Artilleryman (7) Brown Horse 1916 by Comedy King (imp) – Cross Battery

Plate 16 in ‘Racehorses in Australia’ (Edited by Dr W H Lang, Ken Austin and Dr Stewart McKay): From a painting of the horse at the age of 4 years by Martin Stainforth; presented to the AJC by Sir Samuel Hordern.

‘Artilleryman’ won the VRC Melbourne Cup; dead-hated in the AJC Derby etc. He died in 1920.

In the early 1900s Sir Samuel Hordern owned a thoroughbred stud ‘Petwyn Vale’ at Wingen just north of Scone. This property still exists although no longer in the ownership of the Hordern Family.

Sir Samuel Hordern also commissioned a Triptych portrait (Plate 17) by Martin Stainforth showing Cross Battery with ‘Artilleryman’ as a foal at foot in 1916; Comedy King (imp) the sire of Artilleryman; Artilleryman winner of the VRC Melbourne Cup in 1919. He also presented this painting to the AJC.

Charles W Rock MA (Cantab)

Featured Image ‘Robertson Electorate Cricket XI’ c. 1895; Courtesy of:

‘The Inn, The Dentists and The School’ (Federation Publication No. 2; Published by Scone and Upper Hunter Historical Society 1998) by Mace Bain, Roger Humphreys BDS and Gillian Blandford Hayes

Charles W Rock is standing second from the left at the back with hat, Cambridge blazer and Merv Hughes lookalike moustache.

Charles W Rock eventually succeeded William Pulling MA as Headmaster of Scone Grammar School early in 1895. In the interim then incumbent Assistant Master William Henry Walker ran the school. C W Rock was a Cantabrian like William Pulling. Born in 1863 he grew up in Tasmania. He attended Launceston Grammar School and was in the 1^st XI cricket team. A brilliant scholar he attended Clare College, Cambridge University UK where he was considered the “best amateur (‘gentleman’) cricketer in England”. He returned to Tasmania in 1886 as Master at Launceston Grammar School. In January 1888 he was selected to play for Australia in a Test Match versus the visiting England team but illness prevented him taking up his selection.

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William Bloomfield Pulling MA

Featured Image ‘Pupils at Scone Grammar School c 1892’; Courtesy of:

‘The Inn, The Dentists and The School’ (Federation Publication No. 2; Published by Scone and Upper Hunter Historical Society 1998) by Mace Bain, Roger Humphreys BDS and Gillian Blandford Hayes

I have mentioned many times the vitally important contribution made by professionally trained protagonists who bring their erudition and ‘worldliness’ to emerging colonial communities. Teachers were among the most important early cadres.

William Bloomfield Pulling was one of the very best. St Luke’s School had operated in Scone from 1845 – 1876. On 24 October 1844 the Rev John Morse, Rector of St Luke’s Scone Parish, Mr John Bingle of Puen Buen, and Captain William Dumaresq of St Aubins met in the vestry of the newly completed St Luke’s Church to consider the establishment of a school in Scone. It was decided to erect a schoolhouse and master’s residence for that purpose on the corner of Kingdon and Hill Streets. The project was a bold one for Scone was at that time a tiny place. Up until 1880s there was no secondary school in Scone. Primary education was offered by St Luke’s, the National School and Mrs Coombes’ school for girls. Many were obliged to attend schools in larger towns such as Maitland, Newcastle and Sydney.

St Luke’s ceased operation in 1876 after a lifetime of thirty one years. The unused schoolroom was used as a church hall. In 1886 the Rev A C Thomas of St Luke’s determined to find a suitably trained teacher to establish the Grammar School. Fortuitously he contacted William Pulling MA then ‘Scholar’ at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; also the alma mater of the Rev Thomas. Pulling was at that time Assistant Master at King’s School, Rochester, Kent. He agreed to come to the Grammar School and arrived in Scone in April 1887 as its first headmaster. On 18 July 1887 the Grammar School commenced its first term ‘open to Day boys, Weekly Boarders and Boarders’.

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Snowdon Dynasty Prevails

Featured Image; Ross Snowdon and Stan Wicks at White Park Racecourse, Scone where both enjoyed outstanding success. Stan trained the very first winner (Oxford Lad) at the Scone Track in May 1947.

The brilliant recent success of Peter & Paul Snowdon with Snitzel colt ‘Redzel’ in both the ATC Everest and VRC Darley Classic arouses further reflection on their personal journey. I’ve documented much of this on my earlier ‘blogs’.

Brian Russell penned a great vignette in the Aberdeen Community Whisper last week. His focus was nostalgia about the old Aberdeen Race Track administered for 73 years by the now defunct Aberdeen Jockey Club. This other AJC was forced into liquidation following devastating floods in January 1971 after hosting the Aberdeen Cup. Serious flooding had occurred three times since the Club’s inception in 1898. Jefferson Park abutted the Hunter River along much of the back straight. Flooding was inevitable. It was a small track of some 1600m. Patrons gathered inside the track c/f  Wallabadah Jockey Club on New Years’ Day. For part of its length the horses dipped out of view along an unfenced portion of the track. This gave rise to all sorts of speculation about jockeys switching mounts, disbanding weights and even pulling up for a schooner at an adjacent pub!

In his resume Brian recalled that in September 1950 apprentice jockey Ross Snowdon rode all six winners on the program at Aberdeen. Ross was apprenticed to Scott Johnston who trained four of the victors. It was well known Ross was ‘lethal’ at Wallabadah every New Years’ Day. Not everyone was prepared to drive their mounts downhill and around the tight bend leading the finish a mere 100m away. It was rumoured that a traditional Scotch toast to celebrate the New Year may have helped?

It appears the Snowdon proclivity genome for racing has passed down successfully through at least three generations; whatever the irrational explanations which loose credulity with time. The Snowdon Team were also very supportive of the Greg Cribb Memorial Meeting at Muswellbrook. Greg was Peter’s brother-in-law; Eric ‘Shorty’ Cribb his father-in-law. It’s definitely enshrined in the genes!

Biplane (3)

Brown Horse, 1914, Comedy King (imp) – Air Motor

Featured Image from a sketch of the horse aged 3 in the possession of Mrs H Gordon.

Plate in ‘Racehorses in Australia’ (Edited by Dr W H Lang, Ken Austin and Dr Stewart McKay

Biplane was winner of £13,596 including AJC & VRC Derbies, Craven Plate, etc. Raced by Mr G D Greenwood (NZ) he retired to stud in 1922 to new owner Mr T A Stirton’s Dunlop Stud at Merriwa. AJC Committeeman Mr Stirton clearly exerted considerable influence on the thoroughbred industry of the day. This situation no longer exists in the Merriwa area with the demise of the larger grazing families who dominated land ownership.

Duke Foote (1)

Bay Horse, 1907, Sir Foote (imp) – Ortelle (imp)

Featured Image from a painting of the horse aged 5 in the possession of Dr Stewart McKay

Plate in ‘Racehorses in Australia’ (Edited by Dr W H Lang, Ken Austin and Dr Stewart McKay

Duke Foote was winner of £14,069 in stakes and high class racehorse. Duke Foote stood at his owner’s (Mr John Brown) Will’s Gully Stud in NSW. Mr Brown was one of the early Newcastle ‘coal barons’ who invested heavily in the thoroughbred industry at the time. The pendulum has swung away one hundred years later. The mining and thoroughbred breeding industries are at ‘loggerheads’ in the Upper Hunter as the former expands inexorably further up the valley. It’s my personal view that the two industries can peacefully co-exist; but it’s a bad look?

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Poseidon*

Bay Horse, 1903, Bred in Australia; Positano* – Jacinth

Featured Image from a painting of the horse aged in ‘Notable Australian Thoroughbreds’.

Poseidon was bred by Mr R H Dangar at Neotsfield, Singleton, NSW. His sire ‘Positano’ (imp) won fame in Australia as the sire of four Melbourne Cup winners: Lord Cardigan (1903); Poseidon (1906); Lord Nolan (1908) and Piastre (1912). Mr Dangar sold Neotsfield in 1904 and ‘Jacinth’ was acquired for 400 guineas by W & F A Moses of Arrowfield Stud, Jerrys Plains. Sold by them for 500 guineas as a yearling the colt was purchased by Mr Hugh Dixon who changed his name be deed poll to Hugh Denison to avoid family disapprobation of his racing exploits.  He was later knighted as Sir Hugh Denison. He featured in the ownership of Sledmere Stud at Scone.

Poseidon enjoyed a stratospheric racing career starting 33 times in four seasons for 19 wins, 4 seconds, 2 ½ thirds and 7 unplaced runs. He amassed the then impressive total of £19,469 stakes won. He was described as ‘the best three year old in Australian Racing History’ with wins in the 1906-07 season(s) including the Caulfield & Melbourne Cups plus the VRC and AJC Derbies & St Legers.

Hugh Denison retired Poseidon to his Eumarella Stud at Gulgong where he was a moderate success. He sired Telecles  (Moonee Valley Cup), Rascasse (Queensland Derby) and Old Mungindi (Grand national Steeplechase). The stallion died aged 26 at Kialgara, Combara, NSW.

Linacre (8) Imp.)

Bay Horse, 1904, Wolf’s Crag – Lismaine

Featured Image from a painting of the horse aged 17 in the possession of the artist Martin Stainforth.

Plate 10 by Martin Stainforth in ‘Racehorses in Australia’ (Edited by Dr W H Lang, Ken Austin and Dr Stewart McKay

The painting would also have been ‘constructed’ at Widden Stud. There is a headstone marking the final resting place of Linacre together with Maltster and many other champion stallions to stand at Widden.

Winner of Champion Breeders’ Foal Stakes, Atlantic Stakes etc.; One of the leading sires in Australia; his progeny include Dame Acre, Mistico, Tangalooma, Panacre, Lordacre, etc.; the property of Messrs A W & A E Thompson, Widden Stud, NSW.

Maltster (21)

Brown Horse, 1897, by Bill of Portland (imp) – Barley (imp).

Featured Image for a painting of the horse aged 23 in the possession of the artist Martin Stainforth.

Plate 7 by Martin Stainforth in ‘Racehorses in Australia’ (Edited by Dr W H Lang, Ken Austin and Dr Stewart McKay

The painting would have been ‘constructed’ at Widden Stud. There is a headstone marking the final resting place of Maltster together with many other champion stallions to stand at Widden. Many of the images of Malster do not do him justice; this is a probable exception even allowing for the artists’ creative energy.

Winner of the AJC and VRC Derbies; Premier Sire of Australia on five different occasions; among his progeny being Alawa, Malt King, Desert Rose, Popinjay, Maltine  etc.

The Finish of the AJC Craven Plate, 1918, 1 ½ miles, Randwick, NSW

Featured Image: Plate 24 by Martin Stainforth in ‘Racehorses in Australia’ (Edited by Dr W H Lang, Ken Austin and Dr Stewart McKay

Reading from the rails: Cetigne (A. Wood) first; Desert Gold (fourth); Wolaroi (second); Estland (third): from a painting in the possession of Mr W A Crowe. Cetigne was owned by AJC Committeeman Mr T A Stirton and later retired to his ‘Dunlop Stud’ at Merriwa.

This set the standard for action portraits before the advent of photo-finish cameras. It is just possible the AJC Judge on this occasion was J A K Shaw from Scone who occupied the house I now reside in and named by him ‘Geraldton’ in honour of his wife Geraldine Fitzgerald from Muswellbrook?