Sydney racing in the late 1950s was a peppered and colourful business. It was the era of Tulloch (NZ) and TJ Smith, of Sky High and Fine And Dandy, and it was also the era of a marvellous race mare called Wenona Girl.
Bred in 1957 at Newhaven Park, Wenona Girl was a Champion racehorse across six seasons on the track. She won 27 races against 68 starts, was second 19 times and third seven times, and, by her retirement, she was the greatest stakes-earning female in Australian turf history.
After a while, these facts do her little justice. After all, this was an era of champion thoroughbreds. But when the races she won are held up to the light for inspection, her demolition of history can be properly measured.
Wenona Girl | Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Wenona Girl won the Gimcrack at Randwick on debut by nearly 3l, then her next three races by over 7l collectively. She won the VRC Sires’ Produce S. before running second to Sky High in the Golden Slipper, and she whipped in her juvenile season by demolishing Sky High in the AJC Sires’ Produce S.
As an older horse, she was electrifying.
Wenona Girl won the Flight S., the Wakeful, the Hobartville, Rosehill Guineas and One Thousand Guineas at Caulfield. She won the George Main, the CF Orr S. and the Futurity, and she was twice a winner of the Lightning S. at Flemington. She also won the Rawson S. and All Aged S. in Sydney, all under the tutelage of Randwick master trainer Maurice McCarten.
In fact, of the mare’s 27 total victories, 15 are now Group 1 contests.
Maurice McCarten | Image courtesy of Racing Victoria
Wenona Girl was a racing marvel. Coined ‘The Girl’ by the Sydney papers, she was a stretchy chestnut with hair as blonde as butterscotch. In many ways, she was like her sire Wilkes (Fr), who was tall, long-barrelled and red at Newhaven Park, and who also boasted a long white stripe down his face and a lengthy, near-hind white sock.
Wenona Girl was owned by William Longworth, who purchased her at Inglis’ old Newmarket complex at Randwick in the Easter of 1959. Longworth paid 2100 gns for her, making her the highest-priced of her sire’s debut crop that Easter.
In history, Longworth will be remembered as a founding committeeman of the Sydney Turf Club. He was appointed its chairman in 1943, and he was sporting excellence, most notably as an Olympic-level swimmer. He was a disciplined character throughout his life, believing in good shape, correct diet and exercise, but Wenona Girl softened him considerably.
William Longworth in his swimming days
She was named after Longworth’s daughter, Honey, who was a student at the exclusive North Sydney school for girls, Wenona. Every Sunday morning, Longworth would visit his famous horse at McCarten’s barn and, when she retired in 1964, he sent her to live at Baramul Stud.
Longworth died in 1969, failing to live out Wenona Girl’s breeding career. The great mare was sold privately to Lloyd Foyster, who was the studmaster of Gooree Park.
In 1976, at the age of 18, old Wenona Girl was sold again as an Inglis Easter broodmare. She was bought for $33,000 by Garry Chittick, who flew her to his Thornton Park Stud in Palmerston North. In 1980, at the age of 23, Wenona Girl died when foaling to the American import, Sound Reason (Can).
Wenona Girl at stud with Willliam Longworth
While she left some good foals behind her, namely the spry little stakes winner Special Girl (Todman), Wenona Girl will always be the glamourous little diva of her era. Her superb dash and good looks sailed her right into the script of the times, and she is remembered this weekend at Royal Randwick.
