AUSTRALIAN BROODMARES OF NOTE : ALICE MAY

Another in a series looking at noteworthy Australian broodmares.

Although a relatively “short” family, the one hundred and fifty year history commencing with foundation mare Alice May is particularly fascinating. Ebbing and flowing the family was at its strongest in its first fifty years. After a short revival in the late nineteen fifties/early sixties it reappeared with yet another credit as recently as 2017 to a family that had virtually expired.

ALICE MAY (1870), bred in NSW by an untraced Australian sire is the foundation mare of CF family A404. Originally racing as Mermaid, her best recorded time was T2:55.0 and important races won included the Ballarat RC All Saints Trot in 1875 and Bendigo JC Open 1876. Of greater significance was the “great trotting race”, a match race that she ran against Teviot. On Queens Birthday 24 May 1876, at the Epsom racecourse in Bendigo (Sandhurst), Jockey Club’s mixed galloping/trotting programme was held and the Time Handicap Trot over three miles was run. Alice May was due to meet champion trotter Wanderer but he was scratched the day before the race leaving Alice May as backmarker. She and Teviot were the subject of a betting duel and a racing tussle. Alice May broke on a number of occasions, had this not occurred she undoubtedly would not have been beaten. Therefore Teviot was the winner. Later the same day, Teviot and Alice May tackled a two heat ten furlong event but due to their severe starting handicaps neither featured with well-known sprinter Tom the victor.

A match race was proposed between Alice May and Teviot for the sum of £200 a side equalling £400 (approximately $250,000 today). The match arranged for a Wednesday in July 1876 during a Jockey Club meeting at Epsom between Mr W Woods bm Alice May and Mr JG Weddell’s bg Teviot were to run at distances of three miles, four miles and five miles, weights set at 12st 7lbs and intervals of twenty minutes between heats. A crowd of approximately three thousand were in attendance on a fine day with a two o’clock starting time.

Heat One – three miles (harness) : Alice May was in arrears of Teviot throughout; at end of first round Teviot was sixty yards in front; second time around one hundred yards in front; into the last round Teviot was two hundred yards to the good of Alice May, ultimately passing the finishing line a quarter of a mile to the good in 9m 6 3/5 secs.

Heat Two – four miles : Alice May was ridden under saddle in the second heat where she led by forty yards at the judge the first time round; she still led by twenty yards the second time round; by the third lap Teviot had taken the lead by fifty yards with Alice May trotting freely obviously better under saddle than in harness; two dogs rushed at Teviot causing him to break which he continued to do at intervals to the finish allowing Alice May to win in a time of 11min 40½ secs.

Heat Three – five miles : in the deciding heat Teviot racing without shoes, something he had never experienced before. Alice May got out to a lengthy lead before Teviot started to close the gap but the distance was maintained due to his continual breaking. Hoffmeyer pulled Teviot to a standstill before setting out after Alice May. Whilst trotting proficiently Teviot was no match for Alice May who was an easy winner of the third heat in 15 mins 50 secs and the overall contest.

The two contestants continued their duelling at the 29 November spring meeting with two heats of ten furlongs. Alice May (five seconds) with a five second start over Teviot (scratch) won both heats with sprinter Tom (ten seconds) coming closest to beating Alice May in the first heat.

Alice May was retired from racing in 1878 prior to being bred to thoroughbreds and was the dam of two foals, the first being colt Sir John (1882) by thoroughbred A T, a descendant from many generations back of the Byerley Turk. Sir John, T2:30.0, placed as a two year old in the Australasian Sires Produce Stakes, won six races in Melbourne on the grass, five at Moonee Valley with four on the same day and one at Elsternwick. Winning two Melbourne Show Tests at the Melbourne Showgrounds in 1889 and 1890. The original Showgrounds track in 1883 was a ring of 880yds which was shortened to 660 yds in 1890.

Her second a filly foaled later in the 1880’s from which the family of Alice May extends was Olivette. Olivette by well performed thoroughbred stallion Sussex who descended from the Darley Arabian’s family almost two centuries earlier. Sussex won on the flat at Flemington, over hurdles at Caulfield and over Warrnambool’s famous steeplechase course. The unraced Olivette was purchased by “sweeps king”, JJ (James) Miller at a time when he invested heavily in trotting mares and stallions including Red Win, Honesty and Contactor. Miller’s 1,000 acre stud farm at Bayswater in the outer eastern area of Melbourne included a trotting track.

Olivette, the dam of three foals; Jeanette, 2:39.5, winner of twelve races in Melbourne with seven at Richmond, four at Fitzroy, one at Ascot, VIC and Hanging Rock RC Hcp; the unraced White Rose, was dam of five foals including Whirlwood 2:39.7, winner in New Zealand; unraced but successful sire Lord Collingwood, sire of Collingwoods Pride, TT2:10.5, second fastest mare in Australia behind Kola Girl and dam of WA Easter/Winter Cups winner Dallingwood; successful sire The Draper, T3:11.1, dam sire of Dahlia (CF A55), family of On Credit 1:57.7TT, Pay Me Back 1:56.8 and Pay Me Christian 1:52.8 – refer earlier harnessbred.com article dated 10 May 2022 concerning Dahlia and

• Mary (1894), by Red Win, winner in 2:46¾; exported to New Zealand, registered on 9 August 1901; dam of five winners
  • Councillor, T2:44.2, $150, one win
  • Red Morn 2:36.1, 92, one win
  • Piccaninny 2:31.4, $318, four wins
  • Lady Mary, 2:45.0, $76, dam of
    • Wonderland, 2:17.4, $3,473, Great Northern Hcp
  • Mary Lincoln (1903), by Lincoln Yet 2:43½, $118; dam of Lincoln Green, unraced dam sire of WA Derby winner Lincolns March; Bingen Wilkes 2.28¾; Lincoln Pointer 2:39.2; Lord Lytton 2:16.8, $3,268, Westland Cup, Inangahua Cup twice; Peter Timmerman T2:23.9, $3,861, CPTC Stewards Hcp Trot; Willie Lincoln, 2:10.0, $14,355, Christchurch/Easter Hcps, Forbury/King George/Sprinters Hcps, Dunedin Cup, fourth 1921 NZ Cup to Reta Peter, leading pacing stake earner in NZ 1920/21 season £2,880, tenth 2:10 performer in NZ

Willie Lincoln an innocent participant involved in one of a series of ring-ins that plagued the sports credibility. On New Year’s Day 1924, at Wyndham RC meeting, a horse entered as Look Out under the ownership of James Golding placed third in the 1½m/saddle Diggers Trot Hcp but was disqualified for failing to weigh in. The following day Look Out raced at the Southland RC meeting at Invercargill, when heavily supported as second favourite with bookmakers in Christchurch, Dunedin and elsewhere, he defeated his opponents in the 1½m Oreti Harness Trot winning by twenty lengths in 3:38.0.

Handicapping regulations were such that the time recorded determined the mark received. Look Out remained on the front line for the second day in the Roslyn Harness Trot at Invercargill, winning easily from well performed Southland horse Dark Rosine.

A former owner of Look Out communicated his misgivings to authorities based on the times recorded by the former cast off. Although the horse was quickly removed from the Invercargill course following his second win, he was impounded at Dunedin shortly before being entrained for Christchurch.

Suspicions were raised that the same horse had won the Gisborne Hcp at the Poverty Bay meeting the previous August under the name Eulius. When JN Jimmy Clarke, Christchurch owner/trainer of Eulius earlier in his career was contacted he recognised the horse that raced as Eulius and Look Out to be none other than Willie Lincoln, much to the chagrin of the would be swindlers. Clarke had also trained Willie Lincoln.

The police made five arrests; William “Scotty” Williamson, James Golding, Walter Huston, brothers Percy and Charles Capes with all participants receiving fines or prison sentences and disqualifications from trotting for life. Fruiterer Alfred Tucker was later added as a co-conspirator. Eulius who had been sold by his owner representing him as a Gisborne Cup winner and Look Out both lost the races won for them by Willie Lincoln. The official handicapper stated that Willie Lincoln as Willie Lincoln would have been placed 336 yards behind in the Oreti Harness Trot and not the front mark if he had been correctly handicapped. Detective FJ Fred Beer’s work on this case later led to him being appointed the Trotting Conference’s chief stipendiary steward.

The conspirators were also involved with other horses at other meetings including All Smoke, Temerity, Kaloon, Zone and Pax – eight horses involved in total received disqualifications.

Other fillies produced by Mary Lincoln included :

• Clara Lincoln (1913), non-winning pacer, $0, dam of
  • Ola Pointer, 2:27.0, $70, one win, dam of
    • Resistance, 2:14¼, $715, three wins
    • Percentage, 2:09.6, $414, one win
  • Nancy Bingen, T2:26.5, $614, dam of nine foals including Gold Pot 2:12.0, $4,602, nine wins, 1940 Invercargill Cup; Little Hero T2:21¼, $4,640, three wins, Auckland Members Hcp Trot; Pocket Book, 2:16.1, three wins and
    • Empress Fay, $300, winner, no time taken, third dam of Jane Adios 2:18,2, $593; Camlar 1:59.0US, $42,064; Gaines Brigade 2:07.2, $1,540, grand dam of Knight Brigade, 2:01.9, $44,959, five wins
    • Lady Flora, unraced dam of four non-winning fillies
      • Dancing Doll, pacer $0, dam of
        • Dancing Spirit, unraced dam of
          • My Spirit, unraced dam of
        • Séance, unraced dam of eight foals, three winners including Barefoot Willy 2:02.7, $46,036, Palmerstonian Classic, Tauranga Grass Cup

• Its Coco, 2:08.8, $2,520, Stawell winner
• Blonidi, 2:03.2, $12,480, three wins, dam of ten foals for six winners including
  • Urban Angel, 1:55.0US, $56,548, one NZ win
  • Run Baby Run, 1:56.4US, $45,201, five NZ wins
    • Cullini, 1:58.5, $66,095
      • Thereal Usain Colt (2011), 1:54.4, $131,010, 2017 Marlborough Winter Cup

• Lorna Lincoln (1919), unraced dam of three non-winners including
  • Joanna, twice placed trotter, dam of three foals including
    • Singleton, unraced dam of five foals, Silver Star, 2:24.0, $220, one win and
      • Lazy Jan, unraced dam of ten foals, three winners; grand dam of Stoush, $63,701, Sir Gaviland 1:58.2
      • Single Ayr, 2:17.0, dam of seven foals, Master Jeldi, 2:10.7, $1,660; grand dam of six winners
      • Tudor Gal, unraced dam of two foals : Donna Volo, 2:17.6, dam of Keystone Donna, 2:06.8, $3,384, four wins; grand dam of Nicks First, 2:01.6, $41,231, eleven wins and

Horsley Girl, 2:11.9, dam of five winners, Tee Vee Lad, 2:01.0, $16,726, fourteen wins; grand dam of Tan Tack 2:01.0, $24,682, thirteen wins; third dam of Harkham (2000) 1:58.6, $45,277, seventeen wins, Truise, 2:00.1, $55,616, twenty wins and Tricky Woo, 2:06.7, $2,535, three wins, dam of Salsson, 2:01.6, $16,137, nine wins

• Jenny (1951), T2:05.4TT

Jenny was an NZ bred mare from Italian import Medoro who proved to be one of Australia’s top trotters in the early nineteen sixties in company with Carlottas Pride, Gay Vivienne, Queen Bee and Spring Pride. Recording three group one wins in her career, Dullard Cup and two NSW Spring Trotters Cups together with a total of nine wins at Harold Park. Jenny set a Melbourne Showgrounds 12½ furlong record around the three furlong circuit in 1961, her sixth win of the season, four of which were against pacers on country tracks, one in 2:09 2/5 an Australian trotters record winning mile rate.

Aged ten in 1961 Jenny broke the Australian/VIC trotter’s mile record with her T2:05 2/5TT at the Shepparton Show. Winning the Shepparton Trotters Cup, Arthur Hewitson Cup at Healsville, Silver Shoes at Geelong and a Melbourne Showgrounds FFA during her lengthy career. As a broodmare, she was the dam of four foals, Takil, T2:13.1, dual Trotters Derby place getter; Sutton Mac, T2:12.9, $4,790, Tony Bear – 2T and grand dam of Robbie Vance, 2:07.5, $707.

Peter Craig

5 October 2022

Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com

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