The Five…
Saints connections to horse racing.
1. Saintly.
As any St Kilda fan would attest, 1997 will be remembered forever as the year we almost but didn’t quite win a premiership. More recently, 2009 and 2010 have assumed that mantle but a powerful second half of the season meant the Saints went in to the 1997 finals series as the hot premiership favourite. We all know that didn’t pan out but a tiny bit of consolation came 10 months earlier in what many St Kilda fans would have taken up as an omen bet.
A horse named Saintly dominated the spring racing carnival winning both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup, becoming just the fourth horse to win both prestigious races in the one year. While the Saints might not have won the ultimate football prize, the gelding dubbed ‘The Horse From Heaven’ ensured some silverware in the mid 90s.
2. The ultimate all-rounder.
Simon O’Donnell was one of the last men to have achieved the rare double of being an international cricketer as well as a VFL/AFL footballer. He will be remembered more for his cricket deeds than his 24 games for St Kilda, but he also has a claim to be a significant player in a third sport as the owner of OTI Bloodstock – a thoroughbred partnership. The group has produced 10 Melbourne Cup runners with six top 10 finishes. O’Donnell was also a long-time commentator for Channel 9’s racing coverage as well as its cricket coverage.
3. The Doc.
Darrel Baldock had a knack of finding success in every endeavour he pursued. In 119 games over six seasons, Baldock established himself as one of the greatest players ever to play for St Kilda. This was after he had played state level cricket for Tasmania and before he became a Tasmanian Member of Parliament. But in amongst all these achievements was Baldock’s passion for horse racing. Baldock had the impressive record of training four Devonport Cup winners between 1982 and 2004. Decades before Baldock’s arrival at St Kilda, another Saints legend David McNamara was also a prominent horse trainer after finishing his decorated football career.
4. Big Red…white and black.
OK, this one is a bit tenuous but in keeping with the great Australian tradition of claiming New Zealand legends we will go with it. The greatest horse in Australasian history dominated the sporting landscape throughout the country throughout 1929 and 1930. At the peak of his powers, Jim Pike rode Phar Lap for 27 wins in 30 occasions, wearing a red jacket with white and black hoops for the bulk of those races. Another jockey Bill Elliott had a perfect seven wins from seven starts, also wearing the famous three colour combo of the Saints. In later years other jockeys wore a variation with green hoops. Another legendary New Zealand horse Tulloch is remembered as one of the greatest horses of all-time, winning the Cox Plate, VRC Derby and Caulfield Cup among other major wins. On each occasion his jockey’s silks were proudly red, white and black.
5. The man behind the scenes
Gerry Ryan might not be a face recognisable to most Saints fans but he is a vital figure in the club’s history. The former Saints director and one-time vice-president has been a long time emotional and financial supporter of his beloved red, white and black. The founder and managing director of Jayco has a number of sporting interests including the Melbourne Storm and cycling team Orica-GreenEDGE. But his connection to the sport of kings reached its peak when a horse he owned called Americain saluted at the 2010 Melbourne Cup, upsetting hot favourites So You Think and Shocking.
