 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1939
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
1939 NEW ZEALAND DERBY
Purchased at a high price as a yearling, Imperial Jade, a full sister to the famous Indianapolis, yesterday won the New Zealand Derby Stakes at Addington. This was her second win. Only a small field contested the Derby and in an exciting finish Imperial Jade struggled home ahead of Gallant Chief, the favourite.
Partners in business in Christchurch and also in racing ownership, Messrs D McFarlane and W Scott are the owners of Imperial Jade. In an effort to win the highest class races in New Zealand, they spent a considerable sum on the importation of Bing Crosby and later Mackscot from the United States. "When we did not get very much success from our importations we thought we would endeavour to get the best in New Zealand," said Mr McFarlane after the Derby, "and we bought Imperial Jade from Mr Gerald Nicoll."
The form recently shown by Imperial Jade in training induced her joint owners to purchase from Mr Nicoll four weeks ago a full brother to the Derby winner. He is a yearling and is not yet broken in.
Possessing excellent manners, there not being a bad trait in her make-up, Imperial Jade has been an easy filly to train. However, her owners acknowledged that all the credit for her condition was due to M Holmes in whose stable she has been since a yearling.
Although their more expensive purchases overseas have not given the expected return, Messrs McFarlane and Scott have enjoyed a fair measure of success since they began racing. Their first venture was Sea Gift , which they bought for £200 from James Bryce, of Hornby, this mare developed into a champion trotter. They are also interested in gallopers, their horses at present being Ngaitama, Night Hawk, Knockfin and Tunneller.
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A splendid performance by Imperial Jade in winning the New Zealand Derby Stakes was a feature of the racing at Addington yesterday, when another great crowd attended to see racing of the highest class. Imperial Jade, a sister to Indianapolis, the winner of three New Zealand Cups, proved herself a worthy relative of one of the greatest pacers New Zealand has known. She took the lead early in the race and defied all challenges to wrest the lead from her. Highland Scott, one of the well-bred three-year-olds from Roydon Lodge fell soon after the start of this race, but his stable-mate, Gallant Chief, put in a finish that stamped him as one of the best young pacers of the year. This son of Gallant Knight may have been unlucky in being shut in on the rails until the critical stage of the race, but the manner of his finish let no doubt as to his gameness and stamina.
The Derby horses did not break the record of 3min 16 1/5sec for the mile and a half established by the sensational War Bouy in 1933, but the 3min 22 1/5sec recorded by Imperial Jade was a performance that any owner might be proud of. Fully extended at different periods of the race, Imperial Jade might have done still better.
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Imperial Jade followed up her success in the Riccarton Stakes by winning the New Zealand Derby after a splendid exhibition of pacing. Not only did she make all the running but she withstood all challenges that were made in a fast last half-mile.
Betty Boop went out of the barrier smartly, but Imperial Jade soon took up the
Credit: THE PRESS - Friday 10 Nov 1939