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Ajax (horse)
Encyclopedia
- For the French racehorse of the same name, see Ajax (horse)Ajax (horse)Ajax was a champion Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who won 18 consecutive races before he was defeated at the extraordinary odds of 40/1 on, causing a huge racing sensation. He had wins from 5 furlongs to 1½ miles , equalled to Australasian record for a mile and...
Ajax was a champion Australian bred Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse and sire, who won 18 consecutive races before he was defeated at the extraordinary odds of 40/1 on, causing a huge racing sensation. He had wins from 5 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s (1,000 metres) to 1½ miles (2,400 metres), equalled to Australasian record for a mile (1,600 metres) and created three new race records. At stud in Australia Ajax proved to be a good sire. He was then sold as a 14 year old horse and exported to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before he was later sold to Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Lin Howard. Ajax was inducted into in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
in 2004.
Breeding
He was a chestnut colt bred by Alfred Thompson and E.L. Balllieu that was foaled in 1934 at the Widden Stud in the Denman, New South WalesDenman, New South Wales
Denman is a small rural town in New South Wales, Australia, in Muswellbrook Shire. The town is located on the Golden Highway in the Upper Hunter Valley region, about 250 km north of Sydney...
area. Ajax was by the great racehorse and sire, Heroic
Heroic (horse)
Heroic was a great Australian Thoroughbred racehorse who won 21 races from 5 furlongs to 2 miles and was a Leading sire in Australia.-Breeding:...
, his dam, Medmenham (IRE) was by Prince Galahad (GB), who won the Dewhurst Stakes
Dewhurst Stakes
The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was established in 1875, and it...
. Medmenham was a race winner in Australia after her importation and was the dam of two other winners in Humorist and Hesione (won AJC Gimcrack Stakes, Maribyrnong Plate and VRC Ascot Vale (2yo) Stakes). Ajax was inbred
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
to Cyllene
Cyllene (horse)
Cyllene was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career that lasted from 1897 until 1899, Cyllene won nine of his eleven starts, winning major races and being regarded as the best horse of his generation at two, three and four years of age...
(4m x 4m x 4f) and also to Martagon (4m x 4f) in the fourth generation of his pedigree
Pedigree chart
A pedigree chart is a diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance or phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next, most commonly humans, show dogs, and race horses....
.
Racing record
Ajax was ridden by Victoria’s leading jockeyJockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
and Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee, the diminutive Harold Badger, in 37 races for 30 wins, five seconds, and two thirds.
At two years: 1936–1937
At his first two starts Ajax won the Holiday Stakes (5½ furlongs) and the Federal Stakes. He was then unplaced for the only time in his career, in the VRC Sires Produce StakesVRC Sires Produce Stakes
The VRC Sires Produce Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for two year olds, run at set weights, over a distance of 1400 metres, at Flemington Racecourse in March each year. The total prizemoney is A$302,000...
. Ajax next finished second to Caesar in the Ascot Vale Stakes, before he returned to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
for wins in the AJC Sires Produce Stakes
AJC Sires Produce Stakes
The AJC Sires Produce Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horserace for two year olds at set weights run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April. The race was first run over one mile in 1867 and won by Glencoe...
(defeating Caesar by five lengths and setting a new race record) and the AJC Champagne Stakes
Champagne Stakes (Australia)
The Champagne Stakes is a Group 1 horse race in Australia for two-year-old Thoroughbreds at set weights run at Randwick Racecourse over a distance of 1,600 metres during the Sydney Autumn Carnival...
from Hua by a margin of two lengths.
At three years: 1937–1938
Ajax commenced his three-year-old season by winning the VATC Chatsworth Plate and then the Rosehill GuineasRosehill Guineas
The Rosehill Guineas is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in March at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney. A race for three-year-olds at set weights, it is contested on turf over a distance of 2000 metres .-Distance:...
in a new race record time. In the AJC Derby
AJC Derby
The Australian Derby also known as AJC Derby, is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run by the Australian Jockey Club at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. Open to three year olds, the race is held annually in the latter part of March or early April...
he was defeated, by a length, by Avenger, to whom he had conceded two stone (12.7 kg). Taken to Melbourne he won the Caulfield Guineas
Caulfield Guineas
The Caulfield Guineas is a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held over 1600 metres at set weights for three-year-old horses, held annually on the second Saturday in October and forms part of the Spring Carnival at Caulfield Racecourse. Total prize money is A$1 million...
in another race record time, from Avenger and Hua, only to lose the Victoria Derby
Victoria Derby
The Victoria Derby is an Australian Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first day of Melbourne's annual Spring Racing Carnival, Victorian Derby Day, held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. A Group One race for three-year-old horses, it is raced on a left-handed turf course at a...
by half a head from Hua.
The above placings were followed by Ajax’s eighteen consecutive victories:
- 4 November 1937 - weight for ageWeight for AgeWeight for Age is a term in Thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. It means that a horse will carry a set weight in accordance with the Weight for Age Scale. This weight varies depending on the horse’s age, its sex, the race distance and the month of the year...
(wfa) VRC Linlithgow Stakes over 8 furlongs (1 mile or 1,600m) - 19 February 1938 - VATC Futurity StakesFuturity Stakes (Australia)The Futurity Stakes is a Group 1 Australian weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne. For most of its history it was a 1400 metre race but since 2006 it has become the first leg of the Asian Mile Challenge series, and its distance has changed to 1600 metres...
, carried 9 st. 6 lbs (70.5 kg) and set a new race record - 26 February 1938 - VRC Newmarket HandicapNewmarket HandicapThe Newmarket Handicap is a VRC Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. The event is an open handicap race over 1200 metres...
with a 3yo weight carrying record 9 stone (8 lbs above wfa) - 5 March 1838 - wfa VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes over 8 furlongs
- 20 April 1838 - AJC All Aged StakesAll Aged StakesThe All Aged Stakes is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in April or May...
over 8 furlongs - 23 April 1938 wfa AJC C.W. Cropper Plate 6 furlongs (1,200 metres)
Ajax finished his a three-year-old season with 11 starts for 9 wins and 2 seconds.
At four years: 1938–1939
Ajax’s long successive winning streak continued with these wins:- 27 August 1938 wfa Williamstown Underwood StakesUnderwood StakesThe Underwood Stakes is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, held at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne Australia. It is run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions in late September each year...
over 8 furlongs - 3 September 1938 wfa VATC Memsie StakesMemsie StakesThe Memsie Stakes is a Group 2 weight-for-age Thoroughbred horse race run at Caulfield Racecourse over 1,400 metres . The total prizemoney for the race is A$201,000...
9 furlongs - 1 October 1938 wfa VRC Melbourne StakesLKS MacKinnon StakesFrom 1869 to 1936 the LKS Mackinnon Stakes was known as the Melbourne Stakes.The LKS Mackinnon Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 2000 metre Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on the Saturday before...
over 8 furlongs - 12 October 1938 wfa Caulfield StakesCaulfield StakesThe VATC Caulfield Stakes is now a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, at Caulfield Racecourse. The race was previously known as the Caulfield Stakes but since 1997 it has been referred to as the...
over 8 furlongs - 22 October 1938 wfa MVRC W S Cox Plate 10 furlongs (2,000 m)
- 29 October 1938 wfa VRC LKS MacKinnon StakesLKS MacKinnon StakesFrom 1869 to 1936 the LKS Mackinnon Stakes was known as the Melbourne Stakes.The LKS Mackinnon Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 2000 metre Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on the Saturday before...
10 furlongs - 3 November 1938 wfa VRC Linlithgow Stakes over 8 furlongs
- 5 November 1938 wfa VRC CB Fisher PlateCB Fisher PlateThe VRC C.B. Fisher Plate was a weight-for-age thoroughbred horse race over 2400 metres . It was run at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Australia on the Saturday after the Melbourne Cup in early November from 1870 till 1978...
12 furlongs (2,400 m) - 18 February 1939 wfa VATC St George StakesSt George StakesThe St George Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged two years old and upwards, over a distance of 1800 metres. It is held at Caulfield racecourse in Melbourne every February. Total prize money is A$200,000.-Distance:1900 -...
9 furlongs - 25 February 1939 VATC Futurity Stakes, for the second time, with 10 stone 6 lbs. (66 kg)
- 9 March 1939 VRC King's Plate in which he started at the odds of 16/1 on
- 11 March 1939 VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes in which he started at the odds of 20/1 on
He was best remembered for winning these 18 consecutive races and for being defeated at his next start in the 1939 Rawson Stakes, when at 40/1 on, in a three horse race where he went down to Spear Chief by half a length.
A fortnight later Ajax returned to the winning list in the AJC All Aged Plate and three days later won the CW Cropper Plate for the second time. Ajax finished his a four-year-old season with 15 starts for 14 wins and 1 second.
At five years: 1939–1940
Ajax won his first two five-year-old race starts, the Williamstown Underwood Stakes and Memsie Stakes. In the autumn he ran third to High CasteHigh Caste
High Caste was a Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion that was bred in New Zealand and was considered the best two-year-old in New Zealand after winning three of his four race starts. He was a good racehorse under handicap and weight for age conditions and combined this with wins in good races from...
and Manrico, in the C F Orr Stakes
C F Orr Stakes
The C F Orr Stakes is a Group 1 Australian thoroughbred horse race at Weight for Age, run over a distance of 1400 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne in February. Prizemoney in 2010 is A$400,000...
, and was defeated by a head by High Caste in the VATC George Stakes. He carried 10 stone 5 pounds in the VATC Futurity Stakes to win the race for the third time, defeating High Caste, to who he conceded 13 pounds. Ajax was a 12 to 1 on when he won the VRC King's Plate. He finished third carrying 9.1 (57.5 kg) from Amiable with 8.12 (56.3 kg) and High Caste with 8.6 (53.5 kg) in the CM Lloyd Stakes. Two further victories in the A.J.C. All-Aged Plate and C. W. Cropper Plate provided the finale to his five year-old season.
At six years: 1940
As a six-year-old Ajax again won the Memsie Stakes, Melbourne Stakes and the Underwood Stakes, again for the third time. Ajax was second, by half a neck, to favourite Beau Vite in the 1940 WS Cox Plate and also finished second to High Caste in the Caulfield Stakes.Racing summary
Ajax won the All Aged Stakes, Memsie Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Underwood Stakes three times each and the 1938 Cox PlateCox Plate
The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
. Ajax's record was 46 starts for 36 wins, 7 seconds and 2 thirds for prize money of £40,250. Ajax is the shortest-priced favourite ever defeated in Australia.
Stud record
He was retired to stud during 1941 to the Widden Valley region of the upper Hunter ValleyHunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
. Ajax was a prolific sire that produced nine individual stakes winners including these good horses:
- Achilles (won AJCAustralian Jockey ClubThe Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
Epsom HandicapEpsom HandicapThe Epsom Handicap is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held over 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse. It is one of the major races of the Sydney Spring Carnival. Many great milers have won the race, including Chatham, Gunsynd, and Super Impose, who was also a dual winner of the...
) - Betrothal, dam of Magic Night (won Golden Slipper Stakes)
- Chaperone (VATC Merson Cooper Stakes, VRC Ascot Vale Stakes)
- Civic Pride (won AJC Gimcrack Stakes)
- Havoc (1945 AJC Breeders' Plate)
- Lady Ajax (VATC Debutante Stakes)
- Magnificent (AJC Sires' Produce S, Champagne StakesChampagne StakesChampagne Stakes may refer to:*Champagne Stakes , a horse race held at Randwick Racecourse in Australia*Champagne Stakes , a horse race held at Doncaster Racecourse in Great Britain...
, AJC Australian Derby and VRCVictoria Racing ClubThe Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual “race that stops a nation”, the Melbourne Cup, which was first contested in 1861.From its...
Derby). - Magnificent Lady, dam of Birthday Card (Golden Slipper Stakes and Sandown GuineasSandown GuineasThe Sandown Guineas is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for three year olds at set weights run over a distance of 1600 metres at Sandown Racecourse, Melbourne in November...
) - Mighty Song (VRC Maribyrnong Plate, AJC Gimcrack Stakes)
- Mine Host (Tatt's NSW Carrington Stakes)
- Pantomime (AJC December Stakes etc.)
- Tivoli Star, dam of Tipperary Star (Doomben 10,000Doomben 10,000The Doomben 10,000 is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred Weight for Age horse race, run over a distance of 1350 metres at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane in May. The race was originally called the T.M. Ahearn Memorial but was changed to the Doomben 10,000 after the 10,000 pounds prize money on offer. ...
etc.) - Whistling Wind, dam of The Tempest (AJC Challenge StakesAJC Challenge StakesThe AJC Challenge Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race at weight for age run over a distance of 1000 metres at Warwick Farm Racecourse, Sydney in March...
, Doomben 10,000Doomben 10,000The Doomben 10,000 is a Group 1 Australian Thoroughbred Weight for Age horse race, run over a distance of 1350 metres at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane in May. The race was originally called the T.M. Ahearn Memorial but was changed to the Doomben 10,000 after the 10,000 pounds prize money on offer. ...
)
Ajax’s Australian progeny earned £133,739.
In 1948 he was sold as a 14 year old horse to the United States of America for 13,000 guineas to Mr W.J. Smith who later resold him to Messrs. Bing Crosby and Lin Howard. Ajax did not meet with the same stud success in America that he had in Australia, but he did sire Avracado $71,813, Trebor Yug $19,420 and A. Jaxson $11,444.
All this justified Ajax’s inclusion in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
in 2004.
The Group 2
Group races
Group races are the highest standard of Thoroughbred horseraces in Australia. The Australian Pattern Committee recommends to the Australian Racing Board which races shall be designated as Group races...
Sydney Turf Club Ajax Stakes
Ajax Stakes
The Ajax Stakes is a Sydney Turf Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred quality handicap horse race, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1500 metres. It is held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney in March...
contested at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
are named in his honour.