TIMELINE

Please Click Here to launch the timeline

BLAST FROM THE PAST

ROBALAN - Bargain Buy

ROBALAN - Bargain Buy

Robalan(1968) $950(including dam in foal) 26 wins $147,000

The Robalan story was slow to unfold but worth the wait when it got to the action part, for example, like being the 1974 Horse of the Year, one of the great achievements in the history of that competition. His rivals were New Zealand and Auckland Cups winner, Arapaho; juvenile sensation Noodlum; Young Quinn and Easton Light. But an Australasian record 12 open wins in a season beat all of them.

Robalan's history of various owners and stable changes is complicated but when his Elsinore was offered for sale with Robalan at foot and in foal to Bachelor Hanover, Ernest Broad of Southland more or less on a whim, bought them for the above sum. He leased Robalan to Alan Devery and Bob Pollock for five years with a right of purchase of $1500. Denis Nyhan and Peter Hope later bought into the horse. Pollock then dropped out, Denis took over the training and later bravely threw the hopples away. It was mostly magic from then on. He retired the fastest free-legged pacer in Australasian history and some of his more amazing runs at Addington still shine bright in the memory.

Credit: David McCathy writing in Harnessed May 2016