Unique happenings on racetracks occur (seemingly) quite frequently, but the story of BELMONT PARK, a 3yo trained by Maurice McCarten, does take some beating.

At a Rosehill fixture on Saturday, July 31, BELMONT PARK contested the 10 furlong Auburn Stakes, race 5 at 3.15pm, Starting 2/1 favourite and ridden by stable rider Neville Sellwood, BELMONT PARK prevailed in a very tight photo.

The horse was a dual acceptor in the following race, a 9 furlong Welter Handicap (at 3.45pm) with owner Mr Bill Dawes already having directed trainer McCarten to saddle the horse up in both races.

Dawes had apparently planned a betting coup based on the original advertised race programme - the Auburn was listed as Race 3, the Welter as Race 7 - but when acceptances were finalised, they were races 5 and 6.

Citing “stubbornness” as the reasoning behind his decision to back BELMONT PARK up in the Welter, Dawes had “one of the biggest wins of my life”, with Belmont Park starting at 7/1 in the second of his wins.

Footnote: Club vets had thoroughly inspected the horse after race 5, passing him fit and well to start in race 6. McCarten reported that BELMONT PARK ate his feed with relish that night, then settled down to a good sleep. By Delville Wood (sire of Hydrogen & Evening Peal), his mother was the McCarten-trained Sweet Chime - winner of the Thousand Guineas-Wakeful-VRC Oaks treble in 1946 & the 1947 AJC Oaks (then the Adrian Knox).

Here she is: LIGHT FINGERS (Roy Higgins) scoring by a pimple over stablemate ZIEMA in the 1965 Melbourne Cup, the first of 12 Melbourne Cups for Bart Cummings.

Registered as CLOSE EMBRACE by her NZ breeder Fred Dawson, the filly was leased to Mr Wally Broderick who had purchased her older brother THE DIP as a yearling.

By Le Filou from Cuddlesome, The Dip had won the 1962 Metropolitan Hcp & was second in the 1963 Sydney Cup.

Broderick, upon leasing Close Embrace, elected to change her name to LIGHT FINGERS - this was due to Le Filou (a French name) translating to “the thief” & THE DIP a “slang” word for pickpocket.

The Golden Slipper Stakes was born in 1957, star colt TODMAN romping home to victory.

Sydney’s training ranks were being dominated by one man: T.J. (Tommy) SMITH - he’d won the NSW Metro Trainers Premiership the previous 4 seasons & would eventually string together an incredible 33 consecutive titles.

But the Slipper proved to be a nuisance to Smith in the early stages of its existence. After the 1970 Slipper, no less than 18 Smith 2yos had contested the Slipper for one second (Royal Show-1970) & two thirds (Flying Fable-1968, Very Merry-1966).

It took a Maiden filly called FAIRY WALK to break the drought & with George Moore on board, she scored a comfortable victory in 1971.

Smith then won the race a further 5 times (from John’s Hope-1972 to Star Watch-1988) creating the Race Record - which was then eclipsed by Smith’s daughter Gai Waterhouse when Farnan landed the 2020 Slipper.

The year was 1896 & it was Caulfield Guineas Day.

Race 1, the WFA Caulfield Stakes was won “in a procession” by the 1895 Epsom Hcp winner HOPSCOTCH.
Given a 2-3 hour “spell”, trainer Tom Brown found the valuable Toorak Handicap later in the day irresistible. Despite a 3lb penalty (taking his impost to 9.10), HOPSCOTCH “won in a common canter”, rider James Hayes doing all he could to “keep him back to the field”.

A week later, HOPSCOTCH went out the punter’s favourite at 5/1 in the Caulfield Cup but found the 12 furlongs too far.

Ridden by Bobby Lewis, SHEPHERD KING came from last mid-race to win the 1916 Caulfield Cup (in track record time) as 11/2 second favourite. Shepherd King had been purchased (as a Maiden) by Australian jockey Frank Bullock after his 4yo season in England. Unplaced in the 1914 English Derby, the horse was labelled ‘faint-hearted”.

As a 5yo in Australia, Shepherd King started 4 times, and as a 6yo had 4 lead-up races into the 1916 Caulfield Cup. The stallion, trained by Charles Wheeler, suddenly came good when stepped up in trip in his final two prep races, the Caulfield & Eclipse Stakes. As 9/2 favourite in the subsequent Melbourne Cup, Shepherd King (under a 10 pound penalty) finished second to Sasanof.

The DONCASTER HANDICAP of 1896 witnessed the brothers DELANEY land the trifecta. JOHN (Jack) rode the winner Courallie, AUSTIN was on runner-up True Blue with WILLIAM (Billy) on third-placed Response.

Trainer TOMMY SMITH & jockey GEORGE MOORE combined to land a total of 54 GROUP 1 winners, ahead of BART CUMMINGS & ROY HIGGINS who claimed 46 together.

In third place, CHRIS WALLER & HUGH BOWMAN have (so far) collected 38 Group 1 wins as a combination.