Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i Turf Monthly

Addenda was bred by Major Loder and while she did little on the track, her progeny proved to be top class racehorses in Australia. She was a daughter of the Saraband mare, Admiration making her a half-sister to Pretty Polly who was to win 14 stakes races and become a foundation of a dynasty. Addenda produced two stakes winners here, and her best was Silvius who was purchased by Sir Sidney Kidman in England as a yearling for 1750 guineas. Due to the war, bloodstock prices in the UK were at record lows, and many wealthy Australians were looking there for quality thoroughbreds. Silvius won three stakes races in 1927 in the Moonee Valley Cup, CB Fisher Plate and Melbourne Stakes. He ran second to the good colt Trivalve in…

Spearmint had a daughter called Sentiment who was to change the very nature of Australia. She was a daughter of Flair who was by St Frusquin, a son of St Simon. Flair had won the One Thousand Guineas and Middle Park Stakes and was a sister to Lesbia who won the Middle Park Stakes, Coronation Stakes and July Cup. A three quarter brother in Bright Steel came to Australia to race where he won the 1908 Oakleigh Plate. He was to go to stud with good success and was the sire of Scarlet who won the VRC Sires Produce, VRC Oaks and Sydney Cup, and Westcourt who won the 1917 Melbourne Cup. Other half-sisters to Flair were Lady Lightfoot who produced Prince Palatine, a champion English stayer who won six…

In his first season at stud, Spearmint covered a Galopin mare owned by Alfred Cox called Galicia. This produced a filly called Silesia. Great expectations were held for her due to the performances of her older half-brothers, Bayardo and Lemberg. Bayardo was to win seven stakes races from the 6 furlongs (1200m) of the Middle Park Stakes to the 20 furlong (4000m) Ascot Gold Cup. Lemberg may have been the superior runner winning nine stakes races in total including the Epsom Derby. She was unplaced as a juvenile against only the best company, and as a 3yo was second in both the Knowlsley Dinner Stakes and Newmarket Oaks. Only three runners though lined up for both races. In all at that age, she was placed three times in eight starts.…

Internationally, the most important son of the immortal Carbine was Spearmint. Even though Wallace has ensured that Carbine’s influence is still well regarded in Australia, Spearmint gave the stallion world-wide importance with there likely being few, if any, international pedigrees that do not carry at least one line of Spearmint in varying forms. Spearmint was foaled on 6 April 1903 by Sir Tatton Sykes at his famous Sledmere Stud in Yorkshire. He was by Carbine out of the Minting mare, Maid Of The Mint. Maid of the Mint was unraced. Hersire, Minting, was by Stockwell's Triple Crown winning son Lord Lyon, out of Mint Sauce, a daughter of Young Melbourne. Maid Of The Mint was a half-sister to Wargrave by Carbine who had won the Cesarewitch Handicap. It was the…

Armorial Ensign was born in 1914 and was out of the Velasquez mare, Portrait. Portrait was a daughter of Orion out of Dubai, making her a half-sister to Sweet Briar who was to produce Sun Briar who was foaled in France but went to the US to win the 1918 Travers Stakes before going to stud. Armorial Design produced one stakes winner in Bar Sinister, a chestnut daughter of Bachelor’s Double who won the Falmouth Stakes in 1925. Her line was eventually to lead to an Irish bred mare called Princess Ru by Princely Gift, a son of Nasrullah. Princess Ru produced two stakes winners in Princess Tracy by Ahoonora who won the Phoenix Sprint Stakes and Ballyroan Stakes in Ireland and Trasi Girl who won the 1970 National Stakes.…

This Spearmint daughter was out of the Ayrshire mare, Doctrine who had won the Coronation Stakes over a mile in 1902. Document was not a great success but one of her daughters, Beneficiary by Happy Man, a grandson of Desmond, was to be sent to Australia where she produced four stakes winners. Interestingly, all four won only one stakes race each with Codicil winning the 1947 AJC Anniversary Handicap, Gay Romance, the 1937 AJC Gimcrack Stakes, Matinee, the 1934 VATC Debutante Stakes and Trustee, the 1941 Port Adelaide Sires Produce Stakes. Surprisingly it was none of these that was to ensure the long term success of this line of Spearmint in Australia. Deserve by Enfield, an Irish bred son of Winalot, produced moderate performers. She was to produce a daughter…

La Douairiere was arguably the best broodmare daughter produced by Spearmint, at least in the short term. She was out of a mare called Dormouse by The White Knight who in turn was out of Craigie by Orvieto. Craigie was a half-sister to Rozelle by Adventurer who won the 1882 Coronation Stakes. She belonged to the Aga Khan who bred two sons, one by Blandford in Bulandshar, and another by Blenheim called Le Grand Duc. Bulandshar won the Chester Vase and was placed in the Union Jack Stakes, Newmarket Stakes and St Leger Trial in only 12 starts all at the highest level. He was sold to Frank Ormond of Karamu Stud in New Zealand and arrived in that country in 1934. His first crop saw him produce the top…

Whenever discussions are held about the greatest ever broodmares, one name that is always mentioned is Plucky Liege, not surprisingly a daughter of Spearmint. Few broodmares can boast producing two sons who both were winners of the Sires’ Title in the US, while two others sired classic winners across Europe. Plucky Liege was a daughter of Concertina, by the great sire St Simon. She had only one stakes winner which interestingly was a daughter of Carbine in Playaway who was sent to Australia where she won the VATC Futurity in 1904 and the VRC Newmarket the following year. Sadly, it would seem that no descendants of this mare are still in the Stud Book. Plucky Liege was the twelfth foal of her dam and bred by Lord Michelham in England.…

Towards the end of 2021, a legend of British racing retired. Renowned trainer David Elsworth, known affectionately as Elsie, who is 82yo decided to call time on his career. He was among the most popular of trainers but started his career in racing as a stable lad for Alec Kilpatrick in 1955. He enjoyed success as a jumps jockey before establishing his remarkable career as a trainer. Elsworth was noted as the trainer of the great National Hunt campaigner, Desert Orchid. In Australia he will forever be linked with one of the world’s great stayers in Persian Punch who arguably was the best credentialled stayer to ever race in the Melbourne Cup. He won 20 out of 63 starts and his wins included three Henry II Stakes, two Goodwood Cups,…

Spearmint was hardly a sensation at stud, but he was a remarkably good stallion. His enduring legacy though most likely outshines anything his progeny did on the track. Spearmint produced classic winners in three countries with Spion Kop repeating his sire’s effort of winning the English Derby in 1920. Spearmint produced two Irish Derby winners in Zionist and Spike Island. One of his wonderful daughters was Fausta who won the Italian Oaks and Italian Derby for his owner, the legendary breeder Federico Tesio. Fausta was bought by Tesio as a yearling and proved the best of her generation in Italy winning nine races and being placed four times in 14 starts. Rather remarkably at stud she was to produce three Italian Derby winners, all full brothers by Signorino, in Michelangelo,…

Bathing Girl was out of the Sundridge mare, Summer Girl. She had been unraced but American Walter Jeffords bought the mare for $4000 in foal to Harry Of Hereford, a full brother to Swynford. Jeffords owned Faraway Farm which stood the champion racehorse and stallion Man o’War. He had purchased Bathing Girl with the specific idea of sending her to Man o’War who was to serve his first season in 1921. Her first foal was produced when she arrived in the US and was named Annette K in honour of the famous Australian swimmer, Annette Kellerman. Annettte K was unplaced at her only start but was purchased by Samuel Riddle who owned Man o’War. She was to become a successful broodmare in her own right producing War Glory by that…

Drax was a daughter of Spearmint out of the Sunstar mare, Suncroft. Her dam, Miramonde by Desmond was a half-sister to Major Loder’s great mare Pretty Polly. Drax was purchased by Mr GM Currie of the famed Koatanui stud in New Zealand which was home to the top stallion Limond. Here Drax produced the very good horse Spiral by that stallion. Spiral won the New Zealand St Leger and Manawatu Cup and stood at the same stud following the death of his sire. Spiral was to produce only three stakes winners in Barrage (Feilding Jubilee Cup), Scutate (WA Metropolitan Handicap), and Sublime (NZ Oaks and Eulogy Stakes) but his daughters created numerous important lines. Among the horses that find a daughter of Spiral in their female line are champions like…

This mare might seem like a very moderate daughter of Spearmint, but her legacy is one that we cannot let pass. Madam Spearmint was out of a mare called Guissel by the champion stallion, Cyllene. She was a half-sister to Littleton by Right Away who won the GB Trial Stakes over a mile in 1903. Our story changes little for a few generations until Stanley Wootton imported the Whistler daughter, Ballina to Australia in the early 1960’s. She was originally mated with Wootton’s champion Todman to produce a filly called Tobalina who was to produce Forina by Vibrant who was to win the 1974 Blue Diamond. Forina was mated with Biscay, another of the Wootton stallions and a son of the great Star Kingdom, to produce Biscarina. She was to…

Seaweed was a daughter of Spearmint out of the Ayshire mare, Seadune. Seadune by Ayrshire was a full-sister to Downshire who was brought to Australia for stud duties. He tragically died young but not before he had left the very good galloper Amberdown who won five stakes races at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. He was a very versatile racehorse winning from 1000m to 2000m and being equally adept on the sand at the famed Albion Park racetrack. Remarkably, Amberdown won the G1 Stradbroke as a 2yo, one of six horses to achieve that feat, at only his fourth race start. He also won a 2yo race at “The Creek” carrying 63.5kg. Seaweed though was to become an excellent broodmare after she was sent to France. She produced the full siblings…