Gold Rod was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

bred chestnut

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 ...

stallion who raced in Australia from a two-year-old to a six-year-old recording 16 wins from 5 furlongs to 1¾ miles with Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee Maurice McCarten being his regular jockey.

Breeding

Gold Rod (NZ) by Chief Ruler (GB) the leading sire in New Zealand 1929-30 & 1931–32 seasons and was bred by

Thomas Lowry Thomas Lowry (February 27, 1843 – February 4, 1909) was an American lawyer, real-estate magnate, and businessman who oversaw much of the early growth of the streetcar lines in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding com ...

was a grandson of the champion mare

Desert Gold Desert Gold may refer to: * ''Geraea canescens'', a wildflower also known as Desert Sunflower * Desert Gold (horse), a New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse **Desert Gold (1919 film), ''Desert Gold'' (1919 film), an Australian film about the racehorse ...

and sold for 350 guineas to owner E.J.Watt. Dam Oreum (NZ) produced Gold Rod and Pure Gold who produced Gold Trail winner of the 1933 Clifford Plate and 1934

Auckland Cup The Auckland Cup is an annual race held by the Auckland Racing Club (ARC). It is an Open Handicap for thoroughbred racehorses competed on the flat turf over 3200 metres (two miles) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. The race was ...

Owner E.J.Watt (1873 - 1942) was a member of the Australian Jockey Club committee and raced extensively in New Zealand before transferring his interests to Australia and owned the Darr River Downs property near

Longreach, Queensland Longreach is a town and a locality in the Longreach Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the Longreach Regional Council, which was established in 2008 as a merger of the former Longreach, Ilfracombe, and Isisfor ...

and the Boombee property at

Molong Molong is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Cabonne Shire. History The name Molong comes from the Aboriginal word for 'all rocks'. William Lee of Kelso is said to have had cattle in the area by 1819. ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

he was also a director of Union Theatres Investments Ltd. Notable horses owned were Mountain Knight 1914

AJC Derby AJC may refer to: * Agreement on Journey Continuation, an agreement between European rail operators to allow passengers in case of a missed connection * Allen Jack+Cottier (AJ+C), an architectural practice * American Jewish Committee, an advocacy ...

, 1915

AJC St Leger The AJC St Leger is an historical Australian Turf Club Thoroughbred horse race run over 2,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia run under set weights with penalties for stayers three - years and older. History The AJC St L ...

VRC St Leger The VRC St Leger is a Listed Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run at set weights with penalties, over a distance of 2800 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia on ANZAC Day. History First run in 1857, the race was ...

, Waikare 1934

Metropolitan Handicap The Metropolitan Handicap, frequently called the "Met Mile", is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile (8 fu ...

and Mildura 1940 and 1941

Doncaster Handicap The Doncaster Mile, registered as the Doncaster Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred handicap race for horses three years old and older, held over 1,600 metres at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia. Although the ...

. Gold Rod was purchased later in his career by W.H.Russell from

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established ...

for stud duties but died at sea in transit to New Zealand in 1946.

Racing career

Gold Rod raced between 1935 -1940 in an era of champions

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

High Caste High Caste was a Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion that was bred in New Zealand and was considered the best two-year-old in New Zealand after winning three of his four race starts. He was a good racehorse under handicap and weight for age con ...

and

Beau Vite Beau Vite was a New Zealand-bred brown Thoroughbred Stallion, who developed into a grand stayer performing in New Zealand and Australia and raced from a two-year-old to a five-year-old on wet or dry tracks recording 31 wins from 5 furlongs to ...

winning major W.F.A and Handicap races in Sydney and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

with classic mile wins in the 1937 AJC

Epsom Handicap The Epsom Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, under handicap conditions over a distance of 1,600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in early October. Prize money ...

and 1939 AJC

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney racegoers as headquarter ...

and defeated dual W. S. Cox Plate winner Young Idea in the 1938

Hill Stakes The Hill Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race run at Weight for Age over a distance of 2000 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in September. Total prize money for the race is A$1,000,000. History 1921 ...

. Trainer George Price was a former leading jockey in New Zealand his stables were located at Prince Street, Randwick, and had a reputation for integrity and the preparation and management of his horses with major success with Windbag 1925

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melb ...

, Beaulivre 1940

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

, Mildura 1940

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 ...

also 1940 & 1941

and Ballymena 1923

who defeated the champion Gloaming in the 1924

and the historic win by Spear Chief defeating the champion

at 40 to 1 on in the 1939

Rawson Stakes The Ranvet Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of 2,000 metres, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in March. Total prize money is A$7 ...

, stopping Ajax from equalling a record of nineteen consecutive wins. Gold Rod's racing record: 46 starts for 16 wins, 5 seconds, 7 thirds

Image Gallery

File:E. J. Watt and jockey Maurice McCarten at Randwick races, 29 March 1937.jpg, Maurice McCarten & E.J. Watt. File:George Price and Jockey E. McMenamin, 3 November 1937.jpg, George Price & jockey Ted McMenamin. File:Gold Rod 1935 AJC Breeders Plate Jockey Maurice McCarten.jpg, Gold Rod and Maurice McCarten. File:1939_AJC_CRAVEN_PLATE_RACEBOOK_P1.jpg, 1939 AJC Craven Plate racebook front cover. File:1939_AJC_CRAVEN_PLATE_RACEBOOK_P2.jpg, 1939 AJC Craven Plate showing Gold Rod placed 3rd.

References

{{Reflist Racehorses bred in New Zealand Racehorses trained in Australia 1933 racehorse births Thoroughbred family 2-g 1946 racehorse deaths