As tough as an old boot who has lain out in the paddock, Passion Moon is credited by one authority as having raced a mammoth 281 times and according to details in a 1971 Inglis Sydney catalogue being the winner of 118 races, a score that could be a world record. Seventeen of his wins were as a 14-year-old in1966-67 and 15 at 15 1967-68.

All bar one of Passion Moon's wins, a Brisbane maiden, were over short distances in North Queensland, mostly at Cairns, Mareeba and Innisfail.

These meetings, including those at Cairns, mostly only had three or four races, each with very small fields. In fact Passion Moon often had only one or two opponents and on a small number of occasions walked over for the prize. In other words there were no other runners.

Bred by Herbert Thompson, the great Australian studmaster who stood seven times champion sire Heroic at his Tarwyn Park stud, Bylong Valley, NSW, Passion Moon had quality breeding.

He was by the Tarwyn Park Big Game importation Hunter's Moon and from Nell Gwynne, a smart Sydney juvenile by Golden Sovereign, sire also of Golden Chariot, producer of a queen of Australian racing, Wenona Girl.

Coincidentally, one of the sires that Passion Moon's dam Nell Gwynne went to was called Rigoletto. Another Rigoletto foaled some 30 years later, a handy Bletchingly Sydney sprinter, got Altezza, the dam of Mustard. She is from the first class Dignitas race filly Princess Talaria, produce of the famous Winged Beauty.

Bred by the late Sir Tristan Antico when he had the Baramul stud in the Widden Valley in the 1990s, Mustard was got there from Altezza when they shuttled the French Two Thousand Guineas winner Vettori. He is by Kingmambo, a Mr. Prospector sire who had two new visiting sons in the Hunter Valley in 2009, Henrythenavigator (Coolmore) and Eavesdropper (Emirates Park).

Mustard's success on Saturday, one which took his earnings to over $700,000, was the first time he had finished in the first three in the 15 starts he has had since he returned to racing at the end of April this year after 19 months in retirement.

His earlier efforts had included four Sydney stakes wins, including two Group 3 sprints at Rosehill Gardens, the Star Kingdom and the Concorde.

Very few horses of ten or older have raced in Sydney in memory, but, back at the same time Passion Moon was racing in North Queensland, a tough, durable campaigner in Sydney was Grecian Vale.

Got at Baramul's neighbour, the Widden Stud, by the Ajax AJC Epsom Handicap and All-Aged Stakes winner Achilles, he is shown as the winner of 11 races, all in Sydney, in129 starts.Three of the wins were at 11 and he was placed in four open city handicaps at 12, his final year of activity.

The most historic old timer of Australian racing was ‘colonial' performer Jorrocks. He won four of eight starts at 17 years, one at 18 and was unplaced in one outing at 19, appearance in the Metropolitan on what was then Sydney's main course, Homebush.

Picture - Sportpix