Great Story: The Oldest Living Owner?

[Chief Stipe]

The incredible legal career of 96yo racehorse owner

Former judge Adrian Roden, a part-owner of Sejardan, with the Golden Gift trophy.

 

 

By Ray Thomas
06:46pm • 03 February 2022

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He has seen so many of the great champions of Australian racing from Ajax and Bernborough, to Kingston Town, Makybe Diva, Black Caviar and Winx.

During his university days he studied law with Bill Waterhouse and did some bookmaking on the side, calling the odds at the Dapto dogs.

In the legal profession, he had an exemplary career that started when he was promoted to the NSW Bar in 1949.

He was a lawyer in Tanzania for more than a decade, returned to private practice in Sydney, was made a Queen’s Counsel in 1974 before being appointed a NSW Supreme Court judge, presided over the infamous 1984 Milperra Massacre trial, and later worked on the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

This is certainly a racing story with a twist.

An interview with 96-year-old Adrian Roden, one of NSW’s most eminent legal minds, took me on a walk down racing’s memory lane while providing a snapshot of his extraordinary life.

Roden also just happens to be a part-owner of unbeaten colt Sejardan, the favourite for the $2m Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday, so when I called him this week requesting an interview about his two-year-old, he replied: “Of course, racing is one of my favourite subjects.’’

It quickly became apparent Roden has a deep appreciation and understanding of the sport as he gave an analysis of the Gary Portelli-trained Sejardan’s two brilliant wins.

“Sejardan would be the best horse I have raced – by a long margin,’’ he said.

“Actually, he has produced two different types of finish in his two races. There was that sudden burst of speed as soon as he got clear in the Breeders Plate and then his long, sustained run to win the Golden Gift.

“I think I’m right in saying nine of the 10 Golden Gift runners went through the sales. The other was the Godolphin filly (Ojai, third).

“But of the nine that went through the sales the first two placegetters, Sejardan and Shalatin, were the cheapest.’’

 

Sejardan is the favourite in the Inglis Millennium. Picture: Getty Images

 

Sejardan, a son of 2008 Golden Slipper winner Sebring who cost $160,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale last year, resumes in the Inglis Millennium and the barrier draw has the boom colt coming out of gate nine.

In latest TAB fixed odds betting, Sejardan is the $3.70 favourite to preserve his undefeated record although there has been good support for Paris Dior, who has firmed from $6 to $4.

Boldinho ($6), El Padrino ($9.50) and Zambezi River ($9.50) are the only other runners in the capacity 16-horse field under double figure odds.

“There will be a lot of speed and we are probably nicely drawn,’’ Roden said.

“From the extreme outside we could have ended up last, but drawn in too close we could have got caught in there.

“If Jason (Collett, jockey) can find the right spot hopefully we can be finishing all over them again.’’

Roden has followed racing all his life but it has only been in the last decade when he took a serious interest in racehorse ownership.

“On medical advice I was told to find an interest I could participate in while I was at home and when I saw a television advertisement selling shares in horses, I thought that was something that would interest me,’’ he said.

“Then I became very keen on Sebring as a sire and I got into racing with Gary (Portelli) by accident.

“There was a Sebring I liked being advertised by one of the syndicators and I asked for 10 per cent but was told it was already sold.

“I looked for another Sebring and found Sebring’s Sun with Gary. He was a good horse and after he finished racing, we sold him as a sire. We then brought a broodmare and have three foals by Sebring’s Sun, now.

“Sejardan is also by Sebring so I didn’t hesitate when the chance came to buy into the colt.’’

Roden must have been expecting my next question about when his passion for racing began as his answer was immediate.

“It (interest in racing) has always been there,’’ he said.

“When I was at school I used to make a tipping sheet for my French teacher.

“Then at university I met Bill Waterhouse and I would do the pre-post markets for Bill and George Cooper when they were bookmakers.

“I also worked on the Sydney and Melbourne races at Dapto when the dogs were on Saturday afternoon and the other local bookmakers would wait until I put the prices up.

“But when the dogs were on at night or when there was no races in Sydney or Melbourne and I had to work on the dogs I knew absolutely nothing about them so I had to wait for the locals (bookmakers) to put their odds up.’’

 

Bernborough was one of many champions Roden has seen race.

 

Roden then began talking about the great champions he has seen like Ajax, winner of 36 of his 46 starts and famous for his 18-race winning streak just prior to the start of World War II, Kiwi greats like Beau Vite and Beaulivre who raced during the War years, and then the mighty Bernborough, winner of 15 races in succession in 1946.

“Bernborough’s storming finishes with big weights in sprint races made him special, he was a great horse,’’ Roden said.

“I didn’t get to see Tulloch and Todman as I was working in Tanzania when they were racing. I have been fortunate to watch Kingston Town and all the champions since through to Winx.

“But I don’t think you can compare horses from different eras. How do you compare Phar Lap to Winx? There is no definitive answer.’’

Roden speaks in a measured, steady, precise tone. It’s almost like he is back in a courtroom where every word is delivered with clarity and impact.

His celebrated career as a lawyer and later judge has numerous highlights, most notably as the judge of the Milperra Massacre court case, the longest joint criminal trial in NSW history taking more than two years to deliver verdicts.

A feud between bikie gangs, the Comancheros and Bandidos, erupted into a violent, tragic gunbattle in the car park of a Milperra hotel on Father’s Day, 1984, leaving seven dead including an innocent 14-year-old girl.

Roden eventually found nine gang members guilty of murder and another 21 of manslaughter. His memories of that trial remain vivid and revealing to this day.

“Everyone was expecting they (bikie gangs) would disrupt the trial but it actually went quite well,’’ Roden recalled.

“I remember being pleased with the way they behaved.

“Certainly, there had never been a trial like that before. We did a lot of innovating during the trial with computer work that was quite novel in those days.’’

 

Adrian Roden studied law with Bill Waterhouse.

 

Roden has experienced the best and worst of human behaviour during his legal career, and armed with his keen intellect and obvious experience, he has an interesting take on the future.

“I almost think our civilisation is on the way out,’’ Roden declared.

“It is a long, slow process, it won’t end tomorrow but all civilisations have tended to end when they have lost what holds them together.

“I feel it is natural for people to live according to standards, it doesn’t much matter what the standards are as long as people follow them and are punished if they don’t.

“But we seem to be doing away with standards these days and that worries me.

“Rules make for an orderly society and when you don’t have rules we are heading to anarchy. I’m glad I won’t be seeing where it goes.’’

Roden then reflected on his professional career, conceding he has led an “interesting life”.

“When I look back on my life, it feels as though I have had a number of different lives,’’ he said.

“The person who was working in Tanzania, the person at Sydney University, the person sitting on the bench in criminal trials – they all seem to be different people.’’

And there is the person who loves racing. Roden got the conversation back on racing by revealing he won’t be trackside for Sejardan’s bid to win the rich Inglis Millennium on Saturday.

“I would very much like to be there but I am 96 and a diabetic,’’ he said. “If the thing (Covid) gets hold of me I think he would like me very much.

“I’ve kept myself active and I was doing “Park Runs” before Covid. I actually hold the record in three areas for the 90-94 age group – because I’m the only one to have done it.

“Due to Covid, I’m not doing those runs at the moment but I’m staying fit by walking around the block where I live.’’

Roden has certainly enjoyed a life well-lived – and he’s not finished yet.

“I need one more boundary to get my century,’’ Roden said.

“But I do have my eye on the age record for an Australian male. It is 111 years and 100-odd days.

“Only recently, I said to someone I would like to break that record and she looked at me and said ‘good heavens I wouldn’t want to live to 111’. I said if you are 110 you would!’’