Kangaroo Flat's Champion, Glideaway - a star of the 1920's
The Bendigo region has been producing equine champions for more than a century and BHRC's committeeman and local harness racing historian Noel Ridge has shone the spotlight on the deeds of the outstanding Kangaroo Flat mare, Glideaway.
Glideaway commenced her racing career in 1923.
Owned, trained and driven by Kangaroo Flat butcher Alf Petherick, she registered her first win at Ballarat. The same year she a registered a win at Rochester.
Her 1927 win in the Kerang Cup, over 1 ¼ miles was off a handicap of 96 yards.
Further wins were recorded at Kyneton, and Marong. It was her double
hat-trick of wins at the metropolitan track at Richmond that demonstrated her versatility, and brilliance. The six wins at Richmond were recorded over a mile, 13 furlongs and two miles.
Over this time she accumulated 2285 pounds in stake money, 645 pounds in the 1928 season. As stake money in Victoria at that time was very poor, many local horses, including the champion Huntly trotter Grand Voyage, and the Baringhup (Maldon) pacer Adelaide Direct were taken to New Zealand to race. Gideaway was leased by Alf Petherick to Bill Tomkinson, a trainer from Rochester who took a team of horses including Alex Hunter’s Happy Voyage to New Zealand. In 1929 at the age of 11, Glideaway won the Otahuhu Cup worth 1000 pounds at Alexandra Park in Auckland, and the Dunedin Cup at Forbury Park. On returning to Bendigo, she won two races at Richmond in 1930 and another in 1932. Alf Petherick reputedly built the home at 181 High St Kangaroo Flat with the earnings of Glideaway. The track he constructed and used to train his horse was located near the present Collins Street industrial estate, at the end of what is now Petherick St, off Lockwood Rd in Kangaroo Flat.
Gold, Goats and Peppercorns
David G Horsfall; 1993
Glideaway according to a local joke had no option but to become a champion pacer because she was owned by a butcher. Truth is there was not much
chance of her ever ending up as dog’s meat for she was just as superb in appearance as she was in performance. Apart from that, World War 1 veteran Alf
Petherick who bred her, owned her and trained her had a great regard for her. There was something quite majestic about this queen of the track.
Albert Danson for one has vivid memories of her comings and goings. He said she was trained in that part of the Flat then known as Pethericks but now as Collins St, and her stable and yards were in Carpenter St. “What a pleasant sight it was to see that beautiful mare arrive home in
her special car on the train from Melbourne the morning after competing in the Richmond trots the previous day,” he recalled. “She would step from her car onto the platform like a queen, with Alf Petherick leading her. She was followed by the guard with her sulky. ”
She lived up to her appearance in all respects despite having an unregistered “*buggy horse” as her dam. Her sire was the imported stallion
Directway who was responsible for some other good horses, including the New Zealand Cup winner Adelaide Direct. The Kangaroo Flat butcher started racing her in January of 1923 and had some remarkable success with her. By the time she was
leased to famous trainer W.J. (Bill) Tomkinson and taken to New Zealand in September of 1927, she had won **£2430 in stake money.
The Sporting Globe, in a report tinged with awe, told how she had won both the Flying and Richmond Handicaps on the same day. The Sun,
in December 1927, reported that no part of Victoria has played such an important part in the history of trotting as Bendigo. Horses from the
surrounding districts have won all the important traces in Victoria, and many in other States and N.Z. “At the Richmond trotting meeting on November 21 three races were credited to the Golden City, including a double by the Directway mare Glideaway. Yesterday, Glideaway was again to the fore, and she won the Richmond Handicap of two miles, while Some Quality, who was bred in Bendigo, won a division of the Association Handicap.”
Glideaway’ s Victorian achievements may have been great, but they were nothing when compared with her winnings in New Zealand where harness racing was free of the impediments it faced in Victoria, and the stakes were greater. In her first four months in New
Zealand she had won £2430and two cups, Otahuhu and Dunedin) which was more than she had earned by winning many more races in Victoria over a period not far short of five years. She was back in Australia again in 1930 and in October of 1932 the Sun reported that the 14-year-old
champion had won £5100 and was back in Australia for a year. She has just won the Richmond Handicap at Ascot. *In fact the dam was Miss Oscombe, by Oscombe a son of Harold Osterley.
** Currency conversion: 100 pounds Australian in 1928 would be worth $7000 today
Glideaway’s approximate earnings converted: £2430 in 1927 = $168,000 today
£5100 in 1932 = $375,000 today - A total of $543,000 in today’s currency
Glideaway commenced her racing career in 1923.
Owned, trained and driven by Kangaroo Flat butcher Alf Petherick, she registered her first win at Ballarat. The same year she a registered a win at Rochester.
Her 1927 win in the Kerang Cup, over 1 ¼ miles was off a handicap of 96 yards.
Further wins were recorded at Kyneton, and Marong. It was her double
hat-trick of wins at the metropolitan track at Richmond that demonstrated her versatility, and brilliance. The six wins at Richmond were recorded over a mile, 13 furlongs and two miles.
Over this time she accumulated 2285 pounds in stake money, 645 pounds in the 1928 season. As stake money in Victoria at that time was very poor, many local horses, including the champion Huntly trotter Grand Voyage, and the Baringhup (Maldon) pacer Adelaide Direct were taken to New Zealand to race. Gideaway was leased by Alf Petherick to Bill Tomkinson, a trainer from Rochester who took a team of horses including Alex Hunter’s Happy Voyage to New Zealand. In 1929 at the age of 11, Glideaway won the Otahuhu Cup worth 1000 pounds at Alexandra Park in Auckland, and the Dunedin Cup at Forbury Park. On returning to Bendigo, she won two races at Richmond in 1930 and another in 1932. Alf Petherick reputedly built the home at 181 High St Kangaroo Flat with the earnings of Glideaway. The track he constructed and used to train his horse was located near the present Collins Street industrial estate, at the end of what is now Petherick St, off Lockwood Rd in Kangaroo Flat.
Gold, Goats and Peppercorns
David G Horsfall; 1993
Glideaway according to a local joke had no option but to become a champion pacer because she was owned by a butcher. Truth is there was not much
chance of her ever ending up as dog’s meat for she was just as superb in appearance as she was in performance. Apart from that, World War 1 veteran Alf
Petherick who bred her, owned her and trained her had a great regard for her. There was something quite majestic about this queen of the track.
Albert Danson for one has vivid memories of her comings and goings. He said she was trained in that part of the Flat then known as Pethericks but now as Collins St, and her stable and yards were in Carpenter St. “What a pleasant sight it was to see that beautiful mare arrive home in
her special car on the train from Melbourne the morning after competing in the Richmond trots the previous day,” he recalled. “She would step from her car onto the platform like a queen, with Alf Petherick leading her. She was followed by the guard with her sulky. ”
She lived up to her appearance in all respects despite having an unregistered “*buggy horse” as her dam. Her sire was the imported stallion
Directway who was responsible for some other good horses, including the New Zealand Cup winner Adelaide Direct. The Kangaroo Flat butcher started racing her in January of 1923 and had some remarkable success with her. By the time she was
leased to famous trainer W.J. (Bill) Tomkinson and taken to New Zealand in September of 1927, she had won **£2430 in stake money.
The Sporting Globe, in a report tinged with awe, told how she had won both the Flying and Richmond Handicaps on the same day. The Sun,
in December 1927, reported that no part of Victoria has played such an important part in the history of trotting as Bendigo. Horses from the
surrounding districts have won all the important traces in Victoria, and many in other States and N.Z. “At the Richmond trotting meeting on November 21 three races were credited to the Golden City, including a double by the Directway mare Glideaway. Yesterday, Glideaway was again to the fore, and she won the Richmond Handicap of two miles, while Some Quality, who was bred in Bendigo, won a division of the Association Handicap.”
Glideaway’ s Victorian achievements may have been great, but they were nothing when compared with her winnings in New Zealand where harness racing was free of the impediments it faced in Victoria, and the stakes were greater. In her first four months in New
Zealand she had won £2430and two cups, Otahuhu and Dunedin) which was more than she had earned by winning many more races in Victoria over a period not far short of five years. She was back in Australia again in 1930 and in October of 1932 the Sun reported that the 14-year-old
champion had won £5100 and was back in Australia for a year. She has just won the Richmond Handicap at Ascot. *In fact the dam was Miss Oscombe, by Oscombe a son of Harold Osterley.
** Currency conversion: 100 pounds Australian in 1928 would be worth $7000 today
Glideaway’s approximate earnings converted: £2430 in 1927 = $168,000 today
£5100 in 1932 = $375,000 today - A total of $543,000 in today’s currency
