Author(s): Bruce Walkley

Horseracing

Just about everyone knows what a drongo is - the human not the bird variety. It s what you re likely to be called by your Australian mates if you re a bit of a dill, a loser even. It comes from the racehorse Drongo, who in the 1920s couldn t win a race in 37 attempts, but the animal s saving grace was that the losses were in good company on good racetracks. He came second in the 1923 Victoria Derby. So, Drongo the racehorse was no drongo. Instead, he was perhaps the greatest loser the equine world has seen. How he came on the Australian racing scene reads like a work of fiction, in a story that had its beginnings after the actress Lillie Langtry, one of King Edward VII s many mistresses when he was Prince of Wales, became obsessed with the high quality of Australian racehorses. And that s just for starters... Follow Drongo s journey, set against the backdrop of the roaring 20s, as we celebrate the 90th anniversary of his Derby loss.