Americain to shuttle

Plans are near completion for Americain to shuttle as a sire between the United States and Australia.

He is likely to stand at Calumet Farm in Kentucky, the stud founded by Warren Wright back in the early thirties, and the birth place of Citation, the first horse to break the elusive million dollar barrier as a racehorse.

No decision has been reached where he will be located in Australia; two studs in Victoria have shown interest and another in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales.

At least Americain will be given an opportunity at Calumet, the former home of Bull Lea, sire of the Kentucky Derby winners, Iron Liege and Hill Gail.

Bull Lea was America’s premier sire five times and among the top 10 sires for 12 consecutive years, a record that was eclipsed  in later years by the great Bold Ruler.

Kyneton a picture   

Good weather, great track, excellent facilities, big crowd, they were the ingredients of a successful Kyneton Cup meeting.

 Taking into account the volume of racing at this time of the year, the attendance of 5500 figure was on par with last year.

Kyneton has always remained a popular racecourse for a variety of reasons, it has a certain English charm about it and the course is encircled by magnificent century old oaks and elms.

It is a picture postcard scene - one that has won the club the reputation as the most picturesque racecourse in Victoria.

Kyneton has come along since that first race meeting back in 1857, on the site known as Racecourse paddock.

Racing returns to the popular Kyneton venue on Friday November 23, with the Christmas Party Race Day, Thursday December 13.

Ward in Perth

Arthur Ward, among the prominent jockeys of the fifties, recently turned 92; he is living in Perth since returning from Hong Kong where he trained successfully for several years after retiring from riding.

He was riding in the era of George Moore, Neville Sellwood, Athol Mulley, Jack Thompson and Ray Selkrig, all top riders; Sydney was well off for good jockeys in that era.

Ward rode Rising Fast to win the Caulfield Cup in 1954; it was a pick up ride an hour before the race when his original mount, Engraver, was an oncourse scratching.

Bill Williamson, who was to have ridden Rising Fast in the Cup, was severely injured in a fall from Impeller in the One Thousand Guineas, hence Ward was the replacement rider.

Two years later he won the Caulfield Cup again on Redcraze, creating a weight carrying record of 9 stone 13 ( 63kg).

Edgar Britt nearing a century

Edgar Britt, who rode with much success in India and England, born in 1913, is determined to reach the century; he is a resident in a Sydney nursing home.

Britt was apprenticed to Mick Polson, trainer of Winooka fame, the team were taken to America for a series of eight match races on the west coast and Pimlico in Maryland.

With his success limited in Australia, and the depression beginning to bite, Britt ventured off  to India where the racing was lucrative, particularly if you were retained by one of the wealthy Indian Princes.

The rich Maharajas loved their racing, if a jockey was not rewarded with currency he certainly was with precious stones, such as diamonds and rubies, that always retained their value..

Britt later moved onto England where he was retained by Captain Ceil Boyd –Rochfort, the Queen’s trainer at Freemason’s Lodge Newmarket.

Boyd-Rochford was a highly skilled trainer, he met with much success on the English turf ,and quite a character, while trainers drove motor cars around Newmarket , the Captain preferred his push bike.