John Williams, Treasures of Nhill & District Facebook page 30th June 2025, Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times

In [1949] four race horses illegally arrived in Nhill for an overnight stay, before heading to Flemington.

Known as the “comedy horses”, Royal Gem, Comic Court, Comedy Prince, and St. Comedy they were stabled at the rear of the Union Hotel after an almost 8 hour road trip from Adelaide.

The condition of the roads and type of transport was not as it is today and horse floats or bloodstock transporters made regular overnight stops in Nhill during the 40’s and 50’s.

The truck float was operated by Goldner’s and they were fined for transporting the horses without the appropriate permit.

A return trip in November the following year also made the news, but for a much different reason.

Comic Court had won the 1950 Melbourne Cup and Nhill really turned it on for the arrival and overnight stay of the champion with locals given a heads up because the arrival in town was broadcast on radio.

The brass band and some 400 Nhillites enthusiastically crowded Victoria Street outside the Union to catch a glimpse of the champion and kids turned up with apples, sugar and carrots to feed the horse.

But Bart Cummings, son of the trainer Jim Cummings explained that Comic Court had a special diet and such treats might make him ill.

Tables at the Union Hotel were decorated with the red, white and blue colours of the horse’s owner the Lee Brothers.

The Cup Champion was on the road again early next morning, a bit too early for Kaniva but Bordertown businesses closed up shop as the champion passed through.

Comic Court would make another stopover in Nhill in January 1951 on the way to break some more records.

Comic Court won 28 races over distances from four furlongs to two miles and $97,158 in stakes. Melbourne jockey Jack Purtell rode Comic Court to Victory 19 times and S.A. jockey Pat Glennon won the 1951 Melbourne Cup on Comic Court.

The stallion was born in S.A in 1945 and died there in 1973.

This article appeared in Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 9 July 2025.