Bernborough (1939–1960) was an outstanding Australian-bred

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. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse who competed from 1941 to 1946. He carried heavy weights in 15 consecutive wins that included the

Doomben 10,000 The Doomben 10,000 is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred Weight for Age horse race, run over a distance of 1200 metres at Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane, Australia during the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival. Total prize money is A$ ...

while carrying 10 stone 5 pounds. Bernborough was foaled at Rosalie Plains near the township of Oakey in the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. The bay

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

was by the good sire Emborough (GB) from Bern Maid by Bernard (GB), who was the paternal grandson of

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

, winner of the English Triple Crown in 1918.

Racing record

Bernborough 1946 Tatts Chelmsford Stakes Randwick Racecourse Jockey Athol Mulley Trainer Harry Plant

Bernborough first raced under the ownership of A.E.Hadwin. A Queensland trainer, J. Roberts, then leased the horse. He came to prominence racing at Toowoomba's Clifford Park when ridden to his first six wins by Les Watterson. Bernborough only raced at

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...

in Queensland as he was barred from racing at metropolitan tracks because of ownership doubts.Ahnert, Rainer L. (Ed. in Chief), “Thoroughbred Breeding of the World”, Pozdun Publishing, Germany, 1970 His racing colours were orange, purple sleeves, and black cap. His trainer was Harry Plant. When he was six years old, he was moved to Sydney and following his sale to A.O. Romano for 2,600 guineas, his nominations were accepted. Then he began a winning streak of 15 races. His wins included the

Newmarket Handicap The Newmarket Handicap is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred open handicap horse race over a distance of 1200 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on Super Saturday in March during the VRC Autumn Racing Carnival. Prize ...

at Flemington carrying 9 st 13 lb (63 kg) and the Doomben Cup under 10 st 11 lb (68 kg). He started 37 times for 26 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third. On 2 November 1946, Bernborough had his last race in the

LKS MacKinnon Stakes The VRC Champions Stakes, registered as the ''LKS Mackinnon Stakes'', is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under Weight for Age conditions over a distance of 2000 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on ...

. Challenging for the lead just after entering the home straight, he suffered torn sesamoid ligaments and had to be pulled up. The great mare

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

, who had finished second to Bernborough on many occasions, went on to win.

1946 racebook

Image:1946 AJC Warwick Stakes Racebook P1.jpg, Front cover of the 1946 AJC Warwick Stakes racebook. Image:1946 AJC Warwick Stakes Racebook P2.jpg, Inside cover showing raceday officials. Image:1946 AJC Warwick Stakes Racebook P3.jpg, Starters and results of the 1946 Warwick Stakes showing the winner, Bernborough. Image:1946 AJC Warwick Stakes Racebook P4.jpg, Back cover showing charges at the entrance gates.

Stud record

After recovering from his injuries, Bernborough was sold for a large sum to movie producer

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1882 or 1884 or 1885 – October 29, 1957) was a Canadian-American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios (MGM) in 1924. Under Mayer's management, MGM became the film industr ...

for stud duties in the USA, where he went on to moderate success as a stallion at

Spendthrift Farm Spendthrift Farm is a thoroughbred race horse breeding farm and burial site in Lexington, Kentucky, currently owned by Eric & Tammy Gustavson. It was founded by Leslie Combs II and named for the great stallion Spendthrift, who was owned by Combs' ...

in Lexington, Kentucky. Here he sired the winners of more than $4,500,000 in prize money and was placed high on the Leading sire in North America list. Bernborough's progeny included: * Berseem, champion American sprinter * Bernwood, established a new world record, 1 min. 33.8 seconds, for a mile.Pring, Peter; "Analysis of Champion Racehorses", The Thoroughbred Press, Sydney, 1977, * First Aid, won the

Whitney Handicap The Whitney Stakes (run as the Whitney Handicap through 2013 and still sometimes referred to as such) is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and older run at a distance of miles. The current purse is $1, ...

and $223,527 * Hook Money, sire of Shandon Belle (won

Irish 1,000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled ...

)

Honours

Bernborough was one of the five inaugural inductees into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, alongside other turf notables

Carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighte ...

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial u ...

, Kingston Town, and Tulloch. He is commemorated in the township of Oakey with a life-size bronze statue located outside the Jondaryan Council chambers. In 1978, he was honoured on a

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

issued by Australia Post.Image of stamp
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References

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External links