Edward Baker (1872 – 12 July 1936) was a publican and racehorse owner and breeder in South Australia.
History
Baker was the fourth son of Amos Baker (died 1916) of
Towitta, South Australia
Towitta is a locality in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia at the foot of the eastern side of the Mount Lofty Ranges. It is a rural community dominated by growing cereal grain crops. Its name is taken from ''Tewitty'', the native name o ...
.
He was a highly regarded cricket and football player, an excellent shot with a rifle, and fine athlete, having won several hurdles and "Sheffield Handicap" races.
He became licensee of the Bath Hotel, Norwood in March 1901, and ran it profitably to 1926, living at the Globe Hotel, Kensington of which his wife was licensee. He also had the Bedford Hotel, Woodside, which he also relinquished in 1926, having decided to concentrate on racehorse breeding, having already had several notable successes.
Around 1911 Baker began horse racing with Alarm, who won the 1911 Alderman Cup, and Pendulus and later Peace Day, the progeny of Pendulus, who won the Goodwood Handicap in 1921.
He became a committee member of the Licensed Victuallers' Racing Club.
Buoyed by such successes, and more interested in breeding than racing, he sold up his hotel interests and opened a stud at
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
, which he named Erin Vale.
He imported the mare Stormy Day and the
Hurry On
Hurry On (7 May 1913 – 1936) was an undefeated British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire that revived the Matchem sire line.Leicester, Sir Charles, "Bloodstock Breeding", J.A. Allen & Co, London, 1969 English trainer Fred Darling called Hurry On ...
horse Prestongrange, who sired Preston Lad and Preston Day.
Moongarra was another likely thoroughbred emerging from the stud.
Baker did not enjoy the expected success in the blood horse market — several dry seasons had resulted in a depression in the racing industry, as had a Government clampdown on racecourse gambling.
He returned to hotel management in 1934, with the John Bull Hotel,
Currie Street, Adelaide
Currie Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map of the
College Park.
Family
Baker married Gertrude Constance Harrold (1888– ) on 20 October 1910. They had at least one son:
*Horace Lancelot Baker (14 January 1918 – )
She married again in April 1938, to Dr Alfred Alexander Smith (c. 1863 – 17 September 1939), his second wife. She was later licensee Grenfell Hotel
Grenfell Street, Adelaide
Grenfell Street () is a major street in the north-east quarter of the Adelaide city centre, South Australia. The street runs west-east from King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street to East Terrace. On the other side of King William St ...