Nominations for the 2005 Australian Racing Hall of Fame were announced today, revealing 30 thoroughbred racing legends as contenders for induction on the Gold Coast on Friday 13 May 2005. Six new nominees joined the pool of potential inductees - champion horses, Grand Flaneur and Gunsynd; revered trainers Robert Edward (Bob) Hoysted and Bruce McLachlan; and jockey greats Harold Badger and Arthur Ward. Australian Racing Hall of Fame Chairman, Bryan Martin, said this year`s nominees again make up an outstanding field.

"This country has been home to a strong contingent of thoroughbred racing champions and inducting them into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame acknowledges their contributions, both past and present," Martin said. "Every year the judges` decision only gets more difficult. The 30 nominations put forward today represent a number of memorable eras and historical feats in Australian thoroughbred racing."

Bob Hoysted was thrilled to hear of being nominated for induction into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in the trainer category. "I feel great. My father was an early inductee (2002) into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. I am very proud of him and it is such an honour to be regarded as someone up near him," Hoysted said. "To this point, I feel my greatest achievements in Australian thoroughbred racing have been the survival and strengthening of the Australian Trainers Association (ATA) of which I was president for a number of years; along with taking care of the careers of Rising Fast and Manikato. It would be great to join the old man in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame."

When told of his nomination to the 2005 Australian Racing Hall of Fame, Queensland trainer Bruce McLachlan was convinced a mistake had been made. 2 "I`m just so surprised, but so very honoured. Building Thornhill Park and making it a success has always been something I`ve been proud of, but I`d never have imagined the thrill of nomination to the Hall of Fame in my lifetime," McLachlan said. "The fact that the Australian Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on the Gold Coast this year is terrific for Queensland.

It`s truly a great thrill to be nominated in the year that the celebration takes place in my home state." The Gold Coast Turf Club will host this year`s �sparkling spectacular` on the eve of the running of the Carlton Draught Prime Minister`s Cup on Saturday 14 May 2005. Five horses, three jockeys, three trainers and two associates will be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame on Friday 13 May 2005 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

2005 AUSTRALIAN RACING HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS

HORSES

AMOUNIS Bred in New South Wales (Kia-Ora Stud) Owned and trained in New South Wales

Amounis was bred at Percy Miller`s famous stud at Scone. Over a period of eight seasons he proved himself one of the most versatile and hardy champions to grace the Australian turf.

As a two-year-old he was unsuccessful, but the following year he registered six wins including the 1925 Rosehill Guineas. As a four-year-old he had six wins including the Epsom Handicap; as a five-year-old three wins including the W.S Cox Plate; and as a six-year-old four wins, among which were his second Epsom Handicap and the Williamstown Cup.

Improving with age, Amounis registered ten wins from 16 starts as a seven-year-old, and as an eight-year-old four wins, including his famous Caulfield Cup victory carrying a record 9st 8lb (61 kg.).

When he finished racing as a ten-year-old he had won 33 races from 79 starts, and his stake winnings were second only to those of Phar Lap. CHATHAM Bred in New South Wales (Kia-Ora Stud) Owned and trained in New South Wales

Chatham was another champion bred at the Kia Ora stud. He first attracted attention as a three-year-old in the spring of 1931 when he ran second in the Victoria Derby and second in the W.S.Cox Plate.

In the years that followed Chatham proved himself one of the finest `milers` ever produced in Australia, scoring in 12 of his 21 contests over that distance. His wins included Epsom Handicaps in 1932 and 1933, the Doncaster Handicap in 1934, three successes in the Craven Plate, a Rawson Stakes, two Linlithgow Stakes, an All-Aged Stakes, and a Caulfield Stakes. After his second behind Phar Lap in the 1931 W.S. Cox Plate, he went on to win that race in 1932 and 1934.

Chatham`s ability to carry heavy weights under handicap conditions, and at the same time to compete successfully at weight-for-age, marked him as one of Australia`s best horses in the inter-war period.

EURYTHMIC Bred in New South Wales Owned in Western Australia, trained in Western Australia and Victoria

Eurythmic was bred in New South Wales and purchased by the Chairman of the West Australian Turf Club, Ernest Lee Steere, at the Sydney yearling sales of 1918. He took his name from a Greek word meaning `harmonious rhythm`, but his galloping action was anything but harmonious - his off foreleg moved in a swinging action, endangering himself and other horses.

As a two and three-year-old in Perth, Eurythmic registered 10 wins from 14 starts, including the Western Australian Derby and the Perth Cup. Sent to Melbourne as a four-year-old, he was consigned to Victoria`s premier trainer, Jack Holt. In a stellar season he had 12 wins from 13 starts, including victories in the Caulfield Cup and Sydney Cup. His only defeat came when he ran fourth to Poitrel in the 1920 Melbourne Cup, a result which he reversed when he beat Poitrel in the C.B. Fisher Plate 4 days later.

As a five-year-old, Eurythmic had a further seven wins from 12 starts. His versatility and brilliance was seen in his win in the 1922 Futurity Stakes, when he carried a record 10st. 7lb. (66.5 kg.), and passed Carbine as the greatest Australian stakewinner to that time.

At his retirement as a six-year-old, Eurythmic had accumulated 31 wins, and 10 second and third placings, from 47 starts. He had well earned his name of "the best from the west".

FLIGHT Bred in New South Wales (Mirridong Stud) Owned and trained in New South Wales

Sold for a song as a yearling, Flight won a record amount for a mare on the track.

A top juvenile, Flight won five of her eight two-year-old races in 1943, including the Champagne Stakes at Randwick. As a three-year-old in the spring she won the Hobartville Stakes, ran third in the Rosehill Guineas, won the Craven Plate and ran a creditable second in the AJC Derby. In the autumn of 1944 she took out the Adrian Knox Stakes, before running a gallant second in the Doncaster, and in the spring won the Warwick Stakes and Colin Stephen Stakes.

1945 was notable for her second win in the Craven Plate, and a victory over Tranquil Star in the W.S. Cox Plate. In 1946 she repeated her triumph in the W.S. Cox Plate, and won the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington (the race in which Bernborough broke down).

On retirement Flight had won 24 of her 65 starts and been placed in 28 others, with record stake winnings of $61, 650.

GALILEE Bred in New Zealand (Trelawney Stud) Owned and trained in South Australia

Bred at Trelawney Stud, New Zealand, in 1963, Galilee was sent to the young South Australian trainer, Bart Cummings.

After only one start as a two-year-old, he proved his worth by winning seven of his eleven starts as a three-year-old in South Australia. As a four-year-old in 1966 his greatness became apparent. After a second in the Epsom Handicap, he won the Toorak Handicap, followed by a decisive win in the Caulfield Cup and a magnificent win in the Melbourne Cup, easing down by two lengths. On the final day he completed a triumphant spring carnival by defeating Tobin Bronze at weight-for-age in the C.B.Fisher Plate.

In the autumn of 1967, Galilee successively won the Queen`s Plate and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Melbourne, the AJC Autumn Stakes and the Sydney Cup. Starting a 6-4 on favourite and carrying 9st 7lbs (60.5kg), he won the Cup by six lengths in what was considered one of the finest staying performances ever seen in Australia.

Soon after, Galilee developed a foreleg splint that sidelined him for 17 months. In the spring of 1968 he returned with wins in the Memsie and Turnbull Stakes, and ran a gallant eighth in the Melbourne Cup under a crushing 64kg. He was retired in 1969.

GRAND FLANEUR Bred, owned and trained in New South Wales

Grand Flaneur was bred at Fernhill Stud near Sydney in 1877 and owned by AJC committeeman and later chairman, W.A. Long. He belongs to that small band of champion thoroughbreds never to have been defeated.

Grand Flaneur commenced his racing career when he won the five furlong Normanby Stakes at Flemington on New Year`s Day 1880. After a lengthy spell, he reappeared at the AJC spring meeting and had no difficulty in winning the AJC Derby, followed five days later by the Mares` Produce Stakes. He then returned to Melbourne for the VRC spring meeting where he won the Victoria Derby, Melbourne Cup and Mares` Produce Stakes. His win in the Cup gave his rider, Tom Hales, his only success in that race, and reportedly won for his owner some �20,000. In the summer and autumn of 1881, he triumphed in the VRC Champion Stakes, VRC St Leger and VRC Town Plate.

Taken back to Sydney, he was in training for the AJC autumn meeting when he injured a near foreleg and had to be retired. He went to stud undefeated in his 9 starts and the winner of �8,174 in prizemoney. He was Australia`s leading sire in 1895 and was near the top of the list for a decade. Two of his progeny, Bravo and Patron, won Melbourne Cups.

GUNSYND Bred in New South Wales, owned in Queensland, trained in Queensland and New South Wales

Gunsynd was one of the most courageous and charismatic horses to race in Australia. He loved the crowds and the crowds loved him.

Gunsynd was bred in northern New South Wales, and bought for $1,300 by a group of friends from the Queensland border town of Goondiwindi - which forever put that town on the map and earned for the horse the affectionate nickname of the "Goondiwindi Grey". Under trainer Bill Wehlow, Gunsynd won his first three starts in Brisbane and his first start at Warwick Farm, ran sixth in the 1970 Golden Slipper, and a week later won the Fernhill Handicap.

In his three-year-old preparation, Gunsynd won twice in Queensland before being placed in the Rosehill Guineas, the AJC Derby and the Queensland Derby. His last start for trainer Wehlow was as a four-year-old when he won the Doomben Flying Handicap.

Transferred to trainer Tommy Smith, Gunsynd realised his full potential. Under Smith Gunsynd had 32 starts for 17 victories and only one unplaced run. In the spring of 1971 he won the Epsom Handicap, the Toorak Handicap, the George Adams Handicap and the Sandown Cup. In the autumn of 1972 he recorded 5 straight wins including the Futurity Stakes and the Doncaster Handicap. In the spring of 1972 he captured the Cox Plate, ran a magnificent third in the Melbourne Cup under 60.5 kgs, and won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In his final campaign in the autumn of 1973 he won the Blamey Stakes and a second Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

On his retirement Gunsynd had 29 wins from 54 starts, with the then Australian record prizemoney of $280,455.

SHANNON Bred in New South Wales (Kia-Ora Stud) Owned and trained in New South Wales

A son of the English sire, Midstream, Shannon was the champion miler of his time.

As a two-year-old in 1944 Shannon defeated his great rival, Tea Rose, in the AJC Sires` Produce Stakes. As a three-year-old he won the Hobartville Stakes, but failed as a stayer in the Rosehill Guineas and the AJC Derby.

Returning after a ten month spell in the spring of 1945, Shannon won four successive races including the Tramway Handicap, the Hill Stakes and the Epsom Handicap, which he won after missing the start. A year later he was made hot favourite for the Epsom after winning the Theo Marks Quality. Left at least a dozen lengths at the start, he made up the ground in sensational style to be beaten only a half head by Blue Legend. He followed this by winning the George Main Stakes in Australian record time for the mile. Returning to the track in 1947 he won the Canterbury Stakes and his second George Main Stakes.

Soon afterwards Shannon was sold to American owners for whom he won a number of races, and equalled world record times for nine and ten furlongs. He then had a successful career at stud.

SUPER IMPOSE Bred in New Zealand (Ra Ora Stud) Owned and trained in Victoria

There was little sign of his subsequent brilliance in the early career of Super Impose. Unraced as two-year-old, he won two modest provincial races at three. At four he showed signs of his potential when he won the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in November, 1988, soon followed by the Summer Cup in Sydney.

In 1989 his performances went up a notch as he won the Carlyon Cup and the Turnbull Stakes, and ran second in both the Australian Cup and the Melbourne Cup. In 1990 Super Impose began his epic and history making success at Randwick when he won both the Epsom and the Doncaster Handicaps. In 1991 he repeated the double, his second Epsom win coming from an apparently impossible position at the top of the straight. One more remarkable feat was achieved when he won the 1992 W.S. Cox Plate in a drama charged event.

On his retirement, Super Impose had to his credit 20 wins and 32 placings, with the then record prize money of $5.6 million.

TODMAN Bred in New South Wales (Baramul Stud) Owned and trained in New South Wales

Another flying son of Star Kingdom, Todman was one of the great sprinter-milers to grace the Australian turf.

On his debut as a two-year-old in 1956, Todman ran an Australian record for five furlongs in winning the Juvenile Stakes. He won his next two starts with great brilliance and was then set for the inaugural running of the Golden Slipper Stakes. Starting at 6-1 on, he bolted in by eight lengths. Although beaten by Tulloch a week later in the Sires` Produce Stakes, he reversed the position the next week in the Champagne Stakes when defeating Tulloch by six lengths.

In 1957 Todman resumed with wins in the Hobartville Stakes and the Canterbury Guineas. At his next start he broke down badly, and was off the track for two years. His return to racing in 1959 was a triumph with wins in the Lightning Stakes and the Futurity Stakes carrying 10st 2lb (64.5 kg.).

Todman had won 10 of his 12 starts when he was retired to stud. He was a highly successful sire with two of his progeny, Eskimo Prince (1964) and Sweet Embrace (1967) winning Golden Slippers.

TRANQUIL STAR Bred in Victoria Owned and trained in Victoria

For seven seasons Tranquil Star was the `darling` of the Victorian racing public, starting in 111 races between 1939 and 1946. Her form was unpredictable - in 18 of her races she was the beaten favourite - but her courage and her longevity won the affection of racegoers.

Bred at St Albans Stud near Geelong, and trained by Ron Cameron, Tranquil Star had an uneventful two-year-old season, with two moderate wins from 11 starts. As a three-year-old she showed her real quality with wins in the Edward Manifold Stakes, St George Stakes and VRC St Leger. In her only visit to Sydney, she took out the Chipping Norton Stakes and the Cumberland Plate. Her four-year-old season was ordinary, with just two wins and a number of placings from 21 starts. She came back to form with a vengeance as a five-year-old with 6 wins, including the Caulfield Stakes, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Mackinnon Stakes.

As a six-year-old Tranquil Star could manage only one win, and suffered a severe injury at her 78th start when she fell and suffered a fractured jaw. Only her iron constitution and the patient attention of her trainer enabled her to survive. Tranquil Star returned to racing in the spring of 1944, winning her second Cox Plate and second Mackinnon Stakes. In her final season as an eight-year-old she won her third Mackinnon Stakes and the six furlong William Reid Stakes.

At the end of her long and illustrious career Tranquil Star had amassed 23 wins, including nine at Group 1 level.

WENONA GIRL Bred in New South Wales (Newhaven Park Stud) Owned and trained in New South Wales

A great sprinting mare, Wenona Girl also had the talent to win over a mile and a half.

In 1960 Wenona Girl won both the VRC and the AJC Sires` Produce Stakes, and finished second in the Golden Slipper Stakes. In the spring she took out the Hobartville Stakes and Rosehill Guineas in Sydney, and the Thousand Guineas and Wakeful Stakes in Melbourne. In the VRC Oaks she could only manage third, but the following autumn she won the AJC Oaks.

In 1962 she won the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield and in 1963 a succession of major races - the George Main and Gloaming Stakes in Sydney, the Lightning Stakes, Futurity Stakes, Linlithgow Stakes and George Adams Handicap in Melbourne. She was still a major force at six, winning her second Lightning Stakes and the AJC All Aged Stakes, before being retired to stud.

TRAINERS

FRED BEST Queensland

Fred Best began his racing career as an amateur rider, and then trainer, in the Townsville area. He and jockey Neville Sellwood proved a formidable local team.

Shortly after the war Best moved to Brisbane and was granted a trainer`s licence in 1953. His first really good horse was Fort William which won two races in Sydney in the early 1950s and gave his training career a taste of successes to come. In 1956 he trained Book Link, owned by his wife, to win the Queensland Guineas and Derby, and then the Doomben Cup two years later. Other outstanding horses trained by Best were Bengalla Lad (Doomben 10,000 and two Doomben Newmarkets), Prince Medes (Stradbroke Handicap and AJC Cumberland Stakes) and Urgona (QTC Oaks).

Best retired in the 1980s, having been in the top ten of Brisbane trainers on 29 occasions and having won the premiership 17 times.

RICHARD BRADFIELD Victoria

Born in the Bendigo district in 1863, Richard Bradfield entered the training field in 1882, and until his retirement in 1940 was one the most successful and respected trainers in Australia. In all his years of training he was never once called into the Stewards` Room to query the running of any of his horses.

In his long career Bradfield trained the winners of most of Australia`s major handicaps and weight-for-age races. The first of his four Melbourne Cups came with Patron in 1894, and were followed by The Victory (1902), Night Watch (1918), and Backwood (1924). In the Caulfield Cup of 1918 he performed the feat of training the first three place-getters - Lucknow, Night Watch and Chrome. Apart from his success with Australian bred horses, he was noted for his patient handling of imported horses - his Melbourne Cup winner, Backwood, and Caulfield Cup winners, Lucknow and King Offa were all imports.

Bradfield was also known as a renowned trainer of apprentices. Harold Badger, Harold Jones and Arthur Dewhurst were three whose careers were guided by Bradfield.

JACK DENHAM New South Wales

A member of a Sydney training dynasty, Jack Denham first rode as a jockey for his brother, and then took out his own training licence in 1948.

Denham`s training career took off when he became trainer for Stan Fox at Nebo Lodge, a position he held for 10 years, training over 1,000 winners. For six successive years, from 1971 to 1976, he was runner-up on the Sydney trainers` premiership table. He was to win the premiership later in 1990-91 and 1992-93.

From 1980 onwards Denham was closely associated with owners Geoff and Beryl White, for whom he won a Golden Slipper with Marscay, an Epsom Handicap, Yalumba Stakes and other group races with Filante, and an Australian Guineas and AJC Oaks with Triscay. His greatest triumphs came in 1997 and 1998 when the Denham trained Might and Power took out the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.

In a career lasting more than 40 years Denham has trained more than 3,000 winners, over 40 at Group1 level.

ROBERT EDWARD (BOB) HOYSTED Victoria

Bob Hoysted belongs to one of Australia`s best known racing families, horse trainers for five generations.

Hoysted began his career working for his illustrious father, Fred Hoysted, before branching out as a public trainer in 1956. He trained many good horses during the succeeding 20 years including Midlander, Robert, Hauberk and Scamanda whose wins included the Maribyrnong Plate, Craven A Stakes, Freeway Stakes, A.J. Moir Stakes, and three times the Linlithgow Stakes.

In 1978 Hoysted took over the training of Manikato after the death of his brother Bon, who had the horse as a two-year-old. Over the next 5 seasons Hoysted trained Manikato to win four William Reid Stakes, the Marlboro Cup, Caulfield Guineas, three C.F. Orr Stakes, four Futurity Stakes, two George Ryder Stakes, the Doomben 10,000, and the Queen Elizabeth Cup at Caulfield in the presence of the Queen in 1981. As Roy Higgins was to say following the Cup: "All credit to Bob Hoysted. He had Manikato fit for a Queen."

Other outstanding horses to be trained by Hoysted were River Rough, who won two Pur-Pak (now Salinger) Stakes and two Lightning Stakes; Rose of Kingston, winner of the AJC Champagne Stakes, VRC Oaks, AJC Derby and SAJC Derby; VRC Oaks winner, Spirit of Kingston; Blue Diamond Stakes winners Aare and Love A Show; and Sydeston, winner of the Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Sandown Cups.

BRUCE McLACHLAN Queensland

Bruce McLachlan began his racing career as a schoolboy in the Cribb Island - Nudgee district of Brisbane, doing chores in the neighbouring racing stables of Mal Barnes. Following a stint as a policeman he returned to Cribb Island in 1968, and set up as a trainer with two horses, Beersheba and Charak, both of whom proved to be winners. With further success and more horses in training, McLachlan moved to bigger premises, first to Bundamba and then to Hendra, adjacent to Doomben and Eagle Farm.

At Hendra, McLachlan quickly established himself as one of Brisbane`s leading trainers. His first high quality galloper was Latin Romance, the winner of two starts in Brisbane before McLachlan took him to Sydney for the 1973 Sires` Produce Stakes where he was beaten a nose by Tontonan. In addition to talented local horses, he brought into his stable a number of former Sydney horses whose performance vastly improved under his skilled guidance.

In 1978-79, at the age of 36, McLachlan gained his first Brisbane trainers` premiership with 43 winners for the season. In 1983 he moved his training headquarters to the magnificent Thornhill Park complex on the banks of the Caboolture River north of Brisbane, which helped to confirm his position as the dominant force in Queensland training.

McLachlan was to win a further 15 premierships, with his 78 winners in 1987-88 establishing a record. His total of 16 premierships is only one behind the record held by Fred Best. In his interstate ventures, McLachlan`s wins included the AJC Adrian Knox Stakes, AJC The Galaxy, AJC Spring Champion Stakes, VATC Caulfield Guineas, VATC Toorak Handicap and VATC Oakleigh Plate.

GEOFF MURPHY Victoria

Geoff Murphy took out his trainer`s licence in 1960 after spending 12 years as foreman for Basil Conaghan.

Murphy soon made his mark with wins in the Australian Cup in 1962 and 1963 by Welkin Prince. A win in the 1961 AJC Derby narrowly eluded him when his winning horse, Blue Era, was disqualified because of jockey, Mel Schumacher`s `leg pulling` tactics.

Murphy`s career blossomed in the next two decades as he won numerous feature races throughout Australia. Among his tally were five Caulfield Guineas, two One Thousand Guineas, five C.F. Orr Stakes, three Rosehill Guineas, two Queensland Derbies, the Metropolitan, Doomben 10,000, Adelaide Cup, Blue Diamond Stakes, WATC Railway Stakes and Fruit `N Veg Stakes, and the Hobart Cup. In 1976-77 he won the Victorian metropolitan trainers` premiership.

Murphy`s eye for a successful sire paid dividends with the progeny of Sovereign Edition, Rangong, and Sir Tristram. The Sovereign Edition filly, Surround, won 17 of her 28 starts, including the VRC, AJC and QTC Oaks, and is the only three-year-old filly to win the W.S. Cox Plate. Murphy won another Cox Plate with Abdul, the 1982 Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double with Gurner`s Lane, and Victoria Derbies with Sovereign Red and Grosvenor.

TOM PAYTEN New South Wales

Tom Payten and his son Bayley formed a training dynasty in Sydney that endured for almost 70 years.

In 1876 Tom Payten began work for Michael Fennelly who trained for James White, at that time the most important thoroughbred owner in the Australian colonies. When Fennelly died in 1887, Payten was appointed White`s personal trainer. In the following four years, Payten trained the winners of 77 major races, including four Derbies, three Oaks, seven St Legers, and six Sires Produce Stakes. At the 1888 VRC Autumn Carnival, Payten`s horsed won nine races, among them the Newmarket Handicap, Australian Cup and Champion Stakes.

Tom Payten continued to train with great success until the First World War. To the end he maintained his reputation as Australia`s greatest trainer of young horses, as seen in his winning list of nine Derbies, six Oaks, nine St Legers, 12 Sires Produce Stakes, and nine Debutant Stakes. But he also trained the winners of six Australian Cups, three Sydney Cups, two Epsom Handicaps, and the Caulfield Cup. He was the first Australian to train the winners of 200 feature races.

When Tom Payten died in 1920, his son Bayley took over his father`s stables in Botany St, Randwick.

JOHN TAIT New South Wales

John Tait was born in Edinburgh in 1813, and migrated to Tasmania in 1837. After trying his hand at the jewellery business, he moved to the Bathurst region as the licencee of the Albion Inn and then the Black Bull Inn. He was widely known for his skill with his fists, which enabled him to control unruly patrons.

In Bathurst, Tait began his career as a thoroughbred owner and trainer. With his winnings from local match races he expanded his interests to Sydney, where he won the 1850 and 1851 AJC St Leger, and the 1851 Australian Plate and 1851 Queen`s Plate. Tait then visited England to purchase breeding stock for his stud farm at Mt Druitt, and established training stables at Byron Lodge, Randwick.

By the end of the 1850s, Tait was the leading owner and trainer in the colony, and could claim to be the first to make horseracing a commercial business. He was also regarded as a man of absolute integrity - hence the familiar name by which he became known, "honest John".

Tait`s outstanding horse was The Barb, winner of 17 races from 24 starts, including the 1866 AJC Derby and Melbourne Cup, and the 1868 and 1869 Sydney Cups. He won three more Melbourne Cups with Glencoe (1868), The Pearl (1871), and The Quack (1872). Among his many other successes were the winners of two Epsom Handicaps, three Metropolitan Handicaps, four AJC Derbies, six AJC St Legers, four Victoria Derbies, two VRC St Legers, two VRC Oaks, and three VRC Champion Stakes.

When Tait retired from the turf in 1883, it was calculated that his horses had won 30,000 pounds in stake money (in excess of $A 3 million in today`s currency).

GAI WATERHOUSE New South Wales

Although Gai Waterhouse was part of a famous Australian racing family, her road to success was not an easy one.

Her first 12 years in the racing industry were spent working alongside her father, T.J. Smith at Randwick`s Tulloch Lodge. Her application for a trainer`s licence was at first refused by the AJC; only after a protracted legal battle was she able to begin her own career in January, 1992.

Three months later she prepared her first winner, and in October her first Group I when Te Akau Nick took out the Metropolitan Handicap. Her first classic winner came with Nothin` Leica Dane in the 1995 Victoria Derby. In 1996-97 she had ten Group 1 victories, won the Sydney trainers` premiership, and became only the third trainer in history to record more than 100 winners in a Sydney season. She won further trainers` premierships in 2000-2001 with 153 winners, 2001-2002 with 137 winners, and 2002-2003 with 156 winners, equalling the record set by her father, T.J. Smith

Included in her impressive Group 1 achievements are six Metropolitan Handicaps, six Doncaster Handicaps, the training of all three placegetters in the 2001 Golden Slipper Stakes, and a second Golden Slipper win in 2004.

JOCKEYS

HAROLD BADGER Victoria

Harold Badger was so small as a schoolboy that he was constantly advised to seek a career as a jockey. He took this advice to heart, and after leaving school at the age of 14 in 1922, he was soon apprenticed at Flemington to Richard Bradfield, winner of four Melbourne Cups.

It was his light weight that led to Badger`s first major success, when Bradfield took him to South Australia and he won the 1925 Adelaide Cup on Stralia carrying 6st 10lb (43 kg). Granted his senior jockey`s licence in 1927, he moved to Adelaide as stable jockey for trainer Alf Williams. Badger was an immediate success, winning the jockeys` premiership in his first season.

Returning to Melbourne in 1930, Badger rode for the powerful Lou Robertson stable and for Frank Musgrave, trainer of Ajax. With Ajax`s regular rider, Maurice McCarten unavailable, Badger took the mount in the 1937 Victoria Derby and rode Ajax into second place, beaten by the narrowest of margins. Badger and Ajax went on to form one of the great partnerships in turf history - Badger riding Ajax in 37 races for 30 wins, five seconds, and two thirds.

Success on Ajax put Badger in demand with leading Victorian owners and trainers, and he won his first Victorian jockeys` premiership in the 1938-39 season. Further premierships came in 1939-40, 1940-41, 1941-42, 1942-43, and 1947-48. Among his many big race successes Badger numbered two Caulfield Cups, Moonee Valley, Adelaide and Brisbane Cups, two Doncaster Handicaps, two Epsom Handicaps, two Cox Plates, two Newmarket Handicaps, and three Futurity Stakes.

FRANK BULLOCK Victoria

Frank Bullock rode with great success in both Australia and Europe during the first three decades of the 20th century.

Bullock commenced riding in England in 1903 and had his first big win in the 1905 Stewards` Cup at Goodwood. Later that year he returned to Australia for a holiday, and picked up the ride on Blue Spec, on whom he won the Perth Cup and the Melbourne Cup.

Bullock returned to England for the 1908 season, and in 1909 moved to Germany where he won the German jockeys` championship in five of the next six seasons. On the outbreak of the First World War he was in England, with the German horse Cyklon. At the conclusion of hostilities, he arranged for Cyklon to be sent to Australia where it had a successful racing career, and at stud sired the winner of the 1927 Melbourne Cup, Trivalve.

In the immediate post war years Bullock had an outstanding run of victories in Australia and Europe. In Australia he won two Caulfield Cups (1918 and 1919), the VRC Oaks (1918), the Adelaide Cup (1918), the Western Australian Derby and Perth Cup (1919), and the Futurity Stakes (1919). In England, his major wins included the Ascot Gold Cup, the Cesarwitch, three Eclipse Stakes, and in 1925 the 1,000 Guineas-Oaks double. In France, he won the first Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe ever contested, in 1920 on Comrade, and repeated the win in 1922 on Ksar.

FRANK DEMPSEY Victoria

In a career that extended for 30 years, Frank Dempsey won most of Australia`s important races. He was regarded by all as a supreme stylist of his profession.

As an apprentice Dempsey had a remarkable record. In 1915, at the age of just 16, he won the Caulfield Cup on Lavendo. In 1917 he won the Cup again on Bronzetti. That same year he won the Memsie Stakes, Australian Cup, Gimcrack Stakes, Epsom Handicap, and Maribyrnong Plate. In 1920 Dempsey partnered the great Western Australian horse, Eurythmic, to another win in the Cup. At the age of 21 Dempsey thus became the first jockey to win the Caulfield Cup three times.

During the 1920s and 30s Dempsey was associated with many great horses. He rode Eurythmic in 20 of his wins, including the Futurity Stakes, Caulfield Cup and Sydney Cup. On champion filly Frances Tressady he won the 1923 Victoria Derby-Oaks double. On Whittier he won the Doncaster Handicap and a succession of weight-for-age races. And in 1925 he took the mount on the rogue horse, Manfred, winning the Cox Plate and Victoria Derby, and running second to Windbag in the Melbourne Cup. Five times he won the Victorian jockeys` premiership. He also rode with considerable success in England, winning over 40 races there during the 1926 season.

Dempsey retired from the saddle in 1939, and subsequently became the starter for the VATC and the MVRC.

PAT GLENNON South Australia

Pat Glennon started his career in Melbourne, but in the mid-1940s moved to Adelaide where he linked up with trainer Jim Cummings and his son Bart.

Glennon made an immediate impression in South Australia, and became one of the state`s leading apprentices. But weight was becoming a problem for him. He could not ride below 8st 4lb (52.5 kg), and this was to limit opportunities throughout his career.

Glennon`s big opportunity came in 1950 when Jack Purtell declined the ride on Comic Court in the Melbourne Cup. Cummings offered the mount to Glennon who brought the horse in a winner by three lengths. A second Melbourne Cup win followed on Macdougal in 1959. He was closely associated with Matrice, South Australia`s finest post-war sprinter, and rode him to 26 wins in 42 races. As the Cummings stable jockey he took out many feature races in South Australia and Victoria.

In the 1960s Glennon rode in Ireland where he was Champion Jockey, and then took a riding contract with the Etienne Pollet stable in France. In 1965 the great horse, Sea Bird, ridden by Glennon, burst across the European racing scene, with victories in five Group 1 races, including the Epsom Derby and the Prix de L`Arc de Triomphe. It was a fitting climax to his career and he retired soon after.

RON HUTCHINSON Victoria

In a career spanning 37 years, Ron Hutchinson excelled in Australia, Europe and Asia.

As a 17 year-old apprentice, Hutchinson rode his first big win in the 1945 Australian Cup. It was the first of the 60 Cup winners he was to ride in Australia.

In his first full year as a senior jockey in 1949-50, he rode the top stayer, Hoyle, to win the Coongy Handicap and the Moonee Valley Cup in the spring, and won his second Australian Cup in the autumn. For the next ten years he ranked among Australia`s leading riders, and in 1958-59 he took out the Melbourne jockeys` premiership. Among his many successes were wins in the Newmarket Handicap, Futurity Stakes, the Metropolitan Handicap, VRC Oaks and Doomben Cup.

In 1960 Hutchinson decided to try his luck in Europe and was soon offered a retainer by the Duke of Norfolk, for whom he was stable jockey for 16 years. He won more than a thousand races in Europe, including the Ascot Gold Cup, the Goodwood Cup, the St Leger, the One Thousand Guineas, the Two Thousand Guineas, three Irish One Thousand Guineas, and an Irish Two Thousand Guineas.

Hutchinson concluded a brilliant career with a year in Malaysia and Singapore, where he won the 1978 jockeys` premiership.

DAMIEN OLIVER Western Australia and Victoria

Damien Oliver commenced his riding career in Western Australia where he rode 66 winners on metropolitan and provincial tracks and was leading apprentice in 1988/89. He then accepted an invitation to come to Melbourne for a 3 month trial period with trainer, Lee Freedman - and remained indefinitely.

Under Freedman, Oliver had a stellar apprenticeship, riding 478 winners. His first Group 1 came with Submariner, trained by Bart Cummings, in the Show Day Cup in 1990. By the time he had concluded his apprenticeship in 1993, he had 18 Group 1s to his credit, including the Caulfield Cup on Mannerism. Twice he won the Victorian Jockeys` Premiership while still an apprentice.

During the next decade Oliver established himself at the very peak of his profession. He added five more Victorian Jockeys` Premierships to his tally, and twice won the Melbourne Cup, four times the Caulfield Cup, and twice the Cox Plate. His Group 1 wins now exceed 60, and six times he has been awarded the Scobie Breasley Medal.

Oliver has also ridden overseas with distinction, particularly in Hong Kong where he has a number of major wins to his credit.

RON QUINTON New South Wales

Ron Quinton was a leading figure among Australian jockeys in the 1970s and 1980s.

Quinton was apprenticed to trainer Theo Green, one of Australia`s great masters of young jockeys. Green`s influence and his own natural talent saw Quinton become Sydney`s leading apprentice in 1967. His first senior premiership came in 1969-70, a second in 1976-77, and six in succession between 1978-79 and 1983-84.

Quinton`s first big race win came on Analie in the AJC Oaks, a race he won in two later years. He won Doncasters on Analie and Emancipation, an Epsom on Dalmacia, the W.S. Cox Plate on Kingston Town, and the Victoria Derby on Ravenaux. He shares the record of four wins in the Golden Slipper Stakes with Shane Dye. In 1988-90 he rode in Ireland for John Oxx, for whom he won the Group 1 Irish St Leger. At the end of his 28 year career, Quinton had ridden 2168 winners, which included 190 feature races and 46 at Group 1 level.

Immediately on retirement Quinton returned to the racetrack in a different capacity, and now ranks among Sydney`s leading trainers.

JACK THOMPSON New South Wales

Considered early in his career to be too tall to make a successful jockey, Jack Thompson rode for almost 50 years.

Thompson`s first win came at Tamworth in 1938, and was followed in 1939 by a win in the Summer Cup on Bunga. In 1940-41 he became the first apprentice to win a senior jockeys` premiership in Sydney, riding 106 winners. Four times he was leading apprentice, and five times the leading senior jockey.

Thompson`s major race wins included four Doncaster Handicaps, two Epsom Handicaps, a Golden Slipper, the AJC and Victoria Derbies and a Sydney Cup. Three times he ran second in the Melbourne Cup, and on Dark Marne in 1948 he thought he had won the Cup; however, the newly installed photo-finish camera gave the verdict to Rimfire.

Thompson`s last winner came at the age of 62 at Wyong in 1985. In his long career he had ridden close to 3,000 winners, including more than 140 feature races and 41 at Group 1.

ARTHUR WARD New South Wales

Arthur Ward is reputed to have ridden more champions of the turf than any other Australian jockey - Bernborough, Comic Court, Carbon Copy, Rising Fast, Tulloch, Redcraze, Hydrogen, Prince Cortauld - to name just some. His superb sense of balance, sensitive hands and judgment of pace made him a favourite of trainers and punters alike.

Apprenticed to Rosehill trainer Fred Adams, Ward was a "battler`` during much of his early career. His first important success came on the outsider Precise in the 1942 Villiers, but he had to wait two years before winning another feature race, on Decorate in the Canterbury Guineas. In the late 1940s he won two Rawson Stakes on Columnist and Vagabond, and in the period 1949-52 marked up 14 wins on champion sprinter, San Domenico. His first Sydney jockeys` premiership came in 1950-51.

In 1954 Ward enjoyed two strokes of good fortune. In March of that year George Moore was disqualified over the running of a horse at Hawkesbury, and Tommy Smith offered the position of stable rider to Ward. In the two years Moore was absent, Ward rode over 100 winners in Sydney and a host of major races interstate, and won his second jockeys` premiership in 1954-55. A second slice of luck came in October 1954, when a bad race fall put jockeys Williamson and Sellwood out of action. Ward suddenly found himself replacing Williamson on Rising Fast, whom he rode to victory in the Caulfield Cup.

Before his final retirement from the saddle in 1962 Ward had won virtually every feature race on the Australian calendar (with the exception of the Melbourne Cup where his 1956 mount, Redcraze, was narrowly beaten). He also spent three years in Singapore where he won 250 races and was twice leading jockey. As a trainer in subsequent years, he won an Epsom Handicap and Sydney Cup. In 1977 Ward went to Hong Kong to train where he had nine successful seasons.