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RACING HISTORY

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1926 DOMINION HANDICAP

The Dominion Handicap which is the most exclusive, contest in New Zealand for unhoppled trotters only, provided a thrilling finish after Master Audo had led for a mile and threequarters. The two big guns, Money Spider and Peterwah set to work and down the straight they came inch by inch and fought out the last part of the event. Peiterwah beat Money Spider by a neck. Five lengths away came Escapade, who was not quite herself.

It was a wonderful exhibition of trotting and Peterwah was given a rousing reception on returning to scale. Peterwah was bred in America, where he was purchased by R. C. Fisken, of Gisborne, who drove his good horse. Peterwah is by Etawah, 2.3, from Janava and is destined to prevail in the fastest classes in the Dominion.

Credit: NZ Truth 11 Nov 1926

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1926 NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP
Two of the possibilities in Native Chief and Queen'a Own spoilt their chances by an inaccurate beginning and Great Bingen took i11 during the early part of the race and was pulled up. Of the 14 acceptors Black Admiral was not started. The favorites were Ahuriri, the coupled horses, Acron and Great Bingen, Native Chief and Waitaki Girl.

Had Native Chief not misbehaved at the start he may have occupied a winning place. As it was the pace he had to go for the first half-mile to regain his lost ground took all the steam out of him and he died right away three furlongs from home. From the word go Ahuriri never looked like getting beaten when the field had gone a furlong. He was in fifth place, where Bryce was content to allow his candidate to shelter from the wind till a mile and a-half had been completed. At this stage of the race he dashed into second place where he stayed till well into the home stretch, where he gave him a tap with the whip and home he came winning comfortably by twp lengths. Prince Pointer, who filled second place, began smartly and went into the lead at the two-furlong disc and acted as a pacemaker right into the home stretch, though he beat Talaro by five lengths for second money. He had no chance of finishing m front of the winner.

Talaro went a stinging good race. He led for a quarter- of a mile where he dropped in behind Prince Pointer. Even when Ahuriri collared his position three furlongs from home he boxed on in determined style and gathered third money. Considering the ground he lost at the start Jack Potts went a wonderful race to occupy fourth place to which is attached 300 sovs. Acron and Man-o-War had every chance. Waitaki Girl and Sheik battled hard through their field but neither ever threatened danger.

This is the second time that Ahiiriri has annexed the New Zealand Trotting Cup. He won it last year he is owned by R. N. Morten who bred him, and is trained by J.Bryce.

The first mile was cut out in 2.l3 2/5; the mile and a half in 3.20 4/5 and the full journey in 4.25.

His connections must have been confident.

The judicial stewards severely cautioned J. Bryce, driver of Ahuriri, for interfering with Talaro and fined him £15.


Credit: NZ Truth 11 Nov1926

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1925 NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP

Ahuriri left the mark well in the New Zealand Trotting Cup, and after trailing Delavan Quest for a mile and a-half, he went to the front where he remained, to win nicely by four lengths.

Paul Dufault broke when the tapes were released and Dolly Dillon lost twelve yards through putting in a skip. When the field had gone a furlong Delavan Quest was out in front with Ahuriri and Dolly Dillon racing four lengths behind him.

When six furlongs were covered, the field bunched with a round to go. Acron dashed up on the outside, and along with Delavan Quest, he led into the back stretch. Then Bryce let Ahuriri go. He quickly hit the front and drawing three lengths clear of the field led into the home stretch with Great Bingen in hot pursuit.

But, despite a game effort on the part of Great Bingen, Ahuriri held safe to win in convincing style. Realm broke at the end of five and ruined his chance. Dolly Dillon tried to mix her gait going out of the straight the last time. Delavari Quest punctured badly three furlongs from home, where Vilo and Paul Dufault also cried enough. Acron finished on much better than expected to gather third money, with Great Hope at the head of the others. Logan Chief was driven his usual quiet race for ten furlongs where Kennerley elected to move him into a handy position. He had to hook him out to avoid a bit of a mix. Going out of the straight the last time he was outside of two sulkies going into the back stretch. From there on he tried to overhaul the leaders, but at the finish he had to be content with fifth place.

The first half-mile was negotiated in 1.8 1/5, mile in 2.16 1/5, mile and a half in 3.23 1/5, and the full journey m 4.28 1/5.


Credit: 'The Toff' writing in NZ Truth 14 Nov 1925

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1925 NEW ZEALAND FREE-FOR-ALL

From the word go Acron clapped on the pace in the Free-for-all to such a tune that with six furlongs covered he had his opponents at Addington fighting for breath.

He dashed off his first two furlongs in 30sec, his half mile in 1.1. At that stage Great Hope, Machine Brick, Great Bingen, and Logan Chief were following him closely. Then at the tanks, Great Bingen mastered Great Hope, Logan Chief and Machine Brick and, turning for home, he was a length behind his stable mate, Acron.

From there on Mr. J. R. McKenzie's representatives had the opposition silenced. Acron finished a length in front of his stable mate in 2min. 4 3-5sec. Both horses pulled up well, and looked as if they could have put in an extra kick had anything come at them over the last furlong.

Machine Brick has only been in New Zealand twelve days, yet despite his voyage from Australia he filled third place, running the mile in 2min. 5 3-ssec. When he is right at the zenith of his form he will make it hard for the others to beat him.

Logan Chief was off color, and with seven furlongs covered Great Hope fell back into the ruck. Realm was last all the way.


Credit: NZ Truth 21 Nov 1925

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

Lady Rhodes presenting the Cup to Ahuriri's owner Richard Morten

1925 NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP

The Bryce family was soon back in business when Ahuriri, a son of 1916 winner Cathedral Chimes, decisively won a memorable contest.

Ahuriri, who was often his own worst enemy with waywardness, was a classy sort who had been astutely placed since winning the Sapling Stakes and entered the 1925 Cup favourably handicapped on 12 yards and won convincingly from Great Bingen(60yds), Acron(48yds), Great Hope(72yds) and Logan Chief(60yds). Sheik(84yds) and the grand mare Onyx(90yds) had been withdrawn through injury.

Ahuriri was owned by his breeder R M Morton and was from a top class trotter in Muricato who had the ability to switch gaits when at full speed. Great Bingen confirmed his status as the best pacer in the land when he came off 84 yards to win the Christchurch Handicap by three lengths easing down.

When the qualifing standard was tightened the next year, Ahuriri was again well placed on 24 yards, the favourite and an easy winner over Prince Pointer, Talaro and Jack Potts. The unsound Jack Potts marked the first Cup drive for Ces Donald and he went on to become champion sire on 10 occasions.

Great Bingen, again handicapped out of it from 84 yards, was pulled up in a distressed state after a mile when it was thought he had suffered a heart attack.

Credit: New Zealand HRWeekly 8Oct03

PRESIDENTS: NZMTC

JAMES H WILLIAMS - NZMTC President

The graduate of Christ's College and city lawyer and sportsman came to trotting through cricket and tennis and rose to be the president of the Metropolitan Trotting Club for over a decade. But it was in other areas perhaps where he made most impression.

He was the president of the New Zealand Trotting Association for many years during which time the body also acted as the JCA does today, holding all the hearings on cases involving controversy and corruption in the sport.

In the Williams era there were a number including the sensational Bryce case which resulted at one stage in eight of the Board members resigning over an appeal decision by a Trotting Conference panel. Williams was the ninth. The contentious U Scott case of 1038 involving the game's biggest owner, John McKenzie was another notable affair.



Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed Aug 2016

PEOPLE

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

MESCELLANY

FIELD SIZES

Someone who has just backed a loser in a capacity field during the course of the Cup carnival at Addington is bound to lament that 15 starters is too many.

That may well be; but spare a thought for the punters who had to sort out their selections for the race in the accompanying photo, run at Addington in 1924, with 33 starters.

Run on the opening day of the Metropolitan club's August meeting, this event, the two-mile Trial Handicap, was won off 36yd behind by G Rutherford's Colchester, driven by Drum Withers. A son of dual NZ Cup winner Wildwood Junior, Colchester was 17th in the order of betting, which, in those days, with brackets went up to 25 in the 75%/25% win/place pool.

In beating favourite Prince Swithin (owned and driven by Lester Maidens) by a half length, Colchester covered the two miles in 4:42 4/5. Third after starting from 60yds, was Dalnahine, driven by Dil Edwards. The others in the race were Stunt Artist, Albert Logan, Quiver, Talaro, Bessie Logan, Dandy Rose, Kate Thorpe, Bruce, Holly Boy, Golden Gun, Transport, Harewood, Tarzan, Becky Logan, Away, Vera Logan, Percy Dillon, Harold Burwood, Hackthorne, Menember, Ivy Audubon, Jack Potts, Thixendale, The Rook, Bell Harold, Latona, Pinevale, Audacious, Lady Embrace and Prince Pointer.

There is a photo in the Auckland based NZ Trotting Hall of Fame of the official result of a race at the Cambridge Trotting Club's Summer meeting of January 7, 1950, contested by 35 starters.

But it appears the largest field ever to face the starter in NZ was that which lined up for the Harvest Handicap at the Ashburton Trotting Club's winter meeing on June 5,1948. Believe it or not, 41 horses went to the post that day, and the favourite won. The winner, coming off 12yds, over a mile and a half in 3:18 2/5, was Attack, then trained at Springston by N W Dickie for J N (Nick) Scott and O G (Ollie) Oakley, and driven by Dickie's son, the late Ivan Dickie.

Credit: Ron Bisman writing in HRWeekly 8Nov90

HORSES

HAROLD LOGAN - Bargain Buy

Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed May 2016

HORSES

HAROLD LOGAN - Bargain Buy

Harold Logan 1924 £100, 36 wins (including match races) £11,500.

Harold Logan was probably the most popular pacer to race in New Zealand but while he provided only triumph for his later owners, an earlier one experienced only a sadness that led to tragedy.

Harold Logan was bred by Jack Coffey, then in the Springfield hotel, his dam Ivy Cole, a good looking but slow performer, and another mare were sold cheaply to Percy Brown of Waimate, a drover. Coffey was shifting to a hotel with less ground but it still turned out the bargain of the ages for Brown.

The other mare's foal turned out to be the near champion, Roi L'or, for Brown but he passed Harold Logan on to Fred Legge a Livingstone(Otago) trainer and shearer - virtually as a gift.

In his first racing season Harold Logan won a maiden by several lengths, ridden by his owner at a Waimate Hunt meeting but could not find that form again. He didn't win at all in his second season(he was then six!) and in his third, after one sale fell through on a vet test, he was sold to Miss Effie Hinds of Christchurch.

After professional treatment for various problems and some straightening out of

Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed May 2016