Racing: Jumper's victory recalls weight carrying records

Kevin Cullen unsaddles Shifnal Chief after winning the 1974 Founder's Plate at Avondale. Photo / File

Black And Bent's 73.5kg weight-carrying record in Adelaide on Saturday brought up some interesting issues.

The marvellous Australian jumper beat the previous winning metric record of 73kg in winning the 3100m Leslie Short Hurdle at Morphettville.

To put it in perspective the race had a 64kg minimum and Black And Bent carried 8.5kg more than the next in the handicap.

Weight-carrying records are rare because these days horses are not asked to lump the weights of even 20 years ago.

Most believe it's because the thoroughbred breed has become much finer and there is certainly an element of truth in that.

It might have been only maiden status Pogue broke at New Plymouth on Saturday, but the victory had huge significance when it comes to weight carrying.

Rider Opie Bosson wore the same yellow jacket, with a Cameron tartan band, that Shifnal Chief carried to win the 1975 Railway Handicap at Ellerslie under Bob Skelton and a huge 59kg.

Pogue is owned by Jackie and Graeme Cameron and trained by Graeme, a son of Shifnal Chief's owner and trainer, the late Ian Cameron.

"Yes, that's the same jacket Dad had and we've sewn a new tartan band to it," said Graeme Cameron still celebrating his fourth win in horse racing yesterday morning.

If a horse carries a big weight it is extremely relevant to the minimum weight in that race.

When Shifnal Chief lumped his 59kg in the Railway, the minimum weight was 48kg.

The minimum for this year's Railway was 53kg, carried by the winner Miss Raggedy Ann and the topweights Mufhasa and Vonusti had 58kg in finishing sixth and ninth.

The net effect is that in real terms Shifnal Chief carried 6kg more than Mufhasa and Vonusti - and won.

And what a win it was. Shifnal Chief drew the outside barrier, was close to last on the home bend and stormed home under his big weight to snatch victory from good-class mare Soliloquy, who six weeks later downed the mighty Balmerino in what is now the group one Waikato Draught Sprint.

Mr Tiz, as good a sprinter as New Zealand has produced in the past 30 years, also won the Railway with 59kg.

It was remarkable that Shifnal Chief could win a Railway in the middle of summer on a flint hard track, because he was always known as "a grand winter galloper".

It was simply a measure of his true class.

The following winter, he was given 65.5kg in a sprint at Avondale. Oranmore, the other fine sprinter of the time, was handicapped down to 59kg with an apprentice allowance, claimed by Ken Mathews.

Ray Mathers brought Shifnal Chief's weight down to 62.5kg and whether he would have won or not will never be known because he got hooked up behind horses when Oranmore dashed clear at the top of the home straight and he finished strongly into second.

The following week Shifnal Chief was given 66.5kg and Oranmore 64kg. The same apprentices were engaged and they carried 63kg and 61.5kg.

The same result looked likely when Oranmore shot six lengths clear at the 400m, but Shifnal Chief lifted under 63kg and wore him down to win by a nose. A couple of weeks later, Shifnal Chief won the Winter Cup at Riccarton under 62.5kg then beat Fury's Order in the Captain Cook Stakes.

Those types of feats wouldn't even be attempted today.

"I grew up on the dairy farm here at Taupiri watching dad and my uncle Jim win all those races with Shifnal Chief and I fell in love with racing," says Graeme Cameron.

He has won a couple of races with other horses, but this one is special - Pogue was his father's nickname.

"There are a lot of people who wouldn't have known dad by any other name than Pogue."

Pogue won on Saturday in the manner of a horse possibly going places. And if he one day carries big weights it won't be a total surprise - his pacework track rider is Graeme Cameron's son Bryan.

He couldn't be at the races on Saturday. He was propping for Taupiri in their Waikato rugby championship win over Hinuera.

For the record, no one knows Graeme Cameron by any name other than Moke.