Peter Pan Magic in Era of Melbourne Cup Glory
22-12-2011
IN the five years of the horror world economic disaster era1929-34, a period when nearly a third of the Australian population were unemployed and many others existed on diminished incomes, winners between them of four Melbourne Cups showcased the lottery of thoroughbred breeding. All by England bred sires who raced in that country and Australia, they were New Zealand bred Nightmarch (1929) and Phar Lap (1930), both by Night Raid, and the Hunter Valley produced Pantheon colt Peter Pan (won twice,1932 and1934).
Two of these, Phar Lap and Peter Pan, are icons of Australian racing while, the other, Nightmarch, deserves far more reverence than he receives. Nicknamed The Kiwi, Nightmarch won 24 races, including the Melbourne Cup, an event in which he carried 9 stone 2 lbs (58.0kgs) and Phar Lap was third, the Cox Plate, AJC Epsom (9 st. 4 lbs - 59.0kgs), Randwick Plate (3200m), New Zealand Cup, Trentham Cup, Awapuni Gold Cup and Canterbury Cup (NZ). In four successive feature races he was runner up to Phar Lap and at seven finished second in the Hill Stakes at Rosehill to four years younger Peter Pan.
Revisiting of their achievements has been stimulated by the release this month of a 479 page biography by horse loving journalist Jessica Owers entitled ‘The Forgotten Story of Phar Lap’s Successor, Peter Pan.’ Peter Pan did not race against three years older Phar Lap, but was carving his niche in the pantheon of thoroughbred greatness, when tumult of Phar Lap deeds was still reverberating around the world. Considered possibly Australia’s greatest racehorse, Phar Lap won 37 races (14 in succession) from 51 starts, including the VRC Melbourne Cup, Victoria Derby, AJC Derby, MVRC Cox Plate – twice and MRC Futurity. He died from some sort of poisoning in California in April 1932 after stirring the world with a record win at Aqua Caliente, Mexico, his only start outside Australia.
Nightmarch (foaled1925) and Phar Lap (1926) may not have emerged if their sire, the England born Night Raid, had not been sent to New Zealand after being unwanted by breeders when put to stud in1923 in south western NSW. Sire of these two champions in his first two New Zealand crops, Night Raid was only a modest racehorse, his best efforts being a third in a Selling Plate at two in six starts in England and two wins, one of them a dead heat, in 29 in Australia. He lived until he was 25 and supplied a few other stakes winners, but none near as good as these two great performers.
In contrast to Night Raid, Pantheon (raced in England as Spalpeen), the sire of two times Melbourne Cup hero Peter Pan, was a very good racehorse in both hemispheres. His performances here included wins in the AJC Randwick Plate – twice, Spring Handicap, Autumn Stakes and VRC C.B., Fisher Plate, a second in the AJC Metropolitan and a third as favourite in the1926 Melbourne Cup. He was raced in Australia by Joseph Brien and his son and had one season at their Hunter river serviced Kingsfield stud, one near Scone which had much of it swallowed up some years later by the construction of the Glenbawn dam, and then moved to the neighbouring Kia Ora stud.
When he had first crop yearlings in the 1931 Sydney Easter yearling catalogue, Pantheon was introduced as a very handsome horse, standing 16.0 hands, and bearing a striking resemblance to his illustrious sire, Tracery. “He was a very determined, courageous horse, who during the whole career on the turf never ran a bad race,” went the comment. Four of the first crop yearlings in the catalogue were bred by Percy Brown, owner of the Randwick Lodge stud at Whittingham near Singleton, Hunter Valley. Brown had five bookings to Pantheon and persuaded his good friend and neighbour Rodney Dangar, a scion of a pioneer family that opened up much of the Upper Hunter to settlement, to fill one of them.
Owner of the Baroona stud, the one on which sits the triple storied colonial edifice that catches the eye on a hill on the western side of the southern approach to Singleton, and an authoritative student of breeding, Dangar was not enthusiastic about using Pantheon, but to help his friend out told him to choose one of his mares and send her under the Randwick Lodge banner. The mare chosen was Alwina, an unraced daughter of a great imported sire of stayers, St Alwyne, from a strong colonial family. Dangar had picked Alwina out for his breeding program as a yearling when she was offered in Sydney by John Hudson Keys, owner of Bengalla, the property on the western fringe of Muswellbrook which now hosts the Michael Fitzgerald run Bengalla stud and the Bengalla coal mine, but was outbid in the ring. However, he then persuaded the new owner later in the day to sell her on to him.
Keys had acquired the filly as a foal at foot when he bought her dam for 150 guineas ($315) at the dispersal sale of the Arrowfield stud (now Coolmore) at Jerrys Plains. Dangar put her to stud at three and owned her throughout her breeding career, but got only one good horse from her, the one produced from the unwanted mating, Peter Pan. Raced by Dangar, talked of as a new Phar Lap and undoubtedly one of the greatest Australian bred horses, the colourful looking Peter Pan appeared 39 times for 23 wins, six seconds and a third. Like Phar Lap did three years earlier, he ignited the joy of the economically dispirited nation in his eleven outings at three, nine wins including the AJC Derby (1.5 lengths), VRC Melbourne Stakes (1.8 lengths), Melbourne Cup, City Tattersall’s Randwick Stakes and AJC St Leger (1.5 lengths).
He did not contest the Melbourne Cup at four, but returned to glory at five when he became only the second in history to that time to win the big two miler twice. In doing so, he carried top weight of 9 stone 10 lbs (61.5kgs), came from the outside barrier, 22, handled one of the heaviest tracks faced in the race and won by three lengths. A winner of major races at three, four and five, his final campaign, Peter Pan was retired to stand at the Baroona.With his early runners, including Peter (in Melbourne won Williamstown Cup, Eclipse Stakes, second Melbourne Cup), Precept (won Victoria Derby, Moonee Valley Stakes, fourth at three Melbourne Cup) and Grampian (Adelaide Birthday Cup), he looked set for a good future as a sire, but had to be destroyed at eleven after breaking a bone in his near knee. He has a marked grave at Baroona.
In the forgotten story behind Phar Lap’s successor Peter Pan told in the biography compiled by Jessica Owers, she says clapping eyes on him was like suddenly spotting a magnificent woman. She wrote: “He had a light chestnut coat and an almost-perfect white diamond on his forehead, hidden behind a tumble of blond hair that fell down his face. Both the mane and tail were an extraordinary flaxen colour.” Overall, Jessica’s research results are phenomenal and her presentation in such a descriptive manner makes a wonderful read. It is not only a monument to a ‘glorious horse who made mere men his slaves’, but valuable as insight into training and riding technique and into the history of the times.
The Forgotten Story of Phar Lap’s Successor Peter Pan by Jessica Owers published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd,100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney 2060. Available most bookshops and Big W book sections.There are also eBooks available, links to them featured on the Random House page for Peter Pan. A special launch of the book, accompanied by author signings, was conducted in Singleton on Sunday and was followed by visit to Baroona. The function was organised through a source of the book, Collins Newsagency and Bookshop, Singleton, phone (02) 6572 4995.
Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service
