Jack Holt (trainer) (original) (raw)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jack Holt
Jack Holt (1922)
Born Michael Holt(1879-11-14)14 November 1879Berwick, Victoria, Australia
Died 10 June 1951(1951-06-10) (aged 71)
Nationality Australian
Other names "Wizard of Mordialloc"
Occupation(s) horse trainer and philanthropist
Spouse unmarried
Parents Michael Holt (father)Mary Holt, née Corkery (mother)
Awards inducted, Australian Racing Hall of Fame (2001)

Michael "Jack" Holt (14 November 1879 – 10 June 1951) was an Australian horse trainer and philanthropist. Popularly known as the "Wizard of Mordialloc", Holt headed the Victorian trainers' premiership at least twelve times.[1]

Holt was born in Berwick, Victoria, a younger son of Michael Holt ( – 5 April 1910) and his wife Mary Holt, née Corkery (c. 1843 – 13 June 1913). He may have been christened "Michael"[2] but called himself "Jackson",[3][4] invariably shortened to "Jack". He lived with his two spinster sisters in the suburb of Mordialloc.

He first trained horses at Berwick, Victoria, and won his first race, the 1911 Standish Handicap, with his own mare, Carette.

Some of his more notable wins were:

Eurythmic, 1921 Sydney Cup winner

Nuffield,1938 AJC Sires Produce winner

Other horses he trained were: Avenger, Beau Fils, David, El Ray, Gallantic, Hyperion, Idea, King Pan, Man at Arms, Metellus, Radiant Lady, Royal Joker, Sailing Home, Sir Ibex, Smoke Bomb, Studio and Victorian King. His jockeys included Frank Dempsey, Theo Lewis and W. Duncan.

Holt was a devoted Catholic. When he died he was accorded a Requiem Mass at his local church, St. Brigid's, Mordialloc, to which he had been a faithful and generous adherent. His remains were interred in the Berwick Cemetery.[6]

Holt was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2001.[7]

Holt's estate was valued at something over £100,000, and most it was willed to charitable institutions:

"Jack Holt" has been used in Australian rhyming slang as a synonym for "salt".

Michael Holt ( – 5 April 1910) was married to Mary Holt ( – 13 June 1913), who was born in County Cork.[9]

  1. ^ "Trained Many Great Horses". The Age. No. 29, 989. Victoria, Australia. 11 June 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ John Ritchie, 'Holt, Michael (Jack) (1879–1951)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/holt-michael-jack-6719/text11603, published first in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 15 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Family Notices". The Age. No. 29, 990. Victoria, Australia. 12 June 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 15 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 32, 690. Victoria, Australia. 12 June 1951. p. 14. Retrieved 15 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ It is not certain whether this horse and Thrice above are different animals, but neither is a misprint.
  6. ^ "Jackson Holt". The Advocate (Melbourne). Vol. LXXXIV, no. 5006. Victoria, Australia. 5 July 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Australian Racing Museum & Hall of Fame: Jack Holt". Racing Victoria Limited. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2017.{{[cite web](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fweb "Template:Cite web")}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Late horse trainer financed research centre for hospital". Catholic Weekly. Vol. X, no. 489. New South Wales, Australia. 12 July 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Mrs. Catherine Byrne". The Advocate (Melbourne). Vol. LIV, no. 2656. Victoria, Australia. 30 August 1923. p. 17. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "£13,625 for Charities". The Advocate (Melbourne). Vol. LXXXVI, no. 5123. Victoria, Australia. 1 October 1953. p. 22. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.