2022 SA Racing Hall of Fame Inductees

Dwayne Dunn is one the most successful South Australian jockeys of the modern era.

Born on Kangaroo Island, Dunn started his riding career in 1989 and has ridden 2173 winners across his 34 year riding career which includes 24 victories at Group 1 level.

His breakthrough win came in the 2005 Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes aboard Undoubtedly for Adelaide trainer Mark Kavanagh, a win that unearthed an amazing run in the two-year-old classic winning it four years in succession, the next three for Lindsay Park’s David Hayes aboard Nadeem (2006), Sleek Chassis (2007) and Reaan in 2008.

His first Melbourne spring major came in 2006 winning the Caulfield Cup aboard Tawqeet, also trained by Hayes.

Dunn also enjoyed a brilliant association with All Too Hard partnering the Hawkes-trained galloper to seven wins, four at Group 1 level.

They won the 2012 Caulfield Guineas before claiming the C F Orr, Futurity and All Aged Stakes in a brilliant 2013, a year he also won the Turnbull Stakes aboard Adelaide galloper Happy Trails.

Dunn partnered superstar grey Chautauqua in four Group 2 victories, before the partnership broke through at Group 1 level with a win in the 2016 Lightning Stakes.

He won the 2016 Scobie Beasley Medal for the best rider in Melbourne after being runner-up in the award at three of the previous five years.

Selected from the Adelaide Yearling Sale by legendary horseman Bart Cummings, Taj Rossi was the pin-up three-year-old of his generation.

In the Spring of 1973 he had an amazing run winning seven of nine races.

It started with the Ascot Vale Stakes before carrying 61kg to victory in the Carrum Handicap.

He went on to win the Moonee Valley Stakes over a mile, finished fourth in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas before beating the older horses in the 1973 Cox Plate with Stan Aitken in the saddle carrying 49.5kg.

Taj Rossi continued his sparkling run of form, winning the Group 1 Victoria Derby, backing-up at Flemington a week later to win the George Adams Handicap before adding the Sandown Guineas to a stunning resume which saw him awarded the Australian Racehorse of the Year Award in 1973.

His racing career was cut short after a virus, but his legacy continued as a sire.

He was exported to America where he spent two years at stud before returning to Australia to continue stud duties and subsequently siring more than 100 winners including Victorian Oaks winner Taj Eclipse and Merimbula Bay who won a Doncaster Handicap.

The late Ken Smith and wife Helen are widely respected as one of South Australia’s most prominent thoroughbred owners and breeders.

Famous for naming their horses ‘Exalted’, a decision to help friends identify their racing stock in form guides, their horses sported their white silks with a pink slash and blue sleeves to victory in more than 220 races over four generations.

The Smiths owned 58 individual winners, the majority bred from their Narrung Stud property purchased in the late 2000’s a flourishing pre-training complex which housed their numerous mares, spellers, foals and yearlings along with 300 angus beef cattle spanning more than 2000 acres.

Their biggest highlight came in 2006 when Exalted Time claimed the Listed Birthday Cup, finished second in the Group 2 Carlton Draught before winning the 2006 Group 1 Adelaide Cup (3200m) with Clare Lindop in the saddle.

Aside of their Adelaide Cup success they enjoyed a superb run with Exalted Ego who won 11 of 59 starts including four at Listed level.

His biggest win coming in the Group 3 Birthday Cup before running fourth in the 2008 Adelaide Cup.

His passion for thoroughbred racing also saw Ken spend time on the board of Thoroughbred Racing SA (Racing SA) and the South Australian Jockey Club.

Gold Guru was a star three-year-old in an era littered with champions.

A quality two-year-old who chased home his star stablemate Umrum in the Fulham Park Plate on debut, it was the following year where Gold Guru established himself as one of the best gallopers in Australia.

After finishing just behind the placegetters in the 1997 Group 1 Caulfield Guineas behind Encounter, he won the Group 2 AAMI Vase at Moonee Valley before running fifth in the Group 1 VRC Derby.

But it was the following Autumn where he came of age.

He won the Group 2 AAMI Classic at Caulfield before backing up to win the Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington, travelling Sydney to win the Group 1 Ranvet, beating superstar Might And Power with Shane Dye in the saddle.

The tables were turned when he finished second in the Group 1 Mercedes before backing up a week later and winning the 1998 Group 1 AJC Derby over Tie The Knot with Greg Childs riding.

Bred by Harry Perks, Brian White and Gary Marriott, Gold Guru had 43 starts for eight wins and eight placings, three of his wins coming at the elite level, an amazing result for a horse who failed to meet his $60,000 reserve at the 1996 Adelaide Yearling Sale.

He joins his trainer Leon Macdonald in the Hall Of Fame.