David Hains, one of Australia's leading racehorse owners and breeders, and who, along with Thoroughbred lovers around the nation, cheered home his wonder horse Kingston Town, passed-away aged 92 earlier this year.
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By champion Australian sire Bletchingly, Kingstown Town was awarded 1980 Australian Horse Of The Year, was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame, and is honoured at Ascot in Perth with a group one race named the Kingston Town Classic, an 1800 metre event which he won as the Western Mail Classic in 1982.
Winning 16 races and five places from 23 starts, Kingston Town won three successive MVRC W S Cox Plates, three AJC Warwick Stakes, two George Main Stakes and Caulfield Stakes (all group one races today), among his 14 group one race wins from 1600 to 2400 metres.
Mr Hains established the renowned Kingston Park Stud on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, in the early 1970s, which became a breeding ground for numerous talented gallopers.
In 1975 he imported two celebrated Italian-bred mares, Ursula Lauderdale and Ada Hunter. While Ada Hunter (by Ribot's French foaled Andrea Mantegna) produced Kingston Town, she was also the dam of the champion's dual group winning full-brother Private Thoughts, a black stallion which sired four times stakes winner Jolly Good Thought.
By Hyperion grandson Claude, Ursula Lauderdale produced champion filly Lowan Star, a winner of nine stakes, including the Queensland and AJC Oaks-G1.
"Kingston" became a trade-mark name of numerous horses which were connected to the Kingston Park property, Better Boy mare Kingston Rose being among these. The mare produced three stakes winners, including champion fillies Rose Of Kingston and Spirit Of Kingston.
By Claude (which spent two stud seasons in Australia in the late 1970s), Rose Of Kingston produced two group winners, including Mr Hains' 1990 record-breaking Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule.
By Bletchingly, Spirit Of Kingston produced 1996 VRC Derby-G1 winner Portland Player.
Interestingly, young stallions and three-quarter-brothers Farnan (at Kia Ora Stud, Scone) and Sandbar (Kooringal Stud, Wagga Wagga) are descendants of Ursula Lauderdale, via her granddaughter Salamore, which is a sister to Kingston Heritage (winner of six Melbourne stakes).
Flying Artie Victoria bound
New stakes winner Fierce Flight and seasoned Artorius have shone a spotlight on their sire Flying Artie recently, who is set to continue his stud career at Blue Gum Farm in Victoria.
Fierce Flight became Flying Artie's fifth stakes winner when taking the Hawke's Bay Cup-LR in New Zealand on Saturday, while Artorius added the ATC Canterbury Stakes-G1 to his international race record when winning at Rosehill last month.
Standing his first six seasons at Newgate Farm at Aberdeen, Flying Artie represents a unique sireline to Northern Dancer's iconic Sadler's Wells via his outstanding US-based stallion son El Prado. Flying Artie is by El Prado's US-bred import Artie Schiller which found stud success when standing in Victoria.
Winning 10 races, including seven stakes, one being the US Breeders' Cup Mile-G1 (from 22 starts), Artie Schiller has sired 14 Australian stakes winners, prominently dual group one winner Flying Artie, as well as Gooree Stud's Rosehill Guineas winner Laser Hawk.
The Euroa district located Blue Gum Farm is under new ownership of Jason and Mel Stanning (Trilogy Racing) and Sean and Cathy Dingwall and will stand the brown horse by arrangement with Newgate Farm.
Vale John Brien
Former president of the Coonamble Jockey Club (CJC), John Brien, who lent his time to the betterment of country racing as well as local community projects, passed away at age 77 in Sydney recently.
Mr Brien was widely known as a respected stock and station agent through his family's company - AJF Brien & Sons of Coonamble and was one of the founding members of the RMA network. While being involved in several sporting clubs, Mr Brien served two terms as president of the CJC until 2005, as well as being among board members of the Western Districts Racing Association.