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HORSES

 

YEAR: 1881

BERLIN

At first glace it would seem out of place to list a horse among the great stud sires who had not sired more than 60 winners which is a commonplace figure today. But Berlin, a sire with such a record, has a special place in our breeding history. For one thing, he was the first trotting bred stallion ever to stand in this country, being imported in 1881. For another he became a major influence on our breeding development as can be seen as his stud career unfolds. His 60 winners came at a time when trotting was in it's infancy and his achievements pro rata would equal most leading sires who followed him. He produced two horses who could fairly be called champions and one other who came very close to that rating, and his daughters bred on well. There are not many top families who do not carry Berlin blood somewhere along the line.

Bred in 1870 Berlin was exported to Scotland before racing and he was sold to New Zealander Robert Wilkin as a ten year old. Mr Wilkin was a businessman of substantial reputation who had a fondness for acquiring the fastest buggy horses around to help him beat the opposition on Christchurch roads. To steal a march on his rivals and to generally improve the breed of utility horses Mr Wilkin brought out Berlin and stood him at his Fendalton Stud. In later years he imported a number of others and mares who were extremely successful and he is generally recognised as the pioneer trotting studmaster. Whether in fact Mr Wilkin originally intended his imported stock to be primarily producers of racehorses however is open to debate.

Berlin was well-bred by American standards. His sire Woodford Mambrino had an unusual career racing once at three and not appearing on the track again for eight years. In between times he stood at the stud and did not get many mares and he only produced about 100 known foals. Many of these became fine performers and one of his sons, Pancoast, was sold at auction in 1886 for $28,000 which was a record price for a sire at that time.

In NZ, with no opposition of course, Berlin became very popular for he was described as a handsome bay of balanced proportions. Indeed some breeders became just a bit ambitious in getting his stock on the market for it was noted at the time that several yearlings by Berlin had been sold at auction before his first progeny appeared. Encouraged by Berlin's success Mr Wilkin then made more purchases this time in America and nearly all were successful. The tragedy for us was however that he leased Vancleve to Australia for two years and so successful was he that he never got back to this country, though a number of his stock were imported here.

Berlin however was sent mares of all descriptions and pedigrees but soon a number were showing to advantage on the racetrack and his matings with Wilkin's imported mares produced particular success.

His first track star was Callista a mare from Southern Queen who was predominantly thoroughbred in blood. Ashburton owned, Callista gave regular thrashings to assorted fields in the late 1880s and early '90s. And was our first recordholder over two miles. He saddle time of 5:22 made in Christchurch on a day when she had already won a race was followed by a 5:36 time in harness which remained for some years. At one stage Callista was owned by Dan O'Brien of Carbine fame but she became inconsistent in her form and was taken to Australia where she was asked to concede starts of up to half a mile in a three mile race. She was ultimately disqualified in that country and legend has it that she then went to America. Although the more cynical considered that she may well have been scoring victories in the country meetings around Australia under an assumed name, for such things were not unusual at that time.

Another by Berlin was Kentucky a son of the imported Jeannie Tracey. A trotter, Kentucky was the champion of his year and his influence on our breeding can never be erased, if only for one of his daughters - Thelma, the greatest broodmare ever bred in NZ. Contractor (5 wins) was another top horse of the late '80s while Stonewall Jackson by Berlin from Pride Of Lincoln (dam of Thelma) was the Robalan of his era. He won ten races which was a record in his day and won a number of them from the stable of young Freeman Holmes who raced him on lease. It was not unusual for Stonewall Jackson, a big versitile pacer, to concede starts of nearly 20 seconds to his rivals in two mile races - the equivalent today of 200 metres.

Wilkin, the result of a mating of Berlin and the great Polly, ancestress of over 85 winners, was another recordholder of his day taking a mile time of 2:16. Other fine performers he sired were Fraulein, Shamrock, Young Berlin, Berlin Maid, Patchwork and General Tracey. Berlin was easily the leading sire of his day. His 60 winners were accumulated at a time when trotting meetings were not as common as they are today. In addition the programmes were often of five races and these included at least one pony event which restricted sires of the time in amassing impressive records. It is not known how many mares Berlin served before his death in 1896 but it can be fairly claimed that few of them ever saw the racetrack. They were used as buggy horses, their owners producing the three or five guinea service fee either at the Fendalton Stud or when Berlin was taken 'on tour'.

If Berlin made a big impression with his immediate offspring his feats as a broodmare sire were even more impressive. Fraulein (from the imported Woodburn Maid) won one race only but produced at stud the wonderful Fritz, the greatest trotter of his time, perhaps anywhere in the world. Australian and NZ crowds loved this game foolproof trotter who, in dozens of starts, broke his gait only once. His full-brother Franz was also a noted performer and later a successful sire. Puella, a full-sister to Fraulein was the dam of Belmont M and Almont two top performers in their time. Almont, who was also a successful sire, held the three mile record for many years when that was a popular distance. In fact if it comes to that he probably still does hold it. Brown Duchess was another daughter to breed on, and the family she established produced in recent years, the top pacer Leading Light. Patchwork became the dam of the well performed Needle Work.

Another great foundation mare by Berlin was Regina who was ancestress of Logan Chief, Native Chief, Grand Mogul, Walter Moore and Southern Smile amongst others. Regina is typical of many of the mares Berlin had to serve being of doubtful ancestry though thought to be thoroughbred. Minto claims Parisienne, Garcon Roux and Soangetaha among her descendants.

If Berlin has had considerable influence through his daughters (and we have only skimmed the surface here), he has had a wide influence through his sons also perhaps more so than most other sires to stand here. He had a good start of course. Being the first trotting bred stallion in the country it was natural that owners of his sons were keen to put them to stud and many of them held their own against the increasing number of imported stock. One of his best sons was Contractor who seems to be missing from registered sires lists. A good winner himself Contractor sired Specification who at Lancaster Park in 1894 lowered the world record for four miles covering the distance in 10:47 although there seem to be some argument over the time. Contractor was still racing at this stage. Specification himself was a successful sire in later years.

Prince Bismark, another unregistered stallion, sired Ruahine who in turn produced the Australasian pacing champion Dan Patch in the early years of this century, Dan Patch took a 2:09.4 mile time but unfortunately died early and had virtually no stud career.

So although Berlin may not be a name which springs to mind as a great sire there are any number of top horses which carry his blood in their veins. The old fellow mightn't have a lot going for him on paper in terms of winners and stakemoney but he was our first champion sire and considering many of his stock never saw a racetrack he can hold his head up with any of the great sires who followed him.

Credit: David McCarthy writting in NZ Trotguide 14Oct76

 

YEAR: 1906

1906 NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP HANDICAP

In 1906 great interest was shown in the race. The winner, Belmont M, by Rothschild-Puella, came from Australia when noted Sydney horseman Gus Milsom brought the NZ bred Belmont M back in this year. Euchre (A Pringle) was second, and Marian (J Tasker)third.

The stake was £400 and the class was let out to 4:50. Belmont M's time was 4:46.

Unlike Monte Carlo and Birchmark, who began from the front, Belmont M had only one behind him at the start and turned a top staying performance to get around nine runners.

He was royally-bred, being by champion sire Rothschild from a sister to the dam of champion trotter Fritz, and was a brother to another top pacer in Almont, and when sold at the dispersal sale of breeder Henry Mace fetched a record price for a 2-year-old of 400 guineas.

This was exhibition year in Christchurch and "It was a truly representative gathering."

**'Ribbonwood'writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 25Oct44**

-o0o-

Belmont M, a son of the great sire Rothschild, won the 1906 New Zealand Cup with a wonderful stayer's run. Unlike the two winners before him, Monte Carlo and Birchmark, both started from the front, Belmont M had only Euchre behind him on handicap. His performance was considered exceptional, because he was forced over plenty of extra ground to get around the other 10 runners. Belmont M was not well supported and started as ninth favourite.

The race favourite was Woodend, but he lost his chance at the start. The second favourite and backmarker Euchre, driven by Andy Pringle, almost carried his supporters through. Euchre took the lead a furlong from the winning post, only to be run down by Belmont M, who was driven a patient race by his Australian trainer-driver Gus Millsom. Marian, one length behind Euchre, was third, followed by Boldrewood, Cocoanut and Terra Nova.

Belmont M was New Zealand-bred but had raced in Sydney in the previous four seasons, graduating to the top class. He was a brother to Almont, another very good pacer, who had won numerous races in Australia. Henry Mace, at Brooklyn Lodge, New Brighton, bred both. Mace died in 1902 and his stud was disposed of by auction in November the same year, when the 47 lots were sold for £2440 10s. Australian buyers paid record prices of 640 guineas for Almont and 400 guineas for Belmont M, then a two-year-old. Both were by Rothschild from Puella, by Berlin from Woodburn. Puella was also auctioned and fetched 90 guineas. Mace, a cordial manufacturer in Christchurch, was an early and avid supporter of harness racing. In 1881 he bought land in New Brighton from Canterbury Sports Company Ltd when it went into liquidation. The Sports Company had bought the land from its original owner, Tom Free, for the purpose of encouraging athletics. Mace soon established his home, stables, training track and stud at Brooklyn Lodge. Later the land passed to the New Brighton Trotting Club and when it shifted operations to Addington to take advantage of night facilities, the cycle was completed when the Queen Elizabeth II Park sports complex was established. Mace, whose private trainer was Tom Frost, was the leading owner for two seasons, with totals of £800 and £760. He was awarded life membership of the Metropolitan Club in 1900 and was a steward of the club at the same time.

Belmont M gave his sire Rothschild the first of his three Cup winners - the others were Albert H.(1912) and Ravenschild (1913). Rothschild was the top sire in New Zealand for many seasons, up to 1915-16. He was a bay horse foaled in 1889, by Childe Harold from Belle Briggs, both sire and dam imported from the United States. Rothschild was bred in New South Wales and imported to New Zealand by William Jarden in 1893. He was trained and started in a few races, but never possessed much speed. He sired 306 winners in this country and died in Wellington Zoo, aged 32. His first winner was Jessie Palm, who, as a two-year-old trotter, won the Juvenile Handicap at New Brighton in April 1897. His other good winners, apart from Almont and Belmont M, were Sal Tasker, Emmeline, Lord Elmo, Bright and Glendalough.

In 1906 - Exhibition Year - the Metropolitan Club raced over four days. It was generally agreed that the best collection of standardbreds ever assembled in New Zealand were at that meeting. Stakes of 5000 sovereigns were distributed and the Cup stake was lifted to 400 sovereigns. The totalisator turnover for the four days reached £48,428, with Show Day creating a one-day betting record of £15,604. The New Zealand Cup was raced on the first day of the meeting, with another feature of the day's racing being the performance of the three-year-old filly Wild Wind, who reeled off a mile in the Riccarton Stakes in 2:21.6. The second day was notable for the success of the overseas contingent. Dan Patch, owned by the Melbourne-based Allendale Stock Farm Company, had a convincing win in the Christchurch Handicap. His driver, Lou Robertson, also won the Halswell Handicap with the Syney pacer Little Ned, but was disqualified for starting before his time. Verity, by Vancleve, in the hands of Andy Pringle, and Birchmark were successful on the third day. A violent storm after the main race churned up the track and Birchmark, revelling in the conditions, won the Best Handicap easily.

The three-mile event was still a regular feature of each day's programme, but on Thursday the race was run with a difference. The drivers of Impatient and Sydney, the leading pair, became confused over the number of rounds and raced on for a full curcuit after the distance had been completed. With the introduction of the sprint distance of a mile-and-a-quarter, the three-mile races were destined for elimination.

The visiting Australian horses - Fusee, Dan Patch, Jewel Heiress and Lady Inez - won half the last day's programme, but the day belonged to Sal Tasker, a four-year-old mare, who won the 500 sovereign Exhibition Cup, the first harness race in New Zealand with a stake of that sum. Starting as the favourite, she made no race of it, winning by 30 yards. She was the first out and was first home, in 4:44.6, much faster than the time Belmont M had recorded to win the Cup. Sal Tasker, by Rothschild from Jessie, had the makings of a top-class performer, setting a mile record of 2:20 for a two-year-old, but never fulfilled her promise. She was the season's top earner, with £575. Sal Tasker started in the 1907 Cup, finishing fifth.

**Bernie Wood writing in The Cup**

Credit: Calendar 25Oct44

 

YEAR: 1948

WILKIN HANDICAP

For many years now the Wilkin Handicap has appeared on the Easter programmes of the NZMTC, but I wonder how many know why the race is so named?

It is to commemorate 'the father of trotting turf' Robert Wilkin.

Robert Wilkin was a merchant in Hereford Street, Christchurch, and had his stables at the corner of Holmwood and Garden Roads, Fendalton. Prior to 1882 there were no clean-bred trotting sires in the Dominion. With the idea of remedying this want, Robert Wilkin commissioned an American trotting authority to send him a collection of three sires and six brood mares. These duly arrived, the sires being Berlin, Blackwood Abdullah and Vancleve, and the brood mares Messenger Maid, Blue Grass Belle, Fannie Belle, Jeannie Tracey, Queen Emma and Woodburn Maid.

These horses did more to improve the type of light-harness horse in the Dominion than any who have arrived since. Vancleve, of course, went to Australia and later was a wonderful success at the stud of Mr J A Buckland, and exercised a great influence on the trotting breed in Australia. Berlin was an immediate success as a sire, his progeny being noted for their stamina and gameness. Two mares by him were also a great influence at the stud, namely Fraulein and Puella.

All the other importations left their mark on the light-harness breed and laid the foundation for the wonderful breed we have today.

Credit: H E Goggin writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 21Apr48



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