Gloaming (horse)

Breeding

He was a robust bay gelding standing 15 hands 3 inches high with a good length of rein. Gloaming was sired by the good imported racehorse and sire, The Welkin (GB) out of the unplaced mare, Light (GB), by the good sire, Eager. His paternal grandsire was the English Triple Crown champion, Flying Fox. Gloaming was a brother to seven other named horses, all by The Welkin, including Gloaming's Sister (won AJC Kirkham Stakes), but none were nearly so successful as him. Light was inbred in the third generation (3x3) to Sterling.

Gloaming was sold as a yearling in 1916 for 230 guineas to Mr H. Chisholm acting on behalf of George D. Greenwood, of Teviotdale in the Canterbury Region, New Zealand. Following the sale he made his first of 15 crossings of the Tasman Sea.

Racing record

Gloaming had a long career, racing from age three to nine years, which included victories over other champion racehorses such as Desert Gold, Beauford, Kennaquhair, Whittier and The Hawk. He was successful at distances from four furlongs to a mile and a half.

He was put into work as a two-year-old, but became shin-sore, and was gelded before being spelled. In June 1918 he was shipped to Sydney, after he had showed promise in track work in New Zealand.

At three years: 1918-19

At his first start, in the Sydney Tattersall's Chelmsford Stakes, over nine furlongs, he ran a race record time to defeat a class field that included the imported five-year-old Rebus and Kennaquhair. This was the first time this race had been won by a three-year-old having their first start. In his first season's racing Gloaming went on to win three Derbies, the AJC Australian Derby, the New Zealand Derby Stakes, and also the Great Northern Derby in New Zealand. In addition he

At four years: 1919-20

Gloaming won all but one of his starts during this season. All of his starts for this season are listed below:

At five years: 1920-21

As a five-year-old Gloaming had 15 race starts and won all of them including these principal races:

At six years: 1921-22

As a six-year-old Gloaming had 12 race starts and won all but one, in which he ran second. The principal races he won were:

At seven years: 1922-23

As a seven-year-old Gloaming had 5 starts for 3 wins and 2 seconds. The principal races he won were:

At eight years: 1923-24

As an eight-year-old Gloaming had 5 starts for 4 wins and 1 second. The principal races he won were:

At nine years: 1924-25

As a nine-year-old Gloaming had 10 starts for 8 wins and 2 seconds. The principal races he won were:

Summary

Gloaming had 67 race starts, won 57 (including 39 Principal Races) and was second 9 times. Gloaming fell in his only other race start, at barrier rise in the North Island Challenge Stakes which was a race he later won three times. When he retired he was the leading Australian racing stakes winner. He was the first horse to defeat the great mare, Desert Gold over a mile and he still holds the Australasian record of 45 seconds for four furlongs. He jointly holds the Australasian record with Black Caviar and Desert Gold (whom he met five times and defeated each time, except once) of 19 successive wins.

When Gloaming was retired from the turf to his owner's property at Teviotdale, he was the leading stakes-winner in Australasia with fifty-seven wins and £43,100 in prize-money.

Honours

Gloaming has had his portrait painted by the noted equine artist, Martin Stainforth and it was reproduced in Racehorses in Australia.

Gloaming was one of five inaugural inductees into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame, alongside the other four turf immortals Carbine, Kindergarten, Phar Lap and Sunline. The Group Three Gloaming Stakes (1,800m) contested at Sydney's Rosehill Gardens Racecourse is named in his honour.