Ajax II

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  The front cover of the 1938 W S Cox Plate racebook.
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  The inside cover showing raceday officials.
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  Starters and results of the 1938 W S Cox Plate showing the winner, Ajax.
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  Starters and results of the 1938 W S Cox Plate .
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  The back cover showing Railway & Entrance charges.

Ajax & Harold Badger Randwick 1939.

In his first two starts, Ajax won the Holiday Stakes (5½ furlongs) and the Federal Stakes.[4] He was then unplaced for the only time in his career, in the VRC Sires Produce Stakes. Ajax next finished second to Caesar in the Ascot Vale Stakes before he returned to New South Wales for wins in the AJC Sires Produce Stakes (defeating Caesar by five lengths and setting a new race record) and the AJC Champagne Stakes from Hua by two lengths.[5]

Ajax commenced his three-year-old season by winning the VATC Chatsworth Plate and then the Rosehill Guineas in a new race record time. In the AJC Derby he was defeated, by a length, by Avenger, to whom he had conceded two stone (12.7 kg). Taken to Melbourne, he won the Caulfield Guineas in another race record time, from Avenger and Hua, only to lose the Victoria Derby by half a head from Hua.[5]

The above placings were followed by Ajax's eighteen consecutive victories:

• 4 November 1937 - weight for age (wfa) VRC Linlithgow Stakes over 8 furlongs (1 mile or 1,600m)
• 19 February 1938 - VATC Futurity Stakes, carried 9 st. 6 lbs (60 kg) and set a new race record
• 26 February 1938 - VRC Newmarket Handicap with a 3yo weight carrying record 9 stone (8 lbs above wfa)
• 5 March 1938 - wfa VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes over 8 furlongs
• 20 April 1938 - AJC All Aged Stakes over 8 furlongs
• 23 April 1938 wfa AJC C.W. Cropper Plate 6 furlongs (1,200 metres)

Ajax finished his a three-year-old season with 11 starts for 9 wins and 2 seconds.[5]

Ajax's long winning streak continued with these wins:

• 27 August 1938 wfa Williamstown Underwood Stakes over 8 furlongs
• 3 September 1938 wfa VATC Memsie Stakes 9 furlongs
• 1 October 1938 wfa VRC Melbourne Stakes over 8 furlongs
• 12 October 1938 wfa Caulfield Stakes over 8 furlongs
• 22 October 1938 wfa MVRC W S Cox Plate 10 furlongs (2,000 m)
• 29 October 1938 wfa VRC LKS MacKinnon Stakes 10 furlongs
• 3 November 1938 wfa VRC Linlithgow Stakes over 8 furlongs
• 5 November 1938 wfa VRC CB Fisher Plate 12 furlongs (2,400 m)
• 18 February 1939 wfa VATC St George Stakes 9 furlongs
• 25 February 1939 VATC Futurity Stakes, for the second time, with 10 stone 6 lbs. (66 kg)
• 9 March 1939 VRC King's Plate in which he started at the odds of 16/1 on
• 11 March 1939 VRC C.M. Lloyd Stakes in which he started at the odds of 20/1 on[6]

Ajax's regular jockey, Harold Badger

He was best remembered for winning these 18 consecutive races and for being defeated at his next start in the 1939 Rawson Stakes at 40/1 on, in a three-horse race where he went down to Spear Chief by half a length.[6][7]

A fortnight later, Ajax returned to the winning list in the AJC All Aged Plate and three days later won the CW Cropper Plate for the second time. He finished his four-year-old season with 15 starts for 14 wins and 1 second.[5]

Ajax won his first two five-year-old race starts: the Williamstown Underwood Stakes and Memsie Stakes. In the autumn, he ran third to High Caste and Manrico in the C F Orr Stakes and was defeated by a head by High Caste in the VATC George Stakes. He carried 10 stone 5 pounds in the VATC Futurity Stakes to win the race for the third time, defeating High Caste, to whom he conceded 13 pounds. Ajax was a 12 to 1 on when he won the VRC King's Plate. He finished third carrying 9.1 (57.5 kg) from Amiable with 8.12 (56.3 kg) and High Caste with 8.6 (53.5 kg) in the CM Lloyd Stakes. Two further victories in the A.J.C. All-Aged Plate and C. W. Cropper Plate provided the finale to his five-year-old season.[5]

As a six-year-old, Ajax again won the Memsie Stakes, Melbourne Stakes and the Underwood Stakes, again for the third time. He was second by half a neck to favourite Beau Vite in the 1940 WS Cox Plate and also finished second to High Caste in the Caulfield Stakes.[5][8]

Ajax won the All Aged Stakes, Memsie Stakes, Futurity Stakes, and Underwood Stakes three times each and the 1938 Cox Plate. His record was 46 starts for 36 wins, 7 seconds, and 2 thirds for prize money of £40,250. Ajax is the shortest-priced favourite ever defeated in Australia.[6] In the 1939 Rawson Stakes, he started as 40 to 1 on favourite and was defeated by Spear Chief by half a length.