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Some Barstards stolen my post.
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Pity you didn't catch them Red Handed. That sort of thing is not Viewed very well here as it is not very
Saintly of them.
Saintly of them.
Ziema and Light Fingers ...Light Fingers Ziema... Ziema Light Fingers....Heads up Heads down ....they hit the line ....dead heat!!! ...dead heat!!! in the Cup .. cant split them ...!!!!
Always thought Light Fingers was so cleverly named.....its sire is Le Filou (also sire of Big Philou)
French Sire ....Le Filou translated... French to English.....The Thief....hence the name Light Fingers....
Clever hey !!
French Sire ....Le Filou translated... French to English.....The Thief....hence the name Light Fingers....
Clever hey !!
Her brother, named The Dip was a pretty good horse but not as good as the mare.
Whilst in New Zealand for the sales in that particular year, young Adelaide based trainer Bart Cummings had bought a yearling by Le Filou out of the New Zealand mare Cuddlesome for Melbourne businessman W.J. Broderick. (Cuddlesome came from a loving family as her mother was named Fondle and her grandmother was called Caress.)
Brought to Australia to do his growing up and eventually being called The Dip by his owner - the youngster by Le Filou from Cuddlesome showed considerable promise for Cummings, prompting Broderick to write to the Cuddlesome’s New Zealand owner to ask if there had been any further matings of the mare Cuddlesome to Le Filou.
The owner advised Broderick that Cuddlesome had in fact been back to Le Filou and the result was a filly foal. Broderick offered to buy the filly, but the owner, a Mr Dawson, advised that he wouldn’t be selling that filly under any circumstances as he wished to breed from her eventually.
Dawson however advised Broderick that he would be happy to lease her to him and it would be up to Broderick to work out what trainer to place her with. Uncommitted, Broderick got Bart Cummings to inspect her when he was back in New Zealand for another yearling sale, but Cummings was unimpressed by the filly, advising Broderick that whilst she was skeletally sound, she was “very small”. Broderick thought it through and the lease eventually proceeded much to the delight of Broderick who was to see her full brother The Dip go on and win the 1962 version of The Metropolitan from Corsair and River Seine with the postage stamp weight of just 7 stone 3 pounds (46 kgs) before he would run second in the Sydney Cup the following year to the lightweight Maidenhead with 8 stone 12 pounds (56 kgs). To show just how classy The Dip was on his day, his best win was arguably in the Chipping Norton Stakes of 1963 when he beat the top class galloper Sky High when conceding that galloper only two pounds (one kilogram). Sky High had won the Chipping Norton the year before beating talented racehorses of the ilk of Dhaulagiri and New Statesman.
The “very small” filly that Bart Cummings inspected grew up to be named Light Fingers and what a wonderful ride she took her trainer, her New Zealand owner and her Australian lessee on.
Light Fingers was a shock race morning scratching from the 1965 Caulfield Cup with a muscle injury in her shoulder and then understandably blew like a gale in markets for the Melbourne Cup a couple of weeks later after missing that vital Caulfield Cup run. Weighted with 8 stone 4 pounds (52.5 kgs) in the Melbourne Cup, Light Fingers drifted out to 15/1 by post time and with her allotted weight of 8 stone 4 pounds she appeared to face mission impossible, as no filly or mare had won the Melbourne Cup since it was first run way back in 1861 with more than 8 stone (51.0 kgs). In fact between 1861 and 1965 only eight females had even managed to win the race.
In an incredible irony, Light Fingers full brother The Dip contested that same Melbourne Cup, clocking in 18th in the 24-horse field for Frank Reys at 66/1.
Brought to Australia to do his growing up and eventually being called The Dip by his owner - the youngster by Le Filou from Cuddlesome showed considerable promise for Cummings, prompting Broderick to write to the Cuddlesome’s New Zealand owner to ask if there had been any further matings of the mare Cuddlesome to Le Filou.
The owner advised Broderick that Cuddlesome had in fact been back to Le Filou and the result was a filly foal. Broderick offered to buy the filly, but the owner, a Mr Dawson, advised that he wouldn’t be selling that filly under any circumstances as he wished to breed from her eventually.
Dawson however advised Broderick that he would be happy to lease her to him and it would be up to Broderick to work out what trainer to place her with. Uncommitted, Broderick got Bart Cummings to inspect her when he was back in New Zealand for another yearling sale, but Cummings was unimpressed by the filly, advising Broderick that whilst she was skeletally sound, she was “very small”. Broderick thought it through and the lease eventually proceeded much to the delight of Broderick who was to see her full brother The Dip go on and win the 1962 version of The Metropolitan from Corsair and River Seine with the postage stamp weight of just 7 stone 3 pounds (46 kgs) before he would run second in the Sydney Cup the following year to the lightweight Maidenhead with 8 stone 12 pounds (56 kgs). To show just how classy The Dip was on his day, his best win was arguably in the Chipping Norton Stakes of 1963 when he beat the top class galloper Sky High when conceding that galloper only two pounds (one kilogram). Sky High had won the Chipping Norton the year before beating talented racehorses of the ilk of Dhaulagiri and New Statesman.
The “very small” filly that Bart Cummings inspected grew up to be named Light Fingers and what a wonderful ride she took her trainer, her New Zealand owner and her Australian lessee on.
Light Fingers was a shock race morning scratching from the 1965 Caulfield Cup with a muscle injury in her shoulder and then understandably blew like a gale in markets for the Melbourne Cup a couple of weeks later after missing that vital Caulfield Cup run. Weighted with 8 stone 4 pounds (52.5 kgs) in the Melbourne Cup, Light Fingers drifted out to 15/1 by post time and with her allotted weight of 8 stone 4 pounds she appeared to face mission impossible, as no filly or mare had won the Melbourne Cup since it was first run way back in 1861 with more than 8 stone (51.0 kgs). In fact between 1861 and 1965 only eight females had even managed to win the race.
In an incredible irony, Light Fingers full brother The Dip contested that same Melbourne Cup, clocking in 18th in the 24-horse field for Frank Reys at 66/1.
Castiron:
Well spotted re the Dip..never knew it was related to the great mare nor did I remember they raced against each other in the Cup that featured that titanic struggle between the 2 stable mates Light Fingers and Ziema.
Well spotted re the Dip..never knew it was related to the great mare nor did I remember they raced against each other in the Cup that featured that titanic struggle between the 2 stable mates Light Fingers and Ziema.
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