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Northerly
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Northerly foaled in 1996 was bred by Oakland Park Stud, Western Australia was one of Australia's champion Thoroughbred horses in the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kersley, won nine Group 1 races, including the Australian Cup twice, and the Cox Plate, regarded as the Weight for Age championship of Australasia, also on two occasions. The bay gelding by Serheed from North Bell was foaled in 1996. Northerly had 37 race starts, won 19, was second 7 times, and third on 2 occasions, earning prize money of AUD$9.34 million.
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Encyclopedia
Northerly foaled in 1996 was bred by Oakland Park Stud, Western Australia was one of Australia's champion Thoroughbred horses in the early 2000s. Northerly, trained by Western Australian harness racing legend Fred Kersley, won nine Group 1 races, including the Australian Cup twice, and the Cox Plate, regarded as the Weight for Age championship of Australasia, also on two occasions. The bay gelding by Serheed from North Bell was foaled in 1996. Northerly had 37 race starts, won 19, was second 7 times, and third on 2 occasions, earning prize money of AUD$9.34 million. Northerly was especially renowned for his desire to win and never give up attitude. That attitude in combination with his racing colours of Yellow, Black Maltese Cross and Quartered Cap earned him the nickname of "The Fighting Tiger".
Season 2000-2001
Northerly's first significant victory was the 2000 Group 1 Railway Stakes in his native Perth where he beat the best that Western Australia had to offer by the best part of three lengths.
Northerly's Autumn 2001 campaign created his reputation as one of Australia's very best racehorses. Following a first up second in the unsuitably short Australia Day Stakes in Perth, Northerly arrived in Melbourne for a campaign aimed at the Australian Cup. Northerly won his first race in Melbourne, the Carlyon Cup over 1600 m, in a convincing manner, by almost four lengths, beginning his successful relationship with New Zealand jockey Greg Childs.
Following a third, carrying 59 kg, at Caulfield, Northerly headed to the Group 1 Australian Cup over 2000 m at Flemington, for the first time facing the highest quality opposition. Northerly raced three wide for a significant part of the race, yet still managed to win by 3.3 lengths, and break the record for 2000 m. Greg Childs described his performance thus: "On that run today, to break the track record after racing three-wide, you'd have to say he's already on the way up to Sunline's status. He's not quite Sunline yet, but he's got all the hallmarks of a champion." Sunline, a champion New Zealand mare, had won the Cox Plate for two years running, and was regarded as one of the finest mares to ever race in Australia.
Season 2001-2002
Northerly was spelled for the winter, and came back for the spring with the aim of winning the Cox Plate. His campaign started in Perth, winning first up followed by a fighting second carrying 62 kg. He then travelled to Melbourne, where he met Sunline for the first time in the Group 2 Weight for Age John F Feehan Stakes in mid September. This time jockey Damien Oliver took the ride, as Greg Childs was committed to the New Zealand mare Sunline. The great mare looked home at the top of the straight, but Northerly put his head down to reel her in, and win by a neck. The feat was all the more remarkable because of the “on pace” bias of Moonee Valley racecourse. Greg Childs, the rider of Sunline said of Northerly’s performance: "Sunline was at peak fitness. We took off early and he looked a beaten horse. But he nailed us on the line. It was his determination. Often he looked to be struggling but he kept coming".
Northerly won his next two starts convincingly, the Group 1 Underwood Stakes, and the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes. Whilst these were impressive victories, they were not sufficient to gain him favouritism for the Cox Plate over Sunline, the sentimental favourite, who had also impressively won the 2000 m Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.
The 2001 Cox Plate was the race to finally decide the premier racehorse in Australia: Sunline or Northerly. Sunline, as in 2000 when she won by a huge margin, looked the winner at the turn, but once again Northerly determination wore down the champion mare in the home straight. The result was very controversial, and protests were lodged alleging that Northerly had severely hampered Sunline in the straight, and that both horses hampered third-placed Viscount. The stewards dismissed the protest and Northerly retained the race. Despite the unpopularity of the result (more a testament to great affection for Sunline than any ill feeling towards Northerly) he had proved himself a true champion of the turf, having taken on and beaten all comers in one brilliant Spring.
Northerly returned home to Perth, and his trainer Fred Kersley chose to give the home town crowd a chance to see their famous son in action, in the Railway Stakes. However, the 61.5 kg, and wear and tear of the Spring racing proved to be too much, as he finished an uncharacteristic 11th out of a field of 16. On that day he was beaten by the Lindsey Smith trained Old Comrade, who was to again defeat Northerly in the Australian Cup in March. Northerly had shown excellent lead up form, a close second in the C F Orr Stakes over 1400 m at Caulfield, followed by a convincing victory in the St George Stakes at the same venue a fortnight later. However, Northerly was not at his best on Australian Cup day, being grabbed by Old Comrade in the shadows of the post. It was, nevertheless, a fine effort, but he was beaten by the better horse on the day.
After a tough campaign with very little rest stretching from August to March, Fred Kersley decided to give Northerly a good spell leading up to an attempt to win a second Cox Plate, and the Caulfield Cup.
Season 2002-2003
As always, Northerly began his spring campaign in his native Perth, but the short distance and 60 kg weight carried again proved the better of him. In Melbourne he was sent out favourite in the Memsie Stakes over 1410 m, however, at the age of 5 it was clear he was now suited to longer races. A week later he had a strong win in the Group 2 Craiglee Stakes over 1600 m at Flemington. Narrow victories in the Underwood Stakes and Turnbull Stakes followed, as he geared up for Caulfield Cup.
Aided by a brilliant front running ride by Greg Childs, Northerly carried 58 kg, the highest weight carried by a Caulfield Cup winner in many years, and managed to resist the late charge of Fields of Omagh. Fields of Omagh was later to prove his class and ability by winning the Cox Plate the next year. This race emphatically proved his will to win, and the fighting spirit which separated him from the rest. The Caulfield crowd knew they had seen the performance of a genuine champion, and showed their appreciation with a rapturous reception as he returned to the mounting yard. Jockey Greg Childs said: "With 58 kilos, the way the race was run, he was always open to be run down by a lighter-weighted horse. I let him stride at the 600 m which is what Fred wanted. I knew he would be vulnerable to a lighter-weighted horse in the last 50 m but he just kept going."
The next week the champ returned to Moonee Valley and repeated his feat of the previous year in winning the Cox Plate. The quality of the win is underlined by the calibre of horse that he beat on that day. No less than Defier, Grandera, Sunline, Fields of Omagh, and Lonhro filled the next five places. Speaking after his amazing spring, legendary Racing Steward Des Gleeson said of Northerly: "The champion of his era. His Caulfield Cup win was brilliant with the big weight, and he backed up in the Cox Plate and blitzed them. He has a big motor."
There was considerable speculation on whether, if Northerly had run, he could have won the 2002 Melbourne Cup. Trainer Fred Kersley reasoned that because he would have to carry 60 kg, and that the race could possibly wear him out to the point he couldn't race for a long period of time, it would be too much of a risk to put him in the 3200 m race.
Northerly's Autumn 2003 campaign was to prove less successful. The champ had his first up start in the C F Orr Stakes, where he finished a respectable fourth. A fortnight later he was at the scene of some of his greatest triumphs, Caulfield, where he beat home a field of only four on a wet track. In the Victoria Gold Cup he finished second to a horse with a 9 kg advantage on him. Northerly was sent out a short priced favourite the next week for the 2003 Australian Cup, where he bounced back to his best form leading all the way to win by 4 lengths.
Having achieved everything he wanted in Melbourne, Fred Kersley sent Northerly to Sydney for what turned out to be something of a disappointing campaign by his standards. In his first race, the Ranvet Stakes, Northerly sat second behind Freemason for the trip, and looked the winner in sight of the finishing post, only to be run down by the late swooping Republic Lass. The Manion Cup again saw him carry a big impost of 61 kg, and he was well beaten. Nevertheless, he was sent out favourite in the The BMW Stakes the following week. In a battle from the 800 m to the finish, Northerly was beaten a nose by Freemason, who was brilliantly ridden by Darren Beadman. These three races in Sydney were to prove the only blot on a remarkable record.
Season 2003-2004
Sadly for Northerly's great legion of fans, in August 2003 swelling was found in his off-foreleg. This revealed a torn tendon, and with it, Northerly's career seemed over.
Season 2004-2005
Bucking the odds, Northerly revealed his fighting spirit once again to make a return in August 2004. Months of speculation ended when Northerly galloped and then trialled successfully. A crowd of 30,000 descended on Belmont racecourse in Perth to see the return of a champion. It so very nearly turned out to be a fairytale return. Carrying 64.5 kg, Northerly sat 4th for the journey, getting to the lead in sight of the winning post, only to be swamped on the line. It was a great effort, and can surely be rated as courageous as his Cox Plate and Caulfield Cup wins. Unfortunately, after two more reasonable performances his tendon flared up again, and not wishing to risk the horse he loved, Fred Kersley immediately chose to retire him.
Legendary racing writer Les Carlyon wrote of Northerly:
"He fools you every time he races. He has the body language of a loser and a heart as big as the Nullarbor. He invariably looks to be struggling, a shambles of a horse blundering around on memory while his jockey pumps and blusters. Then he gets going. One instant Northerly looks beaten, the next he looks unbeatable. The closer he gets to the post, the harder he tries. He grinds on. And on. And on. He simply refuses to be beaten."
Course records
Flemington 2000 m, 1:59.4 (Australian Cup 2001)
(This race and track record was broken in 2005 by Makybe Diva.)
Caulfield 1600 m, 1:35.1 (Carlyon Cup 2001)
See also
Millionaire Racehorses in Australia
External links
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