Cover image courtesy of Will Johnson
Until Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), hardened heads of the Australian turf swore that no sprinter would ever live with the mighty Vain. Chestnut, round and explosive, Vain was world-class during his time on the turf.
By the French-bred sire Wilkes (Fr), he was the second foal from the Orgoglio (GB) mare Elated. Orgoglio had a habit of giving his stock natural running ability with gritty, fighting qualities, and this was very evident in his famous grandson, who was foaled in Victoria on September 5, 1966.
Vain and his regular jockey, Pat Hyland
Vain was bred at the Diggers Rest farm of Stockwell Stud by the brothers Fred, George and Walter Johnson, and he raced for this trio through 1968 and 1969. It was a brief few years, but that was all it took to dazzle the socks off Australian racing.
Two-year-old Vain debuted at Caulfield in the Debutant S., which he won. He then won the Maribyrnong Plate and, in the autumn, the Merson Cooper S. and VRC Sires’ Produce S. It was only logical that he’d head to Sydney after that and, in 1969, he burst away from the Golden Slipper field to win by 4l.
Subsequently, he won the Champagne S. by 10l, Caulfield Guineas by 3l and Craven A S. by 12l. He set a 6l, seven-furlong record at Flemington in the Linlithgow S., and he earned record levels of prizemoney in each of his two seasons.
All told, Vain won 12 of his 14 lifetime starts (coming second in the other two), and his ‘remorseless, rocket-like acceleration was a joy to behold’. He melted records in a career that, without doubt, would have held steady with the best sprinters in the world at the time.
Trainer Jim Moloney | Image courtesy of Moloney Racing
Jim Moloney was the Mordialloc trainer of Vain through these brief, glittering years. Moloney had pedigree of his own as the son of Warrnambool trainer Jerry Moloney, and he uptook his own trainer’s ticket in 1948.
It was expected that Vain would race beyond his two years on the turf, but, near the close of 1969, he was found with ligament damage to his near-fore fetlock. The Johnson brothers fielded stud offers from all over Australia and, in 1970, their valuable sprinter went to Frank Thompson and his son, James ‘Bim’ Thompson, at Widden Stud.
For the next 21 years, Vain stood alongside the likes of Bletchingly, Marscay and Lunchtime (GB). His debut service fee was $2500 and he sired 31 live foals from that 1971 crop.
Quickly, the winners came in the shape of Caulfield Guineas winner Kenmark and Oakleigh Plate winner Mistress Anne, and they kept coming. Vain sired two consecutive winners of the Golden Slipper, Sir Dapper in 1983 and Inspired in 1984, and he was Champion Australian Sire in 1983/84
He was also Champion 2-Year-old Sire in 1982/83, a title he held again the following season, and he was leading sire by wins in 1978/79, 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84. If this wasn’t enough, he was the leading living broodmare sire of Australia in the 1985/86 season.
Vain when standing at Widden Stud
Vain died at Widden Stud on Christmas Day, 1991. He was 25 years old, as glorious an old gentleman as Widden had ever stood.
