Bill Whittaker Book Award

Nothing stirs the blood of a racing aficionado as much as a gathering of like-minded devotees in a setting conducive to the telling and enthralled absorption of tales of the turf. Such a congress took place in the Nookery in The Oaks at Neutral Bay last Monday, May 27.  The occasion was the eighth renewal of the Bill Whittaker Book Award convened by arch racing enthusiast Bob Charley. 

Bob cut his teeth as a committeeman of the Hawkesbury Race Club, Australia’s oldest club, and advanced to become chairman of the Australian Jockey Club, inaugural chairman of the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Board, inaugural chairman of the Australian Racing Board and member of the governing committee of the International Conference of Racing Authorities. The book award is aptly named because Bill Whittaker was a consummate racing writer and a remarkably good judge of a racehorse. 

He and Bob were kindred spirits. They sat together on the Australian Racing Hall of Fame panel. Bob promised Bill a few days prior to Bill’s death of brain cancer on May 8, 2009, that he would honour his name with such an award. 

The aim is to recognise the book published in the previous two years that in the opinion of the judges best increases the knowledge of thoroughbred horse racing. 

The inaugural winner was Keith Paterson’s “The Master’s Touch,” dedicated to Etienne de Mestre, who trained five Melbourne up winners in all, including Archer in the first two years of the race (1861-62). 

Etienne de Mestre is buried in the grounds of the Church of Christ on Bong Bong Hill in Moss Vale, not far from where I live. It is an ideal place for peaceful meditation. 

Those present at this year’s function heard that the award had gone to “Heroes of the Heath: A History of the Melbourne Racing Club,” by Rod and Rob Nicholson.’ A runner-up prize went to Wayne Peake’s “Sydney Racing in the 1970s.”   I have not read either book yet, but reports are most favourable about both. 

There were 28 books under consideration, reduced by the judges to a short list of eight. Others on the short list were “The Vo Rogue Show,” by Lynlea Small; “Siren Song: A History of Thoroughbred Racing in Western Australia,” by Glen McLaren; “They Once Raced Here: Lost Racecourses of Victoria – Volume II.” by C.A. Ganly; “Racecourse Rambles: Racing Observations of a Mug Punter,” by Keith Ray; “Of High Weights and Low Weights: 125 Years of the Futurity Stakes,” by Marc Fiddian. 

Bill Whittaker himself did not publish a book (more’s the pity) because he believed that to do justice to an authentic racing publication.  he would have to reveal sometimes embarrassing truths told to him over the years in confidence by good friends. 

Here, I must confess to a degree of bias because Bill and I were married to sisters, the wonderful Hardy girls, Alice and Myra, and we were close friends.  

Bill displayed more than adequately his standing as a chronicler of thoroughbred racing through his output as turf editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, following in the footsteps of the redoubtable Bert Lillye, and in his contributions to Andrew and Margaret Reichard’s excellent journal “Bluebloods.”  

What’s more, Bill wrote the beautifully descriptive words for “The Phar Lap Collection,” a limited edition collector’s item containing black-and-white photographs of all of the great champion’s 35 wins, published in 2005 by Rhett and Lyn Kirkwood (Equus Marketing). 

Take, for instance, this extract: 

“He became the most public horse of all time, not entirely because he was so supreme. Drama, controversy, wickedness and savage cruelty rode with the big, gentle chestnut from barrier to box. Criminals in Melbourne tried to shoot him on the Saturday morning before his 1930 Melbourne Cup win, and finally, tragically, he suffered an agonising death in mysterious circumstances in California, USA, on April 5, 1932, when he was only a five-year-old.” 

Following all his research, Bill was convinced that Phar Lap had been poisoned by a gangster known as “The Brazilian” in retribution for the champion’s big-betting owner David Davis cleaning up on him in his win at Agua Caliente. 

Phar Lap was one of many great horses and horsemen discussed over a splendid lunch last Monday by a group of racing cognoscenti.  They included Bob Charley, Graham Caves, Ian Ibbett, Trevor Johnson, Graham Leigo, Terry Chapman, Julia Ritchie, William Rutledge and Wayne Peake.  Bill Whittaker’s daughter Maree and son Mark also attended, together with Maree’s partner James Chatfield and her friend Julia Ross, along with one of our sons, Ian. 

Spending countless hours in London’s fascinating bookshops, Bill would come away with such a haul that he would need to have them freighted back to his already well-stocked den in his home at Putney. 

Bill’s other great love was harness racing.  He was the doyen of trotting writers.  

During a holiday in Europe in 1985, Bill, Alice, Myra and I attended a Sunday afternoon race meeting at glorious Longchamp at the invitation of my old friend Jean Romanet, who was directeur-general of the Societe d’Encouragement (French Jockey Club) and chairman of the International Conference of Racing Authorities. 

It was a memorable day as we saw French champion Sagace win the Group 1 Prix Ganay and we caught up with Darren Beadman, who was riding there on loan from his Randwick master Theo Green.  Feeling somewhat homesick, he took us to afternoon tea. 

What surprised Bill was that Jean Romanet was as knowledgeable about harness racing and breeding as he was about thoroughbreds, and their conversation over lunch, joined by France’s leading trainer at that time, Criquette Head, was wide-ranging. 

It would have delighted Bill to know that a book award in his name had yielded such a rich harvest about a sport that he loved so much.  

Previous winners of the Bill Whittaker Book Award 

2010: Keith Paterson for “His Master’s Touch.”  Runner-up, Graeme Putt and Pat McCord for “Phar Lap: The Untold Story.” 

2012: Jesssica Owers for “Peter Pan.” 

2014: Joint winners – John Adams for “Over the Hurdles” and Jessica Owers for “Shannon.” 

“.2016: Bob Charley for “Heroes and Champions”. Runner-up, Peter Harris for “Mosstrooper: Hack to Hero.” 

2018: Keith Linnett for “Tulloch.” 

2020: John Payne for “Their Last Ride.” 

2022: Bob Charley for Pioneers and Racecourses.” Runner-up, William Rutledge for “A Passion for Thoroughbreds.