He was a talented WA sprinter clouded by controversy, but it all ended in tragedy

Placid Ark (1983-1988) was an Australian thoroughbred foaled in Western Australia. His sire Arkenstone was a winning son of the Western Australian champion sire Zvornik and his dam was Northern Queen, a mare bred in South Australia by the United States imported stallion Star of the North. Bred at Asprey Stud near Pinjarra by H.B (Pip) Dent, Placid Ark was purchased at the Sunspeed Yearling Sales for $5,000 for a novice eight-person syndicate headed by Hotelier Barry McGrath on the recommendation of Ascot Racecourse trainer Wally Mitchell. He was persuaded to purchase the horse by the breeder, Pip Dent. He was so convinced of the quality of the horse that he offered to give Wally his money back if the horse didn't win. He was part of a rare three-year-old generation in Perth that season that included Fair Sir, who went on to run a place in the Cox Plate, and Jungle Dawn.

Placid Ark earned number of wins as a two-year-old including the first ever defeat of star filly Jungle Dawn, who later campaigned successfully in the USA. He had a busy start to his three-year-old season in Perth before coming east, winning four of six starts including the Listed Ansett Quality over 1200m and the Group 3 Lee Steere Classic over 1400m. After making such a promising start, plans were made to take him to Melbourne to contest the autumn sprinters treble of the Gr.1 Lightning Stakes, Oakleigh Plate and Newmarket Handicap. That had him primed for the 1987 Lightning Stakes (1000m), in which he was kept safe at 7-1, but announced his arrival in the most emphatic fashion, defeating straight track specialist Special and brilliant mare Canny Lass. He confirmed that performance was no fluke with another win over the Colin Hayes-trained Special in the following week's Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and completed the treble two weeks' later when he carried 55.5kg to Newmarket victory over Rubiton. Placid Ark made history when he became the first horse to win all three races in the same season, a feat only since replicated by the great sprinter Schillaci in 1992.

Following his Newmarket win, Placid Ark headed to Sydney where he won the Gr.2 Canterbury Stakes (1200m) before finishing second to Special in the Gr.1 Galaxy (1100m). He returned to Melbourne in the Spring of 1987, winning the Gr.3 Rupert Steele Stakes (1200m), the Gr.2 Moir Stakes (1000m) and the Gr.2 Linlithgow Stakes (1400m) as an odds-on favourite before returning home to win the Gr.2 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m), again as a hot favourite. His final start in a race resulted in victory in the Gr.3 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) at Flemington on 10 September 1988, giving him a career record of 14 wins and three minor placings from 21 starts for $771,300 in stakes.

Accompanying Placid Ark on the trip was NSW born jockey John Scorse who had relocated to Perth as stable rider for Mitchell. Placid Ark's performances in the 1986-87 racing season resulted in him being voted a co-winner of Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year honours alongside Cox Plate hero, Bonecrusher. However, the horse's career was not without controversy, as Wally Mitchell was suspended for 12 months when the banned substance dexamethasone was found in the horse's system, a corticosteroid. That penalty was reduced to a $20,000 fine on appeal. He stated the horse needed to drug and Placid Ark was on the market for $500,000 with the target USA buyers where the drug can be used legally in racehorses. Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid steroid that may be used as an anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive agent that helps with respiratory conditions.

Out of racing for a time due to an injury, Placid Ark came back in 1988 to win the Bobby Lewis Quality before running a brilliant trial at Flemington where he returned for another trial to sharpen him a up a few weeks later. The Ark had completed 300m of the 800m trial when he broke down badly and it was obvious something quite serious had happened as he was promptly pulled up. He was rushed to the Werribee vet clinic but it took doctors only a matter of minutes to decide that the injuries were life threatening. Placid Ark had shattered both his sesamoid bones and the worst the vets had ever seen, sadly resulting in the gelding having to be humanly euthanised.

Placid Ark's heroics came during a stellar patch for WA sprinters in Melbourne, which included Heron Bridge's 1984 Newmarket win and Oakleigh Plate success by Coal Pak in 1986. The West has since produced Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast and Hay List and while it was hard to rank the list of great WA sprinters, Placid Ark was right up with the best.

RACE RECORD - 21: 14-2-1

EARNINGS - $771,300

Lightning Stakes (1987)

Oakleigh Plate (1987)

Newmarket Handicap (1987)

Canterbury Stakes (1987)

A J Moir Stakes (1987)

Linlithgow Stakes (1987)

Winterbottom Stakes (1987)

Bobby Lewis Quality (1988)