17/02/16
There is no shadow of a doubt that in the 1970s in Australia one of the best racehorses was the Victorian trained galloper Taj Rossi.
Taj Rossi was born in 1970 as the son of Matrice and the Coronation Boy mare Dark Queen and was trained throughout his career by Bart Cummings who had bought him at an Adelaide yearling sale.
For his part Matrice won 27 races from four furlongs (800 metres) to 9 furlongs (1800 metres) in Australia. His biggest career wins came via his twice winning the Linlithgow Stakes in Melbourne (now the Salinger Stakes) and the Goodwood Handicap in Adelaide.
Upon his retirement to stud, Matrice was named the “Champion Sire” in Australia in the 1973-74 season. Whilst Matrice sired Taj Rossi, he was no one hit wonder as he also sired classy gallopers of the ilk of Pago Pago (Golden Slipper winner that won nine of his 10 starts as a 2YO and later successful sire in America and Canada) and Manihi (11 wins from 16 starts including a Newmarket Handicap at Flemington). As a sire Manihi sired champion racehorse Manikato as well as Toltrice (VRC Oaks), etcetera.
The dam of Taj Rossi – Dark Queen – was an unraced sister-in-blood to the champion mare Storm Queen. In her illustrious racing career Storm Queen won the Golden Slipper and Champagne Stakes in Sydney in 1966, as well as Victorian features like the Lightning Handicap, George Adams Mile, Edward Manifold Stakes, Caulfield Guineas, Sires’ Produce, etcetera.
Apart from Taj Rossi, his dam Dark Queen also produced the handy and hardy galloper Strong Queen, which won 16 races in her career. She had 19 starts at age 2 and won eight of the 19 and ran eight minor placings for trainer Daryl Strong. She lumped 63kgs to win the Tiny Tots as a 2YO at Canterbury and an incredible 69kgs to win a Grafton 2YO race. In later life she won Open company races at each of Rosehill and Canterbury in Sydney and Doomben in Brisbane.
Interesting Taj Rossi’s second dam, Solar Eclipse (x Sun Storm) started only four times and couldn’t win a race. She had three living foals and none of them could win a race either.
So here’s the three generation tabulation of Taj Rossi:
Matrice
Masthead
Blue Peter
Schiaparelli
La Patrice
St. Magnus
La Jaconde
Dark Queen
Coronation Boy
N asrullah
Persian Bloom
Solar Eclipse
Sun Storm
Crown Appeal
Taj Rossi had 21 starts and was retired to stud having won nine races, run one second and four thirds. In recognition of his racetrack deeds at age 3, Taj Rossi was understandably named “Horse of the Year” in Australian in 1974.
All Taj Rossi’s nine career wins were in Victoria but he won such revered races as the Cox Plate, Victoria Derby and the George Adams Handicap – all Group 1 races. He won both the Victoria Derby and Cox Plate as a 3YO and carried just 49.5kgs in the Cox Plate to defeat Swell Time (54.5kgs) and Zambari (59kgs) when ridden by lightweight jockey Stan Aitken. Roy Higgins was the jockey employed for steering duties in the Victoria Derby when Taj Rossi defeated Leica Lover and Craig Win in the year that the Tommy Smith trained Imagele was third across the finish line, only to be sensationally relegated to fourth on protest.
Taj Rossi did race interstate. In fact he ran second in the Group 1 Australasian Championship Stakes at Randwick.
Taj Rossi retired to stud in America in 1975 where he stood for two years before returning to Australia to stand in 1977. His best progeny in America was Rossi Gold which won 16 races, including 10 stakes races. In Australia Taj Rossi produced the filly that won the 1983 version of both the 3YO filly feature races, the VRC Oaks and the Edward Manifold Stakes – Taj Eclipse, along with 1989 Doncaster winner Merimbula Bay and Gadsden Stakes and Bobbie Lewis Quality winner Taj Quillo.
Taj Rossi also sired other handy gallopers the likes of Vain Rossi, Tarval, Taj Belle, Truly Unfaithful, Bellerophon, Return of Taj, etcetera.
Taj Rossi stood at stud in Australia at Turangga Stud at Scone in New South Wales for Dr Phil Redman at a service fee of $8,000.
The stallion died on 4 April 1986 at the age of just 15.