Nightmarch
| Nightmarch | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Sire | Night Raid (GB) |
| Grandsire | Radium |
| Dam | Marsa |
| Damsire | Martian |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1925 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Colour | Brown |
| Breeder | Kain brothers |
| Owner | 1. Mr G.A. Kain 2. Alan Louisson 3. Eric Connolly (manager) |
| Trainer | Jim McAulay |
| Record | 69: 23½-18-11 |
| Earnings | £32,116 |
| Major wins | |
|
New Zealand Derby (1928) New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1928) Epsom Handicap (1929) Melbourne Cup (1929) W S Cox Plate (1929) New Zealand Cup (1930) Awapuni Gold Cup (1931, 1932) |
|
| Last updated on 18 September 2010 | |
Nightmarch, foaled in 1925 was an outstanding New Zealand bred Thoroughbred racehorse known as The Kiwi. He won the New Zealand Derby and Dunedin Cup as a three-year-old before going to Australia where he became the first horse to win both the Melbourne Cup and Cox Plate in the same year, as well as other Principal races.
He was by Night Raid, the sire of Phar Lap, out of the good racemare and broodmare, Marsa (1911) by Martian, a mare that traced to Manto. Marsa produced five foals, all of which raced and were winners.
As a two-year-old he had eight starts and won two, the Dunedin J.C. Juvenile (by two lengths) and Hopeful Handicaps, having dead heated with Full Feather in the latter race.
Nightmarch was then sold privately to Alan Louisson, and won the Canterbury Linwood Handicap, New Zealand Derby, Marton Cup, Dunedin Cup, and Great Autumn Handicap for him when he was a three-year-old.
In the spring of 1929, Louisson took Nightmarch to Sydney where he was unplaced in his first start at Rosehill, New South Wales. The big betting punter, Eric Connolly offered £10,000 for Nightmarch (which was rejected) after a betting plunge by others, had been made on Nightmarch's Metropolitan Handicap winning chances. Connolly instead became the horse's "campaign manager" and his training was then altered to suit the one mile of the AJC Epsom Handicap instead of the 13 furlongs of the Metropolitan Handicap. A big betting plunge succeeded then when Nightmarch won the Tattersall's Spring Handicap. A Metropolitan Handicap start agreed upon and was won by Loquacious (a sister to Windbag) with Nightmarch, who carried 9 st. 12 lbs. (75.5 kg), a ½ length away in second place. After the race Connolly received numerous threatening phone calls, some indicating possible personal injury.
Nightmarch firmed from 20-1 to 3-1 favourite before he won the AJC Epsom Handicap (carrying 9 stone 4 pounds). Following this he won the Randwick Plate, the W S Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup (after another huge betting plunge by Connolly, which netted him at least £100,000) with two pounds over weight-for-age from Phar Lap. After that, until the end of his long career, Nightmarch was seldom unplaced. In Dunedin, New Zealand Nightmarch won the James Hazlett Gold Cup and back again in New South Wales won the Rawson Stakes and AJC Autumn Stakes (defeating Amounis). During his four-year-old season he had a total of 16 starts for 8 wins, 3 seconds and 4 thirds.
...
Wikipedia