SOME INTERESTING RACING FACTS FROM YESTERYEAR

26/03/13

There are numerous interesting stories in racing but in many instances they don’t constitute a full article, so today I’d like to take another trip back down memory lane to some of the interesting racing stories of yesteryear – and to that end here’s some snippets of racing information that will hopefully be of interest to the majority of website visitors:

 

Tony Freedman, the father of well-known brothers Lee, Richard, Michael and Anthony passed away in 1984 – aged 55 – after dispersing all his bloodstock interests in July 1983.

Tony Freedman owned and operated Hardwicke Stud at Yass and stood sires such as Loosen Up, which produced champion Better Loosen Up, as well as other stallions such as Latin Knight, Demus, Warington and Alert. Justracing flew to Canberra and jumped in a hire car and attended the Hardwicke Stud dispersal and bought three mares.

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Did you know current Arrowfield Stud owner John Messara, who is also current Chairman of the Australian Racing Board used to be a stockbroker?

Well he was – and way back in 1984 he and a group of others paid $4 million for the American born stallion Tolomeo to come to Australia to stand stud duties at his then Gooree Stud. Messara also had Tolomeo stand one season at The National Stud at Newmarket on his way to Australia.

Tolomeo, a Group 1 Arlington Millions winner in America that was also placed in Group 1 English races like the Sussex Stakes, English 2000 Guineas and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was no star at stud in Australia, even though he stood for $30,000 in his debut 1985 season. He was exported to Japan in September of 1990.

The only current stallion that stands in Australia that I can find Tolomeo in the breeding of – is stud flop Zariz, a 1997 foaled son of Mukkadamah and the Tolomeo mare Divine Dash. Zariz last season stood for $5,500 at Kooringal Stud at Wagga Wagga. Zariz’s only three stakes winners in his career thus far have been Lazer Sharp (Group 1 South Australian Derby), Zaratone (Group 3 Sebring Stakes) and Riziz (Listed Adelaide Guineas).

From his career at stud Tolomeo threw 10 stakeswinners as a sire, the most notable of them being Innocent King, Deposition, Tolanda and Social Rule.

Dual Group 2 winner Zariz is the best progeny of Tolomeo from 10 stakeswinners as a broodmare sire.

Official Stud Book records show that the biggest number of mares ever served by Tolomeo was 58 in the 1988 season. Imagine John Messara restricting Redoute’s Choice to 58 mares in the current era?

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Did you know that the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner of 1977, Blazing Saddles, a 1974 foaled son of inaugural Golden Slipper winner Todman, had an extraordinary life at stud and covered an enormous amount of ground geographically? He stood initially at Woodlands Stud in New South Wales before heading to Newmarket in England in 1985 to stand at Derisley Wood Stud. Returning to Australia he finished up in Toowoomba and stood at Neville Stewart’s Oaklands stud, before seeing out his days at Townsville in far North Queensland for Margaret Preston at Maraju Thoroughbreds for a service fee of just $3,000.

Blazing Saddles sired about 65% winners-to-runners during his career. His sole two Group 1 winners were Heat of the Moment (Chipping Norton Stakes and George Ryder Stakes in Sydney) and Mr Brooks (July Cup at Newmarket in England).

The best credentialed mare to ever get put to Blazing Saddles was undoubtedly the champion English mare All Along. During her stellar career All Along earned over $2 million and she ran a great third in the 1984 Arc de Triomphe, in which Australian champ Strawberry Road ran fifth. All Along won the 1983 Arc de Triomphe and when taken to America she won a Washington International.

Blazing Saddles also made history in that he was the first Star Kingdom line horse to go to stud in England.

Official Stud Book records show that the largest book of mares that Blazing Saddles served was 64 in the 1981 season. As a guide, current high profile and expensive service fee stallions like Fastnet Rock and Redoute’s Choice have served as many as 273 mares in 2009 and 224 in 2006 respectively.

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Picnic In The Park ran second at 100/1 at his first race start in Sydney for trainer Theo Green. The horse pulled up scratchy in front after the run and needed three months off. After failing at his next two starts, the horse’s owner Jack Ingham ordered he be sold at a mixed thoroughbred sale.

Bought for $5,000 by a Murgon, Queensland, based trainer named Malcolm Raabe, Picnic In The Park broke 1.10.0 when recording 1.09.80 at the Bundamba track in Ipswich in late 1984 when winning an Improvers Handicap over 1200 metres by five lengths, defeating Lean Times and Induce.

In fact, between August 1984 and July 1985, Picnic In The Park won 21 races in a row, including two on the one day at the Gold Coast.

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Phar Lap was the first horse to win $100,000 in prizemoney in Australia, Tulloch was the first to win $200,000 and Gunsynd was the first to win $250,000.

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Tulloch and Kingston Town, both trained by Tommy Smith cumulatively won a staggering 26 of their 31 starts (83.87%) as 3YO’s.

In the 1956/57 season as a 3YO Tulloch won 14 of his 16 starts, including the Rosehill Guineas, Caulfield Guineas, AJC Derby, VRC Derby, AJC St Leger, VRC St Leger, C.B. Fisher Plate, Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Queensland Derby, All Aged Stakes and the Caulfield Cup.

In his 3YO year Kingston Town won 12 of his 15 starts including the Spring Champion Stakes, Rosehill Guineas, AJC Derby, Queensland Derby, Tancred Stakes and Sydney Cup.

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Today on www.brisbaneracing.com.au there is the first of two montages of photos from around the traps. On www.sydneyracing.com.au David Clarkson files his second and final Cheltenham jumps article and has some of his trademark spectacular photography from the event to compliment his article, then on www.melbourneracing.com.au Matt Nicholls edits Victorian racing news.

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