Turf Monthly

We go down something of a rabbit hole this month with a brief look at roaring. Even in the modern age, you are hard pressed to hear someone claim that the condition is hereditary. The official description is pretty close to an all-encompassing “conditions that restrict airflow in the laryngeal area.” There can be different causes and interestingly there are some current trials of a collar that would replace surgical intervention. If you want opinion, I would suggest that like in so many cases, we can confidentially suggest that roarers have almost always a genetic predisposition to a weakness in the soft tissues surrounding the larynx. If you could ever do a study on the thousands of tie-back surgeries, it is likely to see that certain ancestors appear more often.…

The newest Magic Millions 2yo winner is Skirt The Law who looked impressive in keeping her unbeaten record intact with her January victory. The filly gave trainer Tony Gollan his first victory in the race for the $170,000 purchase. Her price has tumbled for the Golden Slipper although as we know the record of Magic Millions winners in that race is not the best. Every year though is different, and the filly has certainly done everything asked of her to date. Skirt The Law started her career with a moderate sixth of seven in an early 2yo trial at Doomben behind Mighty, another Black Soil Bloodstock filly trained by Tony Gollan. Mighty is a daughter of Spirit Of Boom and was also on track for a Magic Millions start before running…

Bill Of Portland must surely be one of the most interesting stallions to ever come to Australia. He certainly was much talked about, and his legacy was outstanding especially given the relatively short time that he was at stud here. Overall, he was to sire 22 individual stakes-winners from only seven crops, but debate continued for years as to whether his influence was either positive or negative. Bill Of Portland was a roarer, an affliction that most owners and breeders would steer clear of. It is especially interesting when we see the increase in breathing issues in our modern thoroughbred that is masked by the improvements in veterinarian care. Wind operations are common, and few breeders and buyers even seem to consider the heredity of breathing issues. It is not…

Last month we told the story of Peter Pan who started his racing at the end of the career of Phar Lap, drawing immediate comparisons to that legendary galloper. Another interesting connection comes with the great NZ galloper, Gloaming who died in May 1932, only a month after the death of Phar Lap. Gloaming by then was seventeen years old following a leisurely retirement at his owner, GD Greenwood’s property near Teviotdale in North Canterbury, NZ. He was buried on the property on what came to be known as “Gloaming’s Hill.” In another twist, both GD Greenwood and the trainer of Gloaming in Dick Mason were both to die the same year as their treasured champion. For our story this month Gloaming is of particular interest because his second dam is…

Australasian (Melbourne, Vic.: 1864 - 1946), Saturday 4 March 1939, page 12 The Scrapbook STUD AND RACING CAREER OF BOBADIL Famous Sires-Bobadil BOBADIL was bred at the St. Albans Stud in 1895 by Mr. W. R. Wilson. Had Mr. Wilson lived a few years longer and Bobadil remained at St. Albans as a sire, probably he would have been one of the most successful sires Australia has known. He was a great sire, who was to a large extent wasted. He was always on the move, and at no period of his career did he manage to get into a really first class stud and settle down. Nevertheless, he managed to sire the winners of nearly £200,000 in stakes, and his progeny won more than 1,300 races. Bobadil closed a brilliant racing career as a four-year-old,…

Sport (Adelaide, SA: 1911 - 1948), Friday 18 November 1927, page 8 ENGLISH "ROARERS'' IN AUSTRALIA The English thoroughbred has in Australia proved his superiority over all distances, even over hurdles. Many of the best performers changed hands because of some ailment or another. Lilyveil, a Sydney Cup winner, was sold in England for 55 gns, Son of the Marsh for 155 gns Sir Foot 300 gns, a Futurity, Newmarket, and Doncaster winner, and one or two weight for ages sandwiched in between, and I could name a few more. In many cases they were supposed to be affected in the wind. Having had practical experience in one or two cases of the kind, I became more and more convinced that the English bred horse is entirely different in construction, as far…