October
JuneCC rivalry
The recent running of the Comic Court Stakes at Flemington brings to mind the momentous clashes that great horse had with his mighty rival Carbon Copy in the late 1940s.
Shane Templeton’s failure to mention Carbon Copy in his recent alphabetical list of champions (17/6) was surely an oversight.
Carbon Copy, a beautiful big chestnut stallion trained by D.S. (Des) McCormick, was probably a superior horse to Comic Court in their many clashes as three-year-olds, beating him in the Cox Plate, AJC Derby, AJC St Leger, Sydney Cup and St George Stakes.
As four-year-olds they continued to have great contests in various weight-for-age races until Carbon Copy retired early to stud.
Harold Badger and Scobie Breasley were the main Carbon Copy riders, against Jack Purtell on Comic Court. Scobie loved Carbon Copy and said he was definitely Comic Court’s master in Sydney, not so in Melbourne.
Carbon Copy’s great win in the 1948 AJC Derby was nominated in 1985 by eminent racing writers Jack Ward, Bill Casey and Max Presnell to be in the best five AJC Derby wins since 1945.
Carbon Copy held the mantle as the greatest stakes-winning three-year-old until Tulloch and Sailor’s Guide came along some 10 years later.
Carbon Copy was owned by the very prominent Silk family, who raced Naturalism many years later.
I think the Silk family would be dismayed at how Carbon Copy often seems to have been forgotten when great horses are discussed. Even the great Bart Cummings, who was Comic Court’s strapper, failed to refer to Carbon Copy in his autobiography (preferring to mention Comic Court’s later, very great rivalry with the mare Chicquita).
Your newspaper ran a promotion many years ago providing ties with images of a favourite horse.
My tie with Carbon Copy in the famous white and green band colours often leads to discussion with fellow senior racegoers of the momentous rivalry which existed between the two CCs.
Rye (Vic)