Racing and Breeding in the City of Whittlesea

Racing

The first race meeting in the City of Whittlesea appears to have been ‘The Plenty Races’, which took place on 26 December 1845 on ‘Mr Payne’s Station’, somewhere near the Bridge Inn at Mernda. The next recorded races were the ‘River Plenty Races’ on 26 December 1848 at ‘Mill Park, near the Plough Inn, River Plenty’. The races at Mill Park, or Janefield as the village was then known, were arranged by the licensee of the Plough Inn and continued for almost 20 years.

Races were also held within and around the City of Whittlesea at towns or villages such as Craigieburn, Donnybrook, Epping, Eltham, Glenvale, Morang (Mernda), Preston, Scrubby Creek (Humevale), Thomastown, Wallan, Whittlesea, Woodstock and Yan Yean. Some meetings were organized by local turf clubs and others, like Mill Park’s, by publicans keen to provide sport for local residents and also increase their hotel trade. Drunkenness was frequent and in 1849 a man was killed in a fight after the races at Mill Park. Conditions were also basic, racecourses usually being little more than cleared paddocks, with accidents common, especially during jumping events.

Race meetings usually took place on public holidays such as Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, St Patrick’s Day or Queen’s Birthday. In the 1850s and 1860s, many races were run in heats, with horses required to win the best of three races to collect the prize money. There were both flat and jumping events, with open handicaps and weight-for-age races to attract all comers and District Handicaps and Farmers’ Purses, designed solely for local horses and riders.

Although racing in Victoria boomed during the 1880-90 period, intense competition prevailed which ultimately spelt doom for racing in the City of Whittlesea. As well as registered races conducted by turf clubs and unregistered races arranged by publicans, proprietory courses operated in and around Melbourne, established by private owners purely for profit. These included Ascot, Aspendale, Fitzroy, Mentone and Moonee Valley. There were so many race meetings the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) eventually refused to register race meetings within 20 miles of Melbourne unless prize money of £400 or more was offered. Racing in the City of Whittlesea struggled on but had virtually ceased by 1900 due to declining entries and attendances.

Thoroughbred Breeding

It was in breeding, however, that the City of Whittlesea’s major contribution to Victorian and Australian racing was made. Breeding began on small farms as a hobby, but soon large scale commercial thoroughbred breeding enterprises such as the Bournefield Stud (1855-64) at Wollert, the Woodstock Stud (1868-79) and nearby Bundoora Park (1877-92 and 1899-1919) in the City of Darebin became household names in Australia and New Zealand. The Redleap Stables and training complex at Mill Park, established by the Miller family in the 1890s and named after their champion jumper Redleap, was also famous throughout Australasia.

The greatest racehorses produced in and around the City of Whittlesea were Fireworks (Kelpie-Gaslight) and Darebin (The Peer-Lurline). Although foaled at Hurtle Fisher’s Maribyrnong Stud in 1864, Fireworks was bred at Bournefield by Messrs Simson and Row, who sold his dam shortly before his birth. Fireworks is the only horse to have won two VRC Derbys (1867 and 1868), as well as victories in other races such as the 1867 AJC Champagne Stakes, 1867 AJC Derby, 1868 Launceston Champion Stakes and 1868 VRC St Leger. Following his retirement from racing at the close of the 1867-68 season, he became a great colonial sire, whose progeny included Goldsbrough – an even greater sire – particularly of brood mares. Dante, the sire of Redleap, was also a son.

Darebin, bred by Samuel Gardiner of Bundoora Park, won the 1881 VRC Derby, 1882 ARC St Leger, 1883 Sydney Cup and several other races, prior to his early retirement to stud. A son, The Australian Peer (Darebin-Stockdove), also won the 1887 VRC Derby and 1888 AJC Sydney Cup. Darebin was sold to the United States of America in 1885 where he also proved successful at stud.

Notable thoroughbred sires to stand in the City of Whittlesea and at Bundoora Park during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries include Kelpie (Weatherbit-Child of the Mist), Fishhook (Fisherman-Marchioness), Peter Wilkins (The Flying Dutchman-Boarding School Miss), Ferryman (Fisherman-Rose de Florence), The Peer (Melbourne-Cinizelli), The Marquis (Stockwell-Cinizelli), Angler (Fisherman-Marchioness) and the greatest of all, Wallace (Carbine-Melodious).

Significant dams include the imported English mares Gaslight (Sir Hercules-Factory Girl), Juliet (Touchstone-Lancashire Witch), Marchioness (Melbourne-Cinizelli), Omen (Melbourne-Stormy Petrel), Rosemary (Stockwell-Rosalie) and the New Zealand bred Lurline (Traducer-Mermaid).

Many of these famous foundation thoroughbred stallions and mares are buried on former stud farms in the City of Whittlesea and Bundoora Park. The 1865 VRC Melbourne Cup winner Toryboy (Wollaton-Fair Ellen) is buried at South Morang where he died in retirement in 1880.

Even the legendary Carbine (Musket-Mersey), winner of the 1890 Melbourne Cup and 32 other races, has a City of Whittlesea connection. Carbine was purchased in Auckland as a yearling in 1887 for 620 guineas by Dan O’Brien, a former jockey raised at Merriang in the City of Whittlesea, who rode his first winner at Whittlesea in 1863. After five straight wins in New Zealand, O’Brien brought Carbine to Australia in 1888, won two more races and then sold him to Donald Wallace for 3,000 guineas. Carbine’s son Wallace later stood at Bundoora Park and sired the winners of at least 949 races valued at £246,145.

During the 1960s, thoroughbred breeding resumed in the City of Whittlesea at Mornmoot Stud, near Whittlesea. In 1978-79 Mornmoot’s sire Century (Better Boy-Royal Suite) was Australia’s leading stallion. Other studs also operate today, including the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE’s Northern Lodge Stud at Eden Park, which it runs in conjunction with its equine studies courses.

by Robert Wuchatsch (Local Historian)

Photo: Redleap Stables, Mill Park Yarra Plenty Regional Library