Self Sense and the Australian Jumps Circuit -- The last ten years has been a tough period for Australian jumps racing with the concerns over the horses welfare to the front. It was even stopped altogether for a period in 2009/10 but this season has proved to be a successful one. There are signs it has regained some fluidity as the formation of the jumps have finally been worked out. The future of jumps racing is still in the balance but there are some good signs with the industry stating it has reduced the rate of horse
fatalities in Victorian jumps races by 70 per cent and averages 2.5
fatalities per season over the past seven years, a drop from eight
fatalities in the corresponding prior period. It is so pleasing to see good figures as i must admit i have reservations myself about the jumps racing. It is an exciting spectacle but the fatalities of this beautiful creature is a concern. I like to look realistically at an issue and horses are an animal that are always going to have accidents in any situation because of their sheer size and if they fall even in a paddock can have fatal consequences. The Warrnambool carnival's headline event the Grand Annual Steeplechase is the longest jumps race in the southern hemisphere, challenging the stamina of horses and riders over 5,500 metres and 33 obstacles for a share of $350,000 in prize money. It brings in over ten million dollars to the Warrnambool area. Jumps racing has long been the subject of intense scrutiny from members of the media, politicians and the general public. For me the distance is a concern here even if they do run at a leisurely speed throughout. I would love to get the fall figures over the final jumps in races ! This tends to be where alot of spills occur.
Self Sense is Australias new star jumper and in only his second hurdle start romped away with the
Australian Hurdle over 3400m at Sandown. After scrambling through the last hurdle he recovered to
win by six lengths with jockey Clayton Douglas riding
confidently.Then in the $100,000 Kevin Lafferty Hurdle at Warrnambool took his career prizemoney earnings past $1 million. The seven year old led from the first furlong of the race and, despite awkward leaps at several of the obstacles, had too much class for his rivals. Eased down near the line by jockey Clayton Douglas, the son of Street Sense had more than three lengths to spare on runner-up Two Hats. He is now unbeaten in three hurdle starts.
Mum and the Races --I remember as a young boy of nine or ten our family would head off for an afternoon at the races around the Callaghan Park Racetrack in Rockhampton . My sisters were eight and six years old. My dad would love to have a punt on the horses while we all would sit in the grandstand or play on the front lawn and watch the races and have our chips. Sometimes we would wander down to the stables at the back to check out the horses before they went onto the track for the race. My parents had a couple of close friends at that time Eric and Betty Barber who had two children around our age Julie and Des. They traveled from the gemfields of Emerald out west most Saturdays when their horse was racing. It never occurred to me back then why my father was never actually interested in the horse he was only interested in the thrill and adrenalin rush of a bet . He was a gambler ! My eldest sister as she got into her teens would often take off horse riding with her friends, something I regret not doing myself. I have stayed fascinated by the horse and racing but for me nowdays its more the enjoyment of the horse itself rather than a bet.
Mum would take an interest in the horses probably for dad's sake and often have her own bets picked out. She always had a dream that one day she would find that ultimate system that would win us a fortune. One of those systems was to back the first four most fancied horses on the Melbourne gallops and back in those days around fifty per cent of those first four races were jumps races. Memories flood back and every now then one of those horses names pop into my head. Names like Lots of Time, Scottish John and Royal Arragon but one that always makes an appearance each year at national time on social media here and in the UK is the great Crisp. Until recently he was the only jumps horse in the Australian Racing
Hall of Fame and he is one of the most iconic gallopers in the UK. Due
to the epic finish of that 1973 Grand National. Just recently Ascot Gold Cup winner, Stradivarious owner, businessman Bjorn Nielson when asked what got him into racing his reply was "That it was the
spectacular Australian jumps competitor Crisp that drew him to racing."
“Watching the epic 1973 Grand National in which Red Rum caught the
gallant Crisp in the dying stages scarred me for life,”. He will be remembered on both hemispheres as one of the greatest jumpers of all time. Its a painful watch over those huge jumps.
I struggle a little with the health and safety issue of jumps racing but i still have a soft spot for it. I am so glad to see the racing industry making big efforts in both flat and jumps racing to look after this beautiful animal. The horses have such unique personalities and I can understand why my eldest sister has always had a strong love for this animal. It is a large industry and the majority are in it for the love of the sport and the horse. I can see positive steps and money being put into looking after the main participant of the sport and it will never be enough for some people but i suppose if the horse profits. Its all good !
Karasi --
Up until recently Crisp had been the
sole Australian Jumper in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame but two years back he was joined by the great Karasi . Karasi is best known for winning the world's richest steeplechase race, the Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan for three consecutive years 2005, 2006, 2007 but he was a top flat performer as a younger horse, with his best performance being a fourth in the 2001 Melbourne Cup and a win in the Geelong Cup. The great jumper banked about $3.75 million dollars for his connections during his career. Karasi won his third Nakayama Jump at the age of twelve for trainer Eric Musgrove and jockey Brett Scott.
2005 Nakayama Grand Jump 🏆
2006 Nakayama Grand Jump 🏆
2007 Nakayama Grand Jump 🏆
Supreme jumper Karasi has been inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. @BScott_Racing
Sadler's Wells -- Born 11th of April 1981 in the USA at Swettenham Stud and owned by Robert Sangster. The dam Fairy Bridge who was also raced by Vincent O'brien went on to be named Ireland's best two year old filly of 1977 and in 1980 was sent to be serviced by the legendary Northern Dancer in the USA. Sadler's Wells was to be her first foal followed closely in 1982 by Fairy King also from a meeting with Northern Dancer. Sadlers Wells was a good galloper winning the 2000 Irish Guineas followed by the Eclipse Stakes and named Champion Miler in France 1984 but it was at stud he would shine. He would produce some of the best stallion sons of any racing era and even near the end of his stud duties probably produced arguably the greatest stallion of them all, Galileo.
Galileo winning the 2001 Irish Derby
In an incredible domination he was named leading sire in Britain & Ireland in 1990 and from 1992–2004. He was also leading broodmare sire in Britain from 2005 to 2011and in North America was leading sire 2008 to 2010. He has left an almost endless list of great stallion sons of the likes of In The Wings,Carnegie,Montjeu,Scenic,El Prado,King of Kings, High Chaparral and many more. It is hard to believe but he is second to the great Danehill on siring group one winners only because he never left Irish shores where Danehill's progeny occupied both hemispheres. He was a dominant bay who sometimes passed on his prominent blaze and a sock or two, he also became synonymous with soundness and dependability. He retired from stud duties on 13 May 2008 and died peacefully on 26 April 2011 at the age of 30 at Coolmore .
So You Think
the son of High Chaparral winning the 2010 Cox Plate
Bring on his brother Fairy King who shuttled to Australia for two seasons in 1992 and 94.
Fairy King -- Born in 1982, the full brother to Sadler's Wells would only have one race start and break down. He was owned by Robert Sangster and was immediately retired to Coolmore Stud in Ireland as a stallion. He was successful from his first crop to race in 1987. He also produced group one winners Turtle Island,Shinko King and Helissio the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and European horse of the year. Then in 1998 he produced Falbrav arguably the cream of his crop except for that little visit to Australia in 1992. It was here that he was sent to a mare by Star Way called Shoal Creek . It is of note that her dam, Rolls was also the dam of another high class Australia stallion Flying Spur who was by the great, Danehill. This meeting would produce an influence on Australian thoroughbred racing that could easily take it to the pinnacle of world racing in the future. His son Encosta De Lago was born in 1993 at Blue Gum Farm. He has sired 73 stakes winners for earnings of $90 million during his 13 years at stud. He is the sire of winners in Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa. His winners include champion filly Alinghi,the grey flash Chautauqua and Hong Kong's champion Sacred Kingdom. His stallion sons include Manhattan Rain,Northern Meteor and Racing to Win.
Chautauqua 2017 T.J.Smith Stakes
Its good to note that Fairy Bridge's final foal was a colt by Danzig called Perugino who was a successful stallion in Australia and her mum Special produced the great broodmare producing stallion Nureyev.While Her son Saddlers Wells dominates the European racing circuit she has plenty of influence in the southern hemisphere as well.
It all started way back in 1976 when Sir Patrick Hogan purchased a stallion from England for his Cambridge Stud. That stallion was the fiery, Sir Tristram and while he was in quarantine, on his way, to the farm . There was a huge fire which killed numerous thoroughbreds but Paddy as he was affectionately known ,survived the fire and eventually made it to the farm, on arriving, his service fee was set at $1200 but by 1997 , it had jumped to $200,000. He would go on to sire 45 group 1 winners but more importantly sire the great Zabeel. Paddy was born on April 7th 1971 and Patrick Hogan tells the story of his passing in the paddock after an accident in 1997 and how he cradled the old horse in his arms with his son Zabeel, watching on, in the next paddock. He had sired three Melbourne Cup winners by then, Gurners Lane, Empire Rose and Brew. He was buried standing up facing the morning sun in the horseshoe garden in front of the stables at Cambridge Stud.
The Graves of Sir Tristram and his son Zabeel
The son, Zabeel was born October 25th 1986 from a mating with the Nureyev mare ,Lady Gizelle. I remember seeing him race and the headaches he used to give barrier attendants. He was a fiery customer, like his dad, he hated those barriers, he just wanted to run and when they opened, he was off. Jockeys had trouble restraining him and in the end they were forced to let him run. He went on to win seven races including the Australian Guineas. He always passed this on to his progeny and a jockey who knew them really well, Jimmy Cassidy. Jim's association with Zabeels son, Might and Power who was from his second crop is a good example of great horsemanship. Jim would let him roll and break their hearts. He would always find extra reserves of energy at the end of his races and the 1997 Melbourne Cup was an awesome, showing of this. Zabeel had a phenomenal record, producing 44 group 1 winners. When Octagonal from Zabeel's first crop won the AJC Sires' Produce Stakes, to Preferment's win in the 2014, Victoria Derby, one of his sons or daughters was winning races at the highest level every year through to 1995. His progeny have won three Melbourne Cups, three Caulfield Cups and four Cox Plates. His champions include Octagonal, Might And Power and the unbeaten Reset. Zabeel dominated stallions awards being twice champion Australian sire, four-time champion New Zealand sire and won the NZ Dewar Trophy for combined NZ and Australian earnings 15 times. He was also Australia and New Zealand's champion broodmare sire three times each.
1997 Melbourne Cup
Might and Power
Octagonal Lonrho and Pierro
Octagonal was another of his sons, the Big O as he was affectionately known, was born on 8th October 1992 . He was out of the
champion broodmare Eight Carat, who also produced Group One winners,
Mouawad, Kaapstad, Diamond Lover and Our Marquise. Octagonal retired to stud after 28 starts with a record of 14 wins 10
Group 1. He ended his
racing career with a stakes tally of $5,892,231, the highest of any
galloper in Australasia to that point. Octagonal was euthanized on 15
October 2016 at the age of 24 years at Woodlands Stud near Denman in the
NSW Hunter Valley. He was buried next to his fellow stallion and racing mate, Canny
Lad.
The Grandson Lonrho
A Champion three-year-old, a Champion miler, and Horse of the Year. Lonhro was foaled on December 10, 1998 was named after the London and Rhodesian Mining Company which began operating in Africa in 1909 . Nicknamed "The Black Flash", he
was from the first crop of the champion Octagonal out of the Group
One-placed Shadea by Straight Strike. Sire of 68 Stakes winners, including G1 Golden Rose hero Exosphere in 2015 and South African star The Conglomerate in 2016. Lonhro raced from two to five years of age and won 26 races, including 25 stakes races, ranging in distance from 1,100 to 2,000 metres. These included 11 Group One wins and 18 wins at weight-for-age.Now a Champion sire with his son Pierro, unbeaten juvenile Triple Crown winner, and was rated the best juvenile colt in Australia since 1977. While recently his son, Kementari was the winner of the Group 1 Randwick Guineas, is now ranked amongst the top ten gallopers, in the world.
Lonrho winning the Australian Cup
Great Grandson Pierro
Top Victorian trainer , Cindy Alderson -- On the Zabeels and Sky Heights, his son who won the ATC Derby and the Caulfield Cup. "They were incredibly muscular and imposing looking horses. Sky Heights was an unbelievably charismatic horse. He would puff himself up once he got off the horse float at a race meeting. He was a big horse anyway at 16.3 hands but he would inflate himself on race day. I remember there would be people commenting on how huge he was." "We used to go down to the stables to get the horses out of their boxes at around 3am each morning and Sky Heights would have to be let out first. He would be kicking his box in or switching the light switch on and off continuously with his head. We would worry that he may knocked the building down or electrocute himself.
Champions of the track that made the big screen. We have Australia's Phar Lap, the story of the brilliant Secretariat and the famous story of the courageous Sea Biscuit. We are travelling way back in time to the first movie inspired by Phar Lap. A 1936 story called Stormalong, directed by Ken Hall, it wasnt until 1983,where we actually see a movie made specificly about the Phar Lap legend ,called Phar Lap, The Heart of a Nation.
Story of Stormalong
Thinking back to the years of my childhood, some things stay in your memory and one of these is a Sunday afternoon movie, called Stormalong. A screenplay based loosely on the legendary Phar Lap. I can remember my sisters and I watching this movie on numerous occasions and it had a long lasting affect on me. It could well be the reason of my liking for the underdog and the never give up attitude.
Helen Twelvetrees was paid a record 1000 dollars a week, to play the lead female role . The movie was cut on its UK release, due to animal cruelty that occurred, during the stable fire scene and graphic ending. There is a story from the ending scene of Stormalong, told by horseman Lance Skuthorpe who was paid two quid a scene, he said " I tied a long
strand of wire to one of the horse's legs, then got out of camera range.
As Stormalong got near the winning post . I was to tug on the wire
and make the horse stumble. I pulled the wire all right but forgot
to let go. I shot over the horse's head and crashed to the ground."'
I am sure, why it stays in my memory, is the graphic ending, where Stormalong is shot and killed by the evil assassins who want to prevent him from winning. Stormalong stumbles and falls but still manages to cross the line first. The horse dies and jockey Tommy Dawson lies badly injured. The ending is similar to a Frank Capra movie of 1934 Broadway Bill.
Phar Lap rare images
1878 film of a horse in motion
Story of Sea Biscuit
Sea Biscuit was a small horse with a tendency to like his sleep and food, becoming the butt of alot of stable jokes. He had an unimpressive start to his career due to injury and stable mismanagement but over the years of the depression in America he would become the most unlikely champion and symbol of hope, for Americans. In 1949, the first film adaptation of his life was made, starring Shirley Temple, The Story of Sea Biscuit. Then there was the 2003, Universal Studios movie, adapted from the Laura Hildenbrands, best selling, 2001 book. It was nominated for seven academy awards including best picture.
Sea Biscuit was foaled on May 23rd 1933 in Lexington Kentucky. He was named after his sire Hard Tack, who was a son of Man'O'War. Hard Tack was a type of cracker eaten by sailors. Hence the name Sea Biscuit. His original owner Sunny Fitzsimmons, thought him lazy and untalented so he concentrated on other horses in his stable. His first 17 starts were unimpressive never finishing in the money.
His second season was a little better, winning 4 of his 12 starts but this was enough to take the eye of business man Charles Howard who in August 1936 purchased the horse and sent him to trainer, Tom Smith. This was to be the birth of a peoples champion as Smith with his unusual training techniques, helped awaken ,the little horse's zest for racing. He won 3 of his first 8 starts for Smith. In November of that year in California's, Bay Bridge Hcp,after missing the start, he charged around the field to win by a huge five length margin.
This was the beginning of a legend and in 1937 he would become a favorite of California racing fans as he strung five wins in a row together, under big imposts, culminating in winning the Santa Anita Hcp, worth 125,000 dollars. In 1937 he won 11 of his 15 starts and became the highest stakes winner of the year but lost out to Triple Crown winner, War Admiral for horse of the year. This sparked the famous match race of 1938. In 1938, he would gain the title, horse of the year. Injuries were a continuing problem for him over the next couple of seasons and as a seven year old, he won the Santa Anita Hcp again before retiring to Ridgewood Ranch after 89 starts. It was his fighting qualities through injuries and his rise from obscurity, that endeared him to fans.
Sea Biscuit Tribute Footage
Story of Secretariat
In 2010 we saw the making of a movie on the life, of maybe the finest racehorse of all time, Secretariat. The story is based around his owner Penny Chenery who took over her fathers stables and became so impressed with Secretariat she exuded so much confidence in his abilities. That her bragging stirred up controversy among experts and racing enthusiasts but her confidence was vindicated, when Secretariat completed the Triple Crown but it wasnt just that he won . It was the way he did it. In the final leg the Belmont Stakes he won by an amazing 31 lengths. Some still say this is one of the most amazing victories in racing history.
If we look across the three stories of these champions of the past, who became legends. They are three, very different hero success stories. Secretariat being a success story through mastery ,brilliance and power. Where the Sea Biscuit story is more about courage and persistence and belief, leading to success. Turning a broken down horse into a cult hero with his bravery and fearlessness. In the dramatized Australian story, Stormalong, we find the story of the good hard working poor versus the evil syndicated mafia members . The horse being a martyr symbol in beating the enemy through determination and sacrifice. The victory coming after his death .
On saturday we saw the running of the 2017 Grand National at Aintree. First run in 1839 and won by a horse called Lottery. Although some dispute this and believe the first running was actually in 1836 and won, by The Duke. Anyway this years 170th running of the national saw 40 horses start and all return safely home. This was the fifth year in a row there hasnt been any fatalities. During the last few years the fences have had structural changes with both height and framework,these have been made due to ongoing protests because of injuries and deaths of many horses over the years. This years winner was One For Arthur ridden by Derek Fox starting at 14/1 .He is only the second Scottish horse to win the event . The race has seen many sensations and upsets over the years so we are going to track back in time this week and look at some tales of the past. We are going to begin in 1956, with the Queens horse Devon Loch, who had the race won but just before the winning post, he lept in the air and went flat down on his stomach, many thought he had broken down or had a heart attack. He layed, sprawled out on the track as the whole field went past him. Some say, he tried to jump a shadow but what ever the reason, later he got up and walked off the track, uninjured. This became a sporting metaphor in Great Britain, doing a Devon Loch meaning a last minute failure. Dick Francis, his jockey, was so shocked by what had happened , he gave racing away and became a famous mystery writer.
Devon Loch 1956
We skip forward to 1967 Grand National where most of the field were hampered badly or lost their riders,allowing a 100/1 outsider Foinavon
to become a surprise winner . The villains name
was Popham Down, he had unseated his rider at the first jump, and then suddenly at the 23rd fence,
veered across the leading group, causing mayhem. From this day on, the fence, now the seventh has been called Foinavon.
1967 National and the famous fall at Foinavon
The steeplechase is run over 6907 kilometres with thirty jumps . Fourteen are jumped twice with the second jump being The Fan . The sixth jump the biggest and most famous of them all Beechers Brook. Named after the jockey who fell at this jump in its first running. The eigth is the Canal Turn followed by Valentines. The fifteenth is The Chair and the longest jump the Water Jump is the sixteenth. Now we are tracking forward to 1973 and possibly the greatest national ever run and won by a legend who would go on and win the race three times as well as running second twice. His name was Red Rum or murder backwards. LOL ! He won in 1973,1974,1977 and was second in 75 and 76. What made this go down as a classic race was the enormous lead set up by the legendary Australian chaser, Crisp. Which ultimately set up the breaking of the race record by 19 seconds. Crisp nicknamed The Black Kangaroo was sired by a sprinter called Rose Argent. Crisp won chasers in Australia by big margins under huge weights and it was decided after his second Hiskens Hurdle win under 76.5 kilos to send him to Britain for the chase season. His initial start in England in the Queen Mother Champion Chase saw him win by 25 lengths. Following this, it was decided to set him for the National at Aintree. He was issued with a massive weight of 76 kilos, a weight which is now forbidden. During the race he opened up a big lead with Grey Sombrero in second place and when Grey Sombrero fell fatally it left Crisp over thirty lengths in front. An enormous lead which was gradually wittled away by Red Rum but Crisp, still over twelve lengths in front jumping the last, looked to have it won until a terrible loss of concentration by his jockey Dick Pitman . He misjudged the elbow, having to stop riding Crisp and straighten him. The loss of momentum and change of direction, ultimately costing victory and Red Rum finishing strongly, beat him on the line. In 2013 Crisp was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
1973 Grand National Red Rum and Crisp
This was the start of the legend which was Red Rum. Red Rum born 3rd May 1965 died 18th Oct 1995. He never fell in over 100 starts and in his final start in the national as a twelve year old won the national again. This performance was voted, the 24th greatest sporting moment of all time . He is buried at the winning post at Aintree. The plaque reads ; Respect this place /This hallowed ground/a legend here/his rest has found/his feet would fly/our spirits soar/he earned our love for evermore.
The last few years have seen major changes to fences in size and formation to try and avoid any horse and jockey casualties. I know here in Australia we have made a lot of changes over the past ten years that have seen our fences turn into just small synthetic brushes. Due to years of animal welfare protests and after many years of jumps racing in the wilderness . I can finally see some light in the return of the new jumps racing style with fewer deaths. Aintree is a tradition and authorities are in a bind. Whatever they do
will never be enough to satisfy critics of the race, who want it banned.
And every change they make offends the traditionalists, who argue that
the race's uniqueness resides in its degree of difficulty. Reduce the
field and the length, strip away the peculiar features of the fences the height of The Chair, the fearsomeness of Becher's, the sharpness of
the Canal Turn and you are left with standard three mile chase and I can see this point . Australian jumps racing is definately a very simple affair now days. The National
became a cultural phenomenon a truly national event because of its
bizarreness.
The big positive though is the improved safety of the animal and jockey. I suppose sacrifices have to be made.
