San Domenico (horse)
{{short description|Australian thoroughbred gelding}}
{{Infobox racehorse
| horsename = San Domenico
| image = 260px
| caption =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
| race = 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)
| awards =
| honours = San Domenico Stakes
}}
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.{{cite book |last1=Arrold |first1=Tony |title=Champions |date=1980 |publisher=Tralca |location=Sydney N.S.W. |isbn=0959445803 |pages=193–197 |edition=First |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21863274 |access-date=26 November 2020 |ref=3063296}}{{cite web |last1=Ward |first1=Arthur |title=Hall of Fame Jockey |url=https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/the-sport/racing/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/jockeys/arthur-ward |website=www.racingvictoria.com.au |access-date=26 November 2020}}
Breeding
San Domenico was bred by glass industrialist W.J. ‘Knockout’ Smith at St Aubin's Stud Scone.{{cite web |title=St Aubin's Stud Scone History |url=http://www.scone.com.au/st-aubins-history-home/ |website=www.scone.com.au |access-date=26 November 2020}}{{cite web |title=W.J.'Knockout" Smith |url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/smith-william-john-bill-8492 |website=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=26 November 2020}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Australian Stud Book |title=San Domenico Breeding |url=http://www.studbook.org.au/Horse.aspx?hid=540147 |website=www.studbook.org.au |access-date=26 November 2020}}{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=San Domenico Sire & Dam |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/235983571 |access-date=26 November 2020 |issue=19 |publisher=Smith's Weekly Sydney N.S.W |date=18 February 1950}}{{cite web |last1=Thoroughbred Heritage |title=Leading Sires of Australia |url=http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/LeadingSires/AustLeadSires.html |website=www.tbheritage.com |access-date=27 November 2020}}
Racing career
File:San Domenico Racehorse 1950.jpg
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.{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=San Domenico Futurity Stakes Win |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/248748957 |access-date=26 November 2020 |issue=19 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph Sydney |date=9 March 1952}}
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{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Ray Formosa Photo |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/248385621 |access-date=4 December 2020 |issue=20 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph Sydney |date=28 August 1948}}{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Ray Formosa Tax Defaulter |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/248599302 |access-date=29 November 2020 |issue=11 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph Sydney |date=20 July 1951}}{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=San Domenico Purchase Price |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228811553 |access-date=26 November 2020 |issue=Page 9 |publisher=The Sun Sydney N S W |date=6 June 1948}}{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Ray Formosa Training Licence |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140349780 |access-date=4 December 2020 |issue=Page 8 |publisher=Newcastle Morning Herald |date=23 October 1948}}{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=George Goodwin Owner |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/248701813 |access-date=27 November 2020 |issue=20 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph Sydney |date=22 December 1951}}{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Ray Formosa Moorefield Stables |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/134457904 |access-date=2 December 2020 |issue=Page 6 |date=3 May 1949}}
San Domenico's racing record: 79 starts for 25 wins, 10 seconds, 8 thirds{{cite web |last1=Racehorsetalk |title=San Domenico Race Record |url=http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/racing-talk/race-records-of-champion-racehorses/1328/#msg_627768 |website=www.racehorsetalk.com.au |access-date=27 November 2020}}
1949 racebooks
File:1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate Racebook P1.jpg|Front cover of the 1949 Oakleigh Plate racebook.
File:1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate Racebook P2.jpg|1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate showing raceday officials.
File:1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate Racebook P3.jpg|Starters and results showing the winner, San Domenico.
File:1949 VATC Oakleigh Plate Racebook P4.jpg|Starters and results 1949 Oakleigh Plate.
File:1949 AJC Sydney Cup Racebook P1.jpg| Front cover 1949 C.W.Cropper Handicap racebook.
File:1949 AJC C.W. Cropper Handicap P1.jpg| Starters and results showing the winner, San Domenico.
File:1949 AJC C.W.Cropper Handicap P2.jpg| Starters and results.
File:1949 AJC Sydney Cup Racebook P5.jpg| Back cover showing charges at the entrance gates.