“Now that this fellow has proved he is back in form, there is no reason he should not go on and win a race or two." The Truth June 1926
“Phar Lap, Amounis and the $100 million Swindle” by dp robertson © 2020
Frank McGrath always rated Amounis the best racehorse he ever trained. Considering he also trained Melbourne Cup winners, Prince Foote and Peter Pan, whom he admitted to being superior stayers, this is some statement. But then you see what Amounis was able to achieve over eight years of racing and you begin to understand McGrath’s affection for his talented brown gelding. He won major races including a Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Williamstown Cup and Epsom Handicap (twice), Cantala Stakes (twice) and the Linlithgow Stakes (three times) over eight seasons while defeating at various times Gothic, Phar Lap, Nightmarch, Greenline, Fujisan, Valicare, Limerick, Windbag, Avant Courier, Sion, Fourth Hand, Highland, High Syce, Carradale and Vaals. He also topped Gloaming’s long held stake earnings record and made a betting fortune for his connections, namely owner Billy Pearson, McGrath, bookie Ernie Vandenberg and his big betting mother Maude. On top of all that, he remained a beautiful horse to be around.
The Hampton sire line* looked as if it was on the way out when his son Bay Ronald produced Dark Ronald and Bayardo to kick start it again. Highly successful Wizard of Manton, trainer Alex Taylor Jnr** won an Eclipse Stakes, St. Leger, Doncaster, Goodwood and Ascot Gold Cup with Bayardo through the 1909 and 1910 racing seasons. Bayardo then went to stud and produced for Taylor two Triple Crown winners in a row. The 1917 winner Gay Crusader, followed by 1918 Gainsborough. Gainsborough in turn sired Hyperion (St. Leger & Derby winner) and Emborough, which in turn sired Australian Hall of Famer Bernborough. Gay Crusader also sired among many champions, Gay Lothario, imported into Australia for Guy Raymond, St. Alban Stud. Gay Lothario's progeny include winners Burberry, Don Pedro, Logical and the VRC Derby and Sydney Cup winner, the very appropriately named Lucrative. One of the great tragedies of thoroughbred breeding was the premature deaths of both Bay Ronald and his son Bayardo at 14 years old. Whether it would have been strong enough to shift the influence away from the mighty Bend Or bloodline, especially through Phalaris is probably doubtful. But as two progenitors of brilliant racehorses, their early demise certainly denied the racing world some incredible horses. Partly due to Bayardo’s early death, Dark Ronald proved to be an even more influential sire, in the long term than Bayardo. He may not have produced a Triple Crown winner but Dark Ronald’s genetic influence spread throughout England, the Continent, especially in Germany and his progeny ensured there would also be a huge influence in Australian and New Zealand breeding.
* Snaking back through Newminster, Camel to Whalebone and Waxy
** Among his other triumphs, Taylor also trained Spectre, Lemberg and Book Law. Alex Taylor won the Derby three times, 2000 Guineas four times, St Leger five times and the Oaks an incredible eight times. He won the British Trainer’s Premiership 12 times.
Dark Ronald was bred by Edward Kennedy, who also bred the wonderful grey colt The Tetrarch, time rated as the best two-year-old of the 20th Century. Dark Ronald sired in 1905 out of mare Darkie by 1878 Grand de Paris winner Thurio.* One of the wealthiest South African Randlords, Sir Abe Bailey purchased Dark Ronald for 1300 guineas.* Not a champion racehorse, partly due to injury, although four wins from seven starts isn't too shabby. On the other hand, Dark Ronald proved to be an incredible stallion. Entering Tickford Stud in 1910, his 1911 crop included Son-in-Law out of Mother-in-Law coming down the Galopin sire line.** This one horse alone would have been enough to ensure Dark Ronald’s lasting bloodstock legacy. It is almost impossible to find a winner in the last 80 years, particularly in staying races such as the Melbourne Cup, Goodwood Cup or Ascot Gold Cup without Son-in-Law’s genetics lurking in the winner’s genes. His influence is seen as one of the greatest contributors to stamina in a modern thoroughbred.** And then there was Magpie.
* http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/BayRonald.html
** Dark Ronald was sold to the Prussian Government (German National Stud) for £25,000 and shipped over in June 1913. (The Daily News 23 August 1913). He was an instant success being Sire of the Year five times and equally influential with equestrian and cross country. Son-in-Law’s direct bloodstock contribution in Australia and New Zealand include the importing of his sons Beau Pere (Beau Vite), Foxlaw (Foxbridge), Constant Son (Young Idea), Parenthesis and Son o’Mine (Palfresco, Winterset, Similar). Both Dark Ronald and Son-in-Law also show up in the bloodlines of top class equestrian, polo and show horses.
It is no small coincidence Andrew Robertson was often consulted by Kia Ora Stud breeder Percy Miller and that Miller should import the Bay Ronald sired stallion Magpie, so soon after Ethiopian, in 1917. Robertson often made his opinions known about the Bay Ronald bloodlines. Magpie raced Triple Crown winner Gay Crusader in the 1917 2000 Guineas, just losing to a head. After being sent to Australia, Miller raced him during 1918 where Magpie won both Melbourne and Caulfield Stakes. Miller did not have to wait too long before the son of Son-in-Law showed himself to be a wonderful addition at stud for Kia Ora. One of his first crop produced the 1925 Melbourne Cup winner Windbag. Unable to fetch the price they wanted at the yearling sale, Windbag landed in the lucky ownership of Percy Miller’s brother Bob and trained by New Zealand jockey turned master trainer, George Price. To his dying breath Price thought Windbag the best horse he ever trained and indeed “the best horse to ever look through a bridle”.*
Magpie kept producing winners for Miller who watched happily as his stud fees rose and Magpie’s progeny become more and more valuable with each passing yearling sale up until his stallion died in 1934. Magpie’s children won 840 races and generated close on £270,000 in stake winnings. Much of those earnings emanated from – Windbag (Melbourne Cup), Talking (AJC & VRC Derby), Loquacious (AJC Metropolitan), Jacko (AJC Doncaster), Boaster (AJC Epsom), Karuma (AJC Doncaster), Nawallah (Moonee Valley Cup) and Carry On (VRC Australian Cup). Yet even in this stellar company, Amounis made up nearly twenty percent of those winnings. He started his career slowly only to morph into a licence to print money.
* Eric Connolly, Lou Robertson and a legion of other trainers all believed Windbag’s 1925 Melbourne Cup victory by a nose over the lighter Manfred one of the greatest exhibition of horse racing seen on the Australian turf.
** Australian Racing Museum
Bred straight out of the lush Scone paddocks of Percy Miller’s Kia Oro Stud, Magpie was matched with Loved One by Duke of Melton.* Amounis, her fourth of fourteen foals and first to race, ended up being her most successful progeny by a very long way. Paddy Wade harboured very few qualms of having sold Night Raid, despite attempting to buy him back for 12,000 guineas off Alec Roberts. That was certainly not the case with Amounis. Paddy Wade regretted his decision selling Amounis to Billy Pearson to the day he died.
* Imported into Australia 1904 and winner of the 1906 Newmarket Handicap
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