Thousand Guineas

The Thousand Guineas for 3yo fillies run over 1600m was first run in 1946 when Sweet Chime defeated caste and Why Hurry.  Sweet Chime had opened her career with a win in the Gimcrack Stakes as an early 2yo and went on to win the VRC Wakeful Stakes then VRC Derby.  As an autumn 3yo she won the AJC Adrian Knox Stakes (which was later known as the AJC Derby).  Retired to stud Sweet Chime produced Jingle Bells who also won the VRC Oaks.

 In 1949 the near black filly Chicquita started her career with victories in her first eight race starts including the Edward Manifold and Thousand Guineas, VRC Wakeful Stakes then VRC Oaks.  In the Autumn she started her famous clashes with Comic Court when he defeated the filly by a neck in the St George Stakes.  It was again a neck margin at their next meeting in the Alister Clark Stakes with the colt in front.  The following spring the now 4yo mare had a titanic struggle with Comic Court in the Craiglee Stakes and the pair went stride for stride with Chicquita edging ahead to win narrowly.  They both lined up in the Caulfield Cup but Grey Boots upset the favourites winning by ¾ of a length from Chicquita who was later found to have been galloped on with Comic Court unplaced. In the Mackinnon Comic Court was too good again for Chicquita and the finish was repeated three days later in the Melbourne Cup.  She won another two features as a 5yo taking her record to 36 starts for 16 wins 10 ½ seconds and a third with all her racing inside Victoria.  Retired to stud and sent to Comic Court she produced the classy stayer Comicquita.  She also produced the Golden Slipper winner Eskimo Prince and stakeswinner King Nero. 

Golden Chariot took out the Thousand Guineas in 1951 and a further 7 races in 26 starts and became the first winning filly to produce another Thousand Guineas winner at stud with Wenona Girl.  Golden Chariot also produced stakeswinners Grammar Lad and Emblem.

 Wenona Girl started her career with a scintillating win in the Gimcrack Stakes before then taking out another 3 races in Sydney  She was then take to Melbourne where she was second in the Merson Cooper Stakes before winning the VRC Sires Produce.  Back to Sydney she was second to Sky High in the Golden Slipper before gaining revenge in winning the AJC Sires Produce from Persian Lyric with Sky High third.

As a 3yo she won the Hobartville Stakes defeating Sky High and Persian Lyric then ran second to Persian Lyric in the Canterbury Guineas with Sky High third.  Wenona Girl returned to winning taking out the Rosehill Guineas with Sky High and Persian Lyric again in the placings.  She tailed the field of 7 in the AJC Derby then went on to the fillies series of races.  In the Flight Stakes she bolted in by 8 lengths then headed to Melbourne.  In the Thousand Guineas she staged a two horse war with Impulsive in the final stages finally holding on to win by a head with 2 ½ lengths back to Lady Sybil third.  The flashy chestnut then won the Wakeful Stakes before finishing third in the VRC Oaks again struggling to run a strong 2400m.  In the Autumn after a first up second she took out the Rawson Stakes before a fourth in record time in the Doncaster.  With the added maturity she was able to take out the AJC Oaks but was then unplaced behind the older horses.  Second in a sprint race she was then unplaced in the Stradbroke before heading back to Sydney to win a Flying hcp.   

Sky High was too good for her when resuming as a 4yo but within weeks she was back winning taking out the Tramway Hcp.  Two unplaced runs resulted in a spell until the following autumn where she won the CF Orr Stakes before a second in the Oakleigh Plate returning to Sydney she won the Liverpool Hcp and was second in the Al Aged Stakes.  As a 5yo she placed in eight straight stakes races and in the autumn won the Challenge Stakes first up before Aquanita defeated the game mare in the CF Orr Stakes.  She then won the Lightning Stakes defeating Proud Miss and Sky High.  She carried the crushing weight of 63kg to win the Futurity by four lengths before returning to Sydney where she took out the MRA Cup before finishing the season with a third in the All Aged Stakes.

 As a 6yo she was consistent again running five straight placings before returning to the winners list in the George Main Stakes.  In Melbourne she won the Linlithgow Stakes and George Adams Hcp before a spell.  In the autumn she won the Lightning again then went to the Sydney carnival where she won the Rawson Stakes and the All Aged Stakes at her final start.  She raced 68 times for 27 wins and then went to stud where she produced the brilliant Special Girl but didn’t really excel with other foals and eventually found herself offered for sale as an 18 year old.  Bought by a studmaster in New Zealand she produced one foal a filly that didn’t race but her name was Pilmuir.  Pilmuir became the dam of the superstar miler Kinjite who also placed in the Cox Plate and is now at stud.

 The following year in 1961 Indian Summer added her name to the Thousand Guineas honour roll.  Indian Summer was sent out as the 9/4 equal fav at her first start and duly saluted by two lengths.  She was then second before a break and won first up on her return.  After three seconds she was sent to Melbourne where she took out the Merson Cooper Stakes (forerunner to the Blue Diamond) before a second in the VRC Sires Produce.  As a 3yo Indian Summer was unplaced first up in Sydney and was then sent to Melbourne where she won the Waratah Hp then was took good as odds on favourite in the Edward Manifold Stakes.  Sixth in the Caulfield Guineas the filly backed up to bolt home in the Thousand Guineas winning by eight lengths from Sandra Girl with Holiday third.  Just over two weeks later Indian Summer then took out the Wakeful Stakes and VRC Oaks (by four lengths) before being sent out hot favourite in the Sandown Guineas where she was easily by three lengths from Makmore with a further three lengths to Luxury third.  In the autumn she was 4th first up over 1200m before running third to Martello Towers in the Wilson Hcp.  Indian Summer was then third to Sky High and Lord Fury in the Rawson Stakes before a fourth to Sky High and Dhualagiri in the Chipping Norton Stakes.  Against the older horses in the Daily Telegraph Cup the filly fell but returned to win the AJC Oaks by twelve lengths to Euphrosyne with a further five lengths to Grande Brio third.  A fifth followed before she was beaten in a tight finish behind Corsair in the James Barnes Plate.  Indian Summer raced 25 times for 10 wins and 8 placings.  Retired to stud she produced Gnapur winning of the Adelaide Cup, Werribee Cup and Geelong Cup.  Gnapur still holds the record for the fastest two mile win at Morphettville record a time of 3.19.83 in May 1969.

 In 1972 a filly named Toltrice stood above her fellow fillies in the spring classics.  Sired by champion sprinter Matrice, Toltrice was from the Adelaide stable of a young trainer named John Hawkes.  As a 2yo she was placed at her first three runs before winning the Kambula Stud Hcp at Cheltenham.  Resuming as a 3yo she won the Crafers hcp at Victoria Park and was third in the Adelaide Guineas before a second in the Divett Hcp.  Taken to Melbourne Toltrice easily won the Chandos Hcp then was fourth as topweight in the Maroona Hcp.  In the Thousand Guineas Toltrice won as she liked under a hold by three lengths from Sabot with Anjudy third.  Two weeks later she narrowly defeated Little Gum Nut in the Wakeful Stakes before winning the VRC Oaks.  In the autumn she was a first up 5th over 1000m at Cheltenham before heading to Sydney where she won a Flying from Kista and Gold Brick.  She then defeated Gold Brick in the Phar Lap Stakes before two unplaced runs the last behind Gold Brick in the Australasian Champion Stakes.  Resuming as a 4yo Toltrice won the Thomson hcp down the straight at Victoria Park before taking out the weight for age Spring Stakes at Morphettville.  Toltrice then headed to Victoria for two placings before a 4th in the Toorak Hcp.  A week later she was unplaced in the Caulfield Cup before a 5th in the Linlithgow and third behind Taj Rossi in the George Adams Hcp.  Returning to Adelaide she won the Simpson Pope 5000 as the short priced favourite.  In the autumn she resumed with a win in the SAJC Irwin Stakes and was then second under topweight 58.5kg in the Hawkesburn Hcp and fourth in the Newmarket.  As the 2/1 favourite Toltrice defeated Zambari and Tauto in the Alister Clark Stakes before heading to Sydney for her final two race starts. As the short priced favourite Toltrice won the Liverpool City Cup before running second to Tontonan in the AJC Doncaster Hcp. Toltirce was retired to stud the winner of 14 of her 32 starts with 10 placings.  At stud she produced talented gallopers in Almurtajaz, Seltrice, Tolhurst and Vain Display (dam of speedster Keltrice now at stud) plus Lady of Renown (granddam of VRC Derby runner up Hydrometer).  She died in March 1998.              

 1975 winner Toy Show burst upon the scene as a 2yo winning the Chippendale Hcp before defeating Aristocratic in the Magic Night Quality.  Sent out as the 2/1 favourite she defeated Denise’s Joy and Rosie Heir in the Golden Slipper before going on to win the AJC Sires Produce in race record time.  Resuming as a 3yo she was 5th to Lord Dudley in the Freeway (now Manikato) Stakes before winning the Ascot Vale Stakes with 57 ½ kg.  Fourth behind Better Vain and Better Draw in the Edward Manifold Stakes Toy Show was sent out the 11/4 fav in the Thousand Guineas. Toy Show won easily by two lengths defeating Maloja with Denise’s Joy third.  She was then second to How Now in the Wakeful Stakes before running third to Better Draw and Denise’s Joy in the Sandown Guineas.

 In the autumn Toy Show won the Newmarket hcp second up by half head from Leica Show with Plush in third.  Back in Sydney she was then second to Wayne’s Bid in the Ajax Stakes with Maybe Mahal third before being unplaced behind Wayne’s Bid, Sticks and Stones and Sizzler in the Galaxy.  As a spring 4yo Toy Show struggled to break through her best effort a second to Purple Patch in the George Main Stakes.  In the autumn she won the William Reid Stakes and was then second in the Oakleigh Plate before running fourth carrying 61.5kg in the Futurity Stakes.  She was placed behind Family of Man in the House of Windsor Stakes and was third in the Galaxy before ending her career at the Brisbane carnival.  Toy Show’s best effort of those runs being a third in the Healy Stakes to Swiftly Ann. 

Grey filly Rom’s Stilleto took out the Thousand Guineas before going on to win the VRC Oaks in 1982 while Arborea repeated the feat in 1993.  Arborea was sent to the US in January 1999 and became the dam of the talented Delta Form.  In 1995 chesnut filly Shankhill Lass won the Thousand Guineas and later won the Sandown Guineas.  There were high hopes for Shankhill Lass as a broodmare but after producing only one foal she broke a fetlock joint and was put down in January 1990.

 The was a classic trifecta of fillies in the 1990 edition of the race.  Whisked was took good for champion filly Triscay with NZ filly Lycra third.  Whisked went on to produce champion stayer Tie The Knot who won 13 group 1s during his career while Triscay won five Group 1s herself before producing Group 1 winner La Baraka and stakeswinner Tsuimai.  Third placed Lycra won three Group 1s and produced stakeswinner The Man.



Dashing Eagle

Inaflury

 In 1996 the Bart Cummings trained filly Dashing Eagle from future Group 1 winner Derobe and the classy Zeya while multiple stakeswinner Inaflury defeated Danelagh and St Clemens Belle in 1998.  All Time High defeated Ponton Flyer and Tanith in 2000.  Magical Miss defeated Golden Slipper winner Ha Ha and stakeswinner Li Lo Lill in 2001 and went on to be favourite before injury for the 2002 Caulfield Cup 12 months later.  She was recently retired to stud after future injury.  Last year Macedon Lady (sired by Caulfield Stakes winner Filante) defeated La Bella Dame and Fuji Dancer.  Macedon Lady produced a strong finish just behind the placegetter in last Saturday’s Toorak Hcp and looks like hitting top form for the upcoming Melbourne Cup carnival races at Flemington.  

All Time High

Macedon Lady

The photos included in this report and others from the raceday are available for sale.  Please contact Jenny Barnes for further details.

© Cyberhorse 2024 Jenny Barnes Published 14/10/03