Breeder : Percy Miller,
Kia Ora Stud, Scone, NSW
Owner : Adolph Brasser
Cost : £2,665 as a yearling
Trainer : Maurice McCarten
Jockey : Neville Sellwood (22)
TWO YEARS: 1948-1949
Starts 4: 2-1-1-0
2nd-18 19/03/1949. 1L x ½ hd Canterbury, STC Two-Year-Old Maiden
Stakes 6f. 1207m. 8.5. 53kg 1.16.5. 14/1. Charioteer 8.5 4/1 1st
1st-19 28/05/1949. 3L x 0.5L Canterbury, STC Two-Year-Old Maiden Stakes
(C&G) 6f. 1207m. 8.5. 53kg 1.16.0. 7/4EF Beau Caste 8.5 6/1 2nd
1st-13 8/06/1949. 2.5L x 1L run at Randwick, AJC Two-Year- Old Encourage
Hcp Abt 7f. Abt 1400m. 9.0. 57kg 1.32.0. 10/9F Artois 8.0 16/1 2nd
3rd-11 13/06/1949. 2L x 1.5L Randwick, AJC Winter Juvenile Hcp Abt
8f. Abt 1600m. 9.7. 60kg 1.47.75. 5/2F Brother Arthur 7.8 16/1 1st
THREE YEARS: 1949-1950 Starts 13: 5-3-1-4
8th-13 27/08/1949. 3L x 2L Randwick, AJC Hobartville Stakes 7f. 24y.
1430m. 8.10. 55.5kg 1.29.25. 7/2EF Chastise 8.5 25/1 1st
1st-14 3/09/1949. 1.5L x 0.5L Canterbury, STC Canterbury Guineas (G1)
9f. 1810m. 8.5. 53kg 1.57.0. 9/1. Beau China 8.5 9/2 2nd
2nd-16 17/09/1949. 1L x ½ nk Rosehill, STC Rosehill Guineas
10f. 2011m. 8.5. 53kg 25.09.0. 7/4F Thracian Lad 8.5 8/1 1st
2nd-20 1/10/1949. 0.75L x 2.5L Randwick, AJC Derby 12f. 2414m. 8.10.
55.5kg 02:34.0 2/1F Playboy 8.10 10/1 1st
1st-13 22/10/1949. 0.5L x 3L Moonee Valley, MVRC W.S. Cox Plate (G1)
10f. 2011m. 7.11. 49.5kg 2.04.75. 20/1. Comic
Court 9.0 5/4F 2nd
1st-18 29/10/1949. 1.5L x DH Flemington, VRC Victoria Derby (G1) 12f.
2414m. 8.10. 55.5kg 2.32.75. 6/4F Dickens 8.10 20/1 DH 2nd
5th-31 1/11/1949. 1.5L x lg nk Flemington, VRC Melbourne Cup 16f.
3219m. cd 7.7. 47.5kg 3.28.5. 6/1F Foxzami
8.8 16/1 1st
4th-14 25/02/1950. Nk x ½ hd Caulfield, VATC St. George Stakes
9f. 1810m. 8.3. 52kg 1.51.0. 6/1. Comic
Court 9.0 9/4F 1st
1st-6 11/03/1950. 8L x sht ½ hd Flemington, VRC St Leger Stakes
14f. 2816m. 8.10. 55.5kg 2.57.75. 1/4F Playboy
8.10 6/1 2nd
1st-3 15/03/1950. 3L x 12L Flemington, VRC King's Plate 14f. 2816m.
8.2. 52kg 3.03.0. 4/7F Carbon
Copy 9.0 6/4 2nd
2nd-6 25/03/1950. 0.75L x 3L Rosehill, STC Rawson Stakes 9f. 1810m.
8.4. 52.5kg 1.57.25. 4/6F Dickens 8.4 7/1 1st
5th-6 1/04/1950. 1.25L x 3L run at Randwick, AJC Chipping Norton Stakes
10f. 25y. 2053m. 8.6. 53.5kg 2.15.75. 2/1. Carbon
Copy 9.0 11/2 1st
3rd-4 8/04/1950. 6L x 8L Randwick, AJC St. Leger 14f. 2816m. 8.10.
55.5kg 3.05.75. 5/2. Playboy
8.10 5/2 1st
FOUR YEARS: 1950-1951 Starts 8: 3-1-0-4
6th-10 26/08/1950. 4L x 1.75L run at Randwick, AJC Warwick Stakes
7f. 20½y. 1427m. 9.0. 57kg 1.29.0. Dead, 15/1. San
Domenico 9.0 1/1 1st
1st-11 9/09/1950. ½ hd x 0.75L Randwick, Tattersall's Club
Chelmsford Stakes 9f. 32½y. 1840m. 9.0. 57kg 1.53.75. 8/1.
Snowstream 9.4 9/2 2nd
1st-6 30/09/1950. 0.5L x ½ hd Randwick, AJC Colin Stephen Stakes
12f. 2414m. 9.0. 57kg 2.34.5. 8/11F Thracian Lad 8.11 16/1 2nd
16th-18 2/10/1950. Nse x nk Randwick, AJC Metropolitan 13f. 2615m.
8.13. 56.5kg 2.48.75. 5/1EF Conductor 7.11 7/1 1st
1st-5 7/10/1950. 0.75L x 2.5L Randwick, AJC The Randwick Plate 16f.
3219m. 9.0. 57kg 3.28.5. 9/4EF Sir Falcon 9.6 9/4EF 2nd
5th-12 28/10/1950. Nk x 2L Moonee Valley, MVRC W.S. Cox Plate 10f.
2011m. 9.0. 57kg 2.06.25. 11/8F Alister 7.11 4/1 1st
5th-9 4/11/1950. 1.25L x hd Flemington, VRC L. K. S. Mackinnon Stakes
10f. 2011m. 9.0. 57kg 2.05.75. Good, 4/1. Comic
Court 9.3 7/2 1st
2nd-4 11/11/1950. 0.75L x 1L Flemington, VRC C. B. Fisher Plate 12f.
2414m. 9.0. 57kg 2.35.25. 7/2. Playboy
9.0 7/2 1st
FIVE YEARS: 1951-1952 Starts 14: 11-1-0-2
5th-13 28/08/1951. 1.25L x 1.5L run at Randwick, AJC Warwick Stakes
7f. 17?y. 1424m. 9.3. 58.5kg 1.24.5. Good, 14/1 San
Domenico 9.0 1st
1st-7 8/09/1951. 3L x 3L Randwick, Tattersall's Club Jubilee Chelmsford
Stakes 9f. 25y. 1833m. 9.4. 59kg 1.52.25. Dead, 9/4 Hydrogen
7.9 5/4F 2nd
1st-5 29/09/1951. Nse x 5L Randwick, AJC Colin Stephen Stakes 12f.
2414m. 9.5. 59.5kg 2.36.75. Good, 4/9F Aristocrat 9.0 5/2 2nd
1st-16 1/10/1951. 0.5L x 1.5L Randwick, AJC The Metropolitan (G1)
13f. 2615m. 9.5. 59.5kg 2.44.5. Fast, 7/1 Skystreamer cd 6.12 9/1
2nd
2nd-5 6/10/1951. 1L x 2L Randwick, AJC Randwick Plate 16f. 3219m.
9.6. 60kg 3.38.5. Good, 1/1F Aristocrat 9.0 3/1 1st
1st-7 3/11/1951. 2L x 0.5L Flemington, VRC L.K.S Mackinnon Stakes
(G1) 10f. 2011m. 9.1. 57.5kg 2.03.0. Good, 6/4F Akbar 9.0 7/1 2nd
1st-28 6/11/1951. 0.75L x 3L Flemington, VRC Melbourne Cup (G1) 16f.
3219m. 9.5. 59.5kg 3.24.25. Good, 10/1 Akbar 8.6 7/1 2nd
1st-6 1/03/1952. 1.5L x hd Caulfield, VATC St George Stakes 9f. 1810m.
9.2. 58kg 1.52.75. Good, 9/4F Ellerslie 8.13 4/1 2nd
1st-4 10/03/1952. 3L x hd Flemington, VRC Ercildoune Stakes 10f. 2011m.
9.2. 58kg 2.06.25. Good, 1/3F Bronton 8.4 16/1 2nd
1st-8 15/03/1952. 2L x 3L Flemington, VRC Queen's Plate 14f. 2816m.
9.3. 58.5kg 2.59.5. Good, 1/6F Clutha 9.0 8/1 2nd
1st-3 22/03/1952. 3.5L x 7L Flemington, VRC Carbine Stakes 18f. 3621m.
9.4. 59kg 4.06.75. Heavy, 1/9F Free Kick 9.1 8/1 2nd
1st-5 5/04/1952. 1.25L x 3L Randwick, AJC Chipping Norton Stakes 10f.
27?y. 2055m. 9.2. 58kg 2.07.5. Dead, 4/7F Hydrogen
8.6 5/2 2nd
8th-12 14/04/1952. Hd x 8L Randwick, AJC Sydney Cup 16f. 3219m. 9.7.
60kg 3.37.25. Heavy, 4/1EF Opulent 7.1 16/1 1st
1st-4 16/04/1952. Hd x 6L Randwick, AJC Cumberland Stakes 14f. 2816m.
9.3. 58.5kg 3.06.75. Dead, 4/5F Clutha 9.0 4/1 2nd
SIX YEARS: 1952-1953 Starts 2: 1-0-0-1
7th-9 23/08/1952. ½ hd x sht ½ hd Warwick Farm, AJC
Warwick Stakes 7f. 1408m. 9.3. 58.5kg 1.27.5. Dead, 14/1 Foreign Exchange
7.4 14/1 1st
1st-8 13/09/1952. 4L x 1.25L Randwick, Tattersall's Club Chelmsford
Stakes 9f. 1810m. 9.4. 59kg 1.49.25 (ANZR) Good, 8/11F Hydrogen
9.0 7/1 2nd
Extract from
the Sunday Herald, February 8, 1953:
Delta, Australia's No.
1 racehorse, has been retired, to be used as a stallion at Widden
Stud. Arrangements were made yesterday to take Delta to Widden next
Wednesday. Delta's stud fee will be 300 guineas, record for an Australian-bred
sire.
The price paid for Delta has not been disclosed, but it also is believed
to be a record for an Australian bred stallion. He will be tested
tor fertility, but it is not expected that there will be any hitch
in the sale.
One of the conditions
of sale is that Delta's owner, Mr. Adolf Basser, is to have the right
to pick a colt from the first crop bred at Widden.
Selection of the colt
is to rest with Delta's trainer, Maurice McCarten, and Mr. Frank Thompson.......(who)
is managing director of Widden.
McCarten said- "It
is lucky for Australia that Delta is to remain here; and lucky for
Delta that he will have such a good chance to reproduce worthy sons
and daughters. Delta was a horse with character; he had no vices in
the stable or during races, but he was a real stallion. If you treated
him properly and went about doing things in a straightforward manner
he was docile and tractable...............When he started racing he
was anything but outstanding; then at three he got better; at five
he reached heights that I'd never expected; and I believe honestly
that when he won the Chelmsford Stakes at six he was better than he
ever had been in all his career."
Mr. Basser said he had
had several approaches for the sale of Delta. He said: "I'm pretty
certain I could have had 100,000 dollars (nearly £A45,000) for
Delta after he won the Melbourne Cup. I didn't want him to go overseas;
I want him here in Australia, where the Australian racehorse can be
benefited if he turns out a first-class sire".
Delta ranks fifth in
the listof great Australian winners.His record is 22 wins, fiveseconds,
and two thirds and£48,169/10/ in stakes from 41starts.A fear
that Delta might break down influenced the decision to sell the horse
without further racing. In the spring, Delta ran one of the fastest
races in his career to win the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. Unfortunately,
he chipped a sliver of bone from a sesamoid and was lame for a time.
Horse
racing systems and research
Racehorse
Delta was foaled in 1946 and was by Midstream out of the mare Gazza.