Northerly had had an outstanding campaign, and the Cox Plate was his fourth win in-a-row. Northerly returned to Perth, and his trainer Fred Kersley chose to run him in the Railway Stakes, which had been moved forward on the calendar. Unfortunately for the "home" crowd, the Cox Plate winner wilted badly in the home straight under 61.5 kilograms, and he finished an uncharacteristic 11th of 16 behind the Lindsey Smith trained Old Comrade, who again defeated Northerly in the Australian Cup in March. Northerly had shown strong lead-up form to the Australian Cup, including a close second in the C F
Ely Racecourse fully recovered from a fire that destroyed the grandstand in 1937. The last race to be held there, in 1939, was won by Grasshopper, ridden by Keith Piggott, father of the famous Lester Piggott. "History of Cardiff Racecourse" by Brian Lee (Cwm Nedd Press) Ely Racecourse Ely Racecourse was a horse racing venue in Cardiff, Wales. The Racecourse opened in 1855, with the first race being held on 30 May. By 1864 racing at Ely was a regular event, the races that year were acclaimed as 'the most brilliant and successful ever held'. In 1895 the first Welsh Grand National