Darebin (thoroughbred sire)
“Darebin” (by “The Peer” (imported) from the colonial mare “Lurline”) was bred at Bundoora Park just north of Melbourne by Samuel Gardiner in 1878 and numbered amongst his victories went on to win the Victoria Derby, Sydney Cup and Adelaide St. Leger.
His Sydney Cup victory in 1883 was a bitter-sweet weekend for Samuel Gardiner.
While in Sydney to watch the horse that he bred take out was arguably Australia’s second most important race, he received a cable from Melbourne advising him that his imported stallion “Tubal Cain” had died suddenly at Bundoora Park
He was later retired to stud and proved a useful sire locally, his best offspring being “The Australian Peer”, (V.R.C. Derby, Sydney Cup and many Weight-For-Age races).
After a brief stint at stud in Queensland, Darebin became the first Australian sire to be exported to the United States where he produced many good winners, but is best remembered as the sire of “Emma C”, the dam of one of one of America’s stallions, “Commando”, who in turn fathered another great sire, “Man o’War”.
