{{short description|Australian thoroughbred}} {{Infobox racehorse | horsename = Gothic | image = 260px | caption = Gothic and Jim Pike <br>Caulfield Racecourse | sire = Tracery (USA) | grandsire = Rock Sand (GB) | dam = Sundrilla (FR) | damsire = Sundridge (GB)<ref>{{cite web |last1=American Classic Pedigrees |title=Sundridge Pedigree |url=http://www.americanclassicpedigrees.com/sundridge-gb.html |website=www.americanclassicpedigrees.com/ |access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref> | sex = Stallion | foaled = 1923 | death_date = 2 October 1930<br>Bacchus Marsh, Victoria | country = England | colour = Black | breeder = S. J. Unzue | owner = Sol Green | trainer = Lou Robertson | record = 30: 13½, 5, 8<ref>{{cite web |last1=Racehorsetalk |title=Gothic Race Records |url=http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/racing-talk/race-records-of-champion-racehorses/150/#msg_471364 |website=www.racehorsetalk.com.au |access-date=31 December 2020 |archive-date=24 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024043212/http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/racing-talk/race-records-of-champion-racehorses/150/#msg_471364 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | earnings = £22,870 | race = Newmarket Handicap (1927, 1928)<br> Futurity Stakes (1928)<br> C.M .Lloyd Stakes (1928, 1929)<br>Memsie Stakes (1928)<br>Caulfield Stakes (1928)<br> Melbourne Stakes (1928)<br>Linlithgow Stakes (1928)<br>C.B. Fisher Plate (1928)<br>William Reid Stakes (1929)<br>C.F. Orr Stakes (1929) | awards = | honours = Gothic Stakes Caulfield Racecourse }}

'''Gothic''' (1923 – 2 October 1930) was a black Australian thoroughbred stallion who raced for 4 seasons from a three-year-old to a six-year-old, recording major wins from 6 furlongs to 1½ miles and champion Sydney jockey Jim Pike the Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee 2002 winning 9 races.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pedigreequery |title=Gothic Breeding |url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/gothic |website=pedigreequery.com |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Australian Racing Hall of Fame |title=Jim Pike Jockey |url=https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/the-sport/racing/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/jockeys/jim-pike |website=www.racingvictoria.com.au |access-date=30 December 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>

==Breeding==

Gothic was bred by Saturnino Unzue in Argentina and foaled in England. Sire Tracery (USA) winner of the 1912 St Leger Stakes & St James's Palace Stakes, 1913 Champion Stakes & Eclipse Stakes and Damsire Sundridge (GB) was Leading Sire of Great Britain in 1911.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Australian Stud Book |title=Gothic Stud Breeding |url=http://www.studbook.org.au/Horse.aspx?hid=215619 |website=www.studbook.org.au |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> Gothic was purchased for 1,500 guineas at the Newmarket sales by Andrew Robertson brother of Gothic's trainer for owner Sol Green.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Leading Sires of Great Britain |title=Sundridge Leading Sire |url=http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/LeadingSires/GBLeadSires.html |website=www.tbheritage.com |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Gothic Purchase |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/239931357 |access-date=30 December 2020 |issue=Page 2 |publisher=The Labor Daily Sydney |date=28 February 1927}}</ref> Dam Sundrilla (FR) was exported from Argentina in foal to the Newmarket sales England 1921 then bought privately by breeder Major James E. Pratt. Notable offspring were Kingcardine (GB) 1927 St James's Palace Stakes, Jersey Stakes and Doctor Dolittle (GB) 1931 Ribblesdale Stakes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pedigreequery |title=Kincardine Breeding |url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/kincardine2 |website=pedigreequery.com |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |last1=Pedigreequery |title=Doctor Dolittle Breeding |url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/doctor+dolittle |website=pedigreequery.com |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref>

==Racing career==

Gothic was an exceptional galloper and raced between 1926 and 1929 and the winner of 8 Group 1 races in the modern era defeated the champion Amounis on four occasions and won 1927 and 1928 VRC Newmarket Handicap, 1928 VATC Futurity Stakes a course record carrying 63.5&nbsp;kg, 1928 VATC Memsie Stakes carrying 62&nbsp;kg and third 1928 VATC Caulfield Cup behind Maple carrying 60.5&nbsp;kg.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arrold |first1=Tony |title=More Champions |date=1983 |publisher=Tralca |location=Sydney N.S.W. |isbn=0959445811 |pages=96–97 |edition=First |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21863277?keyword=more%20champions |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref>

Gothic's racing colours were black and white squares, red sleeves and cap. [[File:Lavendo 1915 VATC Caulfield Cup Jockey Frank Dempsey Trainer Lou Robertson.jpg|thumb| left| upright| Lavendo, 1915 Caulfield Cup]]. Lou Robertson, originally from New Zealand, was a masterful and patient trainer who first trained trotters and then transitioned to thoroughbreds to win the greatest races on the Australian turf. His stables were located at Mordialloc Victoria. As the leading trainer in the 1928–1929 season and a dominant force in Melbourne racing, he won the Trainer's premiership in 1943–1944 and again in 1945–1946. Major winners included Marabou 1935 VRC Melbourne Cup, Lavendo 1915 VATC Caulfield Cup, Lincoln 1949 VATC Caulfield Cup, Garrio 1935 MVRC W. S. Cox Plate, Leonard 1946 MVRC W. S. Cox Plate and VRC Derby winners 1928 Strephon, 1935 Feldspar and 1944 San Martin. Other stable notables were Iron Duke, Lawrence and Cimbrian.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Australian Racing Hall of Fame |title=Lou Robertson Trainer |url=https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/the-sport/racing/australian-racing-museum/hall-of-fame/trainers/lou-robertson |website=www.racingvictoria.com.au |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Lou Robertson a Portrait Part 1 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/141805436/12481324 |access-date=31 December 2020 |issue=16 |publisher=The Australasian – Melbourne |date=25 August 1945}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=National Library of Australia |title=Lou Robertson a Portrait Part 2 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/141805436/12481325 |access-date=31 December 2020 |issue=17 |publisher=The Australasian – Melbourne |date=25 August 1945}}</ref>

Owner Sol Green 1868–1948 was a leviathan bookmaker, owner-breeder and philanthropist born in London and imported and bred racehorses at his Shipley stud at Warrnambool, Victoria. Major notables imported and owned by Sol Green were Comedy King 1910 VRC Melbourne Cup & VATC Futurity Stakes and Leading sire in Australia in 1919–20 and the champion 3 year-old front running stayer Strephon 1928 VRC Derby, 1929 AJC St Leger & VRC St Leger and second in 1928 VRC Melbourne Cup to Statesman.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Australian Dictionary of Biography |title=Sol Green Biography |chapter=Solomon Green (1868–1948) |chapter-url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/green-solomon-6473 |website=adb.anu.edu.au |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Pedigreequery |title=Comedy King Breeding |url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/comedy+king2 |website=pedigreequery.com |access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Pedigreequery |title=Strephon Breeding |url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/strephon4 |website=pedigreequery.com |access-date=1 January 2021}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |last1=Thoroughbred Heritage |title=Comedy King Leading Australian Sire |url=http://www.tbheritage.com/HistoricSires/LeadingSires/AustLeadSires.html |website=www.tbheritage.com |access-date=2 January 2021}}</ref> Gothic had only done duty at Green's Underbank stud near Bacchus Marsh for one year when he died in October 1930 from an internal abscess.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184776371 |title=Death of Gothic |newspaper=The Telegraph (Brisbane) |issue=18,042 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=2 October 1930 |accessdate=13 January 2022 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==1928 racebook==

<gallery>

File:1928 VRC Melbourne Cup Racebook P1.jpg|1928 VRC Melbourne Cup racebook front cover File:1928 VRC Melbourne Cup Racebook P2.jpg|1928 VRC Melbourne Cup showing race day officials File:1928 VRC Melbourne Cup Racebook P3.jpg|1928 VRC Melbourne Cup racebook showing the winner, Statesman File:1928 VRC Melbourne Cup Racebook P4.jpg|1928 VRC Melbourne Cup showing the Sol Green owned Strephon, placed 2nd File:1928 VRC Melbourne Cup Racebook P5.jpg|Back cover showing railway arrangements </gallery>

== References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}}

Category:1923 racehorse births Category:1930 racehorse deaths Category:Australian horses Category:Thoroughbred racehorses