 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 1950
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
1950 NEW ZEALAND DERBY STAKES
Johnny Globe, dogged by bad luck for most of the running in the NZ Derby Stakes, was good enough to overcome it all and get up with a brilliant last-furlong dash to shade Vivanti in a photo finish.
Drawn in the second row at the start, Johnny Globe became awkwardly placed from barrier rise. He appeared to reach clear running, racing to the three furlongs, but was immediately in a fix again and it was not until well into the straight that he was able to race clear and go in pursuit of Vivanti. If it had not been a winning run it would have been one of the real hard luck stories of the Derby, because if ever everything seemed to be loaded against a Derby horse it was in the case of Johnny Globe.
Johnny Globe had not won a classic race since he was an easy winner of the Timaru Nursery Stakes last season, but he had been a model of consistency in the interim, finishing fourth in the Welcome Stakes, second in the Manawatu Futurity Stakes, second in the Oamaru Juvenile Stakes and fourth in the Canterbury Park Juvenile Stakes, all at two years, and second in the Canterbury Three-Year-Old Stakes and third in the Riccarton Stakes, besides winning in open class at New Brighton before his Derby success on Friday.
Johnny Globe is the first New Zealand winner by a great little Australian champion in Logan Derby, who has been at stud in Auckland for some four years now. Logan Derby, by Globe Derby from the New Zealand bred mare Bell Logan, is closely related on the dam's side to the NZ Cup winner, Chamfer. Sandfast, dam of Johnny Globe, is by Sandydale (imp) from Slapfast, a mare imported from America by Sir John McKenzie as a two-year-old in 1926, and who held a yearling record of 2:22.25 in the States. Slapfast bred winners in Greatfast, Prince Roydon and Silk Lady for Sir John before being sent up for auction at Tattersalls, where she was knocked down at the gift price of 12gns and became the property of the late F E Ward, of Pahiatua.
To Rey de Oro Slapfast left a more than useful pacer in Gold Flight, who died just when he appeared on the verge of high-class form. Johnny Globe, who was bought as a yearling by D G Nyhan for £50, is Sandfast's first living foal.
Vivanti began like a rocket and led out of the straight. Going through the back the first time she dropped in behind Kapeen and was content to accept the trail until the home turn was reached, where she came through on the fence to displace Adorian, Kapeen and Irish Orator and establish what looked like a winning break until Johnny Globe got out of his predicament. Kapeen, third, was merely solid, and Irish Orator never looked like doing any better than a minor placing. Adorian failed to stay. First Victory, Dual Flight, and Regal Parade lost a lot of ground at the start, and Prince Charming reared up and took no part in the race.
The first quarter was run in 35 2-5sec, the mile in 2:13 3-5, and the full journey in the race record time of 3:15.
Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 15Nov50