3 minute read

Sires standing at leading Hunter Valley stud farm Arrowfield broke some new ground last weekend when they supplied two of the winners at the race meeting held on King Island, located in Bass Strait half way between Victoria and Tasmania.

It is doubtful that the Arrowfield sires have had much presence on the picturesque 64 km long, 26 km wide island that sits 145 km of the Tasmanian coast.

Boasting a population of about 1500, King Island was settled nearly 200 years ago and was used as a soldier settlement after World War 2.

It is renowned for the produce of its beef, sheep and dairy farms and also boasts a fishing industry, sand and scheelite mines and new championship golf courses that are certain to boost tourism.

Horse racing has been held on King Island since 1892 when the winner’s cheque was paid in wallaby skins.

The value is not much higher now with each race last Saturday valued at $2300 ($1495 for first), but there were 30 runners including two winners by the Arrowfield sires Manhattan Rain (Wall Street Vixen) and Mr America (All American).

Mr America, trained on the King Island by Ron Crack, has won four races on the small grass track which is the venue for the annual racing carnival that covers seven race meetings from November to January and also includes standardbred events.

Stewards, jockeys and bookmakers fly in from Tasmania and Victoria.

Mr. America’s dam Glorianna is an unraced King Cugat mare bred by Gerry Harvey and now located at Lincoln Farm Stud at Murrurundi ion the Hunter Valley.

Glorianna is a half-sister to the dams of stakes winners The Travellingman, Unanimously and British Lion from Glory Girl, a Best Western winner of the G2 Tea Rose Stakes winner and second in the G1 Flight Stakes and G1 Orlando Wines Classic.

Mr America and Arrowfield-bred Wall Street Vixen are among about 80 thoroughbreds trained on King Island.

Wal Street Vixen, trained by Robert Keysstarted off in Hobart and has won two of her three King Island appearances.

Wall Street Vixen cost $16,000 at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast.

She is from Ready Magic, a non-winning daughter of More Than Ready and Tennessee Magic, a brilliant Bletchingly filly related to Snitzerland and Mirror Mirror.

Mirror Mirror, a Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner, is the dam of G1 placed No Looking Back, dam of the Snitzel colt which topped this year’s Magic Millions Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast at $1.6 million.