Vain (horse)
Encyclopedia
Vain was a champion Thoroughbred
racehorse that dominated Australia
n sprint racing in the period 1968–70, when he won 12 of the 14 races he contested and ran second in the other two. He then went on to become a Leading sire in Australia
.
The chestnut
colt
was sired by the leading sire, Wilkes
(FR) and his dam Elated was by the good sire Orgoglio (GB) who sired 21 stakes winners that had 37 stakes-wins. Elated was a good racemare that won 10 races, including 8 in Melbourne. Although Elated produced several foals but Vain is her only stakes winner.
. His normal jockey
was Pat Hyland, who rode him to all his wins.
in the spring of 1968 and autumn of 1969, winning races such as the VRC
Sires Produce
. Moving to Sydney
he won the STC
Golden Slipper Stakes by 4 lengths, and the AJC
Champagne Stakes
by 10 lengths, the later in the fastest time ever recorded for a two year old over 6 furlongs.
by three lengths, then campaigned in the VRC Spring Carnival
, winning over eight days the Craven 'A' Stakes by 12 lengths, the VRC Linlithgow Stakes by 6 lengths, and in his final race carried a record 10 lb
over weight-for-age in winning the 1969 George Adams Handicap. Vain set Australian prizemoney records as a two year old and three year old.
at the end of his three-year-old season, in 1970, when he was injured in a track gallop. He was placed at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley
where he sired 370 winners, between them winning almost 1,800 races. Vain sired two Golden Slipper winners and was a leading sire in Australia.
Vain sired 44 stakes-winners which had 96 stakes-wins and these included:
Vain died on 25 December 1991.
Vain was Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year
in 1969–70, and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse that dominated Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sprint racing in the period 1968–70, when he won 12 of the 14 races he contested and ran second in the other two. He then went on to become a Leading sire in Australia
Leading sire in Australia
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia for each season since 1883–84. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season.----- References :* -See also:...
.
The chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
colt
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
was sired by the leading sire, Wilkes
Wilkes (horse)
Wilkes was an French Thoroughbred racehorse who became a leading sire in Australia. He had two victories, over 1,500 metres in the Prix Sans Souci at Maisons-Laffitte and the 2,000 metres Prix Edgard de la Charm at Saint-Cloud, for 1,446,200 francs in stakes.-Breeding:He was by the successful...
(FR) and his dam Elated was by the good sire Orgoglio (GB) who sired 21 stakes winners that had 37 stakes-wins. Elated was a good racemare that won 10 races, including 8 in Melbourne. Although Elated produced several foals but Vain is her only stakes winner.
Racing career
Vain was bred and raced by Melbourne brothers Walter, Fred and George Johnson, and was trained by Jim Moloney in the Melbourne suburb of MentoneMentone, Victoria
Mentone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston...
. His normal jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
was Pat Hyland, who rode him to all his wins.
At two years
As a two year old he was undefeated in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in the spring of 1968 and autumn of 1969, winning races such as the VRC
Victoria Racing Club
The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual “race that stops a nation”, the Melbourne Cup, which was first contested in 1861.From its...
Sires Produce
VRC Sires Produce Stakes
The VRC Sires Produce Stakes is a Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race for two year olds, run at set weights, over a distance of 1400 metres, at Flemington Racecourse in March each year. The total prizemoney is A$302,000...
. Moving to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
he won the STC
Sydney Turf Club
The Sydney Turf Club was founded in 1943 and is the youngest of Australia's Principal Race Clubs. It was formed following an Act passed by the New South Wales parliament called the Sydney Turf Club Act...
Golden Slipper Stakes by 4 lengths, and the AJC
Australian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
Champagne Stakes
Champagne Stakes (Australia)
The Champagne Stakes is a Group 1 horse race in Australia for two-year-old Thoroughbreds at set weights run at Randwick Racecourse over a distance of 1,600 metres during the Sydney Autumn Carnival...
by 10 lengths, the later in the fastest time ever recorded for a two year old over 6 furlongs.
At three years
As a three year old he won the VATC Caulfield GuineasCaulfield Guineas
The Caulfield Guineas is a Melbourne Racing Club Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held over 1600 metres at set weights for three-year-old horses, held annually on the second Saturday in October and forms part of the Spring Carnival at Caulfield Racecourse. Total prize money is A$1 million...
by three lengths, then campaigned in the VRC Spring Carnival
Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival
The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is the name of a Melbourne, Australia Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually during October and November .-The Carnival and its status in the wider community:...
, winning over eight days the Craven 'A' Stakes by 12 lengths, the VRC Linlithgow Stakes by 6 lengths, and in his final race carried a record 10 lb
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
over weight-for-age in winning the 1969 George Adams Handicap. Vain set Australian prizemoney records as a two year old and three year old.
Stud record
He was retired to studHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
at the end of his three-year-old season, in 1970, when he was injured in a track gallop. He was placed at Widden Stud in the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
where he sired 370 winners, between them winning almost 1,800 races. Vain sired two Golden Slipper winners and was a leading sire in Australia.
Vain sired 44 stakes-winners which had 96 stakes-wins and these included:
- Inspired (won Golden Slipper Stakes etc.)
- Kenmark (won Caulfield Guineas etc)
- Mistress Anne (G1 VATC Oakleigh Plate and AJC The Galaxy)
- Rainbeam (STC Silver Slipper Stakes)
- Sir Dapper (Golden Slipper Stakes)
Vain died on 25 December 1991.
Vain was Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year
Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year
The Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year is awarded to the Thoroughbred horse who is voted to be the champion horse within an Australian racing season. This award is open to all racehorses racing within Australia, regardless of age and sex, and includes overseas performances.This award...
in 1969–70, and was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame
Australian Racing Hall of Fame
The Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honours the horseracing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
.