The ultimate bush champion…James Scott – By Jim Hogan
During the 1950’s and 1960’s it was not unusual for a country trainer to restrict a ‘good’ horse that he had to the country circuit, racing in rural FFA’s and cups. These horses were referred to by Harold Park regulars as ‘bush champions’ and their arrival at headquarters was always an eagerly awaited event. During this 20 year period there were many who, eventually, made the trek to Sydney. Some lived up to their pre arrival ‘hype’ and some did not, but NONE was more anticipated, had more talent nor reached the dizzy heights of success, than James Scott.
James Scott was bred by Charlie Hando. His sire, Noble Scott, was six times Australia’s leading sire and his dam, Vain Peak, traced back to Globe Derby.
Unraced as a 2yo, James Scott had his first start on 11-1-57 at Wagga, running 6th. He won his next 3 starts at Leeton, Wagga and Mildura before running 2nd, beaten a head, by Redwin in the S.W and Riverina Derby, on 22-2-57. Seven days later he made his first HP appearance, running 2nd to Diabalo Don in a heat of the Sires Produce. He ran 4th in the final and then travelled to Melb. running 2nd in a heat of the Vic. Derby before finishing 6th in the final, on 30-3-57. At his last start as a 3yo he ran 3rd in the Country 3yo Championship at HP. His 3yo season produced 10 starts for 3 wins and 4 placings. He was no champion, YET, but his 3yo form did promise better things to come.
As a 4yo he really started to show his ability winning 10 of 13 starts. Running 2nd, first up, in a Wangaretta FFA, he then won his next four including the Leeton Cup. He then ran 2nd in the Wagga Cup, from 24 yards, before winning at Leeton off 48 yards. His next win was a week later in a Temora FFA, beating a horse who, from that day on, seemed forever to race in his shadow. That horse was Lew’s Hope. On 11-4-58 he ran 5th in a Ballarat FFA, and then won his last 4 starts as a 4yo. The first of these was at Wagga, off 48 yards, then a week later he won at Leeton off 60 yards. Two weeks later he started 1-12 winning a Coolamon FFA, beating Lew’s Hope, before he made a lightning visit to HP, on 30-5-58, winning his ‘qualifier’ (M0), by 20 yards in record time.
Sent for a 7 months spell, he resumed as a 5yo, winning his first 8 starts. First up was at Wagga, on 5-12-58, then on New Year’s Day 1959, another FFA, this time at Parkes. Sixteen days later he won at Leeton, from 60 yards, winning by 60 yards! By now his name was being mentioned EVERYWHERE. Another FFA, this time at Bendigo in track record time, before returning to Leeton to win off 72 yards. On 30-3-59 he started off 96 yards in the Leeton Cup and, once again, won, again beating Lew’s Hope who received 48 yards start from him. Next was a Wangaretta FFA from, once again, Lew’s Hope, and then a Leeton FFA, where he started at 1-15 and won by 24 yards. At his last start as a 5yo he was handicapped off 108 yards in the Coolamon Cup, on 16-5-59, but lost his driver during a scrimmage. His 5yo season had 9 starts for 8 wins. By now his return to HP was the most eagerly awaited comeback since night trotting had begun there.
He only had 3 starts as a 6yo, winning all 3. First up, on 17-10-59, he won a West Wyalong FFA and then wasn’t seen again for 5 months. Resuming on 4-3-60 at Leeton in a special mile and a half time trial he set a new track record. Eight days later he started at 1-12 and won a Young FFA, from Lew’s Hope, and 6 days later won a Wagga FFA from, you guessed it, Lew’s Hope. He was then spelled.
Around July 1960, after much negotiation, he was purchased by NSW Trotting Club committeeman Ray Fitzpatrick for $12,000 and given to Perc Hall to train. His days as a bush champion were finally over.
As a 7yo he had 13 starts, all at HP, for 11 wins. He quickly raced his way through the classes winning 7 of his first 8 starts and running second in the other. He then ran 10th, on 20-1-61, after being wide throughout, before winning his last 4 starts for the season. This was during the Lord Mayor’s Cup Carnival of 1961 and James Scott won all 4 Cup Class races. On the first night he won the ‘flying 9’ event, beating Apmat in record time, and on the second night won the FFA beating Rosslawn and his old mate, Lew’s Hope. The following week he won the Lord Mayor’s Cup from Lew’s Hope and on the last night of the carnival won the Invitation, in record time, from, once again, Lew’s Hope.
Sent for a 6 months spell, he resumed as an 8yo on 10-10-61 in a Menangle Park FFA, winning first up. His next mission was the Spring Cup Carnival. He ran 3rd in the flying 9, from 24 yards, won the FFA, ran 6th in the spring Cup, off 24 yards and 4th in the Invitation off the same mark. Given a short let up he resumed in late January 1962, racing in 2 Invitations, running 3rd in one and 4th in the other, both from 24 yards. The following week he won the Spring Cup, off 24 yards, beating Lew’s Hope and Barry Stock’s beautiful grey horse from Bathurst, El Tegra.
He then travelled across to Perth for the ID carnival. Off 24 yards throughout the series, he became only the 3rd horse to go through an ID campaign undefeated. He won on the first night in state record time but then had a very hard run on the second night. Beginning well from his back mark, he briefly sat at the rear of the field before racing 3 wide to take the lead. If Perc Hall was looking for a ‘breather’ he wasn’t about to get one. Kolworth ‘took him on’ for the last 1200 metres, but James Scott was just too classy and came away to win easily by 12 yards, setting a new track record. On the final night of heats over 2 miles, he again won easily in track record time. He might have been 8yo but he was on fire!
Before a crowd of 35,000 he was just too good in the Final. At the rear with 2 laps to go, he began his run, 3 wide, up towards the leader, joining him with one lap to go. Down the back straight the last time he raced to the front and held off all the ‘sitters’ to win easily by 6 yards in record time. Second was, once again, Lew’s Hope!
Returning to HP on 14-4-62 he was sent against the clock, but on a wet track, that was about 2 seconds slow, could only manage 1-59 2/5. He had just 2 more starts in Australia.
Five days after his MAT record attempt he ran 3rd, from 36 yards, in an Invitation beaten a short head and a head, and a week later again ran 3rd from 36 yards, in the Lord Mayor’s Cup, beaten a head and a half head! His Australian record now stood at 62 starts for 42 wins and 11 placings. He then set off for the USA.
Some Australian horses adapt to the American way of racing and some do not. James Scott did not. Arriving there as an 8yo stallion probably didn’t help him much, either. For the rest of 1962 he had 14 starts in North America for just 1 win in 2-1 1/5, and in 1963 was unplaced in his only 2 starts. He then returned home for stud duties.
His best son was undoubtably James Darren who won 22 of 32 starts before going to America in 1970. Amongst his wins were the Edgar Tatlow Stakes, equalling the world record and the R.C. Simpson Sprint in world record time. In seven seasons in the USA James Darren started 91 times for 19 wins and 28 placings.
The final word on James Scott comes from his trainer/driver, Perc Hall. During the 1962 ID series in Perth he compared James Scott to his previous champion, Ribands. Hall’s comment was that James Scott was even better than Ribands. There could be no higher praise than that.
By Jim Hogan
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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