L - R George Greenwood, George Young & Dick Mason.Gloaming
Gloaming (September 1915 – 5 May 1932) was an outstanding Thoroughbredracehorse, owned, trained, and based in New Zealand. He set many records which included the Australasian record (jointly held with Desert Gold, Black Caviar and Winx) of 19 successive wins, many in Principal Races. Gloaming was unusual in that he was a champion who won many major races in both Australia and New Zealand. Gloaming still holds the Australasian record of 45 seconds for four furlongs.
He was a robust bay gelding standing 15 hands 3 inches high with a good length of rein. Gloaming was sired by the good imported racehorse and sire, The Welkin (GB) out of the unplaced mare, Light (GB), by the good sire, Eager. His paternal grandsire was the English Triple Crown champion, Flying Fox. Gloaming was a brother to seven other named horses, all by The Welkin, including Gloaming's Sister (won AJC Kirkham Stakes), but none were nearly so successful as him.[1] Light was inbred in the third generation (3x3) to Sterling.[2]
Gloaming was sold as a yearling in 1916 for 230 guineas to H. Chisholm acting on behalf of George D. Greenwood, of Teviotdale in the Canterbury region, New Zealand. Following the sale he made his first of 15 crossings of the Tasman Sea.[3]
Gloaming had a long career, racing from age three to nine years, which included victories over other champion racehorses such as Desert Gold, Beauford, Kennaquhair, Whittier and The Hawk. He was successful at distances from four furlongs to a mile and a half.[1]
He was put into work as a two-year-old, but became shin-sore, and was gelded before being spelled. In June 1918 he was shipped to Sydney, after he had showed promise in track work in New Zealand.[3]
At his first start, in the Sydney Tattersall's Chelmsford Stakes, over nine furlongs, he ran a race record time to defeat a class field that included the imported five-year-old Rebus and Kennaquhair. This was the first time this race had been won by a three-year-old having their first start. In his first season's racing Gloaming went on to win three Derbies, the AJC Australian Derby, the New Zealand Derby Stakes, and also the Great Northern Derby in New Zealand. In addition he
won the 1918 Wellington R.C. (WRC) Champion Plate weight for age (w.f.a.) over 10 furlongs by 21⁄2 lengths
2nd in G. G. Stead Memorial Stakes (w.f.a.) (defeated by the New Zealand Cup winner, Sasanof).
Gloaming had 67 race starts, won 57 (including 39 Principal Races) and was second 9 times.[6] Gloaming fell in his only other race start, at barrier rise in the North Island Challenge Stakes which was a race he later won three times. When he retired he was the leading Australian racing stakes winner.[2] He was the first horse to defeat the great mare, Desert Gold over a mile and he still holds the Australasian record of 45 seconds for four furlongs. He jointly held the Australasian record of 19 wins in succession with Desert Gold, who he met five times and defeated four times. The record is now held at 33 wins by Winx.[7]
When Gloaming was retired from the turf to his owner's property at Teviotdale, he was the leading stakes-winner in Australasia with fifty-seven wins and £43,100 in prize-money.[3] He died on 5 May 1932.[8]
