QUEENS OF THE TURF 43 



crunching of feet far off, marching up the carriage drive and, we all "just a 



wheen callants." you know — cocked our ears. Was it the news? The foot- 

 steps halted at the open front door, and the voice of a neighbour called out 

 loudly, "The mare won by three lengths." And then, what a cheer burst 

 from us! 1 should like to hear the same again, in some modern household 

 to-day. But this is but "an old song that sung itself to me, sweet in a boy's 

 day dream," and we will pass to a consideration of the few Queens of the 

 Turf in Australia since the beginning of things. We need not revert to the 

 Bessy Bedlams of the early 'forties of the last century, nor the Alice Hawthorns 

 of before the flood. Worthy mares, no doubt, and reverenced by their 

 worshippers, but probably slow gallopers compared to the fliers of to-day. 



Only six mares have won the Championship, and one of these took the 

 race twice. This was Ladybird, who was a New Zealander, and who was 

 victorious when that race was contested over in the Dominion. She was 

 successful in 1863, as a five-year-old, and in 1865. She was not a "Queen." 

 Not another mare left her name on the champion roll until Quiver, in 1 896, 

 when that fine four-year-old dead heated with Wallace. Quiver was a very 

 lengthy bay mare by Trenton from Tremulous, by Maribyrnong out of 

 Agitation (imp.) by Orest. As a two-year-old she did not greatly distinguish 

 herself, winning, out of three attempts, a Nursery at Flemington. At three 

 years she also earned but one bracket, but, starting a hot odds on favourite 

 for the Oaks, she turned round when the barrier flew up, and took no part in 

 the race. That was the first year of the starting gate, and the Derby, won by 

 The Harvester, was the earliest classic race in which the invention was made 

 use of. Horses were unused to the ropes in those days, and I can see now the 

 look of rather sulky surprise upon the mare's countenance at what she, no 

 doubt, took for an abominable thing, dangled in the air beside her nose. The 

 field, without her, went off at a slow canter, and had Moore, the jockey, set 

 Quiver going, and followed the others, he would have had no difficulty in 

 catching them in the first half-mile, and it is certain that Quiver would have 

 won. As it was, the whole thing was a novelty, and Moore seemed to lose 

 his head, and to fall into a dream. But there was a great outcry, and the 

 "flatites" reckoned that they had been taken down. Of course, there was 

 nothing in it. 



It was as a four-year-old, however, that Quiver earned her title. She 

 commenced with the Spring Stakes at Randwick, and she followed this up 

 with the Randwick Plate over those three long, tiring miles, beating Portsea, 

 amongst others. Tattersall's Club Cup, two miles, with nine stone two up[ 

 came next, and then the Essendon Stakes at Flemington, when she put down 

 Hova, Havoc, Preston and Auraria. And the crown was finally put upon 

 her head when the famous dead heat took place for the Championship with 

 Wallace. The mare was sold and went to India, shortly afterwards, and there 

 she gained further laurels. 



I am not just absolutely clear in my mind that Quiver ought to be 

 included in the list of great Queens, but she was the first actually to win an 

 open Championship, for Ladybird only met New Zealanders and does not 

 count, and the finish with Wallace proclaimed the Trenton mare to be a 

 stayer, and a game one to boot. This was a period in our story when good 

 mares flourished. For Lady Trenton, the winner of the Sydney Cup, was a 

 contemporary of Quiver, although she cannot be included amongst the Queens. 

 She was a graceful, beautiful mover, a thorough Trenton, but a handicap mare 

 only. Her pedigree is interesting, in that her dam was the famous Black Swan, 

 by Yattendon from Maid of the Lake, "whose pedigree," says the Stud Book, 



