San Domenico (horse)

San Domenico was a brown Australian thoroughbred gelding who raced for 7 seasons from a two-year-old to an eight-year-old recording 25 wins from 5 furlongs to 1 mile and regular jockey Arthur Ward 2007 Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee winning 14 races.^[1][2]

San Domenico
San Domenico & Arthur Ward
Sire	Hua (AUS)
Grandsire	Heroic (AUS)
Dam	Arpina (GB)
Damsire	Ksar (FR)
Sex	Gelding
Foaled	1945
Country	Australia
Colour	Brown
Breeder	Danmark Pty Ltd N.S.W
Owner	R.P. Formosa G. Goodwin
Trainer	N.R.O’Brien R.P. Formosa W.J. Kearns
Record	79: 25,10, 8
Earnings	£30,839
Major wins
Hobartville Stakes (1948) C.W.Cropper Handicap (1949) Challenge Stakes (1949, 1950) Oakleigh Plate (1949) Frederick Clissold Handicap (1950) George Main Stakes (1950) Warwick Stakes (1950, 1951) Canterbury Stakes (1950, 1951) Hill Stakes (1951) C.M.Lloyd Stakes (1951) Futurity Stakes (1952) All Aged Stakes (1952)
Honours
San Domenico Stakes

Breeding

San Domenico was bred by glass industrialist W.J. ‘Knockout’ Smith at St Aubin's Stud Scone.^[3][4] Sire Hua (AUS) won the 1937 VRC Derby, 1938 MVRC William Reid Stakes and 1938 VRC St Leger. Grandsire and champion Heroic was the leading sire in Australia between 1933 and 1939. Dam Arpina (GB) was lightly raced and won a Mornington Maiden Plate.^[5][6][7]

Racing career

San Domenico, 1950

San Domenico raced in the post war years between 1948 and 1954 a specialist weight carrying sprinter and the winner of 8 Group 1 races in the modern era including the 1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate,1950 AJC George Main Stakes, 1952 AJC All Aged Stakes and the 1952 VATC Futurity Stakes carrying 65.5 kg defeating Grey Boots 1950 AJC Doncaster Handicap and 1950 VATC Caulfield Cup.^[8]

Ray Formosa owner-trainer and arrant tax defaulter from Kogarah, Sydney purchased San Domenico for 1,000 guineas and refused an offer of 4,000 guineas from breeder W.J.Smith prior to San Domenico racing and 8,000 guineas from other sources after his first win at Randwick. Formosa was granted a training licence in 1948 after the Hobartville Stakes win and original trainer N.R.O'Brien becoming stable foreman. In 1949 Formosa purchased the Moorefield Sydney stables of the late Jack Cush major winners being Journal 1934 VATC Caulfield Cup, Reading 1939 AJC Derby, VRC Victoria Derby, 1940 AJC St Leger and VRC St Leger. San Domenico was later sold in 1951 for 3,500 guineas to wealthy Wilcannia grazier George Goodwin and then trained by W.J Kearns^{[9][10][11][12][13][14]}

San Domenico's racing record: 79 starts for 25 wins, 10 seconds, 8 thirds^[15]

1949 racebooks

• 
  Front cover of the 1949 Oakleigh Plate racebook.
• 
  1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate showing raceday officials.
• 
  Starters and results showing the winner, San Domenico.
• 
  Starters and results 1949 Oakleigh Plate.
• 
  Front cover 1949 C.W.Cropper Handicap racebook.
• 
  Starters and results showing the winner, San Domenico.
• 
  Starters and results.
• 
  Back cover showing charges at the entrance gates.

References

1. Arrold, Tony (1980). Champions (First ed.). Sydney N.S.W.: Tralca. pp. 193–197. ISBN 0959445803. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
2. Ward, Arthur. "Hall of Fame Jockey". www.racingvictoria.com.au. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
3. "St Aubin's Stud Scone History". www.scone.com.au. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
4. "W.J.'Knockout" Smith". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
5. Australian Stud Book. "San Domenico Breeding". www.studbook.org.au. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
6. National Library of Australia (18 February 1950). "San Domenico Sire & Dam". No. 19. Smith's Weekly Sydney N.S.W. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
7. Thoroughbred Heritage. "Leading Sires of Australia". www.tbheritage.com. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
8. National Library of Australia (9 March 1952). "San Domenico Futurity Stakes Win". No. 19. The Daily Telegraph Sydney. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
9. National Library of Australia (28 August 1948). "Ray Formosa Photo". No. 20. The Daily Telegraph Sydney. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
10. National Library of Australia (20 July 1951). "Ray Formosa Tax Defaulter". No. 11. The Daily Telegraph Sydney. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
11. National Library of Australia (6 June 1948). "San Domenico Purchase Price". No. Page 9. The Sun Sydney N S W. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
12. National Library of Australia (23 October 1948). "Ray Formosa Training Licence". No. Page 8. Newcastle Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
13. National Library of Australia (22 December 1951). "George Goodwin Owner". No. 20. The Daily Telegraph Sydney. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
14. National Library of Australia (3 May 1949). "Ray Formosa Moorefield Stables". No. Page 6. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
15. Racehorsetalk. "San Domenico Race Record". www.racehorsetalk.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2020.