denmark ran third. Lantern proved how good he was when he won the VRC Derby on the following day becoming the only horse ever to have won the Derby after the Cup. On the Saturday, Lantern won over a mile in the Publican Purse by a comfortable three lengths. What makes that performance even more impressive is that the colt was left at the start and trailed the field by an estimate 100 yards. Tragically Lantern was killed in an accident at Ballarat not long after his Melbourne Cup win. TURF MONTHLY 15

NIGHTLIGHT

urtle Fisher often referred to Nightlight as his original mare, and she was among this first importation of bloodstock to his Adelaide property. Nightlight was by Archy, a grandson of Whalebone, out of a mare called Rushlight by Bay Middleton. Her first foal was Lantern by Muscovado who we have mentioned. She produced a further three stakes winners in My Dream, Sunshine and Dagmar, all bred from Fisher’s later stallions in Fisherman and Maribyrnong. She also produced Lamorna, a daughter by Fireworks, after Fisher had sold his stud.

y Dream by Fisherman won the VRC Oaks and VRC Derby although at the time they were run at different carnivals and actually in different years. She was never to produce a foal. Nightlight’s next stakes winner was Sunshine by Maribyrnong, a son of Fisherman. She won the VRC Oaks in 1872 and was to produce Sextant by Robinson Crusoe, a son of Angler who was in turn a son of Fisherman. Sextant was to race in NZ winning the Great Northern Derby and Hawkes Bay St Leger. Sunshine has established an enduring line of daughters that have produced some quality racehorses. Among the best of her descendants have been Tunza Oak who won the Waikato Gold Cup in 1994, Miss Potential by Dolphin Street who won the G1 VRC Nestle Peters (now the Empire Rose) and Mudgway and Stoney Bridge Stakes in NZ, and Catalan Prince by Pre Catalan who won the 1995 AJC Summer Cup. Sunshine is also responsible for the full siblings by Skyhawk in Cylai who won the VATC Hopetoun Handicap and Hobart Cup, and the very popular stayer of the 1980’s in Hayai. Hayai won eight stakes races in total with four of these at G1 level. His major victories came in the AJC Metropolitan in both 1983 and 1984, the 1983 Caulfield Cup, and the 1984 Tancred Stakes. He also won the G2 Chelmsford, the Listed STC Stayers Cup and two AJC Craven Plates.

agmar by Maribyrnong won the 1872 Maribynong Plate and produced the The Czar by the son of Stockwell in The Marquis. The Czar won the 1878 VRC AllAged Stakes.

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My Dream

he Fireworks filly, Lamorna was bred after Fisher had dispersed his stud but she continued the lines with good effect. She produced Chesterfield by The Marquis, another son of Stockwell who won the AJC The Shorts in 1880. At stud he produced the SA West End Draught Stakes winner, Lord Chesterfield. Lamorna was mated with Robinson Crusoe to produce Hippona who was born in NZ. Hippona produced St Hippo by St Leger who went on to win seven stakes races in that country including the Great Northern Champagne Stakes, Hawkes Bay Guineas, Great Northern Derby and the Auckland and NZ Cups. St Hippo was not the greatest of stallions, but his descendants continue to be a good source of winners especially in NZ. They include the likes of Summer Regent by Summertime who won a host of good races including the 1963 Cox Plate, Top Rating by Nassipour who won the 1994 Moonee Valley Cup, Only A Lady by Sir Tristram who won the 1997 Flight Stakes, Our Tristalight by Sir Tristram who won the Australasian and SA Oaks in 1993, Mercator by Sea Anchor, the 1992 NZ Cup winner, Random Chance by Three Legs who won the NZ Two Thousand Guineas, and 1947 Melbourne Cup winner, Hiraji by Nizami. There is little doubt the most prestigious of St Hippo’s descendants has been the great mare, Leilani, another Hall of Fame racehorse who won 12 stakes races with her 1974 Caulfield Cup win one of the most outstanding of her victories.

he daughters of Lamorna have also established their own continuing lines and another from these who has excelled was the 2001 Futurity Stakes and CF Orr winner, Desert Sky.

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OMEN

men was a daughter of Melbourne out of a Sheet Anchor mare in Stormy Petrel. She was another of Hurtle Fisher’s original mares. She produced three stakes winners ensuring the success of that gentleman’s breeding enterprise. They were The Sign, a son by Muscovado who won SA St Leger and VRC Royal Park Stakes and the full sisters by Fisherman in Lady Heron and Sea Gull,

ady Heron was from the first crop of Fisherman and made an immediate impression on the racing public by winning the Ascot Vale Stakes as a 2yo over five furlongs. She was to go on to win the VRC Oaks as a 3yo, and continued Fisherman’s remarkable influence at stud. She produced two stakes winners in Beatrice who was also to win the Ascot Vale Stakes, and Argus Scandal who won the Maribyrnong Plate and VRC All-Aged Stakes, both interestingly being by different sons of Stockwell in Stockowner and Ace Of Clubs respectively. She is becoming more difficult to find in modern pedigrees, but her line produced the stakes winning Queensland brothers Countwood and Earlwood who both won the Qld Guineas. For Countwood that was to be his only stakes win, but Earlwood went on to win the Qld Derby and two Doomben Cups among his seven stakes successes. She can also be found in the pedigree of the good WA galloper, So Dashing by Haulpak who was bred by Robert Holmes A’Court. Her daughter Beatrice produced His Lordship by The Marquis who won seven stakes races including the Ascot Vale, both the VRC and AJC Sires’ Produce, the AJC Champagne Stakes and the AJC Derby. A daughter of Beatrice in Olga by Piscator, a son of The Marquis, produced five stakes winners. We have written about four of these before as Patron, Patronage, Patroness and Ruenalf were by the legendary Grand Flaneur. Her other stakes winner was Emmie by Robinson Crusoe who won the SAJC West End Draught Stakes and another whose progeny we will look at when we have a closer look at Robinson Crusoe.

Lady Ruenalf TURF MONTHLY 18

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ea Gull, a full sister to Lady Heron was from Fisherman’s second crop and won the Ascot Vale Stakes at two before winning the VRC Derby and Oaks double as a 3yo in 1866. The filly was quite remarkably able to run fifth in the Melbourne Cup of that year in an event that was won by the great champion, The Barb and in which she finished ahead of Lady Heron, Cowra and the previous year’s winner, Toryboy. The descendants of Sea Gull continue to breed on although few have achieved success at the highest level. Among the more notable are Stuyvesant by Blazing Reality who won the George Adams Plate in Tasmania for three straight years from 2006-08, Another family from the mare is that of G1 Auckland Easter Cup winner Sirstaci by Silver Dream, and his three stakes winning siblings by Star Way in Smiling Like (G1 Wellington Cup), Eurostar (AJC Summer Cup) and Nimue (G1 One Thousand Guineas and Levin Classic).

nother daughter of Omen in Zillah by Stockowner, a son of Stockwell, produced a son by Tregeagle called Tubal Cain who stood at stud in Queensland and left a long legacy. He sired seven stakes winners including Goodwood winner, Ironclad, Toorak winner, Precious Stone and Moonee Valley Cup winner, Quintin Matsis. He can still be found in pedigrees of horses like Maltmaid, Strawberry Malt, Make Mine Magic, and Vain Prince. His son Two Of Hearts stood in WA and produced three Railway Stakes winners in Lord Byron, Wandering Willie, who also won the Perth Cup and Queen’s Plate twice, and Will O’The Wisp. The latter at stud himself lists descendants like Karioi Prince, Black Piranha, Regal Vain, Vain Karioi, Karioi Star, Karioi Lad, Our Egyptian Raine, Sea Swell and Fair Summer

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COQUETTE

oquette was the last mare imported in the first lot of Hurtle Fisher’s thoroughbreds. She was a daughter of Launcelot by Camel out of the mare Abaft by Sheet Anchor. She produced only two daughters that were to have a major impact. Both were by Fisherman and the first Syren is best known for her grandson, Quilt by Robinson Crusoe who was born in NZ and stood at stud there producing three stakes winners including Auckland Cup winner, Mahutonga. His descendants continue to excel on the track, and recently Vangelic by Vancouver finished second to Forbidden Love in the G1 ATC Surround Stakes.

y far Coquette’s most enduring influence came through her daughter by Fisherman in Fanny Fisher. She produced Kingfisher by Dainty Ariel who won the 1987 Auckland Cup. She continues to be an important influence and some of her family’s stakes winners include Winger Charger (1996 Magic Millions), Moss Kingdom (1984 Perth and Adelaide Cups), and Soldier of Fortune (1981 VATC Marlborough Cup). However, it has been a family that has produced some quality stallions over time. None were probably better than Nightly by Night Raid who won seven stakes races including the NZ Derby and CB Fisher Plate. At stud he produced five stakes-winners in NZ including NZ Cup winner, Jamell.

Nightly winning the Moonee Valley Cup TURF MONTHLY 20

FISHER’S SECOND IMPORTS

urtle and James Fisher attended Lord Londesborough’s stud dispersal in 1860 and purchased four additional mares. The most expensive was Gildermire who cost 1260 guineas which was the top price paid for a mare at the sale. Gildermire was to die early in a fire at Fisher’s Maribyrnong Stud but not before she had left her mark on Australian breeding that we will get to a little later. At the same sale, Fisher also purchased Juliet (850 gns), Marchioness (630 gns) and Rose De Florence (380 gns). Marchioness was particularly notable in that she had won the 1855 Epsom Oaks. Hurtle Fisher also purchased the stallion Fisherman privately for 3000 guineas. He had won the Ascot Gold Cup over 20 furlongs (4000m) in both 1858 and 1859. Despite Fisherman going on to great success, Fisher made a decision that shaped the thoroughbred for evermore. He was interested in purchasing another stallion in Stockwell who was to become one of the most important sires in history. Fisher had been offered the stallion privately for 2000 guineas but was a little reluctant to purchase him. Later in life, a story of Fisher’s dealings with Stockwell was reported in the Referee:

r Hurtle Fisher, owner of the Queensland Cup winner, Buttons, more famous as the importer of Fisherman, and now Squire of Headington Hill, on the Downs, tells (says the Brisbane correspondent of the Referee), a good story of his visit, many years ago to a famous stud farm in England; whither he had gone in search of a blood sire for South Australia. He had letters of introduction to everybody, among them one to the manager of the farm. Arriving there, the 'Boss' was on the estate, and there was nothing to do but go and look for him. By-and-by he met a man riding a big chestnut horse, and asked for Mr ? 'I am Mr ?, and what, can I do for you, sir?' The letter of introduction was handed over to the horseman by way of reply and read. 'Oh, I beg pardon, Mr Hurtle Fisher, of South Australia, glad to see you, sir. This letter tells me you want a blood stallion to take out with you to Adelaide. Let me see, there's Saunterer on the sale use, and Fisherman, and West Australian, and (with a smile) there's the horse I'm riding, how would he suit you?'' Oh, well, he's not a bad sort of a horse, and then, with a light laugh in response to the manager's smile, to show how thoroughly he entered into the latter's joke, 'But, you know, I want something with a little more character, and a little more quality, for stud purposes, more shape and style, and all that sort of thing — in short, something just a little bit more out of the common, do you see?' 'Yes, I see, but I'm afraid you'll find it rather hard to find— at least, in England' 'Why, what horse is that you're riding?' ''Well, sir, the horse I'm riding is Stockwell.'

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Stockwell

tockwell, who was to go on to become perhaps the most famous stallion in history, was later sold at the dispersal to Mr Naylor for 4500 guineas with Fisher being the underbidder. Another that was to also become a champion stallion in West Australian was sold to buyers from France at the same dispersal. Before purchasing Fisherman, Fisher had purchased another stallion in Leamington. Fisherman, who had won 70 races and was renowned as the greatest stayer in the UK subsequently came on the market, and Fisher on-sold Leamington to American connections. Leamington was to go on to remarkable success in that country.

isher returned to Australia to establish his world class stud, and originally planned to set up at his property in Adelaide. He found this to be unsuitable for purpose and he searched long and hard for the right site. In fact, Fisher became so disillusioned in his quest that he offered his entire stock for sale to anyone able to establish the proper stud. He steadfastly refused to consider parting with any lot that was not part of his dream to build the best stud in Australia. Eventually Fisher located a property called Maribyrnong Station on Saltwater river, about five miles from Melbourne. It had originally been the property of Mr John Raleigh, and later of Mr Rostron. It was described in the newspaper as: A thoroughly English country residence situated on elevated ground, and surrounded with paddocks admirably laid down with English grasses, clovers, and lucerne. A one-and-a-half-mile course has been formed and seeded over, and there is also another good long gallop, as well as a training ground of about a mile, with plenty of uphill.

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FISHERMAN

isherman was a remarkable horse winning 70 races including 26 Queen’s Plate trophies and two Ascot Gold Cups. It was reported that after winning one of his Gold Cups, he was saddled up for the next race, a Queen’s Plate over 3 miles and duly won that as well. Fisherman ran unsuccessfully as a 2yo but at three won 23 from 34 races including the Queen’s Vase at Ascot and the Cumberland Plate. At four, he raced 34 times for 22 wins and at five, won 21 from 32. He was regarded as the best stayer in the UK and is arguably one of the greatest racehorses ever to enter stud in Australia. His longevity also makes something of a mockery of the number of starts modern stallions tend to have.

isherman was a son of Heron out of the Sheet Anchor mare, Mainbrace. Heron was a good racehorse winning the Wolverhampton and Leamington Stakes, as well as the Bretby, Liverpool and Lichfield Gold Cups in England. At stud, he produced only the one stakes winner but, in Fisherman, he ensured that his line would continue. Heron was by Bustard, a son of Castrel, out of an Orville mare. Mainbrace by Sheet Anchor was also to produce The Peer who stood at stud in France. She was also to produce the Nassau Stakes winning mare, Peeress. Mainbrace was a sister to Porto Rico and Wollaton who both went to stud as stallions. Wollaton was to arrive in Australia where he produced the 1865 Melbourne Cup winner, Toryboy. This was interestingly the first year that the VRC had offered a Cup for the winner of TURF MONTHLY 23

the race. Made of silver and valued at 100 sovereigns, the Cup was admired by the large crowd on a day that was declared a half-holiday for Melbourne.

uite remarkably, Fisherman stood only four seasons at stud in Australia before he died in June 1865 at the Maribyrnong Stud of Hurtle Fisher. Perhaps his demise contributed to that gentleman selling off his thoroughbred enterprise. In such a short period, Fisherman stamped himself among the most important influences to ever stand at stud here. We must also consider that this was in the 1860’s, at a time when relatively few stakes races were in existence in Australia.

isherman’s first crop included Angler, Cowra and Lady Heron all of which probably deserve their own stories. Cowra was the least successful in terms of her influence, and she was from a non-stud book mare but managed to win two Adelaide Cups in 1866 and 1867. Angler was to win the VRC Derby in 1865, before finishing fourth to Toryboy in the Melbourne Cup. He was also to win the VRC St Leger the following year, and went to stud with moderate success, siring four stakes winners including two of the best of the time in Progress and Robinson Crusoe. Progress won nine stakes races including the Sydney and Geelong Cups, and both the SA and AJC St Legers. In turn he produced the Toorak Handicap winner, Maelstrom, but his name is forever linked with Australian racing history when a daughter of his gave us a line that was to produce Winfreux in 1961. Both Winfreux and Robinson Crusoe are discussed at more length a little later.

ull sisters Lady Heron and Sea Gull were both out of one of Fisher’s first mares in Omen. The second crop of The Fisherman was to produce Fishhook, considered by many of the time to be not only the best horse produced by Fisherman but the greatest horse to have ever raced in Australia. He started his career in Hurtle Fisher’s colours but was soon sold to brother Charles (CB) for 3,600 guineas, then a record price for a horse in Australia. He actually was first in the Ascot Vale beating Sea Gull in a canter at his first start but was disqualified for going inside a post. There was much heated discussion for years as to what was the best horse, The Barb or Fishhook although modern history records The Barb as vastly superior due to his performances as he got older. Fishhook beat The Barb comfortably at their first two meetings in Sydney before The Barb turned the tables when receiving 14lbs (6.5kg) in the Nursery Handicap. Fishhook had a poor start to his 3yo career, but eventually bounced back culminating in a win in the AJC St Leger in a much talked about race against The Barb. The two went head to head at cut-throat speed for the first mile until Fishhook took control. The effort though almost told on the colt who only managed to beat the fast finishing Blair Athol by a head. Tragically Fishhook’s career was cut short due to what was believed to be poisoning of the good horse. He never raced again following this controversy. From an article appearing under the pseudonym Terlinga in the Australasian of Saturday 29 October 1898, it was reported:

he history of how the crack was “nobbled' will probably never be made public. Mr W Filgate once told me that he knew it. Years after the thing happened a dying man sent for him and told him who poisoned Fishhook, and at whose instigation the foul deed was done, but he made him promise never to repeat the story. And William Filgate was not the man to break his word. It is believed by many that there is a man in Melbourne now who could, as he would, give the world full details of this famous

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nobbling case, but this may be only idle rumour. Fishhook, at the time, was not the property of Mr. Hurtle Fisher, but older brother Charles.

S F

adly, Fishhook was to have little impact on breeding, dying prematurely in June 1871. His sole stakes winner was The Hook who won the 1879 Doncaster. He was a son of Hurtle Fisher’s great mare, Juliet.

isherman’s third crop produced two stakes winners in Sour Grapes who won the Ascot Vale Stakes and VRC All-Aged Stakes and 1867 VRC Oaks winner, Sylvia. Sylvia was the first locally bred daughter of the great Juliet and we will discuss her legacy in more depth under her dam in Part Two next month.

he final stakes winners for Fisherman came in his 1865 crop and included Fenella, Gasworks and My Dream. Fenella won the Ascot Vale, VRC All-Aged Stakes and AJC Champagne Stakes before making her mark as a broodmare. She produced a son called Mute by Fireworks who stood at stud in NZ, another son Aphany by The Marquis who also went to stud, and a daughter called Fenella B. The most significant descendant of these is no doubt Daybreak Lover who traces to a daughter of Aphany. Daybreak Lover won seven stakes races including two Elders Handicaps, a short-lived incarnation of the Stradbroke before having a good career at stud.

he mare, Gasworks won the VRC Australian Cup, St Leger and Town Plate before producing Gaslight to win the 1874 VRC Oaks. Another daughter of Gasworks in Gascony by Tim Whiffler was the grand dam of 1900 Melbourne Cup winner, Clean Sweep who was also to win a further six stakes races including the Moonee Valley Cup, VATC Coongy Handicap and St George Stakes, and the AJC St Leger. Clean Sweep was owned by Mr WR Wilson who also owned St Albans Stud that stood Robinson Crusoe along with other great stallions like Trenton and Wallace. Clean Sweep carried 7 stone (44.5kg) in the Cup and beat another 3yo in Maltster who had earlier won both the AJC and VRC Derbies. Both colts were in the

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stable of James Scobie and Clean Sweep was to give that trainer his first Melbourne Cup success and establish him as one of the country’s leading trainers. My Dream from Nightlight won both the VRC Oaks and Derby, but never produced a named foal.

t was not just the stakes winners of Fisherman that left their mark for he was a prolific source of quality bloodstock in both his sons and daughters. Six of his sons went to stud in Angler, Ferryman, Fishhook, Little Fish, Maribyrnong and Smuggler. We have already spoken of Fishhook, and we will deal with Angler and Maribyrnong later. Ferryman was unraced due to injury and was used for stud duties by Fisher. He was later purchased by Mr Mogg who stood the stallion at his station at St Arnaud. On the death of Fishhook, Mr Hunter of Woodstock replaced that stallion with Ferryman but sadly Ferryman was another who met with a premature end, dying in 1871. He had a great start to his stud career producing his only two stakes winners, Charon and Lamplighter, in his first crop. Lamplighter out of Gaslight won the Ascot Vale Stakes, the AJC Champagne Stakes and later the VRC St Leger. Charon, a son of Fisher’s great mare Juliet, won the VRC AllAged Stakes, the AJC and VRC Derbies, and the VRC Queen’s Plate over 24 furlong or 3 miles. Unfortunately, he too was to meet an untimely end before he had his opportunity at stud.

nother son of Ferryman in Derby was to have more success in the breeding barn. He was a three-quarter brother to Charon being out of Juliet’s daughter, Chrysolite. Derby was to have a long-lasting success often through families that went to NZ although it is becoming difficult to find him in pedigrees.

t was a daughter of Ferryman in Art Union that may hold the key to continuing his blood. This line includes horses like Kankama who won the Geelong Derby Trial and WA Derby in 1978 and was given his chance at stud with limited success. Other males from the family also include stallions like Amigo, by Biscay and Claim The Quest by Sir Tristram who both failed to produce stakes winners.

isherman had one season at stud at Swalcliffe near Banbury in Oxfordshire, before being purchased by Fisher, where he was advertised to serve twenty-five mares at twenty-five guineas. Fisherman’s best known of the first crop was Bittern, born in 1861. Bittern had some long-term success with her line producing the 1891 Irish Derby winner, Narraghore. The family has continued to have influence in both Europe and the US with horses like multiple German stakes winner, Tiganello, French jumps winner Northerntown and his stakes winning half-sister Egyptband who ran second to Sinndar in the Arc De Triomphe, and multiple stakes winner Arcandy. The family even returned to Australia where it was responsible for Star Shiraz who won the 2004 QTC Sires’ Produce.

isherman’s non stakes winning daughters continued his incredible influence on the Australian thoroughbred. While few matched Sylvia, many changed the shape of our breed. Few were more important than Lady Heron out of Omen.

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We often talk about inbreeding and we see that Fisherman has what we would consider a relatively highly inbred pedigree (16.80%). In the time his pedigree would not have been considered heavily inbred, and it is a good lesson for students of pedigrees. We see that the full siblings Castrel and Selim appear in the stallion’s sire line and in the sire line of his grand dam, The Bay Middleton Mare. In the top and bottom quarters of the pedigree we also see the duplication of Sir Peter. In the other two sectors of the pedigree we see Orville and Dick Andrews present in sex balanced positions. In addition to this we also see multiple lines of Orville’s sire, Beningbrough, as well as Buzzard’s sire, Woodpecker. There are also four lines of the immortal Eclipse, all through sons.

ROBINSON CRUSOE

obinson Crusoe was by Angler, the son of Fisherman, out of Chrysolite, the daughter of Stockwell and Juliet. He raced for his entire 2yo season being known as the Chrysolite colt. He ran fifth at his first start in the Maribyrnong Plate, and was then second in both the Ascot Vale Stakes and VRC Sires’ Produce. Sent to Sydney he dominated the AJC Carnival winning the Champagne Stakes, Breeder’s Plate and Sires’ Produce within the space of five days.

e returned as a 3yo to win the AJC Derby and AJC Mares’ Produce before boarding the City Of Melbourne to journey south for the VRC Derby along with other of his owner CB Fisher’s horses. A ferocious storm struck, sinking the Dandenong and damaging numerous other ships. The City Of Melbourne managed to take shelter from the worst of the storm but tragically only two of the horses on board lived through the ordeal. Robinson Crusoe was in such poor condition when the vessel returned to Sydney that he was physically carried to a waiting lorry by a team of volunteers. A lot of care and attention was needed to see the colt regain his health, and it was not until the April that he headed back to the track to win the AJC St Leger. He ran second in the Cumberland Stakes a few days later, his only defeat as a 3yo, before winning the AJC Plate the following day.

s a 4yo he won the AJC Spring Stakes and Craven Plate before defeat in the Randwick Plate. He then went to Melbourne winning the Melbourne Stakes which became the Mackinnon before failing in the Melbourne Cup, running 13th in a field of 33 behind Chester. He bounced back two days later winning the Royal Park Stakes before a third in the Canterbury Plate saw him back in the paddock. He returned the following Autumn to run third in the VRC Champion Race over four miles but was then retired.

Night Watch winning the Melbourne Cup

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The pedigree is moderately inbred (14.84%) but is very important to look at in terms of the pedigree of his sire, Fisherman. We see a duplication of the stallion Bustard appearing in the tail male and female lines of Robinson Crusoe. Significantly, Bustard is a son of Castrel who we see appear in Fisherman’s pedigree along with his full sibling Selim. We also see a stallion called Sultan duplicated in the pedigree, and Sultan is a son of Selim. Another significant stallion who is duplicated is Touchstone, found again through both female lines. Touchstone, another of the legendary stallions, sees his sire as Camel, a son of Whalebone, another famed stallion that we see duplicated within the first six generations of Robinson Crusoe’s pedigree. Importantly, Camel is out of a daughter of Selim. A more minor presence in the pedigree is that of Orville who we saw was so critical in that of Fisherman, so it is more than coincidental that he appears multiple times in this stallion’s pedigree.

t stud he proved a quality stallion producing twenty stakes winners including Navigator who won both the AJC and VRC Derbies, the AJC Champagne Stakes, both the AJC and VRC St Legers and the Australian Cup and his best son, Trident. Trident won fourteen stakes races and is another that arguably deserves Hall Of Fame status, and we will look at him a little more closely shortly.

he daughters of Robinson Crusoe made a big impact with Emmie out of Olga producing four stakes winners. Her line has continued to give us Jet Fighter by The Pug, Final Triumph by Bright Finish, but her most enduring legacy currently would seem to be in South Africa where the Rubiton filly, Ruby Clipper was exported to win the G1 Scottsville Allan Robertson Fillies Championship. She has also gone on to produce the stakes winning Seventh Rock by Rock of Gibraltar who won the G1 Gold Medallion and now stands at stud in that country. Emmie though will probably remain best known for the line that produced Whittier in 1919. Whittier was to win 14 stakes races including the VRC Derby, a Doncaster, and two Caulfield Cups.

nother daughter of Robinson Crusoe was Insomnia who was mated with Trenton to produce one of Australia’s greatest mares in Wakeful. Wakeful of course went on to produce Night Watch who won the 1918 Melbourne Cup. Other daughters have produced wonderful gallopers like High Society, Mode, Alf, Talking, River Seine, Ricochet Rosie and La Montagna.

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MARIBYRNONG M

aribyrnong was unraced having suffered an injury during training. However, such were his bloodlines that he found himself at the NSW property of renowned breeder, Mr Andrew Town. Despite his lack of success on the track, Maribyrnong was to become the best sire son of the great Fisherman. In all, he was to produce 35 stakes winners including Richmond, a champion of his time. Richmond was to himself become a great stallion producing 14 stakes winners, but we will get to him in a moment.

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mong his stakes-winners, Maribyrnong produced Derby winners in Bargo, Miss Jessie, Richmond, and Woodlands, Melbourne Cup winner, Calamia, and two Sydney Cup winners in Imperial and Cunnamulla. aribyrnong was a son of Fisherman out of the original Fisher mare, Rose De Florence who we will discuss at length next month. Maribyrnong was quite a prolific sire for his day, and he is found in a myriad of wonderful thoroughbreds over the years.

ne moderate daughter of Maribyrnong in Campanilla was to produce a daughter by Richmond in Campania who was sent to NZ where she created something of a dynasty. She produced two stakes winners in Master Delaval who won the Metropolitan and Auckand Cup, and Miss Delaval who won the Great Northern Champagne Stakes, CJC Oaks, and the NZ and Great Northern Derbies. Miss Delaval was the granddam of Kilboy who was among the best of his age in NZ at the end of WW1. He was raced by his breeder, JB Reid of Hawera in his early starts as a 2yo, and later sold to Messrs WG Stead and ES Luttrell and trainer, Murray Hobbs after his first Australian start in the Chelmsford Stakes when he was unplaced behinc Sasanof. Kilboy was to go on to win the AJC Derby before being sent to Melbourne to finish a close second to Lavendo in the Caulfield Stakes. He was a short priced favourited for the VRC Derby but finished fourth behind Wolaroi. Returning to NZ he won the Challenge Stakes, Great Autumn Handicap, NZ St Leger and Trentham Gold Cup. He retired to stud following leg issues and was a moderate sire although his daughters produced lines that continue to influence ANZ breeding. Kaaptive Edition is one who traced back to a daughter of Kilboy. He

Kilboy winning the AJC Derby TURF MONTHLY 32

VIEW VIDEO IN TEXT MODE won the Group 1 Ellerslie Sires’ Produce and the BMW in Sydney before going on to a career at stud. Dignity Dancer won the Group 1 AJC Spring Champion Stakes and VRC Australian Guineas. Another NZ bred gelding that traces back to a daughter of Kilboy is Mr Cromwell who won the Qld Derby, Grand Prix Stakes and VRC Dalgety. The daughter of Sir Tristram in Limitless won the Group 1 Brisbane Cup and went on to produced two stakes winners herself in Twinkling and Zero Limit. Her grand-daughter Boundless was a NZ Oaks winner and she also produced the stakes winning Richie Mchorse so it seems that Kilboy’s influence will continue.

t was a sister of Kilboy in Kilteel though that has a bigger impact in the modern era. Her line has given us a daughter of Lion Hunter in Lovely Jubly who won the Magic Millions, QTC Sires’ Produce and TJ Smith. She is also the dam of the popular Chautauqua who won 11 stakes races including five Group 1’s with him winning the TJ Smith three times. He is proving a very good and popular horse in his new equestrian career. Kilboy’s dam Cyre produced another line that gave us an excellent galloper of the 1990’s in Pharaoh trained by Gai Waterhouse. He won eleven of his fifty-seven starts and a little over $2 million in prizemoney. Among these were seven stakes races including two Doncasters and the Chipping Norton.

aterhouse has also had success with another descendant of this line in Nothin’ Leica Dane who was the horse that probably more than any other propelled her into the spotlight. He was one of a great crop of 3yo’s that included Octagonal, Saintly and Filante. His win in the VRC Derby was controversial, but he went on to stamp his quality by being the last 3yo to be placed in the Melbourne Cup the following Tuesday, a race we look at more closely in our regular Great Races feature.

ther daughters of Maribyrnong have produced some of the greats of the Australian turf. One notable mare was Iolanthe who gave us the family that produced the legendary Windbag. As we mentioned a few months ago when discussing that wonderful horse, his family also included the Melbourne Cup winner, Evening Peal, and the great Poseidon, another champion we will discuss at greater lenght shortly. Omnicorp and Bel Esprit both trace to another daughter of Maribyrnong in Crumbs.

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ap-A-pie was another of Maribyrnong’s sons to win a stakes race. He won the 1878 St Leger and was to go on to a relatively moderate stud career although he has become quite an enduring influence with the likes of Ebony Grosve, Sphenophyta, Rodean and Spritely Native all tracing to his daughters.

amlet was another impressive son of Maribyrnong winning eight stakes races including both the VRC and AJC St Legers as well as the three main Sydney 2yo races of the time in the Champagne, Sires’ Produce and Mares’ Produce. At stud he produced STC Anniversary Cup winner, Soldier’s Wind and Salvage who was sent to India where he won the Viceroy’s Cup. Among the horses that can be found from his daughters are Catalan Opening who won the VRC Chrysler Stakes, now the Cantala, AJC Doncaster and the HK International Bowl, and Regimental Gal, winner of the Magic Millions, Australia Stakes and VRC Lightning.

ichmond was a remarkable racehorse who stood at barely 15 hands. He was second behind his stablemate, Maid of All Work at his first start in the Maribyrnong Plate for owner, James Wilson He won his second start in the Kensington Stakes a week later also at Flemington. The conditions of the race allowed for the winner to be claimed for at least 200 sovereigns and the colt was duly purchased by Eli Jellett for £405. As a 3yo, Richmond was to be at his best winning the AJC Derby at his third start. He went to Melbourne for the Spring running second in both the VRC Derby and Melbourne Cup. He was to win the VRC St Leger and Australia Cup at that age, but injury saw him have only one start over the next two seasons. He had two wins from three starts as a 6yo and had five starts at each of the next two years, failing to win. He was to be unplaced in the Melbourne Cups of 1879 and 1880. He was retired to stud in South Australia, proving a very good stallion producing 14 stakes winners that included Caulfield Cup winner, Sainfoin, and Australian Cup winner, Broken Hill. The best son of Richmond may have been The Admiral who won the 1902 Melbourne Cup and in turn produced another stakes winner in The Victory. A daughter of The Admiral produced a line that resulted in Melbourne Cup winner, What A Nuisance. Family Of Man traces to another daughter of The Admiral. In all, he produced six stakes winners including the 1907 Goodwood winner, The Amazon.

Family Of Man winning his last start in WA TURF MONTHLY 34

This stallion is among the more heavily inbred of the Hurtle Fisher horses (19.14%). Again, the pedigree is particularly interesting when viewed against the backdrop of Fisherman and Robinson Crusoe. The first obvious influence is that of Bay Middleton, the grand damsire of Fisherman, who also appears in the tail female line of Maribyrnong with him being that colt’s grand damsire. Bay Middleton sees his grandsire as Selim, the full brother to Castrel who we see appear in the sire line of Fisherman. We also see Selim appear two more times in the pedigree of Rose De Florence. We also see the duplication of a stallion called Muley. Muley is a son of Orville who we saw play an important role in the pedigree of Fisherman. What becomes perhaps even more significant is that Orville was a son of Beningbrough out of the Highflyer mare, Evelina. We see that a full sister to Orville in Orvilina who appears as the dam of Sandbeck, in turn the damsire of The Flying Dutchman. There is little doubt that Hurtle Fisher had definite ideas about thoroughbred breeding, and it was this knowledge that underpinned his enduring influence.

WINFREUX

infreux was a popular horse from the 1960’s. He had two unplaced starts in Melbourne as a 2yo but showed his ability as a 3yo by winning his first four starts at that age. A second in the Wagstaff Handicap at Caulfield broke his winning streak, but it was the stepping-stone to take the horse to Brisbane for their Winter Carnival.

e proved he was up to the best in Brisbane at his first start beating Persian King in a Welter at Eagle Farm before being sent out at 16 to 1 in the field of 25 in the 1965 Stradbroke carrying only 47kgs with Hall of Fame lightweight jockey WA “Billy Smith” on board for the first time. Winfreux romped away with the race beating another lightweight in Harmonise comfortably. At his next start in the Doomben 10,000 he carried 51.5kg to record another good victory becoming the first horse in history to win the big Brisbane Sprint double. He then stepped up to the 11 furling Doomben Cup carrying 55kg to run second to River Seine.

ack in Melbourne for the Spring, Winfreux was sixth in the 7-furlong Liston behind Samson, and then a good third to Light Fingers in the Craiglee Stakes. He won the Feehan at Moonee Valley before a fourth in the Toorak had Melburnians questioning just how strong the colt’s form was. The doubts were put to rest in the Caulfield Stakes where Winfreux demolished a good field winning by six lengths, now with Jim Johnson on board. He beat Future and Light Fingers in a time of 1.48.4 setting a new Australasian record for nine furlongs. Winfreux’s time was 0.7 quicker than the old record shared by Sky High and Webster. It was then onto the Cox Plate where he started the 11/8 favourite. He was beaten a head by the good 3yo Star Affair, the son of Star Kingdom who was coming off a win in the Cauflield Guineas.

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well-deserved break saw Winfreux return for a moderate Autumn in Sydney, but he showed he was getting close to his best when he finished fourth in the Stradbroke when back in Brisbane for the Winter. He then won the Tatt’s Club Cup before winning the Doomben Cup at his last run as a 4yo. Winfreux’s win in the Doomben Cup in a time of 2.13.8 took 0.4 seconds off great US champion, Man o’ War’s world record for 11 furlongs (2200m). He stayed in Brisbane to win the Barnes Stakes at Eagle Farm in mid-August before returning to Melbourne for the Spring. Winfreux finished a good second in the Memsie at his first run back in his home city, but then ran into champion Tobin Bronze and was unplaced in both the Craiglee and Underwood behind that galloper. Wnfreux then won the Caulfield Stakes for the second time, beating Light Fingers, before he again found Tobin Bronze a little too good, running second to him in the Cox Plate. He then failed badly in the Mackinnon Stakes and Melbourne Cup before going for another well-earned break.

nother moderate Autumn in Sydney again saw Winfreux head to Brisbane for the Winter, and he failed in his first two starts there in the Delaney Quality behind Eye Liner and Mister Hush in the Stradbroke. He found his best form winning the Tatt’s Club Cup. Two more disappointing runs in the Doomben and Ipswich Cups saw him bounce back to win the Barnes Stakes and Exhibition Handicap before returning south. This time he went to Sydney first and continued his good form running second in the Chelmsford behind Roman Consul before winning the Hill Stakes and Craven Plate. He continued his good form in Melbourne winning the Caulfield Stakes for the third year in a row, this time beating Craftsman. Winfreux then won the Mackinnon before bypassing the Melbourne Cup but his form tapered off, beaten into third in the Fisher Plate before finishing unplaced in the Bendigo Cup.

let-up saw Winfreux return in January to win the William Reid, CF Orr, St George Stakes and Queen’s Plate. His winning run came to an end when second to General Command in the Queen Elizabeth. Another trip north beckoned but Winfreux finished last in the All-Aged Stakes in Sydney when connections decided that he was in need of a long spell after years of hard racing. The spell seemed to do the trick when Winfreux came out in the Spring to win the Liston and Freeway Stakes which were to be the gallopers last victories. After unplaced runs in the

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Craiglee Stakes and Caulfield Stakes, the 7yo was not to start again for almost a year. He returned with a promising second in the Liston in August 1969, but he again disappointed in two more starts before going to the paddock. He returned the following Spring for four starts as a 9yo, but failed to finish better than sixth. He was retired after running last in a Handicap at Ararat in an undignified end to a remarkable career.

n all, Winfreux won 21 stakes races and it seems an oversight that he has never been inducted into the Racing Hall Of Fame. He was a son of Affreux, a French bred son of Court Martial who produced only five other stakes winners with his best apart from Winfreux the 1966 Goodwood winner, High Income. Winfreux’s fifth dam was Wild Heath by Progress who was a son of Angler, the very good son of Fisherman and Marchioness.

n quite a remarkable twist, Affreux stood at Shady Acres Stud in Ballarat. In 1966 the Australian Stud Book refused to accept the progeny of any mares at the stud the previous season because they had been found to be using Artificial Insemination, a practice not permitted in thoroughbred breeding.

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POSEIDON

oseidon is another Hall Of Fame racehorse that owes his heritage in part to Hurtle Fisher. His third dam was the important daughter of Maribyrnong in Iolanthe. He was a son of the imported stallion, Positano by St Simon who was a top stallion producing 27 stakes-winners in his career. Positano had raced in Australia winning the 1897 AJC Spring Stakes. Although Poseidon was clearly the best of his runners, he also produced two other Melbourne Cup winners in Lord Cardigan (1903) and Piastre (1912). When the Neotsfield Stud of RH Dangar was dispersed in 1904, the mare Jacinth with a foal at foot was sold to the Moses brothers for 400 guineas. Later that colt, to be known as Poseidon, was purchased by Mr Hugh Robert Denison, for 500 guineas and he was raced under the pseudonym Mr UR Robertson. Denison, who was later knighted, was a tobacco manufacturer, newspaper proprietor, and philanthropist. Poseidon was trained by Isaac “Ike” Earnshaw. Poseidon was ridden by Tom Clayton in all of his 33 starts which resulted in 19 wins.

oseidon started his racetrack career on 30 December 1905, finishing unplaced. Two days later on New Year’s Day, he was to win a similar race over 5 furlongs. He was taken to Melbourne where he failed to earn prizemoney and then returned to Sydney to finish off his 2yo season being unplaced in the Champagne Stakes before running third in another 2yo handicap.

s a 3yo Poseidon proved himself a top-line racehorse. He won his first three starts at that age and then stamped his quality by winning the AJC Derby. He then finished second against the older horses in the Metropolitan before going to Melbourne to regain his winning form. Poseidon had four starts in the Spring winning the Eclipse Stakes, Caulfield Cup, VRC Derby and topping it off with the Melbourne Cup of 1906. Poseidon was in control of that race inside the distance, and jockey Tom Clayton took time to look around, both to his outside and then to his inside, to make sure there were no dangers. He won by almost two lengths easing down with Antonius second. TURF MONTHLY 39

Compared to many of the champions bred by Fisher, Poseidon had a very different looking pedigree with limited inbreeding (7.42%). Interestingly though we see some of the same features of the best Fisher horses. First up it is a duplication of The Flying Dutchman that is of interest, as we saw him appear so prominently as the damsire of Maribyrnong. In this instance, we also see him as the damsire of Galopin in the sire line of Positano. We also note the presence of the great mare, Pocahontas who is the dam of Stockwell, a stallion who features prominently in the pedigree of Poseidon. We see the presence of a half-brother to Stockwell in King Tom by Harkaway, and it is Harkaway who also plays a role in the pedigree of Australian champion stallion, Chester along with Stockwell. Another interesting feature in the pedigree is the presence of the mare, Banter who was the dam of another famed stallion in Touchstone. She appears not only through that stallion, but through a half-sister called Jocose who was the dam of Macaroni who appears as the second damsire of Positano. Jocose was by Pantaloon, another stallion duplicated in the pedigree and it is no coincidence that he was a son of Castrel who played such an important role in the pedigree of both Fisherman and Robinson Crusoe.

Poseidon after his Cup victory

oseidon returned in the Autumn in Melbourne winning the St Helier Stakes, St Leger and Loch Plate before running second to Dividend in the 24-furlong Champion Stakes when the 8/1 on favourite. He made amends at his next start in Sydney winning the St Leger before again finishing second to Dividend in the Cumberland Stakes in a slightly disappointing end to his great season.

he stallion started his 4yo campaign running third in the Rawson Stakes before winning the Spring Stakes. Another third in the Craven Plate saw him travel to Melbourne where he won the Eclipse Stakes, his second Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Stakes. Carrying the top weight of 10.3 (65kg), he found the impost too much and struggled to eighth in the Melbourne Cup. The race was won by Earnshaw’s other runner, Apologue who had been an unlucky second in the Caulfield Cup but pulled off huge wagers on the stable double in the big Cups. Apologue became the first NZ owned and bred horse to win the Melbourne Cup. Poseidon then finished second to old rival Mountain King in a two horse CB Fisher Plate. Mountain King had beaten the champion in both the Rawson and Craven Plate in Sydney at the start of the season, and was in good form finishing third in the Melbourne Cup. It was then back to Sydney for a spell, and Poseidon returned to win the Rawson Stakes. A fourth in the Autumn Stakes behind Tartan then saw Poseidon win the Cumberland Stakes and AJC Plate, turning the tables on Tartan both times, to end his 4yo season.

oseidon had only one start as a 5yo, finishing an ordinary fifth in the Rawson Stakes before being retired to stand at the Eumaralla Stud, on the Cudgegong River, in NSW at a 25-guinea fee. The stallion died at age 27 after a disappointing stud career. He produced only three stakes-winners in Rascasse (QTC Queensland Derby), Scotch Haze (Werribee Cup) and Telecles (Moonee Valley Cup and Australia Day Cup).

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WAKEFUL

akeful is another of those racehorses that seem to transcend racing. Her name is synonymous with not only racing but was known throughout the community. The esteem in which she is held is regularly on display as we hear a mare referred to as “the best since Wakeful.”

akeful was by Trenton our of the Robinson Crusoe mare, Insomnia. She was trained by Hugh Munro and ridden in most of her races by Frank Dunn. Owned by Mr Charles Leslie Macdonald, Wakeful was quite out of the ordinary in that she did not race until a 4yo. On 1 September 1900, she ran second at her first start and was also unplaced in her next start over a month later. She was then sent out for a break, but the horse that returned had little in common with the one that had her first starts.

uite remarkably, Wakeful won her first race start in the Oakleigh Plate on 9 February 1901. She then won the Newmarket Handicap before going to Sydney to win the Doncaster before running third in the Sydney Cup at only her sixth race start. Another spell followed and she did not race again until a 5yo.

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akeful returned to win the Caulfield Stakes over 9 furlongs beating Hymettus before running second to that horse in the Caulfield Cup. She then won the Melbourne Stakes before finishing fifth in the Melbourne Cup behind Revenue. Revenue had been a useful 2yo winning the VRC Sires’ Produce but his form since had been poor. He was also owned by Mr Macdonald, and despite his form, it was Revenue rather than the glamour mare that the stable backed heavily in the race. In fact, Revenue was backed into 7/4 favourite, the shortest price ever for a runner in the Cup up to that point. Frank Dunn, Wakeful’s regular rider took the mount on Revenue as a further hint to the stable’s intentions. Wakeful backed up two days later to run second over seven furlongs in the Flying Stakes. In the Autumn Wakeful won seven of her ten starts including wins in both the VRC and AJC All-Aged Stakes and the Sydney Cup.

s a 6yo, Wakeful won ten of her fifteen starts including the Caulfield, Melbourne, Spring and Champion Stakes plus four plates in the Craven, Randwick, Eclipse and fittingly, the CB Fisher Plate. She was rather controversially scratched from the Melbourne Cup having been weighted at 10.5 (65.5kg). It turned out to be one of the most moderate fields in Cup history and few had little doubt that she would have won. Her final 7yo season started in the Sydney Spring on 12 September 1903 with her running second in the Spring Stakes behind Cruciform. She was then third three days later in the AJC Craven Plate behind the same horse. A further three days later she was second in the Randwick Plate behind Lord Cardigan before winning the October Stakes in Flemington on 3 October. Wakeful then had her first unplaced run since the 1901 Melbourne Cup when finishing fourth in the Caulfield Stakes behind Postillion. She then won the Eclipse Stakes four days later, before winning the Melbourne Stakes beating Lord Cardigan again on 31 October. Wakeful then had her last start in the Melbourne Cup on 3 November 1903. She carried 10 stone (63.5kg) in a field of 24 and started at the longest price of her career at 12/1. While many were claiming that Wakeful was past her best, her performance in the Cup was regarded as one of her best. She was in front with only 100 yards to go in the race and was joined by Lord Cardigan, a 3yo colt carrying only 6.8 (41.5kg). Wakeful responded to the challenge and it looked for a moment that she was going to fight off her younger challenger. At the end though the weight told, and Lord Cardigan drew away to win by a length, but the mare received a grand ovation upon leaving the track.

akeful was to prove a quality broodmare producing two stakes-winners that were both raced by Charles Macdonald. Blairgour by Wallace won the VATC Memsie Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Oakleigh Plate. Her other stakes winner was Night Watch by St Alwynne who won the 1918 Melbourne Cup, the 1919 Williamstown Gold Cup, VRC October Stakes and VATC Caulfield Stakes. Night Watch was bred at the Moses’ brothers Arrowfield Stud in NSW and was reportedly a “delicately constituted” colt who Macdonald only kept out of sentiment. Night Watch carried only 6.9 (42kg) in the Cup while the top weight Desert Gold, the greatest mare since Wakeful, carried 9.6 (60kg). In scenes a little reminiscent of Wakeful’s Cup, Metropolitan winner, Kennaquhair with 9.0 (57kg), hit the front inside the last furlong and was being acclaimed the winner. The lightly weighted Night Watch had led into the straight but had been joined and interfered with by other runners. He dropped back and it was a good effort to get going again and draw alongside Kennaquhair. Night Watch with the pull in the weights drew away close to the post to win by a half-length in record time for the race.

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Again, we see only a moderately inbred pedigree in the champion mare (14.06%). The key is no doubt the influence of the Hurtle Fisher horses in Sylvia and Robinson Crusoe who are close relations both featuring Fisherman and Juliet. But the similarities do not end there. We see multiple lines of Touchstone, the damsire of Juliet and we remember from the pedigree of Robinson Crusoe that he is by Camel who is out of a Selim mare. There is also another line of the stallion Camel that appears through the female line of that wonderful stallion, Musket. We also see the duplication of Pantaloon in the pedigree, and of course Pantaloon was to play an important role in the pedigree of Poseidon. There is another mare called Decoy who appears twice in the pedigree of Wakeful. She is found as the second dam of Toxophilite, the sire of Musket as well as through her son, Flatcatcher in the direct female line of Wakeful. What we may not realise is that Decoy has a very heavily inbred pedigree that features the stallion Sir Peter in both her sire line and her dam’s sire line. If we look back at the pedigree of Fisherman, Sir Peter is also duplicated there and as a son of Highflyer, he may have played a more significant role than we imagined.

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David

akeful’s daughters continue to produce winners especially throughout country NSW and Queensland, but it seems that few of these families still exist in a commercial capacity. One of the last from her daughters produced a son called Aurilandy who produced Bar Landy who won the G1 Winfield Stakes in Perth, and Natural Wonder who won three listed races in Melbourne and produced another stakes winner in Hula Wonder.

akeful had two sons go to stud with moderate success. Blairgour was not overly successful, but his progeny have gone on to produce Inspired by Vain who won the 1984 Golden Slipper and George Main Stakes, and his half-brother by Baguette in Theorist who was to go to stud in NSW where he proved a regular source of country winners in the 1980’s and 90’s. Another top-line galloper, and later solid stallion, was Lord Dudley who won nine stakes races from 1000m to 2800m including the Blue Diamond and VRC Sires’ Produce, and the William Reid, VRC Australian Cup and St Leger. He sired nine stakes winners including AJC Oaks and VRC Wakeful Stakes winner, Sheraco.

rguably the best galloper that owes their heritage to Wakeful though comes through her son, Baverstock by Maltster. He was to produce five stakes winners and few horses were better than his son, David out of the Linacre mare, Linotype. David won eleven stakes races all at Randwick. He won the 1923 Sydney Cup, two Spring Cups, two Cumberland Stakes, three Randwick Plates and three AJC Plates in a remarkable career. Rather incredibly, David started 21 times as a 2yo and retired with 20 wins from 125 starts. He was purchased for only 40 guineas as a yearling yet retired among the highest stakes-earners of his day. David was a good stallion overall, but had a great reputation as a sire of jumpers and hurdlers. Overall he produced eight stakes winners including two Grand National Hurdle winners in Saul and Zalmon. Like many of his era, he is becoming difficult to find in modern pedigrees and one of his more recent stakes winners was Leica Falcon who won the 2005 MRC Winning Edge Presentations Stakes. What makes this winner more interesting is that he is by Nothin’ Leica Dane, another galloper with a link to Hurtle Fisher.

n another remarkable twist of history, Wakeful’s owner Mr Macdonald died at the age of 73 in November 1929. His death was investigated by the Coroner who brought down a cause of death of suicide after his body had been found on the floor of his bathroom with a bullet wound in his forehead. He left an estate valued at £87,524.

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TRIDENT

rident was the champion son of Robinson Crusoe out of the imported British mare, Cocoanut. He had been bred by leading trainer Mr Etienne De Mestre who purchased a lot of the stock of the Fishers and had been CB Fisher’s trainer for some time. De Mestre rose to fame as the trainer of the first Melbourne Cup winner, Archer and has been inducted into the Australian racing Hall of Fame. Trident was owned by the Honourable Mr James White.

rident won his first race start as a 2yo on Boxing Day of 1885 in the Open AJC Chairman’s Handicap over 10 furlongs (2000m). He did not start again until March when he was taken to Melbourne to run third in the VRC Sires’ Produce behind Maddelina before running second to that horse in the All-Aged Stakes at Flemington a few days later. Back in Sydney, Trident then won the AJC Sires’ Produce before failing in the Champagne Stakes. He then ran third in the All-Aged Stakes which remarkably saw every horse in the field of seven the same age, being 2yo’s.

e returned from a spell to prove himself one of the best 3yo’s Australia had ever seen. Trident won eleven of his twelve starts at that age with his only defeat being a fourth behind Arsenal in the 1886 Melbourne Cup. His list of wins at that age include both the AJC and VRC Derbies, both St Legers, the Australian Cup and the VRC Champions Stake over 24f (4800m) when starting at the prohibitive odds of 20/1 on in the field of three. As a 4yo, Trident won the AJC Spring Stakes and Craven Plate before running second to the very good horse, The Australian Peer in the Randwick Plate over 24 furlongs when the 8/1 on favourite. He then went to Melbourne where he ran a poor fourth in the Melbourne Stakes which was later to become the Mackinnon Stakes. Trident had been handicapped with 9.8 (60.5kg) in the Melbourne Cup, over a stone more than the second top weight, and based on Saturday’s run, Trident was withdrawn from the 1887 event. Sadly, he was never to start again.

rident proved a moderate stallion producing seven stakes-winners. His best was likely Tridentate who won four stakes-races in the Brisbane Cup and the Qld Derby and Cup, and Exhibition Handicap. Trident also produced another Qld Derby winner in Triton and Hotham Handicap winner, The Trier and Sydney Cup winner, Tricolor.

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EYE LINER

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he champion Queensland filly helped cement the reputation of leading Queensland thoroughbred stud, Lyndhurst and the Kruger brothers’ fairly new stallion, Smokey Eyes who was to go on to set records for the number of winners he produced. Although founded in 1857, it was not until almost exactly 100 years later, in 1956, that Ted and Percy Kruger purchased the property outside of Warwick and commenced a new chapter in the history of the farm.

ye Liner was from only the third crop of the imported Irish stallion, by Stardust from Celestial Light. Born in 1947, Smokey Eyes was a grandson of Hyperion and arguably a more important representative of that line in Queensland than the great Star Kingdom that was making his mark throughout Australia at the same time. Smokey Eyes was the leading Sire of winners in Australia for almost a decade, and produced 31 stakes winners, although only a handful were successful outside of his adopted State.

he filly was born in 1962, at a time when the Golden Slipper had recently established as the premier 2yo race. It had given a huge impetus to the breeding of these early types that had success in the race. Eye Liner had her first race start on 17 October 1964 beating Bareme’s Image in the MacDougall Stakes at Eagle Farm over five furlongs in a dominant performance. A few week’s later she beat the same horse by a similar margin over the same distance at Doomben in the Juvenile Stakes. Two weeks later, Eye Liner again started as an odds-on favourite winning the Piccaninny Stakes at Eagle Farm. A week later the Krugers took her to Bundamba at Ipswich where they had significant business interests to complete

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her first campaign. A let-up saw her return to the races on 6 March to win over 5 furlongs at Doomben in a 2yo handicap. Only a week later she went to Eagle Farm and stepped up to 6 furlongs and produced another commanding performance in the Hall Stakes. Four weeks later Eye Liner was back at Doomben with a new jockey, Jack Harbutt, under the steadier of 10.6 (66kg). The big weight made little difference to the bonny filly who again won comfortably. Another dominant win in the Daandine Handicap at Eagle Farm this time carrying 10.12 (69kg) was the last local run before a trek to Sydney. Having not been eligible for the Golden Slipper, Eye Liner met the winner of that race, Reisling in the Champagne Stakes with a ten-pound weight advantage (4.5kg). The Queensland filly was again successful, and for the first time her winning margin was under seven lengths although she bettered Todman’s race record by running 1.9.9. Sydney fans of Reisling blamed the weight on their champion’s defeat, and a match race was proposed between the two. The Kruger brothers had little to prove, preferring to take their great filly back to Queensland. Eye Liner then had her last start as a 2yo during the Queensland winter carnival, and suffered her first defeat. She was beaten by Maybe Lad in the Ahern Stakes at Doomben over 7 furlongs. There was a lot of controversy over the race with Eye Liner having been lame during the week having twisted a plate the week before in the Champagne Stakes. She was not a confirmed starter until the day of the race.

ye Liner did not appear at the races again until the following February where she strung together three straight wins at Bundamba, Eagle Farm and Doomben. She was then beaten in a similar race at Doomben and then finished fourth in the Lightning. Eye Liner was then third in a Flying behind the good local galloper, Big Seas but an unplaced run in the Healy Stakes behind Boom Gate finished her Winter and her 3yo season.

s a 4yo, Eye Liner returned after almost a year off by running second in the Toowoomba Weetwood before winning the Lightning and Delaney Quality now being ridden by Noel Doyle. A fourth in the Stradbroke was followed by a fifth in the Doomben 10,000. The mare was to have two more unplaced runs before retiring to stud where she produced the stakes winning siblings, Pacific Ruler and Pacific Prince. In all, Eye Liner won 14 races and was named Queensland Horse of the Year in 1967. Eye Liner’s pedigree sees her trace back to the mare Aura by Richmond, the champion son of Maribyrnong.

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1995 MELBOURNE CUP

A QUINELLA FOR HURTLE FISHER CONNECTIONS

f ever we needed a reminder of the impact of Hurtle Fisher’s vision of a thoroughbred legacy, the 1995 Melbourne Cup is a perfect example. Both the winner and runner up are linked to Hurtle Fisher’s vision of establishing a great stud in Australia. The three placegetters reflected the true nature of the Cup at that time. The winner was, unremarkably, a NZ bred horse while second went to an Australian bred horse, and third a European raider. It was also one of the few times that the race was run with a field of only 21 with only 23 acceptances and two scratchings.

he field though was certainly an interesting one and possibly at the time one of the strongest that had contested a Melbourne Cup certainly for some years. The top weight was the Irish horse Double Trigger who was one of the best performed European stayers that had ever come over for the race. He had won the G1 Ascot Gold Cup and Goodwood Handicap earlier in the year and had last raced at the end of September in a G1 in France finishing fourth. To add to the overseas contingent, the previous year’s winner, the grand Vintage Crop was back for a third tilt at the race. He had won in 1993 and finished seventh in 1994. He had run fourth in the G1 St Leger in September. Also in the field was another overseas bred horse in the 1994 winner, Jeune for David Hayes. He had been in good form finishing fourth in the Cox Plate and Mackinnon Stakes in his last two runs before the Cup. The 1993 Cox Plate winner was in the field with The Phantom Chance, and while he had not been in the greatest form he had placed second in the Metropolitan along with the winner, Electronic for Gai Waterhouse and the third placegetter, the NZ bred Stony Bay. Another NZ bred horse in with a good chance was Doriemus who had won the Caulfield Cup at his last start.

oriemus traces back to the mare, Rose Of Denmark who was by Stockwell out of Marchioness. Hurtle Fisher brought Marchioness to Australia in foal to that great stallion, and the resultant produce was Rose Of Denmark who we will talk about in more depth in next month’s edition.

othin’ Leica Dane traces back to a mare called Campanilla by Maribyrnong, a son of Fisherman. In turn, she was mated with another Hurtle Fisher bred stallion in Robinson Crusoe.

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The full field was 1. DOUBLE TRIGGER (IRL) (5) 5yo horse T: M S JOHNSTON J: J Weaver 2. JEUNE (GBR) (16) 7yo horse T: P C HAYES J: W Harris 3. VINTAGE CROP (IRL) (7) 9yo gelding T: D Weld J: M J Kinane 4. THE PHANTOM CHANCE (NZL) (13) 6yo gelding T: J Wheeler J: R D Vance 5. ALL IN FUN (NZL) (1) 6yo gelding T: W D DYMOND J: S Scriven 6. DORIEMUS (NZL) (21) 5yo gelding T: D L FREEDMAN J: D Oliver 7. STONY BAY (NZL) (19) 4yo gelding T: G Waterhouse J: D Beadman 8. BULLWINKLE (3) 5yo gelding T: E Musgrove J: L Dettori 9. COUNT CHIVAS (NZL) (6) 4yo gelding T: S Morrish J: R Griffiths 10. DAACHA (NZL) (14) 6yo gelding T: J Meagher J: B Prebble 12. DOUBLE TAKE (NZL) (11) 7yo gelding T: R B DOWLING J: J Didham 14. QUICK RANSOM (GBR) (12) 8yo gelding T: T J VEALE J: M Dittman 15. SIR KINGI (NZL) (9) 7yo gelding T: N D EALES J: P Hutchinson 16. FEW ARE CHOSEN (2) 4yo gelding T: G Waterhouse J: L V Cassidy 17. YES INDEED (NZL) (18) 6yo gelding T: M Moroney J: R W Caddigan 18. STORM (17) 4yo gelding T: D L FREEDMAN J: G Hall 19. BEAUX ART (8) 4yo mare T: D A EDWARDS J: D Taggart 20. COACHWOOD (NZL) (10) 5yo gelding T: S Miller J: B York 21. DUPAIN (NZL) (4) 4yo gelding T: A R BELL J: S Baster 22. ELECTRONIC (NZL) (20) 5yo mare T: G Waterhouse J: G Boss 23. NOTHIN' LEICA DANE (15) 3yo colt T: G Waterhouse J: R S Dye

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