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DOUG MANGOS

Doug Mangos, who died in Christchurch recently aged 76 had the unusual distinction of being widely known harness horseman in Canterbury over a long period without ever operating a professional stable of his own.

He was an employee for 35 years of the famous Roydon Lodge establishment at Yaldhurst presided over by George Noble and, later, with his son, John, on behalf first of Sir John McKenzie, then his son Sir Roy, and finally Wayne Francis. Mangos did manage Roydon Lodge for a period in 1969 while George Noble was in the United States but his public profile was as a race driver.

"It was really the only job I ever had and I wouldn't have swapped one day of it," he recalled in retirement. "My wife Eileen and I had a family to bring up and it was too great a risk financially to set up our own stable."

Born in Lyell, he was christened in honour of his grandfather, Constantin, a gold assayer in the area where the Mangos family were prominent. He preferred his third given name, Douglas. The son of Lyell storekeepers who moved to Inangahua in the 1940s, he helped a local trainer "Plugger" Taylor after school, before shifting to Christchurch in 1950. He found a junior position at Roydon Lodge largely thanks to the brother of his future wife, Eileen. "We were paid three pounds a week and we had 15 horses in work but it wasn't what it seemed. The boss [Noble] used to work each horse twice and ungear and wash them down after each heat so it was like having a team of 30."

Mangos, a talented sportsman in his younger days, had his first winning drive behind Highland Air in Dunedin in the mid 1950s. "You had to wait your turn then. Young drivers didn't get much of a go. The driving fee was equal to a week's wages so it was a thrill to get one."

Roydon Lodge was the leading stable in the country in that era, noted for its brilliant younger horses. Noble, an Australian, took a shine to his young employee giving him greater driving opportunities than was normal for senior professionals at the time. "The boss was a qualified architect and applied his education to training like few others. He loved talking about horses and appreciated good listeners. I was a good listener and I never stopped learning." Mangos recalled.

He found out how thorough Noble was after he had beaten the champion Lordship in a Wellington Cup with Samantha in the early 1960s. Showered with congratulations at the time, the young driver was summoned to the Noble residence a few days later for a chat, which he gradually realised was actually a severe dressing down. "There were no videos then but the boss had seen a photo of the finish somewhere published a few days after the race, which showed me holding the reins in one hand ans weilding the whip in the other. He quietly said he couldn't be giving drives on good horses to people who did that. I never did it again."

Mangos had his first New Zealand Cup drive for the stable in 1957, aged just 22, behind the Roydon Lodge mare, La Mignon, which finished third, and he later won major races behind her two best foals - the ill-fated Roydon Roux, a filly Noble rated as the best he trained but which had to be destroyed after it fractured a pastern in Melbourne at the height of its career; and Garcon Roux, the first New Zealand three-year-old to beat the then hallowed mark of two minutes for a mile.

Jay Ar, a later Inter-Dominion champion, General Frost, Julie Hanover and Garcon Dór were just some of the headline horses Mangos drove for Roydon Lodge, while Holy Hal, Sapling, Rain Again, Master Alan, Danny's Pal and Garry Logan were top outside horses he was associated with. "I won a New Brighton Cup with Garry Logan when it was on the old grass track there. He was part of a four-horse bracket Felix Newfield had in the race. Felix was away and Maurice Holmes was on the best of them, Great Credit. Doug Watts, a terrific horseman, was driving another one, Guinness, and said to me at the start at least he had not been engaged for the worst one. Garry Logan shot straight to the front and was never headed." Mangos recalled.

Doug Mangos enjoyed a rewarding period as a freelance driver in Auckland in later years and then trained a few horses at a time in Canterbury on his own account, chiefly for sale overseas. Isa Rangi and his last winner, Talaspring, were among the best known.

Combined with his acknowledged skills with horses and his loyalty to family and employers it made Mangos a widely popular figure in the racing fraternity.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in the Press

NEIL ESCOTT

The February 1 launch of the new Racing Integrity Unit coincides with the first day of retirement for Neill Escott. Harness Racing's First Man of Integrity has his last day as Chief Stipendiary Steward at the Oamaru meeting on Sunday week. He spoke of 37 years as a stipendiary steward with Weekly Editor, Mike Grainger.

STARTING OUT
"I was looking for a change of lifestyle. At the time I was working as a Stock and Station Agent. I had two young kids and I was leaving home before they were up and getting home when they'd gone to bed. I saw that the NZ Trotting Conference, as it was then, was advertising two positions and one was for a Trainee Stipendiary Steward. I went through a series of interviews and got the job.

I came under the wing of L.A. Butterfield, and the other full-time stipe in Christchurch at the time was Les Purvis. Our deputies were Doug Watts, Laurie Mahoney and Errol Williams. I was very fortunate starting off with Butterfield, who carted me everywhere. He told me to sit in a corner, say nothing, and keep my ears and eyes open. He was very experienced, confident and he would administer justice fairly. It was important to have the ability to read a race. You either had it, or you didn't. Fortunately, I had it. There were a number of things that gave you that confidence, and knowing the the colours was just one of them. When I started, race filming was just in it's infancy, and Roy Kennard was in the process of refining it and taking it to where it is today.

STEWARDS THEN
After L.A. Butterfield came Harry Fryer, who was Senior Stipendiary Steward, and then Peter Mackenzie took over. I did a lot of meetings in Southland with Peter, and I had no trouble with him. He could be arrogant, I know, and I know many did not see eye to eye with him, but he did have a heart. He was an excellent race-reader and a good steward, and he loved his golf and squash, and he did so much work establishing the Gore squash courts that the building was named after him.

Michael Carrigg came next - a Queenslander from Rockhampton. It was obvious that those who made this decision did not think there was anyone here capable of handling those duties. At the time I was not considered suitable for the position. You have to take those things on the chin, but it's fair to say I was disappointed I was not appointed then. I took over after he died.

STEWARDS NOW
We are so fortunate today that we have a growing number of stewards who have been out on the track and have that experience. It's something like 'employ a thief to catch a thief'. It's harder with filming for anyone to beat the system, but you get to know by body language if someone is telling porkies or being on target with the truth. But even with the film, there are people who throw up a smokescreen for the JCA, and put up too many excuses.

CHANGES
Raceday filming and laptops. I recall when all reports were hand-written. The employment of former licenceholders who have on-track experience has been a new and successful change. Clubs giving junior drivers increased opportunities has been a great step forward forward and the standard of race driving - with the exception of amateurs - has improved dramatically. There are no longer many charges that come under the serious category, and that's a result of more trials and workouts as well as racemeetings.

On the demerit side, I still think the JCA is a big expense for clubs and needs fine-tuning. I don't agree with the JCA taking the line of asking a driver or trainer if they are in a position to pay a fine. The penalty should fit the offence and there should be no choice. You don't get asked what you'd like if you get a traffic notice, so why here? I also think it's wrong there can be no appeal on raceday placings. There should be an avenue by which aggrieved owners can appeal those decisions.

FIASCOS
Well, the worst day of my life, ever, was at Methven. Everyone remembers it.
To start with, there was a power failure early in the day. It meant that there was no payout of winning tickets that had been sold. So the meeting was put back 10 minutes. The club's Tote Steward then decided to go to lunch without telling anyone and he hadn't passed this information on to the Starter. I was in the room when I heard Reon Murtha on the speaker saying the Starter was bringing them into line. This would have been the fourth race. I went out to see what was going on. And before I could do anything, they were off. I thought the best thing to do would be to go out on the track and stay close to the gate and wave the drivers down...bring them in like Pied Piper and they'd all follow... Some stopped, some didn't. Of course, the tote was still open, and wasn't closed until they were halfway home. After that it rained...poured down. One fiasco after another. They decided to rerun the race after the last. I think eight went round again. (For the record: the T.S. Harrison-Nevele R Three-Year-Old Stakes was won by Beaudiene Bolta - John Hay - from Megatrend and All The Rage. Eight started after 12 were scratched, including the original winner, Twilight Time).
I got home feeling gutted. Mackenzie was down south and phoned and asked what was going on. But the first to call was the galloping stipe Bruce Craik who offered his commiserations, and then a few weeks later much the same thing happened to him. And just to keep the wound open, I started getting some odd presents in the mail box...white gloves, stop signs and loud hailers...good fun.

One inguiry that still disturbs me was the Hoppy's Jet one at Oamaru. The horse was just beaten on the first day after coming with a late run. Michael De Filippi drove him as he always did, and that's how it suited the horse. After viewing replays of the race, the committee of the day did not lay charges. On the second day, the horse was in a race for junior drivers, and he went straight to the front for Paul Hampton and won. I had strong support for the decision I had taken, and I'd been told action by some trainers and drivers would be considered if the matter went further. I had always been against clubs having penalty-free races for junior drivers on the second day of a meeting, and soon after that change was made.

We were at Nelson for one meeting, when Dennis O'Reilly asked where Make To Royce was. The horses had left the birdcage and were round at the start, and just about to come into line. Carrigg asked me what we should do, and I said use the common-sense rule - scratch it. It was plain to see the horse wasn't there. Then Ian Cameron came up the shute with the horse, saw what was happening, then turned around and went back. It was a bit embarrassing, being owned by an Executive member, as it was.

On another occasion, I was at Wesport and Roy Craddock was the Starter and he was having a hard job getting Tufty Boy to line up. He was rearing and plunging and needed an oxygen mask each time he came up for air. Craddock then called out if anyone had a rope. A rope was duly presented and four big men pulled the horse into line. When they left, Tufty Boy took the rope with him, and it dragged behind him for the entire race.

Another Coast incident was at Reefton when the Starter saw the balloon go up, and saw it come down and let the horses go. The balloon was a kerosene drum full of concrete. What happened was the rope that took the drum up broke, crashed and broke a chap's collar bone. It could have been worse.

MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES
Final Decision in the New Zealand Cup and Lord Module in the Matson will go down in history as two of the greatest efforts we've seen. Steel Jaw's huge win in the NZ Cup and then the death of his owner in the birdcage after the race was memorable. Two of the best trotters I've seen were No Response and Nigel Craig and of the modern-day horses, Monkey King. And I'd have to mention the time trial by Mount Eden at Addington after Charlie Anderson had to grade the track after the last race. So much has changed. Years ago, you wouldn't see a 2-year-old until the Sapling Stakes in June, and now there are four or five 2-year-old heats at many of the trial meetings. Just recently, I think we inspected eight 2-year-olds ond day just from one stable."

Escott, a man of 100 cliches, said he retired thankful of the assistance and help of the majority of clubs and licenceholders. He served under 10 Board Chairmen - Dick Rolfe, Dewar Robertshaw, George Cruickshank, Sir James Barnes, Jack Phillips, Max Bowden, Ralph Kermode, Jim Wakefield, John Penney and Pat O'Brien and four General Managers - John Rowley, Ian Mill, Mark Todd and Edward Rennell. "I always admired Jack Phillips. He'd always speak to the staff...very human, down to earth...never changed.

If I had one wish it would be to see a common approach to rules and regulations between New Zealand and Australia. I participate in the annual meeting of stipendiary stewards between the two countries and everyone wants to do their own thing. If there was more consistency, people would know where they stand. It's not like that now. Probably the highlight of my career is when I've been given the opportunity to put my views, on behalf of the New Zealand industry, to the Annual Meeting of Chief Stipendiary Stewards in Australia. But to get changes is like pushing rope uphill."



Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 19 Jan 2011

PETER YEATMAN

I suppose as your father was a trainer you were always going to go into the game?
The old man worked as a foreman for old Free Holmes for many years and took his stars like Trix Pointer when they went to Auckland. He was later a trainer and he also rode in saddle races. In fact, he fell off the famous saddle pacer Mankind when he was winning one day and I got sick of hearing about that. But no, I wasn't really interested in the horses and I went to the races one day when I was about 19 and I got hooked into it.

What was your next step?
My first job was with Cecil Devine, and I was there quite a while. We had our moments and at one stage parted on bad terms but it was the best thing which ever happened to me. I learned so much there. He was a master trainer.

Which era were you there?
False Step, Thunder and Teryman were there then. They were all good horses to handle. It was a bit of a breeze when you look back on it from the horses to handle viewpoint but it wasn't so good when the Van Diemans came into work.

The problem?
Cecil stood Van Dieman (with which he won the 1951 New Zealand Cup) at stud on the property - we did the stud work as well - but they weren't nice horses. They were spooky and nervous and jumped out of their gear with any excuse. I remember I was working up a horse called Van Rush. He was a four-year-old before we got him to pace right. I used to drive him around behind in the hoppled work. One day Cecil told me I could pull him out and try him at the end. Well, he just ran past all of them. I never got to drive him again. I think he won his first four or five races.

Stablehands worked long hours in those days?
We worked 6½ days. We fed up at lunchtime on Sunday and had the rest of the day off. But I was living in a whare on the place and virtually had to stay round to keep an eye on the horses. We used to do the oats too. We'd get up at five and have the horses finished by nine and then we would spend all day harvesting and often go back after tea. Jack Smolenski was there then. I told him I'd worked out that the contractors were getting five bob an hour and knocking off at five and we went on and were getting a shilling an hour. But we really didn't mind that much. I didn't do much outside the horses anyway.

What about the work schedule with the horses?
You had to have your own stopwatch. Everything Cecil did was based on the watch. You would be told to run your first half in maybe 1:15, and given all the other sectionals to do in great detail, and there was a problem if you didn't get it right. It was down to a fine art.

Cecil had a reputation for being a bit of a character to work for?
He was very thorough down to the last detail and he was down on any of us drinking. In fact, we parted ways later on when he was told I had been drinking at the races. I hadn't been and I resented that. Cecil used to go to town every Friday and we had to do our usual full brushing down twice a day. He put double covers on his horses and we had to take both off and do it properly. Just in case we were tempted to cheat a bit when he was away he would put some straw between the covers. If they weren't disturbed when he checked after coming home, which meant you had only done half the job, you were in bother.

Did you have a better offer when you left?
Well, not really, but Cecil and I had a disagreement one time when I was mowing the lawn for him and he was on about drinking again. I sort of quipped that I had just got the mower out of the shed and there had been a few empty bottles of his in there. I was sacked on the spot. When I walked away Cecil wanted to know where I was going. I said: "Well, you sacked me." And he replied: "Yes, but not until you have finished the lawn." He was a character. I went back there for a while later and we got on alright.

Reg Curtin has always been a great mate of yours. Was it around then you met?
Yes, it was a bit unusual then. There was a lot of feeling between the Devine and Litten stables over False Step, and Reg worked for Jack Litten. Some people took it all pretty seriously but Reg and I didn't let it bother us. He has been a great friend. We have had a lot of fun over the years. Mind you I never resisted sorting him out on the track when it counted.

You then went to Ron Kerr. What was the reason for that?
Ron was a specialist at breaking in horses and curing problem horses, especially gallopers. I had not had that sort of experience. He was a great stockman and had a good pacer then, Mighty Loyal, but mostly he was educating them.

What sort of problems did the gallopers have?
We used to get the ones who were rebels and bad buckers who couldn't be controlled. Ron used to put a pack saddle on them, hook half a bag of chaff on both sides and let them go bucking in the yard. When they got tired of doing that we would get on them and after a while they got the message.

Did you go out on your own them?
No. I had just got married and was working night shifts and started helping Jim Dalgety when he was at Templeton opposite Don Nyhan's. After a year I went fulltime with Jim. We had quite a lot of success. I mean, I was the third driver in the stable but I drove five winners in that first season and I was the equal leading probationary driver. There were only 12 races for probationary drivers all over the South Island in those days.

How long were you there?
Quite a while. Later Jim moved out to West Melton and went into the breeding game. We were finding our way in the early days we didn't tag the mares which was fine if we were both there every day in the breeding season, but if you had been away and others had arrived, things could get tricky. Fortunately, we got it right virtually all the time. But I wanted to work more with racehorses and set up on my own.

Where?
Jack Parsons had a place in Yaldhurst just opposite where Allan Holmes trained. I worked the night shift and trained a horse for Jack for the rent. He had leased a horse called Local Star to Hec Jardin and I got that to train. It was my first winner (1965). I used to pre-train too and Derek Jones was a great supporter of me at that stage.

Any of his top ones?
I broke Leading Light in for Derek and told him I thought it was well above average. Derek said: "All right, send him over." But he lined him up at Methven first up and broke up with the money on. Derek said to me: "Peter, even though he broke I think you overrated that horse." He sent it down south and didn't go to drive it himself. It won by 20 lengths and, of course, ended up winning an Auckland Cup (1969) for Derek and Jack Grant. Great speed horse. Jack Parsons had his sire, Local Light.

In those days three training wins seemed a good season, five a top one and anything else sensational for many trainers. How did you survive?
Local Jen was leased to me by Jack Parsons and she won five good stakes for us. Then I won quite a few races with Morris Pal which Mike and Colin De Filippi's father, Rod, raced with me. Yes, there weren't many racing opportunities then especially for the slower ones unless you went to the Coast and I used to take horses to Hawera to get starts and form for them. Some are back doing that now but it was real bad in the 1980s down here. You had to qualify and then win a trial to have a show of a start at popular meetings.

What sort of money did it cost to train a horse with you?
Five pounds ($10) a week when I started. Some were charging £7 but you had to give a discount to get any horses. Remember there were no driving fees paid then if you trained the horse as well. That is why when I was starting out there were no professional drivers outside Doug Watts. Even Maurice Holmes had to train as well. Most drove their own and if you didn't drive, it was hard to get any horses because of the extra expense for owners.

Kata Hoiho I remember as one of your best horses. Didn't he have thoroughbred blood in him?
Yes, his mother (Our Helen) was by a galloper (Prince Bobby) but I didn't know a lot about his breeding. He came from the Coast (bred by the Moynihan family of Hokitika) and Neil Edge got hold of him. He won what is now the West Coast bonus (Westport Cup, Westport second-day feature and Reefton Cup) as a three-year-old. Unfortunately, they didn't have it then. We had a bit of luck with galloping blood. Neil raced Te Aro Boy, which was out of a mare which Jim Dalgety had bred from a thoroughbred cross, and he went alright.

What happened to Kata Hoiho?
He ran second in the Hororata Cup at three then won the Methven Cup early in his four-year-old season. We sold him in America after that.

Any luck?
Funny thing, I took a flight of horses over to America later with Reg (Curtin) and met the top American men who trained and drove him, Billy O'Donnell and Jerry Silverman. They told me he was the best Kiwi horse they had handled up until then and he qualified in 1:57 with his head on his chest. But he broke down before he could race and never came back.

You seemed to do well in staying races. Any particular reason?
I think we won 11 provincial cups at 3200m on both sides of the Alps. The Methven and Hororata Cups on the grass, all those sort of races. I have never had more than 10 racehorses in work. I used to think the staying races were a bit easier to win than the sprints, especially down in the grades. A lot of the time they weren't run at a lot of speed which helped the lesser horse. In the shorter trips it tested just their speed. I remember taking Flying Home to Hawera and we won a 3200m from a mobile gate in 4:40 on a good track.

What was the secret of success on the West Coast tracks? You seemed to concentrate on that circuit.
Yes, we were always going over there, even to the gallops meetings where they had two trots. At that time you could get a lot of starts with an out-of-form horse because the fields were not usually full. You could end up having two starts on each of the two days at Westport, two more at Reefton and then there were three days at Greymouth to follow. Everything had it's chance to earn some money. You had to back them as well and you knew all the form. All you had to worry about was first starters, they could fool you. You could pinch an advantage at times, especially at the start. I had a horse called Pussy Foot which drew the second line 11 times in 14 starts in the trots at gallop meetings over there and never started from the second line once. You could usually find a space on the front if you timed it right.

And the driving?
That was another thing. The good horses didn't go over there so a lot of the top drivers didn't go either. You were driving against a lot of owner-trainers and amateurs and the professionals had a wee bit more in their favour. The front was still the safest place to be. And mind you, we could come unstuck too.

Example?
I started Colin McLauchlan off in the trotting game. He had had a horse with (Cecil) Devine which I got to work up, and then he started coming out and working the horses and he got into the game in a big way later. I leased Miss Frost for him and she won four races in 10 days. Colin was a fitness fanatic himself and it worked for him. He died just recently in his 80s and none of his immediate family had lived past 60. Anyway, I had a horse of his at Greymouth one day and it was paying about $60s. Colin liked a bet, I liked the horse and he went and put $100 on the nose.

Bad result?
You wouldn't believe it, I miscounted the rounds. I made my usual move at Greymouth which was down the back and I was cruising. Then I realised I had gone a round too soon. If there was a track that could fool you like that it was Victoria Park. Anyway, we ended up finishing fourth. Colin put another hundred on it the second day and it won. But it paid less than $2 and Colin actually lost money on the deal. He took it pretty well.

Did the stipes take any action?
Yes, I copped a fine from Len Butterfield and it had a follow up. A short time later John Bennett did the same thing with David Frost at Timaru but he held on to win. Butterfield told him he had fined a bloke the other day for it and he was going to have to fine him too even though he won. I think he got $150. John always blamed me for him getting a big hit in the pocket.

Reverting to Kata Hoiho, I suppose the export market growth became your main focus?
Yes, it was a great boon. but horses can surprise you sometimes.

Like?
I had a horse once for the connections of Holy Hal. Arthur Idiens was in it too. It could only run 2400m in 3:38 when I got it going, but I thought it had a bit of potential. Anyway, they wanted to finish with it. I said I would train it for a month for nothing and pay all the disposal costs if it didn't get any better. It fell over the next day and hurt itself a bit, but by the end of the month I felt it was worth going on with. However they had had enough. I bought him for $50 and sold him later to America for $5000, which was good money then. I didn't feel all that good about it but I had done all I could for them. I made sure I never sold duds to America.

Montini Royal was a good winner for you. Did Reg Curtin talk you into breeding to Montini Bromac?
Yes, he went on about it. Reg trained Martini Bromac and he always thought the world of him. Anyway, I sent a mare to him and Martini Royal won the Timaru Nursery Stakes and the Stan Andrews Stakes when that was a big two-year-old race at Addington. I handed the reins over to Jimmy Curtin then. He won over 3200m more than once as a three-year-old, including the Hororata Cup and later won the Methven Cup. He could run 4:08 but as a four-year-old he just had trouble being quite up with the ones he could beat at three.

Anything wrong with him?
No. To be honest, that blue magic stuff was around then. A lot of publicity was about the big stables, but there were quite a few smaller trainers using it. You could work out who. I always had a suspicion that was a cause. He worked as good as ever at home.

Pauls Express was another good performer?
A remarkably consistent horse. I remember they used to hold up the record of Rupee who was in the money in 23 of his first 25 starts. Well, Pauls Express did that too but didn't win as many. He wasn't top class but very honest.

Have you raced a horse with Reg Curtin?
No. We raced a dog together trained bu Ray Adcock who started off in trotting and it won ten races. Genuine Ace it was called. And I did Reg and Les Lisle a favour with a mare called Redundant.

How?
It wasn't going much and I think Jimmy (Curtin)thought she was shooting material. Reg and Les had bred her. Anyway, I won a couple of races with her and she has been a gun broodmare. She has left at least seven winners and we have had Muscle Machine and Rosie J out of her ourselves. My son Robert (who races Les Lisle with Roddy Curtin)has been breeding from her.

You had some fun on the road at times?
There was the time Reg reckoned I killed a lady at Addington.

Surely not?
I was driving Brase for Allan Holmes there one day and it won a good age-group race and paid over $100. A lady in the stand who had backed it got so excited she dropped dead from a heart attack. Reg said it was obviously my fault.

Best horse you have seen?
Close finish between Cardigan Bay and Christian Cullen. They were the best of my era.

How do you view harness racing today?
They have got most things right, especially the handicapping system and the free starts. It is far better. Pat O'Brien (Chairman Harness Racing New Zealand) is a friend of mine but I think he is doing the right things

Credit: David McCarthy writing in The Press 12May2009

CES DONALD

Ces Donald was among the rare breed who became a legend in his own lifetime.

When he trained his 1000th winner in NZ - Forest King at Addington in February, 1972 - he was the first horseman to reach that milestone and in thoroughbred circles, it is a feat only matched in recent years by Rex Cochrane. To put this achievement into perspective, one has to appreciate that when Donald was in his prime in the 1930s and 40s, there were approximately 50 meetings per season, plus the odd races held at galloping meetings, and often eight races per meeting. Even towards the end of his career in the 1960s there were still only about 120 meetings a year with nine races - it was the early 1970s when licences began to be despatched like the Allies were dropping 'windows' along with bombs over Germany in WWII.

The most successful trainer in modern times is Roy Purdon, who joined Donald in the 1000 Club in 1985 when the majority of his winners came after a 15 year period when well over 200 meetings a season were the norm. This is not obviously in anyway meant to belittle Purdon, who when he retired in partnership with son Barry in 1995 had moved on to a staggering 2021 wins.

When Donald won his ninth Trainer's Premiership in 1963, he bettered the record held by James Bryce, whose eight titles were in the formative years of trotting. Purdon won three and tied for another on his own account, and another 17 along with Barry. A more appropriate yardstick is perhaps Derek Jones, who has now been training for about the same length of time as Donald's career. A two time Premiership winner with Jack Grant, Jones is presently sitting on 977 wins.

Donald's story is the stuff that books are made of - the names that passed through his famous Belfast stables read almost like a who's who of trotting annals - and one cannot do it full justice here, but we will attempt a condensed form.

Born in the Heathcote Valley, near Christchurch, to Joseph and Florence Donald, who emigrated from the Gurnsey Islands in the English Channel, Donald was practically riding bareback before he could walk. First taking out a licence in April, 1922, Donald had his first win as a trainer/driver later that year when the trotter Mangoutu won at Addington. A Galindo mare, Mangoutu had won twice in five seasons and had not won in 18 months when as a 10-year-old, Donald took her over and produced her to win the two mile Seaview Handicap from 36 yards by four lengths as eighth favourite. She won another five races for Donald, including the Forbury Park T C feature, the Dominion Handicap, from 72 yards.

In his first full season of training, Donald also won the Greymouth and Westport Cups and the 500 sov. Liverpool Handicap at Addington with Harbour Light, a son of Wildwood Junior who had been around the traps prior to Donald buying him for himself. People were already starting to sit up and take notice, but half way through the 1924/5 season, Donald was suspended from driving for 12 months when Wharepiana, after winning at Ashburton by five lengths, staged a dramatic form reversal at the Forbury Park Summer meeting. The Hal Zolock filly had failed to show up on the first day, but won easily on the second and was disqualified.

After serving his time, Donald bounced back in dramatic fashion when the newcomers to his stable in the 1926/7 season included the imported American pacer Jack Potts and the Author Dillon mare Auditress, both from other stables. They were to prove a decisive turning point in the young Donald's career in more ways than one - not the least of which was later combining to produce the NZ Cup winner Marlene.

Despite being troubled by unsoundness, Jack Potts proved a top class pacer. At the 1927 Auckland TC Summer carnival, he was beaten a head by dual NZ Cup winner Ahuriri (both off 36 yards) in the Auckland Cup and won the President's Handicap from 60 yards, beating among others Jewel Pointer, Peterwah, Kohara and Sheik. Line-bred to two of Hambletonian's famous sons in Dictator and George Wilkes, the aristocratic Jack Potts, who was owned by Alex Anderson after arriving as a 2-year-old, did however have a fair degree of non-Hambletonian blood in his pedigree, such as the 'Clays' and 'Hals.'

With five crops racing, Jack Potts was leading sire in 1938 and occupied that position for nine consecutive seasons, only being dethroned by the arrival of U Scott and Dillon Hall. Jack Potts sire numerous Cup class and classic winners, among them Inter-Dominion champions Emulous (48) and Pot Black (38), NZ Cup winners Lucky Jack (37,39) and Marlene (40), NZ FFA winners Pacing Power (NZ Derby), Indian Clipper, Knave of Diamonds, Fine Art and Clockwork, Sapling Stakes winners Frisco Lady, Twos Loose (NZ Derby) and Sir Julian, Horsepower (GN Derby) and further NZ Derby winners in Gamble and Air Marshall. His daughters were to produce the likes of Van Dieman, Tactician, Thelma Globe, Lady Belmer, Patchwork, Thunder, Rupee and Young Charles.

Many of the fine performers sired by Jack Potts came from Donald's spacious and immaculate 30 acre property at Belfast - now a wasteland situated between the Styx River bridge and the Pentland subdivision. Donald would later relate how Jack Potts initially stood in the Depression years at £7 and many breeders would pay the fee off at a pound a time when they could afford it. Even when leading sire he still only stood for 25 guineas and it was only towards the end that he commanded an appropriate fee. He was never really rushed by breeders at any stage.

Donald's stables were into top gear by 1930, the year he first won the Trainers' Premiership with a record 45 wins, and over the next decade he occupied that position seven times. Among the horses who reached the very best classes, or close to it, during this period, were Plutus (17 wins, Inter-Dom Heat), Lindberg (14 wins, NZ Cup division), Kempton (Dominion, Rowe), Royal Silk, Carmel (Auckland Cup),Bessie Logan (NZ Cup trial), Sir Guy (11 wins), Writer (Dominion), Great Way, Accountant, Baron Bingen, Blaydon, Brook Pointer, Clockwork, Dilnon, Ferry Post, First Flight, Grand Canyon (Australasian Hcp), Morning Sun, Night Beam, Quality, Pearl Logan, Pluto, Real Light, Ron, St George, Sir Author, Village Guy and Blondie, the latter a distinctive cream pacer.

Tonic, Stand By, Tan John (Dominion), Ambition, Biworthy (2nd Dominion), John Mauritius, Wahnooka and Mr Penalty were all high class trotters. Wahnooka, among many who arrived from other stables with little apparent future, had looked promising as a pacer, but was a notorious knee knocker. Donald discovered his trotting ability however and won 13 races with him - shod as a pacer. The trotter Captain Bolt and the pacing filly De La Paix were fondly remembered by Donald for their ability, but who failed to realise their ability. Captain Bolt, who won eight and would have won many more if he had been at all reliable, beat the champion mare Sea Gift in a match race, while De La Paix was considered better than Marlene before she contracted strangles.

Along with Jack Potts in the 1930s, Donald also stood his son Gamble, the imported sires in Lusty Volo and Calumet Axworth and the thoroughbred Airway at Belfast and at the height of his breeding activities the broodmare band numbered around 90. Dabbling with the odd galloper, Donald owned and trained along with others Crash, a sprint record holder at Riccarton for a time. Donald had also seen the potential in dairy farming in the 1930s and purchased a rundown sheep and cattle station at Bullock Hill near Okuku which he transformed into a showplace holding. He made various sizeable investments in this area - some of which were to practically bankrupt him on occasions over the years - and at one point controlled over 3000 acres of farm land. He was a regular at the Addington sale yards with truckloads of fat cattle and in later years also ran a pig farm.

Donald was very much a three meals a day man, a philosophy he took to the stables. "Meat three times a day" for the men and "the best of oats," crushed on the premises, for the horses. "If you don't feed them, they can't work" was a well known quote. Donald would also later relate that horses were not treated "as a mob." "They are all individuals. They are all different. Some want to be alone. Some go haywire if they are left alone. Each one is handled with understanding, no matter how nervous, or mad, or bad it may be when it first arrives here. None of the head lads or stable boys are allowed to hit a horse. We don't molly-coddle them, of course, but the rough stuff is out. Firmness, by all means; cruelty never. I only allow three horses to each lad."

If the 1930s were pretty much a Donald benefit, he showed no signs of slowing down in the following decade. In fact, it began with perhaps his finest training feat. Marlene, who had won the Auckland Cup the previous season, had for all intents and purposes broken down after winning twice at the Met's August meeting and had not raced for three months going into the 1940 NZ Cup. Noticeably lame prior to the race, and afterwards, she won in a ding-dong struggle with Dusky Sound over the closing stages with Donald's brother Ron at the helm. Ron Donald was generally regarded as a better driver than his brother - in fact a quite brilliant all-round horseman - but his light was to fade as he lost his battle with the bottle. Marlene only raced a handful of further times without winning and then only left three named foals. Donald also won the Free-For-All with Plutus and the Dominion with Tan John, beating Captain Bolt, while Superior Rank and Repeal were also successful at the meeting.

Soon after, Donald produced the brilliant trotter Rangefinder, whom he believed was 2:00 material at a time when pacers had only just achieved the feat. The son of Frank Worthy beat the best trotters around and on one occasion easily accounted for a field of 23 pacers in the mile and a quarter Strowan Handicap at Addington. Bayard was just a pony pacer and well past his prime when he entered the stable, but Donald gave him such a new lease on life that he finished third from 12 yards in the 1942 NZ Cup when Haughty went a record 4:12 4/5 off the front. Steel Grey was a superb grey trotter that arrived from Auckland late in his career who won the 1946 NZ Trotting FFA for Donald, while Checkmate was a top pacer in the late 40s with 11 wins.

In the early 50s, Ben Grice's brilliant Brahman joined the team as a late 3-year-old and Donald won 10 times with him, including a defeat of Caduceus in the two mile Ollivier Handicap at the 1956 NZ Cup meeting, before he broke a sesamoid the following year on the eve of the Cup, a race Donald was sure he would win. After one of his bad patches in the 1957/58 season where he registered just one win, Donald bounced back with a number of good sorts, none better than the Southland mare Lady Shona. She won 10 races and finished fourth in the 1959 NZ Cup behind False Step, Gentry and Caduceus. Not far away were Falsehood (Dunedin Cup), King Hal, Dandy Briar (Auckland Cup over Cardigan Bay), Gildirect, Urrall and Cairnbrae (NZ Cup), all Cup class pacers for him around the same time and who often formed a formidable bracket - sometimes five of six of them in the same race.

Donald had three starters in the 1964 NZ Cup and opted to drive Ted Lowe's 8-year-old U Scott gelding Cairnbrae himself. After taking over at the mile, they left the likes of Orbiter, Lordship and Vanderford in their wake. In the latter part of the 1960s, the brothers Chief Command (NZ FFA) and Indecision -"who was twice the horse if he'd had any legs"- and Rauka Lad (New Brighton Cup) also raced and beat the best.

While he won with Cairnbrae, Donald was a rare sight in the sulky towards the end, preferring to employ the likes of Doug Watts, Doody Townley, Derek Jones and - when he could - Maurice Holmes. His last driving win was On Probation in April, 1966 - a horse he owned - and appropriately it was the Farewell Handicap at Hawera. He was for many years a keen supporter of the Club and a great friend of Club stalwart Alex Corrigan. Almost to the day, On Probation's win came 44 years after he first took out a licence.

It was in October, 1963, that Donald approached a youthful Bob Nyhan, who was engaged to his daughter Pat, and would marry her the following year, to become his stable foreman and No.1 driver. Ron Donald had long since departed and Kevin Holmes had left to set up his own stable. "Some of the owners had been complaining about having a different driver every week," recalls Nyhan, who had been briefly training on his own account after a stint with Jack Litten. While Nyhan jumped at the chance, he has some mixed emotions about that part of his life.

"Ces had always loved the challenge of a gamble, but towards the end, he really had a passion about stitching up the bookies. there were times when they came unstuck rather badly, and a lesser person might have given the game away, but he always bounced back. There were some horses that had been pulled up that often, when you asked them to go or hit them, they didn't know what to do. I well recall one day - I used to have a bet myself in those days - that I had got a mate to put the money on this horse I was driving, as I was sure it would win. When I arrived in the birdcage, Ces says to me 'you are not to win today'." Asked what he did, Nyhan said "I always did what I was told. You couldn't ask the outside drivers like Holmes and so forth not to try, so I always got the one that wasn't supposed to win. It didn't exactly help my career much at that point," said Nyhan.

Nyhan recalls Donald as being a terrific host, but he never once saw him drunk. "Often, it was when we had lost that he would shout all the boys after the races - and there were six or seven of them. He figured though that when we had won, there was no need to." Then there were the infamous boot parties in the carpark after the races. "Ben Grice, who was a great mate of Ces, often arrived full of gin and Ces would give him water because he didn't know the difference."

Nyhan says that a lot of Donald's horses had unsoundness problems due to the nature of his training track. "It was very fertile ground, but with any rain it became very puggy and hard on the legs. "I recall at times putting a truckload of sawdust on the track four to five times a day for a week just to give it a bit of binding. There was one day where out of 40 horses that were in work, I had to put bandages on 28 of them."

"He was ahead of his time though and was always experimenting with different types of feed. A lot of horses joined the stable that were not known to be very good stayers, but Ces was a great believer in feeding them glucose and they became good stayers. Long before swimming pools were thought of, Ces would stand a lot of horses in cold water. We always used to wash then in buckets of warm water - Ces said to me one day 'would you like a cold shower in the middle of winter?' He was the only one in those days too who would water the track in summer. He did not believe in automation though. Even when walking machines came along, he still preferred to have the staff walk the horses to cool off. I said to him one day that you could save a lot of money on staff with a walker and he just said don't be lazy."

Donald was still training when, literally, he was on his last legs - he had crook hips and was a familiar sight at the track with his walking sticks. A few weeks before he died in August, 1973, he had been told by his doctor that he would had to go into hospital for at least three weeks for complete rest. He only stayed a week - "he wanted to die at home."

Ces Donald presented himself to most, including his family and staff, as being gruff and difficult to approach. But Nyhan says he was amazed at the number of people who said to him at Donald's funeral how much he had helped them. "If someone was short, he had given them money, or if it was a young fellow trying to get started, he had given them gear and equipment. He did untold good for lots of people, but he never wanted anybody to know about it."


Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 5Jul00

Jack Litten with Caduceus and Our Roger

JACK LITTEN

Jack Litten, whose colourful career in harness racing concluded with his death aged 81 in Christchurch last week, had many attributes. These included a sharp wit and a keen sense of humour. Several notable incidents in his life showed him also to be a man of principle.

Litten, as will be reiterated to eternity, "made" many top horses. He will best be remembered, of course, for Caduceus, that little bombshell he nicknamed "Charlie" because he stood in front with his feet turned out, a la Chaplin.

With Caduceus in 1960, Litten became the first "Down Under" representative in international competition in America - programmed by Yonkers Raceway, New York. Fourth in the first race of the $150,000 three-leg series, and third in the second leg, Caduceus dead-heated for first with Canadian rep. Champ Volo in the final leg, only to be disqualified from that placing after an inquiry into interference allegedly caused by Jack by crossing over too acutely in the early rush. Litten accepted the decision with a grace that made him forever and a day 1-1 favourite with his American hosts. Caduceus had also proven his point and endeared himself to harness racing buffs in what was to be his new home. Pushing his career record to 53 wins and earning $329,937 - in those days a record for a horse bred in Australasia - Caduceus sparked an American demand for NZ standardbreds that has since proved the life-blood of our sport.

The two other most outstanding horses made by Litten - who made a belated entry into the sport after early experience with the famous Button family and their horses at New Brighton followed by some years as a bush-whacker - were Vedette and False Step.

Moulding Vedette into great shape for Christchurch breeder Charlie Johnston and his racing partner Mick Jenkins, Litten gained four wins, five seconds and three thirds with him in his first campaign as a 4-year-old in 1949-50. Knowing Vedette to be a budding topliner, but disturbed by the things Johnston was telling him to do with the gelding, Litten came in after finishing third with him when hot favourite at Hutt Park in February, 1950, and told Johnston he wanted nothing more to do with him, and he could take the horse away. Top horseman Maurice Holmes "inherited" Vedette, who wound up winning 19 races including the 1951 Inter-Dominion Grand Final at Addington and £27,710 - a national record, racing or trotting.

Litten educated and trained False Step for 18 wins before owner Jim Smyth complained about Jack appointing Bob Young to drive him at the 1957 Auckland Cup meeting. Litten had been suspended, along with contemporary Cecil Devine, from driving for six months for their infamous whip-slashing duel in a mobile free-for-all at the 1957 NZ Cup carnival. Unplaced in th Auckland Cup, False Step had finished third and fourth in the other tight-class races at the Alexandra Park meeting. Litten would not be shaken in his faith in Bob Young. Again it was a case of Litten letting go a top horse to stand on his rights. False Step, handed on to Devine, went on to win three NZ Cups, came within a whisker of an Inter-Dominion Grand Final win at Addington and also starred in America.

Litten possessed great humility. Whilst nobody doubted his educating and conditioning skills, he was often criticised for his driving - and just as often announced to those around him that he knew he was "no Maurice Holmes." Yet when Caduceus won that epic encounter over Australia's Apmat in the 1960 Inter-Dominion Grand Final in Sydney to the roars of a sardine-tight crowd of 50,346 (where have they gone to today?!), it was with Litten at the helm in Caduceus' sixth Inter-Dominion attempt. He had been piloted in earlier unsuccessful bids by such top flight reinsmen as Australia's Frank Kersley and Jack Watts and NZ's Doug Watts.

The writer first met Jack Litten in the flesh immediately after he had won the 1951 NZ Derby with his own great pacer Fallacy. A green 18-year-old cadet in the racing room of "The Press" in Christchurch, I was asked to do a leader-page feature on the Derby winner for the following day's edition. Jack was so helpful that the article earned me a letter of commendation from the chief reporter of the time, the late Charlie Powell, from whom praise to the lowly such as I was almost never elicited.

I found Jack no less helpful for the rest of his life - to the day, only a few weeks ago, when, with Fred Freeman, I went to get for the "Weekly" a few lines from him and a photo to go with them (and to see him, of course) as he lay waiting for it all to end in Princess Margaret Hospital. Even then the sense of humour had diminished not a fraction. Suffered gangrene of the lower legs, doped to the eyeballs to allay the pain, and his feet encased in fleece-lined hug-boots up to his shins, he told us: "I think I'll get a patent out for these shoes - I think you could win a race or two with them."

Finally, a story from Jack that will live for all time: The approach to him on the eve of his 1960 Inter-Dominion Grand Final win with Caduceus. The mystery caller to his hotel room in Sydney said it was "worth the stake to get beaten with Caduceus in the Final." Jack informed the briber: "No business. One or two of my friends in NZ have put a £ on his horse, and I would hate to let then down; and I would hate to let the horse down." I can close my eyes and picture Jack, as cool as a cucumber, saying exactly that.

-o0o-

(Article by Frank Marrion writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 19Jun84)

The Jack Litten story began in February of 1906.

Born John Duncan Litten at Little River, he has been known as Jack for as long as he can remember. He was one of six children. As is so often the case, it was Jack's father James who was to introduce him to the world of horse racing. His earliest recollection of the sport, "I think I was about six", was attending a local meeting at Motukarara to see his father's horse Wai Rakau race. Wai Rakau was no more than a passing interest for James Litten, leasing him at an advanced age, but he had some success.

His father owned a team of bullocks, and more often than not this was the mode of transport for the Litten family. Jack easily recalls the occasion his family moved to Burwood. "We drove them all the way from Little River to Burwood. It was quite a spectacle," he said. His father had been employed to haul timber from the felled Burwood tea gardens, a well known land mark in those days, to the sawmill. It took about 18 months to complete the job, and then the Littens went into the saw milling business themselves. It was soon after shifting to Burwood that Jack remembers getting "hooked" on trotting. He would quite often attend meetings at the nearby New Brighton racecourse and there were a number of horses being trained in the area. "I remember a horse called Sunrise winning at New Brighton one day. It made quite an impression on me," he said.

When about ten years old, Jack began working with horses at the nearby stable of Miss Isabel Button. "Bella" Button was something of a celebrity in those years, through her exploits with show horses and racehorses. "She was a wonderful horsewoman, a great side-saddle rider," Jack recalls. However after a few years Miss Button was tragically killed in a freak accident. The accident occurred the day before they were due to take a team of horses to a Dunedin Royal Show. "I was to have ridden a horse called Patience at the show, but that day Miss Button said she would ride him. She was sitting on top of him when he threw his head back. It stunned her and she fell off backwards and broke her neck," said Jack. "The funeral was quite an event of the day. She must have requested to be carried to the service by horses. There were three each side," he added.

Jack competed at many shows and among his rivals was none other than Bill Doyle. They were the same age. He was also involved with a number of trotting trainers in those days at Burwood, among them the leading New Brighton horseman "Manny" Edwards. "It was tough then. The trotters were always rather shortly bred, being out of variously bred mares. They were rough going things. You really had to work at making a racehorse. Not like nowdays. You can just about qualify any horse as long as it has four legs," said Jack.

When the depression arrived, the first people to feel the effects were those involved in the building industry. Jack could see there was no future in sawmilling and began making ends meet by breaking in young horses. In the 1920s the family moved to Addington. Jack worked his horses at Addington and became good friends with the top horseman Vic Alborn. Alborn's home, directly opposite the main entrance to Addington on Lincoln Road, is now dilapidated and surrounded by barbed wire, being occupied by "bikies".

In 1931, Jack made his first venture into standardbred breeding, securing the Logan Pointer mare Logan Lass at an advanced age and mating her with Native King (Dominion Handicap). Jack named the resulting filly Royal Romance and she was to give him immense pleasure. At her third four-year-old start, Royal Romance won at New Brighton in December of 1935 by six and 15 lengths. She was officially trained by Morrie Holmes, but Jack was doing all the work with her. Royal Romance continued to win races for Jack in following seasons but as a seven-year-old he sold her to Alborn. "I was ofered a bit of land next to our place and I badly wanted it. I sold her to Vic on the understanding that I could have her back as a broodmare, though," said Jack. Royal Romance won the 1939 Dominion Handicap for Alborn and retired the winner of 10 races. She left a couple of minor winners for him, while one of her daughters, Sure Romance, produced Royal Mile (NZ Trotting Stakes)and another in Royal Triumph left the Cup class pacer Junior Royal and a fine broodmare in Vignon, although Jack did not breed those foals fron Royal Triumph.

In 1939, Jack also bought the aged mare Diversion for £70 from Billy Morland, of Country Belle fame. Diversion had already won races and was to credit Jack with his first success as a trainer-driver in December of 1939 at Wesport. Jack has fond memories of the trip. It was his first race day drive. "I went over there with Bob Young, through the Lewis Pass when it was just being completed," he said. Later that season Jack was approached a Addington one morning by Alborn, who was interested in buying Diversion. Another friend, Clarrie Rhodes, overheard the conversation and also wanted to buy her. "Clarrie ended up with her, but under the same understanding that I would get her back for breeding," said Jack. But Clarrie wasn't so keen on that idea, and Jack agreed to take alternative foals from the beautifully bred mare. Diversion's second foal for Clarrie was the Light Brigade colt His Majesty, while Jack sent her back to the champion sire the next year and she again produced a colt, which he named Fallacy. In his debut as a three-year-old at Ashburton, Fallacy won the Second Eiffleton Handicap, beating His Majesty. Fallacy went on to sweep all before him that year, winning seven of his ten starts including the 1951 NZ Derby in 12 lengths in record time.

In 1940 he married his wife Iris. "I used to see him running to catch the trams," Iris recalls. Jack had moved to his present property in 1945 and left him almost penniless. There was just a little farmer's cottage and the bare land," Jack recalls. "We had a lot of work to do for a couple of years," he added. The property, which was already called Preston Farm, was soon being knocked into shape however. A five furlong track was laid, which would have few equals even to this day. With lengthy straights and perfectly curved bends, it served the purpose of getting young horses 'organised' admirably.

Jack didn't have much time for training horses, but luckily success came quickly. The first 'outside' horse to arrive at Preston Farm was a youngster by Gold Bar. "Allan Holmes dropped him off soon after we settled in one day. There weren't any stables, he just tied him to a tree," said Jack. The youngster was a colt called Congo Song and Jack produced him as a juvenile in 1947 on three occasions for two placings including a second in the Sapling Stakes. The following season Congo Song finished second at Addington in August, and had made such a suitable impression that even as a maiden he was considered the favourite for feature 3-year-old events at NZ Cup time. However, less than a week before the big meeting, Jack was injured on an incident on the track at home and was unable to continue training Congo Song. Allan Holmes took him home and won the Riccarton Stakes on Cup Day, the Derby on Show Day and the Metropolitan Challenge Stakes on the third day, starting favourite on each occasion. Jack was not credited with training Congo Song in those events, but Holmes gave him his percentage. Iris remembers the occasion well. "Allan wandered into the kitchen and put £50 in my hand. I had never seen so much money in all my life," she said.

The following season Jack produced another promising juvenile in Preston. Part-owned by him, Preston was placed at two and won twice as a 3-year-old, but later broke down. There were many other training successes for Jack in the early years of Preston Farm, about 30 by 1950, but it was Fallacy who really sent him on his way. Tragically, at the beginning of his 4-year-old campaign, Fallacy dammaged his back in an accident in training. "We tried to patch him up, but he was never the same," said Jack. Retired to stud, Fallacy was to initially suffer the fate of many locally bred horses. That was a crippling shortage of mares, and any quality. "I remember Allan Matson coming out one time when Fallacy had just begun his stud career. He had a browse at the mares Fallacy was serving and said he would never leave a winner," said Jack. The first foal born by him was False Step and the following year he produced Dignus (NSW Derby).

Fallacy went on to become one of the most successful New Zealand-bred stallions ever, also siring True Averil (NZ Cup), Junior Royal, Falsehood, Allakasam, Rain Again, Happy Ending, Kotare Legend, Doctor Dan, Doctor Barry and Individual among his 240 winners. He is now a leading broodmare sire, with around 360 winners and 30 in 2:00 to date, including Hands Down, Graikos (1:56.6PL), Royal Ascot, Mighty Me, Shavid Skipper (US1:55f) and Whispering Campaign among his credits. "He was foaled right outside the kitchen window and is buried there as well," said Jack.

Fallacy's outstanding 3-year-old form was only the beginning, however. That season, 1951/52, he prepared 17 winners and entered the 'top ten' in the trainer's premiership for the first time. That was a position he was to maintain for the next decade, winning the premiership in the 1959/60 season.

In the early 1950s, Jack had also been educating a couple of promising geldings in he shape of Our Roger and Vedette. He won races with Vedette as a 4-year-old, but that son of Light Brigade was to be passed on to Morrie Holmes, who won the 1953 Inter-Dominion Final at Addington with him. Holmes has always maintained that Vedette was the best horse he ever sat behind. Our Roger was to win a New Zealand Cup in 1955 under Jack's guidance, but there was still so much more to come.

Early in 1952, a diminutive U Scott colt had arrived at Preston Farm to be educated. This youngster looked far from inspiring, he stood in such a way that he was soon being called Charlie, after the legendary comedian of earlier years. But he was a blood brother to Highland Fling, so Jack needed little encouragement to let him show his paces. Caduceus, was originally the name of the rod carried by Mercury, the messenger of the gods, but to the trotting world he was to be known as the 'Mighty Atom'.

Jack found that the U Scott colt had ample speed in his early education, and as a juvenile he was registered and made his debut in the Timaru Nursery Stakes. However, he attracted little attention in finishing down the track and was put aside to develop. Caduceus had his first 3-year-old start at Nelson in October, 1953, and in Jack's hands won by three lengths. He was on his way. He won again on the second day of that meeting and went on to take the NZ Derby and the Champion Stakes and Futurity Stakes at Ashburton.

As a 4-year-old, Caduceus again won six races, including the All Age Stakes at Ashburton in October from 30 yards, beating Tactician (60 yards), Johnny Globe (60) and Young Charles (60), the NZ Metropolitan Challenge Stakes at Addington on Show Day, the Auckland Cup, and a heat of the Inter-Dominions at Alexandra Park. His Auckland win came on the first day of the Championships, with Jack also handling Our Roger to win the other heat. Caduceus finished third on the second day to easily qualify for the £10,000 final, but that event was to be the beginning of a long and frustrating search for Inter-Dominion honours that would end after no less than six attempts. Handled by Doug Watts, Caduceus set all the pace but broke for no reason when in front 100 yards from the finish. "It was just one of those things," said Jack. It was a dramatic contest, Tactician and Morrie McTigue holding off the gallant back-marker Johnny Globe to win by a head.

That season Jack also produced the first of Fallacy's progeny in False Step, winning the Methven Stakes with him before running second in the Sapling Stakes. Caduceus could win only one race in NZ as a 5-year-old, but False Step and Our Roger more than made up for that. At the NZ Cup meeting, Our Roger won the Cup in the hands of Doug Watts and False Step won the Derby by a head over the fine filly Glint, recording 3:12 3/5 for the mile and a half, which was 2/5 of a second outside Fallacy's race and NZ record. Caduceus had enjoyed no luck in the running of the Cup, but straight after False Step's Derby, came out and won the Ollivier Free-For-All by six lengths over Rupee and Johnny Globe, recording a brilliant 3:04 2/5 for the mile and a half from a standing start. "That was one of his best efforts," recalls Jack. False Step won three of his remaining four starts that term, including the Champion and Futurity Stakes at Ashburton, emulating the feat of Caduceus two years earlier.

Caduceus was in the meantime in Sydney for the Inter-Dominions, but in the care of Jack Watts had to be content with two placings in the heats and a third in the Final to Gentleman John, finishing a little over a length from the winner after starting from 36 yards. However, soon after he trounced a similar field in the Lord Mayor's Cup at Harold Park.

The next season Caduceus won the Ashburton Flying Stakes, beating False Step, but was no match for Ces Devine's rugged stayer Thunder in the NZ Cup. Jack won later in the day with False Step, the first of three successive wins at the meeting. Caduceus won the mile and a quarter Express Handicap from 30 yards on the second day and downed Johnny Globe in the NZ Free-For-All on the third day to wrap up the Cup Meeting, which was run over four days that year. A fortnight later the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club held a Summer Meeting and, after finishing second to Ces Devine and Captain Sandy in the NZ Pacing Championship, Caduceus won the last race, the mile and a quarter Shirley Sprint, by six lengths from 36 yards. False Step and Our Roger were unplaced in each event, but it was indeed a formidable bracket.

At Easter that season, Tactician beat False Step by a nose in the mobile mile Rattray Stakes in 1:59 4/5, the first occasion 2:00 had been bettered in a race in Australasia. On the second day False Step downed Tactician under free-for-all conditions and Jack also handled the smart Fallacy 3-year-old Dignus to win. Meanwhile, Caduceus had been in Perth for his third Inter-Dominion under the guidance of Frank Kersley. A free-for-all win at Gloucester Park elevated him into favouritism for the final, but it was obvious even a horse of his undoubted quality was going to be hard pressed from the backmark. Starting from 36 yards in the series, Caduceus was the equal top points scorer with eventual winner Radiant Venture after two wins and a second in the heats, but had to settle for fourth in the final, run in front of over 30,000 people.

The next season the NZ Cup proved a showcase for Clarrie Rhodes' brilliant 4-year-old Lookaway, who was out by five lengths at the finish over Thunder, with Jack and False Step fourth and Caduceus unplaced from 30 yards. Caduceus was placed on the second and third days of the meeting but really came into his own on the final day, winning both feature events, the NZ Pacing Championship and the mobile mile NZ Flying Stakes by five lengths in 2:00. On each occasion Jack was second with False Step. While Caduceus sped away with the Flying Stakes, Jack and Ces Devine (Don Hall) staged their infamous 'whip lashing' battle. "It was just one of those things that happened in the heat of the moment. They do it all the time in rugby, but because it happened in trotting, it was all blown up," said Jack. Both Jack and Devine were suspended for six months.

Caduceus was handled at the meeting by the young Australian Tony Vassallo, who often handled the stable runners during a two year working holiday with the Littens. Vassallo, who was originally from Malta, had met Jack through his good friends in Australia, the Kersley family. Caduceus and False Step then travelled to Auckland for an unsuccessful bid on the Auckland Cup, Bob Young being engaged to drive False Step, with Vassallo handling Caduceus. Although placed, False Step raced below his best and owner Jim Smyth returned home in a somewhat disillusioned state, insisting that Young had "driven for another horse". Everybody knew that Bob Young was a man of principle, and so was Jack "Take him away. Not tomorrow, today," were Jack's sentiments.

Of course it is now history that 11 months later Caduceus and Jack gave the NZ Cup their best shot, and were beaten a head by False Step and Ces Devine, the first of their three successive wins in our most prestigious event. In between times, Vassallo and Caduceus were in Adelaide for another Inter-Dominion, but after a simple defeat of most Inter hopefuls at Wayville, their luck was all bad. Caduceus finished fifth on the first night and pulled up sore. He returned to NZ without racing again. False Step was also in Adelaide that year, with the Kersleys, but after a second night heat win was unable to make any immpression in the Final, won narrowly by the local horse Free Hallover the bonny mare, Sibelia and Jack Watts.

When the 1958 NZ Cup meeting rolled around, Caduceus and False Step were arch rivals (at least in the eyes of the public) instead of stablemates, and predictably the champion pacers dominated proceedings. In the Cup, False Step started from the front and Caduceus from 30 yards, and after neither had enjoyed any luck in the running, they drew clear to fight out a desperate finish over the closing stages. As was so often the case, the predominantly black colours of Litten and Devineflashed across the line together, with False Step in front by a head. Caduceus won his second Ollivier Handicap, from 48 yards, on the second day, with False Step unplaced, and then they shared the honours on the second day of the meeting. False Step (30 yards) won the two mile NZ Pacing Championship over Caduceus (48) in 4:11 1/5, while Caduceus was clearly the better sprinter in the NZ Free-For-All later in the day.

The Inter-Dominions were in Melbourne that season and Caduceus took his tally of heat wins to six when unbeaten on the first three nights in the hands of Frank Kersley, much to the delight of the big crowds which turned up at the Melbourne Showgrounds. By now long overdue to win the title, Caduceus received a shocking run and flashed home late for fifth. There were thoughts of retiring him. But Caduceus returned as a 9-year-old and produced magnificent form, winning six of his nine outings here, and at last, that Inter-Dominion.

Wins in the Ashburton Flying Stakes and Hannon Memorial led to another NZ Cup meeting, but a 48 yard handicap and a trained to the minute False Step (24) saw him a well beaten third in the Cup, Devine winning by eight lengths over Gentry that year. Thunder and a youthful Derek Jones did little to help his cause, attacking him hard once Caduceus reached the lead. Sharing the back mark of 48 yards in the Ollivier on the second day, False Step was again an easy winner over Caduceus, but the Mighty Atom took his revenge later in the day, winning his third NZ Free-For-All. Driven by stablehand Ray Morris, Caduceus won the Allan Matson Handicap from 48 yards on the third day in a near record 3:21 3/5 by three lengths. In that event, False Step had faltered soon after the start, gone down on his knees and broken a front carrier strap. With a hopple daggling around his legs, he bolted for three furlongs before choking and collapsing on the track. False Step suffered no serious physical injuries, but was often fractious at the start from that point. On the final day of the meeting, Caduceus went against time in an effort to better Highland Fling's mile record of 1:57 4/5, and earned £500 in clocking 1:57 3/5. At Addington on January 2, Caduceus set another record when he won the appropriately named mile and a quarter Au Revoir Handicap from 66 yards in 2:31 4/5. It was to be his last start in NZ.

He was set one more task, the Inter-Dominion in Sydney. Cheered on by an amazing 50,000 plus crowd, Jack got Caduceus home in the Final by half a length over Apmat, survived a protest and tasted the success. Jack has always played himself down as a reinsman, but he had worked the oracle where others had failed. The Inter-Dominions that year were a chapter in themselves, but needless to say it was 'J D' and Caduceus' crowning glory. On hand to see Caduceus take his 46th win (28 in NZ) and his earnings to a record £68,000, were Yonkers Raceway president Martin Tananbaum, publicity director Irvin Rudd and secretary Ted Gibbons. Prompted by Noel Simpson, they had made tentative arrangements for a three race International Pace series in New York, and needed the Down Under stars. "Marty approached me soon after the final, but I told him I wasn't very interested. But he asked me if I would meet him for breakfast. I'd never been invited to breakfast before so I agreed," Jack recalls. Jack explained to Tananbaum that he simply couldn't afford to make the trip, but the American was to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. "In the year I was lucky enough to be leading trainer, my accountant told me the only money I made was from the sheep. And I didn't have many sheep," said Jack.

Farewelled at Addington in April, Jack and Caduceus arrived in New York, only to find Tananbaum was too ill to complete his arrangements. "I never even saw Marty on that trip," said Jack. But it wasn't long before he was approached by another Yonkers official. "The Americans always honoured their word. I can't speak too highly of them." Caduceus and Jack were celebrities in New York, appearing on television and doing radio interviews. After placings to Widower Creed and Bye Bye Byrd in the opening legs of the series. Caduceus deadheated for first with the Canadian representative Champ Volo in the final race, only to be relegated for interference. Taken over by a New York stable and Billy Houghton, Caduceus continued to race boldly for a couple of years, endearing himself to the American public. Seemingly racing against horses twice his size and half his age, he took his earnings to around $US320,000, a record for a standardbred or thoroughbred bred in Australasia, and paced the fastest mile of his illustrious career as a 12-year-old, 1:57.4 in California. Caduceus eventually returned to Southland for a stud career, but died after only one season from a haemorrhage, the result of a chest injury.

Jack returned to NZ and began 'scaling down' his training activities, preparing horses on a more personal basis. In 1964, he trained his fourth NZ Derby winner with Doctor Barry, while in 1972 Black Miller credited him with his fourth NZ Trotting Stakes win, following on from General Lee (1952), Royal Mile (1955) and Highland Glen (1956). He also dabbled in the thoroughbred world and struck up a friendship with world renowned Irish horseman Vincent O'Brien. David O'Brien, who trained the winner of the recent English Derby, beating his father's horse, was a guest at the Litten household in his younger days. Vincent O'Brien was instrumental in Jack importing the Irish stallion Aristoi to NZ.

There have been numerous talented performers produced by Preston Farm since the golden era of the 1950s, the likes of Westland King, Bravine, Peerswick, Harlequin Parade and Junior Royal, and the West Melton establishment is far from finished yet. One of Jack and Iris's four daughters, Jackie, married Robin Butt in the mid 1960s, and the Butt winners have continued to flow at a regular rate in recent years. Robin and Jackie's son, David, has proved himself a highly competent young horseman also during the present season. David has his ambitions for the standardbred world, and presently Jack's old shearing shed is being converted into a separate stable.

Jack has no intention of severing his life long love entirely. His offsider in recent years, the very capable Brian Kerr, will continue his training activities from a stable on an adjacent property of Jack's, and prepare the handful of youngsters Jack has bred in recent years. One of those is the appropriately named juvenile trotter Borrowed Time, a son of Game Pride and the Fallacy mare White Plains. He has revealed exceptional ability in his brief career, but has enjoyed little luck on raceday. White Plains is also the dam of a yearling filly by Plat Du Jour, and Jack's admiration for the standardbred is most evident as he describes her capabilities. "I saw her trotting full steam over the paddock the other day. They still send a shiver down the spine," he said.

As he casually strolls the impressive surroundings of Preston Farm, the admiration of family and friends is also not hard to gauge. "Hello there boss," says a passer-by. And as usual, Jack is only too happy to pass the time of day. "Giving them corns in their ears," as he often says.



Credit: Ron Bisman writing in HRWeekly 9Dec06

JACK BROSNAN

In 1884 a proud young man from County Kerry in Ireland arrived in a South Canterbury district, later to be named Kerrytown. He brought with him a knowledge and love of horses, and the name of Timothy Brosnan became well respected in trotting circles. Today his son Jack, aged 81, still works with horses on the same family farm. His grandsons Richard and Tim continue the Brosnan tradition, and there's a younger generation growing up to take over the reins.

While Richard's achievements are public knowledge, it is not so well known that Jack Brosnan is the wise old man behind the success. He puts in a good eight to twelve hours a day, starting around 8am. His pace is slow and methodical, with many a pause to roll a cigarette, or lean on a shovel handle and take up a debate with a visitor. He has got firm views on many things, from stipendiary stewards to politics. He does all the tractor work on the farm, grows the oats and hay. He looks after the stables, the feeds and the odd jobs about the place. The whole complex, looking north to Mt Peel and Four Peaks, is sunny and about as spotless as hardworking stables can be. They're practical and efficient, no-nonsense sort of structures that well reflect the Brosnan philosophies.

Richard, 38, in his 21st year of full time training, acknowledges that his father is the biggest influence in his life. Two other men who were important to the developing horseman were Gladdy McKendry and Doug Watts. "I always ask Pop when things aren't going as well as they should," the father of three says. "He has an intuition about horses, especially early on with young ones. He has got a wealth of experience, and if there's a problem he will always come and have a look at it, and we can generally work things out." And he says, yes, sometimes he does have an older, wiser head on young sholders when he is out on the track because of that paternal influence.

Other people say Jack Brosnan has an exceptional ability to assess horses. He takes little notice of the stop watch, preferring instead to study stamina and class, and how a horse worked in a race. He is very firm with horses, but treats them all as individuals. Like many of his age, he is sceptical of modern methods and has a surgery of time-tested folk remedies at his fingertips.

He is firm too with owners. The Brosnan pride stands tall, and where an owner can't pay the price of trust he has been asked to take his horse away. There is more than a little of that famous Irish fighting spirit in this first generation New Zealander. He grew up with horses on the farm, taking control of a team of Clydesdales when he was 15. His father stood Man O' War (twice Auckland Cup winner) at stud and they raced horses as a hobby. He and a younger brother, worked in tandem. They also married sisters, Eileen and Winnie McGirr from Methven. Racing was well established in their family too.

Jack's father had a good mare in Golden Vale and the boys inherited her. She left them a legacy of luck with four winners. Battlefield won his first outing. Marsceres got to Cup class and made the cartoons of the day when he started five times in one week for four wins and a second. Battle Vale and War Field also won, so fuelled by those early successes, the Brosnans of the new generation were hungry for greater success. "It didn't matter what sort of horse we had - just as long as they were good," Jack says.

In this new age with public money in public companies, mechanical training aids, computer picks and laser machines, there are a diminishing number of characters like Jack Brosnan. Their love of racing goes deep into the cores of their souls. Their level of communication with horses goes beyond the materialistic. Their ability to draw the best out of the animals rests on an integrity earned by hard work and time.

He doesn't go to the races very often these days. Few of the familiar faces he has seen the decades out with are still there along the rails. The racing pages - and he bemoans the lack of racing news published in his local daily - and race commentaries are the substitutes. His life is busy. He's proud of his family, and lives with Richard and Juliya, their three children (Virginia, Richard and Soraya) and Tim. And just outside the house, there is the horses. Always the horses.



Credit: Christine Negus writing in HRWeekly 18Sep86

Tussle and her constant companion Sally Marks

1986 TAUBMANS DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

The theory of wind resistance played an important part in Tussle's courageous Dominion Handicap win. Moments before "Shorty" moved away from the shelter of the birdcage and into the uncompromising 14 knot easterly on the track, her owner-trainer Dr Cliff Irvine untied the dust sheet on the sulky and tucked it under his arm.

Irvine successfully tried the tactic at Addington 25 years ago when Light Mood took third in the President's Hadicap at long odds. "It was blowing a gale that day, and Doug Watts said to me in the birdcage 'why don't you pull the mud sheet off?'," Irvine recalled.
the 65-year-old Lincoln College veterinary professor "hasn't had occasion" to use the ploy in the last quarter of a century, but after consulting Tussle's driver Peter Jones, and his old cobber Derek Jones, he had no hesitation. "Derek told me he had done it when Soangetaha won one of his Auckland Cups, and Peter said he didn't mind getting gravel in his face, so we took it off as quickly as we could in the birdcage. On a very windy day it acts like a sail and it would have a retarding effect - it is tough enough for her with Peter in the cart, being a little horse, let alone having a spinnaker out there."

And Irvine's snap decision was vindicated when Tussle, after her familiar beginning to land in fourth place, was left straining into the wind with still 1800 of the 3200m heartbreaker left. By then comeback hero and 1984 Dominion winner Basil Dean had his rivals struggling to stay in touch with his eager front-running, which reminded some of his awesome 2600m world record two years ago. "When he was attacked by Admiral Soanai down the back he got fired up and on the bit, so I thought it best to let him bowl along," driver Kerry O'Reilly said. "I could see Basil Dean was serious," Jones said, "and she's just as good parked as anywhere else in the field...but she was struggling to keep up with him."

Sally Marks, Tussle's faithful companion and strapper, watched dejectedly as the pack bounced down the stretch with a lap to travel. "She's hanging badly - I think she's had enough," Marks said, pulling in another lungful of Pall Mall and walking aimlessly towards the outside rail. Tussle did look beaten as the 800m peg came and went, her trotting action unusually scratchy and her head bobbing from side to side.

With a fierce tail wind down the back straight for the final time, Basil Dean punched three lengths clear and the murmurings of the crowd sensed an emotional upset. "But he wasn't quite up to it," O'Reilly said. "I knew half-way down the back he was struggling. He's still got the speed, and he's sound, but he didn't quite have the race fitness." Basil Dean's ground-devouring stride began to shorten on the last bend, and tiny Tussle quickly gathered him in and scooted two lengths ahead. And as first the sturdy warrior Jenner, who had followed Tussle throughout, and handsome favourite Melvander (who had tracked Jenner) balanced themselves before attacking, she lowered her head, flattened her ears and cut through the wind to the post. With 100m left, both Jenner and Melvander seemed poised to gun down 'Shorty', but with her new found strength this season she determinedly held the pair outto score by a long neck.

Veteran Christchurch horseman Jack Carmichael could not quite cap his successful Cup carnival, settling for second and $20,000 with Jenner. "I thought half-way down the straight he might get to her, but she was just too good," he said. Melvander finished a further long neck behind after almost exploding into a gallop 50m off the line. "I was smiling around the corner, but then he started to trot roughly and I had to take hold of him," driver Jack Smolenski said. South Auckland mare Landora's Pride rattled into fourth ahead of Simon Katz, while the others struggled home victims of a punishing last 2400m of around 3.04. "She simply outstayed them all," Jones said of Tussle later. "She can really fight them off now, and had them covered all the way down the straight."

When asked if he considered removing Tussle's dust sheet made the vital difference between winning and losing, he replied: "It was blowing quite hard and I suppose it's got to make a difference. She was battling into the wind from the 1800m, she had the worst run of all the horses that figured in the finish, but she kept going right to the line."

Irvine described Tussle's Dominion Handicap win as one of her two greatest performances, the other being her dazzling 2:31.9 national record for a flying 2000m which she set fresh-up in September. "She always surprises me how well she goes and how she keeps on improving, even this year as a ten-year-old," he said.

There are few mountains now left for the champion daughter of Tuft to climb. She has captured the two most prized trotting crowns in New Zealand: the Dominion Handicap and the Rowe Cup (1985). Her 3200m time, despite the ravaging gale, was 4:13.81, which lowered Indette's national record for a trotting mare. And the $65,000 winner's cheque bumped Tussle's earnings to $268,055 in New Zealand, making her the greatest stakewinning trotter in history.


Credit: Matt Conway writing in HR Weekly

DOUG WATTS

Douglas Charlton Watts, one of New Zealand's most talented and respected reinsmen, died suddenly in Christchurch recently. He was 79.

Doug was born in Morrinsville, the son of a lemonade manufacturer, and later began his career as a jockey, making his riding debut not in his homeland but across the Tasman in Australia at Randwick in 1923. He rode his first winner - a filly named Civility - the next year back home in NZ on New Year's Day at Marton. There were many more winning rides to come - about 100 in all and five in one day once - but at five foot six he was tall for a jockey and weight problems eventually forced Doug to abandon a race-riding career.

He turned to standardbreds and it soon became obvious that racing's loss was harness racing's gain. He was successful with his first ever race-ride on a standardbred when Item won a saddle trot at the South Wairarapa Trotting Club's annual meeting at Carterton on Boxing Day in 1929. And in March the next year Doug drove his first winner when Logan's Pride won the Manawatu Trotting Club Plate. The gelding won three more races. Doug drove him in all of them and his winning drives attracted the attention of the late W J (Bill) Tomkinson who helped to arrange a job for Doug with ther late Jock Henderson at Oamaru. Doug worked for Mr Henderson for ten years, during which time he became associated with an outstanding trotter in Todd Lonzia, who Doug judged "the best trotter I ever drove".

In 1939, Doug left Oamaru and went to live in Yalhurst near Christchurch, where he began working as a freelance driver. In 41 seasons of race-driving, Doug never won a premiership - second behind the late F J Smith during the 1944/45 season was the closest he got - but he drove more than 700 winners, which represented an outstanding achievement considering the relatively small number of race meetings held then compared with now. In his time he drove on almost every track in NZ. "The only track I haven't driven on is Hokitika," he said in an interview last year.

His success was far reaching and in 1963 he travelled to the United States to campaign Falsehood at Yonkers Raceway in New York. But unfortunately the gelding caught a virus soon after his arrival in the US and had only one start, but managed a fourth placing despite his illness.

There were few major races which Doug failed to win during his long and illustrious career as a reinsman. He won two NZ Cups (Integrity 1946 and Our Roger 1955), two Dominion Handicaps (Norma Bingen in 1936 and Hidden Note in 1947), an Auckland Cup with Unite in 1956, a NZ Free-For-All with Gold Bar in 1942, the NZ Oaks with Stylos in 1966, the Timaru Nursery Stakes in 1942 with Tam O'Shanter, the NZ Golden Slipper Stakes with Consistent in 1960 and also the Grand Final of the Inter-Dominion Pacing Championship with Massacre in 1961, to name just a few.

But for all his wins in the prestigious races on the harness racing calendar, Doug is probably best remembered for his outstanding driving feat at Reefton in February 1954. He drove seven winners that day from eight drives and that is a record which has stood the test of time. The current World Champion reinsman, Tony Herlihy, gave Doug's record a shake earlier this year when he drove six winners in one day at Hawera. But to date nobody has been able to better or even equal Doug's marvellous driving accomplishment that day in Reefton.

Although he was widely recognised as one of NZ's truly great reinsmen, Doug was always modest about his success and claimed it was largely due to his association with some great horsemen who gave him good horses to drive. He often used to drive work for many of his regular clients and claimed this gave him a better knowledge of his drives on raceday which he said was a big advantage. Doug put in a lot of hours driving work for trainers but he said (in an interview last year)that he had never had the inclination to train full time on his own behalf. Although he was granted a trainer's licence on a number of occasions during his career to take over short term training responsibilities for friends, notably for Allan Holmes (during the 1942/43 season) winning a race with Gold Bar while he was in charge.

However, Doug was a successful owner and won races with Historic and Valour during the 1950s. Both horses were trained for him by the late Vic Leeming at Prebbleton but driven by Doug in their races. Doug retired from race driving at the Canterbury Park Trotting Club's meeting in June 1971, the last meeting of that term. He proved that although the rules said he must retire he was still in top driving form by winning the Canterbury Park Winter Cup with Smokey Express.

Soon after his retirement he was appointed a patrol steward at Addington, a position he held for several years. He was also patrol steward at Ashburton up until quite recently. He maintained a keen interest in all facets of harness racing right up until his death last week and had attended the Methvem Trotting Club's meeting at Methven on Saturday December 7.

A true gentleman with a great talent, Doug will be missed by many people and his death is a sad loss to the harness racing industry of NZ.

-o0o-

Extract from NZ Trotting Calendar 10 Feb 54

D C Watts, well known Canterbury Reinsman, created what must constitute a record in the history of trotting in the Dominion when he drove seven consecutive winners at Reefton on Monday.

Watts won twice with Jacinta, Proximity and Air Raider, and was also first home in the Reefton Cup with Bourbon Lass. He also drove Bourbon Lass in the last race of the day in an attempt to win the whole programme, but she was unplaced. H Gaskill, who is still hale and hearty, drove six consecutive winners at Greymouth some years ago.

Before turning his attention to trotting, Watts was a very successful jockey. He served his apprenticeship with W H Dwyer, of Wanganui. He was second on the list of leading apprentice jockeys to W H Jones in the 1924-5 season with 31 1/2 wins, only one point behind Jones. At the Easter Meeting of the Feilding Jockey Club on April 11 and 13, 1925, Watts experienced one of those runs which jockeys dream about. His first day's efforts met with mixed fortune, his first mount being on Miss Hupana, who finished out of a place in the Onga Hack Handicap. In the following race he rode Alaric into second place, being beaten by half a length by Imperial Spark. The best Watts could do in the next race was to finish third on Lieutenant Bill. His run of minor placings came to an end in the next event, the Taonui Hack Handicap, which he won comfortably on Mr L G Paul's Attractive.

Watt's first ride on the second day of the meeting was on Miss Hupana, who finished second in the Rewa Hack Handicap. His next three rides that day were winning ones. In the Easter Handicap he rode Alaric, who beat Gaze, ridden by B H Morris, by a neck. Attractive was his next winning mount, and the runner-up Bonogne was ridden by B H Morris. Watts completed the 'hat-trick' in the next event when he rode Koodoo to win the Denbigh Handicap. In this event, Miss Hupana, the runner-up, was having her second start for the day. She had been beaten into second place earlier when ridden by Watts. After standing down for the next race, he was again seen in a winning light on Bonena in the Orona Hack Cup, making his total four winning rides for the day, and five for the meeting. In the last event, Watts was narrowly beaten into second place on Ihapotoa.

Increasing weight drove Watts out of the racing game, but in a comparatively short career he rode a big percentage of winners and numbered among his successes the Great Northern Guineas on Paleta, and the Marlborough Cup on Kalakaua.

Watts has been in the top flight of the Dominion's reinsmen for many years and has had his fair share of success in important events. Watts has owned Greenmantle and Valour, both useful winners and he has acted as first reinsman for V Leeming for a number of years.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 17Dec85

DRIVERS COMPULSORY RETIREMENT

Harness marketing gurus would describe it now as the quaddie from hell. At the end of the 1970-71 season when Jack Litten, Doug Watts, Bob Young and Bll Doyle "four horsemen of the apocalypse" in their era were invited by the authorities to hand in their driving licences having reached 65 - an invitation it was impossible to decline. For many it was almost the harness equivalent of the Buddy Holly plane crash the "day the music died." Three years later when Maurice Holmes had to follow suit, it was.

-o0o-

JACK LITTEN -
was almost an "overnight sensation" for the times, having risen from relative obscurity just before the Second World War with horses like Suspanse and Firewater after having to sell his best star Royal Romance, to Vic Alborn just as she struck her best form. He was able to buy her back later to breed from. Within a decade the battler was a leader in his profession.

His famous training and breeding deeds, especially with young horses, was partly formed by his early association with Bella Button, then of Brooklyn Lodge in New Brighton, who while never officially licenced in either code won many races driving her trotters and produced outstanding gallopers at Riccarton in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Something of a phenomenon, Bella was especially skilled with young horses and the Little Rive'r-born Litten learned his lessons well.

Relative to scale, few have matched his achievements with youngsters in the generations since. But he was an all round champion producing Our Roger, a horse with a famously low heart score, to win a NZ Cup - though he would have dearly loved the "Mighty Atom", the champion Caduceus, to have shared that honour which he actually should have won that day.

On his retirement Jack rated Caduceus setting a 2000m record at Addington in 2:31.8 (it stood for a generation) as his biggest thrill though the 1956 Inter-Dominion Final when he took over the driving himself and won before a crowd we will never see at an ID final again must have been magic.

Royal Romance's daughter, Royal Triumph, would later produce Junior Royal. A granddaughter produced Royal Mile who set a 2-year-old Australasian trotting record for Litten at Addington in July of 1954 in a special time trial. A keen student of breeding "JD" also stood the thoroughbred stallion Aristoi, a brother to world champion Sir Ivor (sire of Sir Tristram).

The horse which established him in classic racing was Fallacy who was at 8/1 first up at three at Ashburton in the spring but paid £46 at his second start and then won the Riccarton Stakes and the NZ Derby. Only the 4-year-old Johnny Globe beat him at that Cup Meeting. His unexpected success at stud was notable. His granddam, Escapade had been an outstanding trotter in the 1920's and her dam (Country Belle) won the NZ Cup.

Like many of his era getting trapped in the field with the money on was a cardinal sin, Jack Litten was never a "pretty" driver (Cecil Devine, his nemesis, was much the same, as was Maurice McTigue) but when the pennies were down their horses could do that little bit more. No stylist, Jack used outside drivers more than most, further proof of his astute thinking. Once established "Litt" seemed to have a never ending string of genuinely outstanding horses.

-o0o-

BOB YOUNG -
was a quiet man who loved gardening; highly respected especially within the game but low key and he peferred it that way. He was especially a master with trotting horses. Unusually Young preceded his father Jimmy in emigrating from Scotland after Roydon Lodge trainer Bobby Dunn offered him a position in the late 1920's. His father arrived a few years later and set up first at Addington and then at the Spreydon terminus with a big team.

Jimmy Young was soon a leading trainer, famous for his colourful use of four letter words. Don Nyhan used to recall the string of well intentioned invective Young considered normal speech after Johnny Globe had gone close to two minutes on grass the message being the driver should have "tried harder".

Rather oddly Bob named Single Task as the best trotter he drove, one of his three Rowe Cup winners. He also drove the first two winners of the Inter-Dominion Trotting Championships. He had his first NZ Cup drive in 1932 and his last in 1967. He was largely a free lancer usually driving second stringers for big stables in major races or for owner-trainers who loved his "there is another day" style. He was hugely popular with punters because of his outstanding strike rate. Avante was the last big name pacer he trained.

-o0o-

DOUG WATTS-
came from South Canterbury where he went to school with Richard Brosnan's father, Jack. He was first a champion apprentice jockey in Wanganui also riding in Australia as a teenager in 1927.

After he won seven of the first eight saddle trots he competed in, Watts turned to harness driving with Jock Henderson at Oamaru. Few have been better at it. He won the NZ Cup with Our Roger(1955) and an Inter-Dominion final on Massacre(1961) both almost entirely due to the driver rather than the horse. He was largely with Vic Leeming at Prebbleton and rarely held a training licence though he raced fine pacers of his own like Valour and Historic.

Watts was a great "money" driver, cool under pressure and adept at finding the short way home. He is still famous for driving seven winners on an eight race card at Reefton in 1954, a feat never bettered. He recalled he only had one engagement when he arrived at the meeting. His longest dividend was over £4 and his shortest £2, three of his drives winning twice.

Doug was good at keeping his own counsel and once he and Leeming had to be escorted off Addington by the police well after the last when a loud demonstration by hundreds calling for their blood over a form reversal was only inflamed the longer Watts waited it out in the driver's room. Ironically, in later years Watts was an astute patrol steward at the course.

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BILL DOYLE-
is generally regarded as the founder of a famous trotting dynasty but in fact he inherited much from his father, also W J Doyle who was a master of many trades. He stood thoroughbred, trotting and draught stallions at stud, played a major role in the founding of the Ellesmere Trotting Club; ran the Doyleston pub and a catering business, raced, trained and drove top horses and even gave musical recitals at local functions.

He died when his son was just 20 though both Bill Jnr who owned a Grand National Steeplechase winner, and his sister, Laurel, champion show rider and the first woman licenced to train gallopers in the South Island, retained the wider racing interests of their father. Laurel also trained a Melbourne Cup placegetter, Willie Win.

Bill Doyle's feats as a horseman - he was also one of Canterbury's leading stock dealers - and the success of the next generation as horsewomen are well known.

When, which descended from a borrowed foundation broodmare Violet Wrack who left When's dam Passive, was probably his favourite. He campaigned her with success in America and again on her return, rare in those days.
Gold Horizon, pound for pound, may have actually been his best trotter. He was amoung the pioneer patrons of European trotting stallions, a cause he was passionate about though the results were mixed to say the least.

For a part-time trainer Doyle had an enormous string of top horses, his pacers from earlier eras(Betty Boop, Reason Why, In The Mood, Wipe Out etc) often overlooked in favour of the many trotters which came later. He drove Pacing Power into third for trainer Roy Berry(who drove Springfield Globe his own horse) in the 1943 NZ Cup losing a winning chance when checked at the start.

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Losing four driving names of that stature one July 31st was certainly a bad day in harness history.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 24Jul2013