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PETER RIDDLE

Peter Riddle was best known for his New Zealand Cup win with Sheik in 1924 in the horse's first start for the season. He was such a popular figure in his short stay here the crowd cheered him home from the top of the straight - not something which might happen here these days!

He previously trained for Australia's leading owner, Percy Miller and brought a team over in 1914 which was not successful. He returned when Miller turned to galloping and after an "All Stars," - like run through the Auckland Summer carnival of 1922, he decided to stay. He had a big team of mainly Australian horses in work at Domain Terrace in Addington at the time of his Cup win. He returned to Australia two years later after a leaner spell but remained prominent in Sydney for some years.

TRIVIA FACT: Switching to training gallopers during the depression, Peter got 12 months when a rider on one of his horses at the 800m was heard to say "how good will this be when they let it go?"

Later h took a shine to a yearling bred by Miller that nobody else liked, bought it for less than $1000 and trained him to become the champion, Shannon. Unhappily Peter was in poor health at the time and Shannon was sold to the US after his death. Shannon broke Seabiscuit's track records in America and was a leading sire there

Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed Jan 2017

ROBERT McMILLAN

A fatal collision between the West Coast express and a car at Hornby was a front page story early in 1923. Added to the sensation was that Robert McMillan, the car passenger killed, owned the Santa Rosa Farm in Halswell, then the country's most successful Harness stud.

Champion stallion Harold Dillon, and horses like Great Audobon, Nelson Bingen, Brent Locanda and Petereta most of which produced at least one champion, made up the roster. They had made McMillan, who had personally selected many of them, a wealthy man. The driver of the car, severely injured, was his great friend Eugene McDermott, also of Halswell and regarded as the leading non professional horseman in the country.

Canadian-born of Scottish stock, McMillan had worked for a leading American trainer, John Blant for many years before coming to New Zealand and making his way as a trainer, ultimately at Santa Rosa on Nicholls Rd opposite the Halswell Hotel. McMillan had also struck gold when he bought Great Audobon, the first son of the legendary Peter The Great to win a trotting race in New Zealand. He also won as a pacer before siring the NZ Cup winner, Great Hope, with which McMillan won the Great Northern Derby at his first start (1921) before selling on.

McMillan struck up a close association with Etienne Le Lievre of Akaroa who stood his best stallion imports, usually selected by McMillan, at Santa Rosa. At the time of his death McMillan was described as "a real man and one ready to do a good turn to anyone who was a trier". The two Macs, McDermott being of strong Irish stock, had taken a late afternoon drive to Yaldhurst to inspect American imports based with Ben Jarden, one being the later famous stallion Jack Potts.

Soon after McMillan's burial at St Mary's church in Halswell, Santa Rosa was sold to trainer Albert Hendrikson from Templeton and it gradually lost its lustre as a commercial stud, later being used for training by Charles Cameron and others before housing took it over.

McMillan's death had exposed an embarrassing situation in his private life. In 1914, in his late 40's, he had married Madge Green, 24, who had borne him three children in four years. However the marriage broke down and McMillan was ordered by the court on his wife's petition in 1921 to restore her rights, after she was banished from the house. Great Hope's sale may have been part of the settlement because she did not appear in his will, his estate being valued at a considerable £13,000. The children had been cared for by Madge's sister, Miriam, and that apparently continued to be the case after his death. His only son, Peter, later returned to Canada and one of his two sisters died in Arizona.

Eugene Clement McDermott was the son of a professional trainer, John McDermott, originally from Doyleston but based for some years in Domain Terrace. He shifted to Junction Road in Halswell after World War 1 where the family farmed for over 80 years. Eugene, who operated as a stock dealer from an early age, and as a farmer based in Tankerville Road, was a leading trackwork rider at Addington when that was popular and a champion saddle trot race rider on horses like Vilo, Capriccio, Schnapps and Cora Dillon, all trained by his father, besides a host of outside rides. However he resisted pressure to become a professional until late in life for special reasons and never trained a big team.

After the Hornby tragedy McDermott said he would give up owning racehorses and while in later years he relented it was usually only in special cases such as the trotter Garner which he bought for £16 and won many races includig a clean sweep of the features at an Auckland Cup meeting. Ironically it was the death of another close friend, the country's leading trainer, Bill Tomkinson which propelled MsDermott back into the headlines.

Tomkinson suffered minor injuries falling from a drum securing a float door as the team left for Auckland in 1934. Sent home from hospital apparently fit and well he became seriously ill and died within days triggering the biggest Christchurch funeral of the year. The cortege procession was a mile long. McDermott, a pallbearer, had also raced gallopers with Tomkinson and his young son, Jim.

He took over driving the Tomkinson star Indianapolis that year. They won the 1934 NZ Cup but "Mac's" most memorable triumph was with the champion in an odds-on win at Addington the same year. After less than 200m before a very large Addington crowd the hot favourite broke a hopple. Normally he would have been pulled up but Indianapolis seemed to be only keener with the flapping hopple so McDermott decided to let him run for the public's money. The result was a famous hour in Addington history. Indianapolis never missed a beat. He won easily and paced the last 2400m in 3:08.8 - then two seconds inside the national record for that distance and a theoretical world record. McDermott was cheered "to the echo" by grateful punters.

In the 1937 Cup his own luck ran out when he fell from the sulky of Colonel Grattan with about 800m to run, suffering a fatal heart attack. He had told friends before the race if he was leading at that stage Colonel Grattan would win. His son, also Eugene, was taken out of school to help run the family farm.

Later a prominent owner and highly regarded administrator, he had played rugby for Canterbury in the war years. One of his sons, John, also an Addington administrator (his brother Maurice is a stalwart of Banks Peninsula) is now a licensed trainer - like both his great grandfather, 100 years ago and his grandfather. The McMillan racing tradition died that fateful day at Hornby but the McDermott legacy lives on.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 1May13

JACK 'SONNY" TRENGROVE

When two Dunedin butchery partners decidedly to separately get into harness racing in the 1920's the results were astonishing.

One won the New Zealand Cup with his first starter in any trotting race, a unique feat. The other was the first owner to win three NZ Trotting Cups. Together they won four New Zealad Trotting Cups in 13 years and ran another six placings.

Jack "Sonny" Trengrove and George Barton were partners in Dunedin's biggest butchers shop, sited in the Octagon. Both started off racing gallopers and, in Barton's case, continued to do so. Long before Australians started paying big money for our top horses Trengrove and Barton were big spenders. In September, 1923 Trengrove paid £2000 - a million dollars today - for two horses, Alto Chimes and Great Hope.

It was money well spent. Trengrove, who had a number of successful gallopers, set a thus far unique record in the 1923 NZ Cup won by Great Hope. The little chestnut horse was driven by the then youngest driver to win the race, 21-year-old Jimmy Bryce jnr, but more incredibly it was the first time Trengrove's colours had been carried in a pacing race.

"I am delighted. Wouldn't you be it you won the Cup the first time your colours were unfurled?" Sonny asked the media. One cheeky reporter noted that "although his present condition of obesity would seem to belie it, Jack Trengove was a star of the Heathcote Valley rugby team in his earlier years". The portly butcher was also a steward of both the Forbury Park and Otago Hunt Clubs.

Great Hope was placed in two further Cups (Alto Chimes ran in one of them) and helped break new ground when, at Trengrove's insistence, he travelled all the way to Perth for the Pacing Championship, the first attempt to get an Inter-Dominion series off the ground. Great Hope won the three heat series by one point winning over £1000 for Trengrove who travelled to the meeting. The butchery business survived a huge fire in 1921 and grew even larger but Trengrove sold out in 1926 to follow his horses.

Great Hope, the best 3-year-old of his era, was originally owned by breeder Robert McMillan of Santa Rosa stud in Halswell - the Nevele R of its time - who was killed in a spectacular crash between a car and the southbound express at Templeton which also severely injured his great friend Eugene McDermott. The horse was then bought by Hawera's Joe Corrigan for £1000. Great Hope was slightly disappointing at four and Corrigan - not entirely for racing reasons - sold him on to Trengrove after the August National meeting, the horse remaining with James Bryce.

Young Bryce gave Great Hope the run of the race and he beat the first 4-year-old to run in the Cup, Acron, which would have won had he gone away.

George Barton was also a self-made man having started out as a butcher's apprentice. Uniquely, at the height of his racing fame he employed private trainers on both sides of the Tasman - a thoroughbred one in Victoria (where he had Group 1 winners) and a standardbred one in Christchurch. After the freak death of his long time harness trainer and advisor, Tomkinson, Barton bought the trainer's Derby Lodge stable and set up "Tomkys" foreman, Claude Dunleavy, in his place, with Mrs Tomkinson being allowed to live in the house.

Like Trengrove, Barton had a unique racing record. He won eight successive owner premierships in harness racing in the 1930's. The in 1938-9 was the leading thoroughbred owner in the country, a dual code feat never equalled and unlikely to ever be. He had retired from Otago's best known butchery in 1936.

Barton, a fearless punter, especially in Australia, was direct and could be ruthless. Six hours before the 1937 New Zealand Cup in which he had three runners Barton sacked trainer Dunleavy (who later went to Roydon Lodge), Tempest running third in the event for the stable with Doug Watts in the cart. Southland's Jim Walsh was (Briefly) given the horses. Dunlevy had won £23,000 in stakes for the owner in the previous three years and twice had three Cup runners the same year for him, a record which endures to this day. Barton gradually returned to thoroughbreds for his major interest though he retained his interest in trotters. His high class galloper Ark Royal was principally responsible for his leading owner status in the thoroughbred world.

Barton, who gave up his Australian galloping stable over a case on suspicious running once pointed out that at a country gallops meeting in Victoria he had won three races worth £90 but won £2000 in betting on them. In December 1934 Barton caused a sensation when resigning from the Forbury Park Trotting Club on apparent health grounds - and a "recent unpleasant incident" - which referred to a Stewards inquiry into the running of his horse, Tempest, which had earlier sensationally beaten the pacing star War Bouy ending his 9 winning streak.

Barton would nor accept his horses were not run entirely on their merits. He bought and raced stars like Free Advice, Subsequent Inter-Dominion champion, Grand Mogul, Nelson Derby, Lapland, Cloudy Range and many others.

However, Barton's greatest triumph was buying subsequent triple NZ Cup winner Indianapolis from Harry Nicoll in the depths of the Depression. Tomkinson trialled him and declared him a bargain "the greatest pacer ever foaled" at £500. It seemed a remarkable price considering what Sonny Trengrove had parted with for Great Hope a decade before. The Indianapolis story is an amazing one and owner Barton remains one of only two men to have individually owned three New Zealand Cup winners. Indianapolis's public image would dwarf most modern "superstars". Newspapers devoted entire articles to him just standing in a box recovering from injury. Had Tomkinson lived there is no doubt Indianapolis would have been our first 2 minute miler.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 31Oct12

Joseph Oller (Josep Oller i Roca, in Catalan) (Terrassa, 1839 – Paris, 1922) was a Spanish Catalan entrepreneur who lived in Paris for most of his life. He founded the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge and was the inventor of the parimutuel betting.


Joseph Oller.[edit] Biography Born in Terrassa, Catalonia,(Spain), Joseph Oller emigrated to France with his family as a child. Later, he moved back to Spain to study at the university in Bilbao. There, he became fond of cockfighting and started his career as a bookmaker.

Once in Paris, in 1867, Joseph Oller invented a new method of wagering, which he named Pari Mutuel (French for Parimutuel betting). He successfully introduced his system at French race tracks. Nonetheless, in 1874, Joseph Oller was sentenced to fifteen days in prison and fined for operating illegal gambling. Later, in 1891, the French authorities legalised his system and banned fixed-odds betting. Quickly, Oller’s Pari Mutuel spread across most race tracks around the world, but the method was operationalised in engineered systems like that of the automatic totalisator, invented by George Alfred Julius.

From 1876, Joseph Oller focused his attention on the entertainment industry. First he opened various auditoriums and venues: Fantaisies Oller, La Bombonnière, Théâtre des Nouveautés, Nouveau Cirque and the Montagnes Russes. But it was in 1889, when he inaugurated the famous Moulin Rouge. Four years later, he opened the first Parisian music-hall: Paris Olympia.

He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery.



Credit: Wikipedia

JOHN McLENNAN - Horseman

John McLennan, now in his early sixties, trained and rode his first winner, at a Geraldine meeting, before he was 17, and rapidly rose to be one of the best known and successful riders and drivers until he retired from the game about a decade ago. He holds a record of having ridden 70 winners of saddle races run over a mile, five of them on straight-out trotters. At the 1920 Cup meeting at Addington he and F G Holmes each handled six winners, just half the programme between them. At the previous Cup meeting he drove Cello Sydney Wilkes in his four victories, a performance which was another record up to that time.

Cello Sydney Wilkes was a pony stallion by Harold Dillon from Cremona Wilkes, bred and owned by Mrs T L Morrison at Balclutha, and who afterwards lived at Waimate. He commenced his racing career as a two-year-old in the 1914-15 season at Ashburton. During that season he won the Amateur Handicap in 2m 21s and was driven by H B Hubbard. He was lightly raced until six years old (did not start at all at four years), and in the 1919-20 season scored his record at Addington by winning the Riccarton Handicap, 13f from 7 sec mark in 3m 42 1/5 on the first day,



















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Credit: W A Saunders writing in Pillars of Harness Horsedom

ALFRED ERNEST BERRY

Ern worked as a public horse trainer most of his adult life, in 1917 he trained and drove Olive L to win the Dominion Handicap.

The same year his Brother-in-Law Manny Edwards (husband of Ern Berry's sister, Nell) trained and drove the winner of the NZ Trotting Cup, Adelaide Direct.

Erin Berry was the youngest son, Alfred and Mary-Ann Berry emigrated from Somerset, England to ChCh in 1862, they had a large family. Alfred and the sons were involved in Trotting in Christchurch from the early days. The eldest son was one of the first stipendiary stewards.

He won several races with Apex, Aid de Compt, Our Lady, Carisbrook and Pirouette.

Ern Berry had the registered colours of French Grey, Brown Sleeves, Grey Cap.

Credit: Lesley Glassey writing in the Berry Family History

JAMES SAMUEL BERRY

Jim only rode and drove trotting horses, never actually training or owning a trotter of his own. There exists a early photo of him driving Thicket to win in the mud at Plumpton Park

Jim Berry was the eldest son of Alfred and Mary-Ann Berry who emigrated from Somerset, England to Ch-Ch in 1862, they had a large family. Alfred and the sons were involved in Trotting in Christchurch from the early days. He was one of the first stipendiary stewards and was involved in the administration of trotting.

In 1941 he was elected an Honorary Life Member of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club for his services to trotting.



Credit: Lesley Glassey writing in the Berry Family History

CHARLES KERR

For any top horseman it was a cruel fate. In May, 1914 leading driver, Charlie Kerr, posted a career highlight driving the unbeaten rising star Admiral Wood to win the first New Zealand Derby, then held at New Brighton. It was owned and trained by his brother, Willie, who would soon sell the colt for a staggering price in those days of £1,000. Within hours of the Derby triumph Charlie was on his deathbed aged just 54.

He had driven into the city in what was virtually a road sulky at 6:30pm to celebrate, leaving the city at 10:30pm. Witnesses saw the travelling very fast on Regent Street in Woolston an hour later and soon afterward they collided with a telegragh pole, Charlie was thrown on the road. He suffered a "laceration of the brain" which affected his behaviour in hospital. He refused food until his death a few days later. There were many tributes to the cheerful horseman from Wainoni.

The Kerr family, prominent in the New Brighton area (Kerrs Reach is named after them), had already suffered a tragedy involving horses, when Peter Kerr, who farmed the Sandhills Run (Christchurch only went to the end of Gloucester Street in those days) was also killed in an accident with a horse. Charles and William established a training and breeding property operating seperate training stables at Wainoni, which was eventually called Wildwood Farm. Willie was the senior partner but also a farmer. The brothers had first made their mark at New Brighton beach meetings in the 1880's and came up with horses like Nilreb (his sire Berlin backwards) which won at Springfield from 400m behind and three races in aday at Westport.

Two decisions by Willie Kerr then took them into the big time.He bought the American horse, Wildwood, in the North Island in 1894. Wildwood, an impressive black, was a wild success but also proved there are no certainties in racing. Winner of the first Sires Stakes run in this country and then lightly used as a stallion, he was constantly in training for nearly two years before he returned in 1897 and was regarded as an unbeatable certainty against the best in the land.

Wildwood had been handicapped four seconds however and in the field was a little known pacer from Ashburton called Prince Imperial, who upset the American trotter in sensational circumstances. That led to a famous £1000 match race at New Brighton, by far the biggest stake ever raced for by harness horses in this country. Driven by Willie because his brother was ill, Wildwood norrowly won the first heat (best of three) with something in reserve. He then slaughtered his classy rival in a new Australasian mile record time. He would become a landmark stallion here but died in 1905 when just 12 and at the peak of his powers. Prince Imperial was also an influential stallion.

Willie drove out to Lincoln one day to check out a gelding breeder John Tod had for sale. Instead he was very taken with a filly on the Tod property and bought he for £30. Named Thelma, she was the fifth and last filly from Pride Of Lincoln whose No 1 family has produced champions from Wildwood Junior to Christian Cullen and beyond. A black like his dad Wildwood Junior, a pacer, was the first colonial horse to win a sires premiership here, but was only one of Thelma's outstanding foals. He famously won two NZ Cups in his only starts in those seasons, one in world record time.

Thelma, a fine racehorse, had 16 foals in as many years. Two died, one was unraced and all the rest won at least once. Willowood, brother of Wildwood Junior was never beaten over three seasons (though only one start in each) and like Waverley (a half-brother based later in Southland) was an outstanding stallion. Marie Corelli was a track star and a breeding gem while Authoress, injured before racing and dead at eight, left the champion Author Dillon. Willie sold him as a youngster for £500 to a wealthy local, James Knight, a short time before he also won a Derby.

Willie owned several mares who still hold an influence in sales catalogues and would break in up to 15 yearlings of his own a year, big numbers then. Most were for sale - a sort of pioneer Ready to Run concept. No other New Zealand mare has matched the extraordinary lagacy of Thelma as the Akaroa Trotting Club has noted for many years now.

Like many trainers then the Kerr brothers, though popular figures, had their moments with authorities. One notorious case involved Wildwood at Plumpton Park. On the first day when hot favourite he was well beaten and stablemate Sing Sing (ancestress of the Moose family) won at nice odds. On the second day Wildwood, driven by Charlie, had a special light cart attached and won easily. The public and authorities were not amused especially as the brothers made no secret that they backed the champion heavily on the second day as he had only been in work for eight weeks. Administrators found changes justified but moaned about the "public image of the sport with these sort of incidents."

Charlie's death seemed to turn the tide against Wildwood Farm. Santa Rosa, the first fully Commercial standardbred stud and Coldstream became the industry leaders. Willie may also have lost some interest though he lived until 1951. In 1921 he sold up all his horses except Wildwood Junior who was passed in. He got over £2000 for the others. In 1924 he sold the farm to Harry Aker who had the champion mare Waitaki Girl and the ill fated fated Peter Chenault. Later the Bussell family trained there.

The Kerr name remained a force in harness racing for decades after Willie and Charlie but never like the dramatic years of Wildwood and Thelma.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 29May13

A I RATTRAY

A report in the NZ REFEREE of 9th April 1913 stated that a very well deserved tribute was paid to Mr A I Rattray, Secretary of the three trotting clubs of Christchurch, when on the first day of the NZMTC’s Easter Meeting at Addington he was presented with a handsome silver tea and coffee service and salver as a mark of the Clubs’ appreciation of his services to the sport. The Hon. Charles Louisson, President of the NZMTC, in making the presentation said that as most of those present were aware Mr Rattray had recently taken a trip to America for the benefit of his health and they were glad to see he had returned fully restored. It is largely due to Mr Rattray’s efforts, he continued, that the sport of trotting had reached the high standard it now held and the Clubs felt that the present was a good opportunity to show how they valued Mr Rattray’s work. Mr Howell, President of the Canterbury Park Trotting Club and Mr Archer, President of the New Brighton Trotting Club also spoke briefly of their appreciation of Mr Rattray’s services. Mr Rattray in his reply expressed his thanks for the kindness which had been shown him and said that what he had done for the sport had been done as a labour of love.


Credit: NZMTC: Historical Notes compiled by D C Parker

WILLIAM CLINTON

A court case involving a New Zealand Trotting Cup winner, a leading trainer and a well-known Canterbury owner was guaranteed to be a headliner.

The 1911 New Zealand Cup winner, Lady Clare, raced by Darfield farmer, William F Clinton, and trained at Addington by Jim Tasker was the centre of a suit for £600 damages (about half the stake of a NZ Cup in those days) against Clinton, money Tasker considered he had been denied in stake earnings by the owner's drastic actions.

Clinton had paid a hefty 165 quineas to buy Lady Clare at an Ashburton sale only a year before her Cup win. She had ability but had only won a few races. Tasker agreed to train her for 10 shillings a week (for race expenses and shoeing) the stakes evenly divided. He had trained and driven Marian to become the first mare to win the NZ Cup in 1907 and make his wife, Sarah, the first female owner though that seems a well kept secret. Tasker also bred and sold Sal Tasker, named after his daughter, an Australasian champion mare.

He imported the stallion Galindo and others from America. Tasker drove the fancied stablemate Aberfeldy in the 1911 Cup and Ashburton's Jack Brankin handled Lady Clare. She led most of the way landing big bets for Clinton. In court Tasker took exception to Clinton's lawyer Oscar Alpers claiming that he had driven Aberfeldy "on a tight rein". Justice Dennison reminded Alpers that it was not a trial for fraud. Aberfeldy started in four Cups from the stable.

Set all year for a 1912 repeat Lady Clare suffered a minor knock on a leg in October. Tasker wrote to Clinton saying he would aim at supporting features and withdraw from the Cup. Clinton, who had backed the mare heavily for the Cup threw Tasker's letter in the fire, rang the club and scratched her from all her engagements in Cup week. Tasker was furious and sued. The mare had recovered well and the club's vet passed her fit to race. Another, Dr Charlton, praised Tasker's professional approach to the mare's injury at the hearing.

The colourful Clinton was the star of the courtroom drama but destroyed his own case along the way. Described as "a bewhiskered and somewhat rustic looking figure" he confided to the judge that "of course I had had a whiskey by then" when Tasker's lawyer questioned his refusal to discuss the mare's programme with Tasker after the latter made a special trip to Tattersalls hotel to meet him. "Are you sure it was not a double?" the normally humourless Justice Dennison asked.

Clinton, one of the most successful farmers in Canterbury whose stock sales attracted buyers from all over the province, claimed the right to scratch even though the agreement with Tasker was registered. He then whispered loudly to the judge that as there were no ladies in the court he could say the words Tasker had used telling Clinton what he could do with the mare if he did not accept the terms. "That would be rather a large undertaking" Dennison dryly commented on hearing them, telling the typist to replace them with a row of stars. Clinton then made the damaging admission to the judge that the cost of his actions to Tasker was "no more than he had cost me by scratching from the Cup" - referring to his Cup bets. "Such a statement made the reason for the action of Clinton very plain indeed" the Judge told the jury in the summing up.

Tasker's lawyer Mr Stringer, questioned Clinton about incidents caused by drinking on past visits to the city in his Cadillac and whether this was another example. Clinton had appeared unsteady making his way to the witness box.
Clinton: "That is a personal question and I refuse to answer"
Stringer: "Haven't you in fact had a glass too much this morning?"
Cliton: "That is a very personal question and I won't answer"

At the end of the show the jury absolved Tasker of any Blame ans awarded him £350 in damages. Another sensation passed into history.

Jim Tasker is still the only trainer to win NZ Cups with two different mares. In a bizarre coincidence the 1944 winner, Bronze Eagle from a family Tasker had had for 40 years, was bred, owned and trained by his son, Cliff, until a few months before the race. Tasker lost possession of the horse in a marriage settlement. His former wife gave it to her son, William Suttie, of Springston, the official owner. In another coincidence George Noble, like Brankin, only got the drive because trainer Roy Berry opted for inform stablemate, Pacing Power. Bronze Eagle had several Cup starts and sired the near champion filly, Vivanti, an early star for Cecil Devine.

Tasker retained Bronze Eagle's half-brother, Sir Michael, which won the NZ Free-For-All and NZ Derby for him some years later. The Tasker maternal line starting with Mavourneen were shy breeders and the Group 1 winners were Lady Bridget's only foals over many years.

William Clinton, whose family remains prominent in West Canterbury, died suddenly in 1915 triggering the biggest farming sale in Canterbury for years. He had also bought and raced the high class little roan trotter Muricata, good enough to be nominated for a NZ Cup against the pacers. Adding insult to injury she was run down late in the 1913 Dominion Handicap by the Tasker-owned Michael Galindo. Sold in 1917 Muricata left the dual NZ Cup winner, Ahuriri, and another top class pacer, the pony roan Taraire, later winner of the Pacing Championship in Perth which preceded the Inter-Dominion.

The NZ Cup association did not end there. Luxury Liner the record breaking 1987 winner had as his fifth dam none other than William Francis Clinton's fine staying mare, Lady Clare.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 26Jun1911