Ajax was a champion Australian bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, who won 18 consecutive races before he was defeated at the odds of 40/1 on, causing a huge racing sensation. He had wins from 5 furlongs (1,000 m) to 1+1⁄2 miles (2,400 m), equalled the Australasian record for one mile (1,600 m), and created three new race records. At stud in Australia, Ajax proved to be a good sire. He was then sold as a 14-year-old horse and exported to the United States before he was later sold to Bing Crosby and Lin Howard. Ajax was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Breeding
Ajax was a chestnut colt bred by Alfred Thompson and E.L. Balllieu that was foaled in 1934 at the Widden Stud in the Denman, New South Wales area. He was by the racehorse and sire Heroic, and his dam, Medmenham (IRE), was by Prince Galahad (GB), who won the Dewhurst Stakes. Medmenham was a race winner in Australia after her importation and was the dam of two other winners in Humorist and Hesione (won AJC Gimcrack Stakes, Maribyrnong Plate and VRC Ascot Vale (2yo) Stakes).[1] Ajax was inbred to Cyllene (4m x 4m x 4f) and also to Martagon (4m x 4f) in the fourth generation of his pedigree.[2]
1938 racebook
1938 W S Cox Plate racebook front cover
1938 W S Cox Plate showing raceday officials
1938 W S Cox Plate showing the winner, Ajax
1938 W S Cox Plate starters and results
Back cover showing railway & entrance charges
Frank Musgrave, trainerAjax & Harold Badger Randwick 1938Ajax & Harold Badger, Randwick 1939
Racing record
Ajax was ridden by Victoria's leading jockey and Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee, the diminutive Harold Badger, in 37 races for 30 wins, five seconds, and two-thirds.[3]
At two years: 1936–1937
In his first two starts, Ajax won the Holiday Stakes (5½ furlongs) and the Federal Stakes.[4] He was then unplaced for the only time in his career, in the VRC Sires Produce Stakes. Ajax next finished second to Caesar in the Ascot Vale Stakes before he returned to New South Wales for wins in the AJC Sires Produce Stakes (defeating Caesar by five lengths and setting a new race record) and the AJC Champagne Stakes from Hua by two lengths.[5]
At three years: 1937–1938
Ajax commenced his three-year-old season by winning the VATC Chatsworth Plate and then the Rosehill Guineas in a new race record time. In the AJC Derby he was defeated, by a length, by Avenger, to whom he had conceded two stone (12.7 kg). Taken to Melbourne, he won the Caulfield Guineas in another race record time, from Avenger and Hua, only to lose the Victoria Derby by half a head from Hua.[5]
The above placings were followed by Ajax's eighteen consecutive victories:
25 February 1939 VATC Futurity Stakes, for the second time, with 10 stone 6 pounds (66 kg)
9 March 1939 VRC King's Plate in which he started at the odds of 16/1 on
11 March 1939 VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes in which he started at the odds of 20/1 on[6]
Ajax's regular jockey, Harold Badger
He was best remembered for winning these 18 consecutive races and for being defeated at his next start in the 1939 Rawson Stakes at 40/1 on, in a three-horse race where he went down to Spear Chief by half a length.[6][7]
A fortnight later, Ajax returned to the winning list in the AJC All Aged Plate and three days later won the CW Cropper Plate for the second time. He finished his four-year-old season with 15 starts for 14 wins and 1 second.[5]
At five years: 1939–1940
Ajax won his first two five-year-old race starts: the Williamstown Underwood Stakes and Memsie Stakes. In the autumn, he ran third to High Caste and Manrico in the C F Orr Stakes and was defeated by a head by High Caste in the VATC George Stakes. He carried 10 stone 5 pounds in the VATC Futurity Stakes to win the race for the third time, defeating High Caste, to whom he conceded 13 pounds. Ajax was a 12 to 1 on when he won the VRC King's Plate. He finished third carrying 9.1 (57.5 kg) from Amiable with 8.12 (56.3 kg) and High Caste with 8.6 (53.5 kg) in the CM Lloyd Stakes. Two further victories in the A.J.C. All-Aged Plate and C. W. Cropper Plate provided the finale to his five-year-old season.[5]
At six years: 1940
As a six-year-old, Ajax again won the Memsie Stakes, Melbourne Stakes and the Underwood Stakes, again for the third time. He was second by half a neck to favourite Beau Vite in the 1940 W. S. Cox Plate and also finished second to High Caste in the Caulfield Stakes.[5][8]
Racing summary
Ajax won the All Aged Stakes, Memsie Stakes, Futurity Stakes, and Underwood Stakes three times each and the 1938 Cox Plate. His record was 46 starts for 36 wins, 7 seconds, and 2 thirds for prize money of £40,250. Ajax is the shortest-priced favourite ever defeated in Australia.[6] In the 1939 Rawson Stakes, he started as 40 to 1 on favourite and was defeated by Spear Chief by half a length.
Stud record
He was retired to stud during 1941 to the Widden Valley region of the upper Hunter Region. Ajax was a prolific sire that produced nine individual stakes winners including these good horses:
In 1948, he was sold as a 14-year-old horse to the United States of America for 13,000 guineas to Mr W.J. Smith, who later resold him to Messrs. Bing Crosby and Lin Howard. Ajax did not meet with the same stud success in America that he had in Australia, but he did sire Avracado $71,813, Trebor Yug $19,420, and A. Jaxson $11,444.[10]
^ abBarrie, Douglas M., Valley of Champions, Halstead Press, Sydney, 1960, p.46-47
^Morris Simon; Tesio Power 2000 - Stallions of the World, Syntax Software
^"Harold Badger". Racing Victoria Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
^Hutchinson, Garrie (editor); Carlyon, Les (introduction), 1999, They're Racing: The Complete Story of Australian Racing, Viking, Melbourne, ISBN0-670-88502-9, p.138
^ abcdefPring, Peter; Analysis of Champion Racehorses, The Thoroughbred Press, Sydney, 1977, ISBN0-908133-00-6, p. 316-321
^ abcBarrie, Douglas M., The Australian Bloodhorse, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1956, p. 412-413
