Sir Samuel Hordern, ‘Wilton Park’ and Fred Day

Sir Samuel Hordern, ‘Wilton Park’ and Fred Day

Featured Image: Acknowledge ‘History of Veterinary Practice in Newmarket 1831 – 2011’ (Multiple Authors). Fred Day at Lordship & Egerton Studs was the grandson of Fred Day who worked with Sir Samuel Hordern in Sydney and the Southern Highlands of NSW late 19th century

See: https://kingsoftheturf.com/1901-samuel-hordern-the-wilton-park-stud/

Thank you Ian Ibbett yet again! There are many remarkable coincidences which crop up in life. Just as the Hordern name is synonymous with excellence in retail, pastoral, sailing and racing pursuits in Sydney NSW so the surname Day resonates with equal intensity in racing, training and equine veterinary practice in Newmarket, Suffolk, England UK. I was astonished to read in Ian Ibbett’s seminal treatise (see above) that the two titans combined in the late 1890s to promulgate Sir Samuel Hordern’s early ambitions in thoroughbred racing and breeding. Fred Day later returned to the UK where he established a training and equine veterinary dynasty in Newmarket. My own equine practice in Scone (now Scone Equine Group) has enjoyed a symbiotic ‘shuttle’ relationship with the latter over the past 50+ years. This is recorded in meticulously detail by the multi-authored ‘History of Veterinary Practice in Newmarket 1831 – 2011’ (published First Edition 2011). I think my own much more modest tome ‘The Infinitive History of Veterinary Practice in Scone (2006)’ might have had something to do with the naissance of this?

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Aberdeen Jockey Club 1898 – 1971

Aberdeen Jockey Club 1898 – 1971

Written by Harley Walden in 2000; from the ‘Harley Walden Archive’ now at the Scone & Upper Hunter Historical Society

See also: https://www.scone.com.au/the-aberdeen-jockey-cub/

Featured Image: Arthur Taylor was Aberdeen Jockey Club’s treasurer for 32 years, until 1959, when he took over as President until 1969; Shown here with Mrs Alec Johnstone, selling tickets for a war effort race meeting in the early 1940s

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Bypass and Kelly Street Conundrum

Bypass and Kelly Street Conundrum

Featured Image: Acknowledge ‘The Way We Were’; A Pictorial History of the Scone District 1901 – 2001 by Anne McMullin, Kath Farrell and Audrey Entwisle; Federation Publication No 4; Published by Scone and Upper Hunter Historical Society Inc. 2002

The ‘unknown identity’ at the opening ceremony is Cr Gerard Dupal who was a Muswellbrook-based lawyer also elected onto the Muswellbrook Shire Council. He was a relative newcomer who lived on a property near Broad Crossing. The NSW Electoral Commission later changed the rules so that no single individual could serve on two LGAs concurrently. Cr Dupal left the district not long after.

“Community to expect lag between Scone Bypass opening and Kelly Street revitalisation works beginning”

‘Bumps in the Road’: Caitlin Reid put it very well in ‘The Scone Advocate’. See below. I attended the meeting. There was a lot of information and still many issues to resolve. However we will work our way through them and I look forward to eventual resolution. It’s been a long journey since the original New England Highway construction 1826 – 1832! There’ve been a few iterations to say the least. The one depicted in the featured image might have been the major ‘reiteration’? I remember it well!

See: https://www.sconeadvocate.com.au/story/6593456/bypass-imminent-but-revitalisation-hits-road-bump/?cs=1533

See also: https://www.sconeadvocate.com.au/story/6652529/fresh-start-for-kelly-street/

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Polo Hall of Fame: Ponies to Remember

Polo Hall of Fame: Ponies to Remember

See: https://www.nswpolo.com.au/Assets/News/689/2013-Hall-of-Fame-Ponies-to-Remember.pdf

Featured Image: ‘Chester’ and owner Bob Hannon; Bob was a business partner of the late Bob Oatley when based in PNG in the 1960s. Scroll down the website for tributes to Martini, Tasman, Suva, Chips, Maria Tod, Tuesday, Jessica, Treskaa, Pinky, Castinette, Princess, Panzer and Patch.

Chester

A liver chestnut thoroughbred gelding by Baguette out of Tiny Touch bred by Jim Gibson and Blue Brotherton. (The late Jim Gibson and Robert ‘Blue’ Brotherton were two of my best mates while working at Kia Ora where Baguette stood. Could ‘Chester’ have been conceived ‘under cover of darkness’?) Blue bred and raced ‘Tiny Touch’ (by Skymaster stallion ‘Touchdown’ (imp) standing at Jack Sheppard’s ‘Gyarran Stud’, Muswellbrook. Blue worked there as well!

Author’s note: My good mate Robert (‘Carrot’) Bowen insists ‘Chester’ was actually by Kia Ora based stallion ‘Imagele’ (by ‘Sostenuto’). He concedes that ‘under cover of darkness’ Jim and Blue might have led the wrong stallion into the serving barn? ‘Carrot’ was responsible for the sale of ‘Chester’ to Bob Hannon as a Polocrosse Pony when he was initially kept at Bob Oatley’s ‘Rosemount’ property at Denman/Sandy Hollow. (Telephone call Sunday 5th January 2020). Neighbour Hilton Cope supports this tale.

PS I think this is highly unlikely; even impossible. ‘Chester’ is recorded as being born in 1980. ‘Imagele’ died in 1976!

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