Yaralla was a dominant and popular figure in Sydney during WWII, enthralling thousands of racing fans

Yaralla is one of those thoroughbred stories that come along from time to time. It is a story of a first time owner who struck it big, albeit a wealthy one to begin with. Yaralla (foaled 1938) was an Australian thoroughbred racehorse who raced for 5 seasons from a two-year-old to a six-year-old, recording major wins from 5 furlongs to 1¼ miles with regular Sydney jockey Ted McMenamin. Yaralla was bred by J.G.Mcdougall at Lyndhurst Stud Warwick, Queensland. The giant chestnut colt was sired by The Buzzard, the champion Australian sire 1946/47 to 1950/51. Group one winners included Buzalong, 1938 VATC Caulfield Cup, Old Rowley, 1940 VRC Melbourne Cup, Rainbird, 1945 VRC Melbourne Cup, Basha Felika, 1951 VATC Caulfield Cup and Katanga, 1944 & 1945 AJC Chipping Norton Stakes. Grandsire, Spion Kop won the 1920 Epsom Derby. Dam, Even Keel was a half-sister to Old Rowley, 1940 VRC Melbourne Cup. Owner E. P. 'Monty' Walker paid 1200 guineas for Yaralla named after the inherited homestead. Monty was the son of the Hon. James Walker, a director of the Bank of New South Wales. Monty enlisted in March 1916, eventually became a lieutenant serving in the 8th Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps. With the signing of the Armistice in November 1918, Monty returned to a safer but less exciting career at his father’s bank.

The young colt demonstrated exceptional speed from his initial hit outs at Victoria Park, and prior to the colt’s appearance at Randwick on Breeders' Plate day, he had achieved victories in all three of barrier trials. Although The Buzzard's two-year-old winners were relatively scarce, and there was considerable anticipation and excitement surrounding the horse's potential. Accordingly, it was little wonder that he opened and started the favourite on the day. Despite an unfavorable draw, Yaralla, expertly ridden by the seasoned jockey Ted McMenamin demonstrated exceptional ability during the race. Shortly after entering the final stretch, Yaralla pricked his ears back and surged ahead, ultimately securing a decisive victory by a margin of three lengths in an impressive time of one minute. Upon dismounting, McMenamin declared Yaralla the best two-year-old he’d ever ridden, and that he might prove to be another Phar Lap or Peter Pan. The subsequent two starts by Yaralla in the Kirkham Stakes and December Stakes at Randwick were characterised by a comparable intensity of speed. Yarella would go on to win the Kirkham Stakes and December Stakes at Randwick destroying his two-year old competitors with an exhibition gallop, easing up to win by 2 lengths in a time of 59.75 seconds in the latter juvenile feature. Fred Cush duly put his young star aside until the autumn.

Yaralla raced during greater part of World War II, from 1940 -1944. He was a winner of the equivalent of 5 Group 1 races in the modern era and raced exclusively in Sydney with dual wins in the 1942 & 1943 AJC All Aged Stakes and RRC Hill Stakes. Trainer Fred Cush’s stables were located at West Kensington, Sydney and he trained the champion jumper Greensea, also Chide, who won the 1931 AJC Chipping Norton Stakes, and finished second behind Phar Lap, 1931 Hill Stakes and AJC Spring Stakes, and the champion New Zealand mare Silver Scorn, 1934 AJC Chipping Norton Stakes. Cush claimed the Australian weight-carrying record for a horse, when Greensea won a brush hurdle at Rosehill in 1935 lugging 13st 12lbs, or 88.2kg. The jumper won 24 races, with 17 over the hurdles and dropped dead in a track gallop at Randwick in 1936.

The newpaper reporting of the day makes for fascinating reading on Yaralla, with the banner post asking, IS HE ANOTHER PHAR LAP? All punters across Australia were now eagerly anticipating the potential matchup between Yaralla and All Love, the undefeated colt and the undefeated filly in the AJC. Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick in the autumn. Soldiers aboard wrote asking for news on their two Sydney racing idols. The papers had talked up the clash even though both had been defeated since resuming. The 1941 Sires’ Produce Stakes lived up to the expectations everyone had hoped for. It was, at the time considered the greatest two-year-old clash in living memory. Jack Cush believed his filly, All Love could run Yarella off his feet and set a plan with jockey Bob Bartle. In a thrilling neck-and-neck race that unfolded over the final furlong, Yaralla demonstrated remarkable tenacity and determination, ultimately emerging victorious by a narrow margin of half a head after All Love had shot away early and led to the rise. Both Bartle (All Love) and McMenamin acknowledged that their horses were extremely fatigued, resulting in continuous bumping against each other during the final hundred yards of the race. Yaralla veered inward, while All Love drifted outward, but the game colt proved too good at the line. Ted McMenamin had a day to remember, also winning the Doncaster Handicap on Mildura, the Autumn Plate on Beau Vite and the Vaucluse Handicap on Rylstone. All Love would get her own back by defeating Yarella in the Champagne Stakes a few days later on a seriously heavy track.

The outstanding colt and filly from the previous season would meet again in the AJC Hobartville Stakes at Randwick with All Love setting a cracking pace early ridden by Darby Munro. An exhausted All Love would hold on to defeat Yarella by only half a head with McMenamin copping a two-month suspension for careless riding. Jack Thompson the new whizz kid took over the reins, but many doubted the stamina of Yarella for the 1941 AJC Derby after the successive losses to All Love and the talented Laureate. This proved to be true as Yarella failed to stay the distance and finished a forlorn 6th to Laureate. Freshened up after the spring, Yarella would bounce back to win the AJC Villers Stakes at Randwick over a more suitable distance and string of wins over the following two seasons before bleeding twice in track gallops, then retired. Despite the restrictions of the war years which meant horses did not have the freedom to race anywhere, Fred Cush believes the wet tracks that Yarella continuedly raced on cost him dearly, as his charge just couldn’t handle conditions any worse than soft. Yarella stood at Tarwyn Park stud in the Bylong Valley before relocating to Anambah Station, West Maitland in 1948, but proved to be an ineffective sire. His best offspring was the dual Townsville Cup winner, Yoorana.

EARNINGS - £13,915

AJC Breeders' Plate (1940)
Sires Produce Stakes (1941)
Villiers Stakes (1941)
Hill Stakes (1942,1943)
All Aged Stakes (1942, 1943)
Warwick Stakes (1942)
Craven Plate (1942)
Canterbury Stakes (1942)
Challenge Stakes (1944)