Claude Sumner Grice

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Claude Grice was born on the 28th August 1886, the youngest son of James and Annie (Sumner) Grice of "Moondah", Mt. Eliza.

Claude and his brothers were educated at Ashdown School, Surrey, England and Haileybury College, Brighton.

He and his family were keen riders and well known sportsmen. On leaving school Claude spent some years as a jackaroo in the Riverina district of New South Wales.

In 1914, as an amateur, Claude rode "Swedish Lad" to 7 straight steeplechase wins, and the following year he enlisted in the A.I.F. serving as a driver in Egypt and France.

At one time in Egypt, he was listed as missing and after many letters between Victoria Barracks and his brother in the Riverina, he was discovered in a hospital in Cairo suffering from measles.

He was wounded in France and returned to England where he was promoted to Officer training.

Returning home in 1919, he continued to race horses, competing in Hunt Club events and Point to Point races.

He had a way with horses and always managed to get top form from them. On his own horse "Fleetstone" he won the Grand National Steeple at Flemington in 1924, still with amateur status. In the same year he married Gulielma Henrietta Oglivie and they had four daughters.

In 1938 he later purchased land at Somerville on Westernport Bay and farmed cattle, but sadly while spraying weeds near his home in 1966, his coat tail caught in the machine, resulting in his death.

His eldest daughter Diana died the previous year, in a train accident.
They are buried beside each other in the Mornington Cemetery.

SWEDISH LAD (7 wins – all steeplechase events)

A graduate from the hunting ranks, Swedish Lad ran up a long sequence of wins in the back half of the 1914 jumping season.
Ridden in all seven races by crack amateur rider, Claude Grice, Swedish Lad's finest performance was in his final race, on a dry and dusty track. When making ground from the abattoirs treble, the gelding hit the front at the last fence, despite giving 20kg to the bay gelding "W.T.S.", he beat him by two lengths.
In those days the final day of the VRC Spring Meeting was known as Steeplechase Day.
It was reported that the big crowd gave horse and rider rounds of cheers as they passed the post, and on returning to scale.
The horse was injured in training, and never returned to the racetrack.

Results:

1st	5 August 1914	Sandown	Findon Amateur Steeple 3600m 66 kg (63.5 min)
1st	26 August 1914	Mooney Valley	Oaklands Hunt Club Cup 4800m 72 kg (63.5 min)
1st	19 Sept 1914	Sandown	Findon Hunt Club Cup 3600m 76.5 kg (63.5 min)
1st	3 Oct 1914	Flemington	October Steeple 3200m 64 kg (57 min)
1st	17 Oct 1914	Caulfield	Wyuna Steeple 3880m 68.5 kg (57 min)
1st	3 Nov 1914	Flemington	Cup Steeple 3200m 73 kg (57 min)
1st	7 Nov 1914	Flemington	Victoria Steeple 5000m 79.5 kg (57 min)