Drongo (1 August 1920 — after 18 June 1926) was a famous Australian thoroughbred racehorse. He is most well-known for being the origin behind the Australian slang term 'drongo' to mean someone who's 'clumsy', 'slow-witted', or even a 'no-hoper'.

Background Drongo was a bay horse who was bred in Melbourne, Australia by an unknown breeder. He was sired by Lanius, a stud from Ireland, and was born to the British-bred mare Lys d'Or.

He was named after the Papua New Guinean bird the spangled drongo.

Racing career

Drongo's first race was in 1923. Before the Melbourne Cup of that year, it was reported that his racing silks would be black with a blue sash and a black cap.

A contemporary news report states that he had come second five times and third seven times, other later publications also use these numbers and include that he had run 37 starts. However, The Australasian Turf Registry 1925 has no record of the race claimed to be his second third-place (the Rosehill Club Handicap) and Drongo himself is only recorded as having run in 29 races over his career.

By the end of his 3 year long career, he had earned £2,200 (approximately £120,059 today).

During 1924 he stayed at George Tantram's stables in Caulfield, Victoria. The resident dog 'Brownie' was reported as being a companion to Drongo.

Racing record Date Track Race Grade Distance Finish Jockey First place 18 Aug 1923 Flemington Three Year Old Handicap ~1600m 0 E. O'Sullivan Graculus 1 Sep 1923 Caulfield Memsie Stakes Principal ~1800m3 A. Wilson Maid of the Mist 6 Oct 1923 Flemington October Stakes Principal ~2800m 5 J. Daniels Whittier 15 Oct 1923 Caulfield Caulfield Guineas Principal ~1600m 6 R. Lewis King Carnival 3 Nov 1923 Flemington Victoria Derby Principal ~2400m2 R. Lewis Frances Tressady 6 Nov 1923 Flemington Melbourne Cup Principal ~3200m 12 E. Simmons Bitalli 16 Feb 1924 Caulfield St. George's Stakes Principal ~1800m 0 R. Lewis The Hawk 23 Feb 1924 Caulfield Woodcliff Handicap Principal ~2200m 0 R. Lewis Englefield 1 Mar 1924 Flemington St. Leger Stakes Principal ~2800m2 R. Lewis Sandringham 8 Mar 1924 Flemington King's Plate Principal ~3200m 4 R. Lewis Harvest King 15 Mar 1924 Caulfield St. Kilda Cup Principal ~2400m 4 R. Lewis Switch 12 April 1924 Randwick A.J.C. St. Leger Principal ~2800m3 Lady Valais 16 Aug 1924 Moonee Valley August Handicap Principal ~2000m 4 W. Duncan San Antonio 30 Aug 1924 Mentone Mentone Handicap Principal ~2000m 0 Beeline 6 Sep 1924 Caulfield Memsie Stakes Principal ~1800m 0 W. Duncan Englefield 4 Oct 1924 Flemington October Stakes Principal ~2800m 0 J. Daniels Whittier 15 Oct 1924 Caulfield Herbert Power Stakes Principal ~2200m3 W. Duncan Easingwold 1 Nov 1924 Flemington Hotham Handicap Principal ~2400m 0 G. Young Lilypond 4 Nov 1924 Flemington Melbourne Cup Principal ~3200m 0 G. Young Backwood 21 Feb 1925 Caulfield Woodcliff Handicap Principal ~2200m 0 H. Tantram Lemina 28 Feb 1925 Flemington Brunswick Stakes ~2800m3 A. Reed Llanthony 7 Mar 1925 Flemington Northcote Handicap ~2400m2 A. Reed King Pan 14 Mar 1925 Caulfield St. Kilda Cup Principal ~2400m 4 A. Reed Jackstaff 21 Mar 1925 Moonee Valley Moonee Ponds Handicap Principal ~2400m3 W. Duncan Valwyne 13 Apr 1925 Williamstown W.R.C. Easter Cup Principal ~2400m 0 Gay Serenader 18 Apr 1925 Caulfield Glenhuntly Cup Principal ~2200m3 H. Tantram Susie Pye 9 May 1925 Morphettville Fisher Handicap ~2000m2 W. Duncan Stralia 13 May 1925 Morphettville Adelaide Cup Principal ~2600m 4 W. Duncan Stralia 16 May 1925 Morphettville S.A.J.C. Handicap ~2400m2 W. Duncan Wycherley

Retirement Drongo retired in 1925, his last race being the S.A.J.C. Handicap where he placed second.

In 1926 it was reported that he had been bitten by a venomous snake and subsequently died, however, later that same year it was reported that he was still alive and recovering. No record of his death date or year exists.

In popular culture During his career, Australian cartoonist Samuel Garnet Wells depicted him in a number of his popular political cartoons as 'Drongo Mk. I', ridiculing the ongoing support behind him despite having never won a race. His name began being used as an insult around 1940 and has continued to persist in Australian slang as a term to mean someone who is 'slow-witted', and became nationally used as a reference to 'no-hopers' during World War II."Drongo", entry in 1970, Bill Wannan, Australian Folklore, Lansdowne Press, reprint 1979, , page 200. The poet Len Fox wrote a poem about him in 1958 where he mentions that not all of us are winners and so aren't that different from Drongo.

Pedigree

In the pedigree, symbols before a horse's name mean the horse was foaled in one country but subsequently stood at stud in another Drongo was inbred 3 × 3 to St. Simon, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the third generation of his pedigree.

References