Andy White never looked for publicity in life, nor in death, he faced it as he saw it, there were no frills about Andy.

He passed away a few weeks ago in God’s own country, the Barossa Valley of South Australia, his widow, Suzanne, phoned me a day or so ago to pass on the sad news.

Andy played a lone hand in racing, he went about his business, there was no nonsense, the horse was his prime objective.

His commenced his career in racing as an amateur jockey, he rode at the Picnics and would have ridden for Otway Falkiner who presided over 375,000 acres of land at Boonoke Station outside of Deniliquin, in the rich Riverina of New South Wales.

At a time when the Picnic meetings were far more popular than the professional fixtures, if you were not a member you were not allowed to enter the course, even bookmakers were turned away, they had to bet outside the course at the front gate, there was no way in for love nor money.

When Andy decided to give up riding he took out a trainer’s licence that was a mere formality approved with the stroke of a pen.

Andy received the break of his life time in racing when he met up with Alan Kirby, a well known and highly respected citizen living in Deniliquin; he had a thriving red gum saw mill among other interests, and couple of horses, but often too busy to train them.

They were a formidable team, Kirby trusted Andy to the letter, he never broke a confidence and it certainly paid off.

After Indicted won a restricted race at Deniliquin, ridden by Roy Higgins a promising young jockey in the district, Andy had plans for the gelding, but he was playing his cards close to his chest.

A Wednesday fixture at Canterbury in Sydney was the target, Indicted slipped out of town without being noticed, Andy drove the float and he had Higgins sitting beside him.

Higgins had never ridden outside of the Riverina at that stage; he cut a lone figure up against senior jockeys such as Jack Thompson, Bill Cook, Neville Sellwood and Bill Camer.

Higgins had Indicted scraping the paint on the home turn, all was going to plan, the issue was now beyond doubt and the gelding won well.

The plunge came off, it was a huge win, the biggest seen at a mid-week fixture at Canterbury.    

It was a dark for bookmakers, few of them escaped, most felt the pain known as cramps affecting the hip pocket.

Settling had its problems with pockets bulging to capacity, the race club provided Kirby a satchel to carry the loot away.

Andy White finally came to Melbourne, but he should have come down much sooner, he was a brilliant trainer, gifted in fact, he didn’t hang around bars, he left soon after he had a runner, his integrity could never be questioned.

He settled in at Epsom soon after coming from the Riverina, he just had to find a top horse, in fact he found several, but Craftsman will always hold pride of place as the best horse he ever put a hand on.

His Derby win stamped him as an outstanding colt; he defeated Sir Dane who proved very capable at weight for age.

Craftsman also won the Australian Cup twice and also won at weight for age, he was by Better Boy, the best sire ever seen in Victoria, champion sire four times and sired Century, who was champion sire once. .

Spendthrift owned mares US bound

Cana and Ameristralia, both purchased in Australia as yearlings by Spenthrift U S, will leave for America in mid February to complete their racing in the United States.

The plan is to target Black Type races in the U S, which would enhance their stud value greatly, both fillies were in the stable of the Hawkes team.

Cana is by Fastnet Rock, she has raced 14 times for three wins and three placings, earning stake money of $201,835, Ameristralia is also by Fastnet Rock, she has had 10 starts for three wins and four placings, returning stake money of $71,920.

Both mares will fly out mid February where they will join the current team at Spenthrift Kentucky, founded by the late Leslie Combs 11, on 127 acres of land on the Iron Works Pike that had once been a part Elmendorf Stud.

Leslie Combs 11 was about the first to adopt bloodstock syndication as a big business operation, back in the sixties 26 stallions stood at Spenthrift.

It was there at Spenthrift where two Australian champions had their first and only meetin, Bernborough, had his head over the door of his loose box when Shannon was led past.

Combs looked about and found the top were sires were not procurable; he syndicated their better sons with horses like Fleet Nasrullah by Nasrullah, Bold Hour by Bold Ruler

Triple Bend, by Never Bend, plus numerous entires with sound male lines were syndicated with immediate success.

However, the appetite for breeding bloodstock was aroused when Myrtlewood won 15 races for Combs, by Blue Larkspur she was the foundation mare, her offspring were responsible to a great degree for the success of Spendrift Farm.

At Keenelands 1976 Breeding Stock Sales the farm sold 96 broodmares, there were still 400 mares, including boarders, remaining now on its 5,500 acres          

A lot of questions need to be asked about the defeat of Oscietra in the New Year Plate at Flemington.

It was like a pressure cooker in the week leading into the race, every news service imaginable was cooking up the appearance of Black Caviar’s first foal, racing at Flemington.

That set the scene for the satchel slingers to spring into action, offering ridiculous odds about an unraced two year old on the strength of two jump outs, against unknown opposition.

Oscietra is a plain bay filly, nothing striking about he,r in the post parade you could pass her without a glance, not a robust filly like her mother.

She bounced out of the gate quickly and led until about the clock tower, it was likely from then on; she was not going to win

After the race one person was heard to say, “it took two pretty good horses to beat her” both were maidens and finished third at their last starts.

Black Caviar was the darling of the Australian turf; her record remains unchallenged in 25 straight wins in elite company.

Surely now it has to be accepted, our very best females that race on beyond three years rarely produce progeny within cooee of their own ability.

Helinge, the dam of Black Caviar, did not race and the second dam, Scandinavia, was not over used, although she did win four decent races.

Veterinary science cannot come up with any plausible answers at this time, maybe further research is required to find answers, we can only accept it must be put down to the strain of racing, it does not get any easier at the top level, we will have to wait until a more definite answer comes along.

The winner of the race, Limestone, was quite impressive, she was a deserving winner for Helmet, she could win again as that was just her second start.

Limestone 

James McDonald will pay dearly for an indiscretion that has cost him his riding contract with Godolphin, believed to be $1 million per year, all for the sake of a $1,000 bet.

Surely it must have been in a weak moment, no one throws a million dollars away and the most lucrative job in racing, and copping an 18 months disqualification as well, there is nothing left for him now, he may as well go back to New Zealand.

It will be difficult to pick up the pieces after a disqualification, when your name disappears from race books you are soon forgotten, and the blue silks are worn by someone else.

McDonald came across from New Zealand at about the same age as another boy wonder, the late Keith Voitre in 1933.

McDonald had the world at his feet; he was such a talented young jockey riding for the biggest stable in the world, chasing the major carnivals here in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Sheikh Mohammed is a generous man, he pays his staff well, however, he doesn’t take kindly to gambling, he makes the rules and they have to be accepted.

There can be no excuses, McDonald knew the rules, he is a very talented jockey that made the fatal mistake, he broke the rules.

The pay packets he has received are long gone, he now has to sweat it out for 18 long months, that can be soul destroying for one so young.

Very few jockeys that have suffered a disqualification have returned to their former best, for obvious reasons, they are ostracized from the racing industry where once they received their bread and butter.

No replacement has been mentioned at this stage, Brenton Avdulla and Tim Clark have been doing much of the race riding, until a permanent replacement is found.

Joao Moreira would be given a walk up start, but that is not likely to entice him out of Hong Kong, however, weight of money can work miracles.

As for James McDonald, he has 18 months to decide where life takes him next, not an easy decision to make.

Vinery has joined forces with prominent owner, Alan Bell, to race the brilliant colt, Star Turn, who will target the major autumn races with the long range plan for the colt to take up stud duties in the spring.

“We are delighted to secure Star Turn as a future stallion at Vinery, he has loads of potential, we are looking for a successful autumn campaign before going to stud, “said general manager, Peter Orton.

He was an exceptional yearling selling for $400,000; he is a quality colt with plenty of potential ahead of him, and not over raced at this stage.

Star Turn is by Star Witness, a Group1 winning two year old, he was in the money nine times out of his 13 starts, he was the champion two year old of his juvenile season.

Star Turn

He has inherited the speed of his dam, Golden Delicious, she put together an impressive record of 13 wins to 1000 and 1200 metres, she produced 6 foals, 4 raced and all were winners.

Star Turn has performed at the highest level, that was evident when he defeated the Golden Slipper winner, Capitalist, in the San Domenico Stakes at Rosehill.

The Hawkes trained colt is an exceptional athlete according to his trainer, “he has a superb touch of on pace speed, and with natural development would suggest that there are exciting times ahead for the son of Star Witness”.

The autumn is looking promising, the Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket Handicap in Melbourne, and the Galaxy and the T J Smith in Sydney, all Group1 races which will surely suit him.

Alan Bell is no stranger to racing; he cut his teeth with Schillaci, an exciting horse, the very best sprinter of his generation.

Bell will remain in the owner group, he is an astute judge evidenced by the horses he has raced, Deep Field, Primacy and Grand Armee, and of course Star Turn, who is highly promising.

New Zealand mourns the death of jockey, Rebecca Black, resulting in a race fall at Gore on Sunday, on the South Island.

The fall occurred near the 700 metres mark, the Riverton based Black, riding Point Proven, when the unexpected happened, when Point Proven fell, and Misscattlecreek, ridden by Terry Mosely, also crashed, Moseley was not injured, however, his mount had to be humanely euthanized.

Black, 40, was the mother of three children; two are believed to have witnessed the tragic incident that claimed the life of their mother.

It was a sad day for all that are involved in racing, it just illustrates the risk that jockeys take riding in a packed field at 40 kilometres an hour.

Black had ridden 108 winners during her career; she was a well liked and popular figure among the southern racing fraternity.

The remainder of the Tapanui Racing Club fixture was called off after the tragic fall.

Rebecca Black