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BOB YOUNG

The late Bob Young is widely regarded as the finest reinsman seen in this country not to win a Drivers' Premiership or a NZ Cup.

He went very close in both, finishing second in the Premiership six times and with Patchwork in the 1961 NZ Cup, he was just as surprised as everyone else when an 11-year-old Invicta and Steve Edge nabbed him by a neck.

Towards the end of his driving career in the 1965/66 season, Young was comfortably clear of Peter Wolfenden, Maurice Holmes and Derek Jones when in February at Addington he was involved in a spectacular smash approaching the home turn and broke his arm. Donald Dundee, a half-brother to Robin Dundee who already had a reputation for being a bad horse to be following, was leading when he suddenly propped and went down. Horses and carts went flying in all directions and among them were Young and Bar None. Le Whip, at almost 40 to one and last at the half for Owen Quinlan, was left with just a driverless horse in front of him. Donald Dundee was on the next transport to America.

Young's forte however was trotters and there were no better hands in the business. He was the leading driver of trotters in a season six times. Not a tall man and slight of build, Young was never seen hanging out of the back of a sulky.

He had a golden patch in the decade between 1945-55 when he won the first two Inter-Dominion Trotting Finals with Aerial Scott (48 in Auckland) and Gay Belwin (51 in Christchurch), four Rowe Cups with Aerial Scott (46), Single Task (49), Gay Belwin (50) and Indomitable (52), a Dominion with Acclaimation (49) and three NZ Trotting Free-For-Alls with Aerial Scott (47,48) and Single Task (50), not to mention the Sapling Stakes, Great Northern Derby and New Brighton Cup twice and the NZ Derby, Auckland Cup, NZFFA and Champion Stakes.

Records are sketchy prior to the 1940s, but one can accurately estimate that Young drove around 750 winners when forced to retire in 1971 along with Bill Doyle, Jack Litten and Doug Watts. The last meeting of that season was at Addington in June where Watts won the Canterbury Park Winter Cup with Smokey Express and Young won the following event, the Canterbury Juvenile Stakes, with Mark Gentry. Young was favourite to win the final event with Fortunate, but came up a head short of Crystal John and Derek Jones.

Young was an ambitious young Scotsman when he arrived from Glasgow, aged 23 in 1929, at the invitation of Sir John McKenzie's private trainer Bobby Dunn. He was none too pleased when his initial duties culminated in carting oats, but his desire to be a driver was realised when he was entrusted with a team to the West Coast curcuit over Christmas that year. Whether this was his first drive is uncertain, but Loretta Napoleon won her debut for him in the Progress Handicap at the Westport Meeting. On the second day, he also won a saddle event with Royal Iroquois.

Young could see the sport was booming and wasn't long writing to his father, Jim, who arrived in due course with another son in Jim junior and eight horses. All of them were to win races, with Stanley T and Sandy N going through to the best classes. Stanley T was a lovely big chestnut trotter who won his first four races in the 1930/31 season with Jim junior at the helm. However, Young would later reflect that his older brother had never really wanted to leave Scotland and he was soon on the boat back home. Young drove Stanley T to win the Stewards' Handicap from 60 yards at the August meeting at Addington the next season, while 12 months later they won the same race from the backmark of 96 yards. Stanley T was however a tricky customer who more often than not let his supporters down.

The skill Young displayed in getting him away on the fresh side on those occasions was an early sign of what was to come. Prebbleton horseman Jack Grant, who worked for the Youngs while still at school in the 1940s, recalls one particular occasion in the 1960s with the notorious trotter Break Through. Arthur Pratt's Light Brigade stallion was one of those horses who when he trotted he won, but most often he didn't. Break Through was having a bad patch when Young was engaged to handle him in the 1967 NZ Trotting Championship at Addington. "As they lined up, Bob had him facing the stand and when told to swing him around, he said just leave me here," said Grant. When the tapes flew, Young quietly swung Break Through around and off he trotted like a toff, leading all the way to beat the hot favourite Mighty Chief by two lengths at 22 to one. Break Through had not started in the first night heats so raced in the Consolation on Easter Cup Day and did exactly the same thing in a time four seconds faster than Final winner Asia Minor. Bob always maintained you should never rush a trotter early on, particularly around the Showgrounds bend at Addington. He said it was better to lose a few lengths getting settled than trying to get handy."

Grant, who in partnership with Derek Jones was one of the leading trainers at that point, well recalls his early days with the Youngs. Grant, back home last week after a lengthy stay in hospital, would help work the horses before school, riding one with two on the lead, then after school had 18 yards to clean. "I will never forget one day I'd finished the yards and had walked inside to listen to a race. Jimmy said to me what are you listening to the race for - have you had a bet? I said no and he said well don't worry about the race, go and clean the yards. I said I've done them. And he said well go and do them again - you'll have less to do tomorrow then."

Another early memory was a Coast meeting where Young was trailling the field with a trotter. Pretending he had broken some gear, Young began yelling "I'm bolting - I can't hold him.""They all moved to the outside, and Bob trotted up the fence to win," said Grant.

Grant says Bob Young was a lot like his father - quiet and tough, but fair. On one occasion, Bob had been away in Auckland and had asked a couple of the stable boys to keep his lawn mowed. They didn't do it because they felt it wasn't part of the job. When Bob got back he said 'is that right,' and sacked them. But whenever we were away on trips he would pull you to one side and ask if you had any money. He would give you a quid - which was a lot in those days - just on the quiet. And there was always a good sling when we won."

Jim and Bob Young initially set up stables close to the Addington track - about where the TAB administration building is now - along with the likes of Vic Alborn and Freeman Holmes. They then moved to Hillmorton where the High School is today.

Hughie Greenhorn, whose father Dave knew the Youngs in Scotland and was already a prominent horseman when Bob first arrived here, was closely associated with the stable and well recalls buying a King Cobra mare Carntyne off them for £10. "We set her for a race at Greymouth and had a decent go at the double." Greenhorn bought a house near Addington in Wrights Road as a result. Greenhorn recalls that towards the end when the horses were in Jim's name, it was Bob doing most of the work. "Jimmy did all the wheeling and dealing, although Bob was a lot more cunning than most thought."

Jim Young died in 1955 and Bob took over the training, but a string of outstanding trotters had done their dash by then. Bob Young continued with the stables, but preferred just to drive as "there wasn't any money in training."

In Grant's early days - before a stint with Maurice McTigue and a partnership with Derek Jones - the likes of Reg Stockdale, Claude Baker and Kevin Murray were also employed in the stable. "He didn't say much for quite a while and when he did, you understand him half the time. If you didn't speak to him, he wouldn't speak to you. But once he got to know you, and he liked you, you were away. He never drank, but he smoked a bit until his later years. There was this fellow called Wally Gracie who had all the 'Edition' horses and he smoked like a train. Whenever Bob was in a race and was turning around afterwards to come back to the birdcage, Wally would put two smokes in his mouth and light them. Bob would walk into the driver's room with his mouth open and Wally would stick one in. He was very business-like. He would just do his thing and then go home, when the rest of us would hang around. He wasn't a terribly funny fellow - rather down to earth - but he had a sense of humour of his own."

Grant recalls another time where Young appeared to have a race won when a horse slipped up the fence and Just beat him. "There was this fellow in the old members stand going crook at him. Bob went looking for him and when he found him, he gave him a bloody good barrel. He said he didn't mind if someone did it from the public stand, but a member should know better."

Grant says he felt a little sorry for Bob Young towards the end. After many years where several well-known horsemen trained at Addington and at least 100 horses were trained there everyday, in the end Young was often a lone figure with a couple of horses. "He must have thought was it really worth it. He really did not say much, but he was very bitter when they took his licence off him - it was such a shame really and so stupid. You had all those household names like Young, Litten, Doyle, Watts, Holmes and Devine - people would bet on the names instead of the horses - that seemed to disappear over-night because of the compulsory retirement age."

"Most of the top trainers over the years like them had sons or grandons to pass things onto and were quite happy to step aside and give them a go. Like Derek (Jones) did for Peter and he now does for Mark. Bob didn't have that. He had a son in Robert, but I recall the day that Bob said to him to 'head away into town and get a job as he wasn't cut out for this caper'."

Young almost always spent his afternoons in his beloved rose garden in Fendalton, but Grant says without fail he never ever missed a day feeding a horse. "Then one morning he rang a friend and asked him to feed up because he wasn't feeling too well. He died later that day."

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Bob Young married Vere in 1943 after meeting her in the Milky Way milkbar, a regular haunt after a movie, or later, the races. He is survived by son Robert (Wellington), daughters in Diane (Christchurch), Margaret (Sydney) and Janice (London) and five grandchildren, whom he particularly enjoyed in later years says Diane.



Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 28Jun00

1948 NEW ZEALAND DERBY STAKES

There will be general agreement with Mr C S Thomas, president of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club, in his declaration that the New Zealand Derby on Saturday was the greatest classic race ever staged at Addington. Four horses - Croughton, Bronze Gold, Perpetua and Chamfer came to the wire with less than a length between them, and the winner's time, 3:15 4-5, was a new record for the race, clipping two-fifths of a second off War Bouy's long-standing record established in 1933.

Although Croughton enjoyed better luck in the running than either Bronze Gold or Chamfer, he is every inch a Derby colt and fought on in the gamest possible manner in a finish demanding the highest degree of courage, staying power and true racing instincts. Bronze Gold was in an almost hopeless position turning for home; at the back of a bunch of six horses and boxed in on the rails. He had to be extricated and brought on the outside to make his run and was travelling faster than anything only a neck behind the winner at the finish.

Chamfer was in front at the end of a quarter but M Holmes allowed Perpetua to supplant him. This may have led to his ultimate undoing, because he could not find an opening until late, and when it did come he appeared to be hampered for room in his attempt to push through on the rails. Chamfer was only a head away fourth.

Spring Fashion, who at one stage of the betting was a firm favourite, began slowly and met a slight check when Zantileer broke near her with five furlongs covered. Spring Fashion made a run going to the far turn but came to the end of it long before the straight had been reached.

Croughton, a tall, racy-looking bay colt, is the first horse raced by his owner, Mr J S South. Mr South, who is a resident of Geraldine, has achieved in a year or two what most breeders fail to do in a lifetime - breed a Derby winner. Croughton is by Springfield Globe, a Colonial-bred stallion who is making a big name as a sire of classic and semi-classic winners. Croughton's dam is Lady Antrim, by John Dillon from a Wildwood mare, and that is as far as the pedigree goes.

Croughton gave his trainer, J Young, his first Derby success. R Young, who drove Croughton, also won the blue riband event with Sir Michael in 1945

Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 10Nov48

Jack Grant & Diarac parade at Addington

JACK GRANT

Show Day at Addington 1939...Jack Grant recalls it vividly. "I peeped over the fence and saw a wee cream horse. I suppose I took an interest in horses from that day." The horse was Icevus and he'd just won the free-for-all. But for Jack Grant, the side-shows on his side of the fence were more interesting at the time.

However, that 'wee cream horse' must have started something. About a year later, the same lad stuck his head through one of the local horse trainer's fences. Someone passed him a broom and told him to start cleaning. "I got a shilling that day and I've had a broom in my hand since," Grant, now 50, said last week. It was hard for a young man in the racing game in those days, but Grant 'stuck with it'. It wasn't too long before he was working with men like Bob Young and Maurice McTigue and horses like Aerial Scott, Victory Globe, Plunder Bar and Tactician.

In the 50s he started working for Derek Jones and through the sixties they formed one of the best training partnerships in the country. They parted company after 22 years in 1973 after 'never having a real argument' in all that time. Marriage and a nice, small property down the road from Jones was the inducment to leave. Breaking in and gaiting horses have been his living since. It wasn't bad going right from the start. Such was his reputation that a lot of Canterbury trainers were quick to make use of his services. "Jack Smolenski was especially good. He sent a lot of horses to me, horses like Columnist, Gina Marie, Lord Fernando." But just recently Grant returned to the training fray.

Chancalot's win at the recent Rangiora meeting saw him once again figure as a winning trainer. It had been eight years since he last saw his colours first past the post. The 14 odd horses around the Grant stables these days are a far cry from those he's been used to. Through the fifties and sixties he was associated, in one way or another, with just about every top horse in the country. The Grant story is a long one and full of good horses.

Born in Christchurch and raised near Addington, the headquarters of NZ trotting in those early years, it is not surprising that Grant took an interest in horses. So many top horses and horsemen were 'just down the road'. But it was far from easy for a young man just starting out. After all those menial little tasks around the stables, "it was a privilege to do fast work." But those early years gave him a solid grounding and it stood to him.

Grant first worked for Jim Young, learning to ride horses before heading off to school. There were about 18 yards waiting to be cleaned when he got home. "There were so many professionals in those days. It was so hard for a young fellow to get a go on raceday," Grant recalled. After the war Grant found himself in the stable of Bob Young and sitting behind horses like Auckland Cup winner Victory Globe and top class trotters like Aerial Scott and Gay Belwin. He then worked for Maurice McTigue, handling 'a lot of good horses," including Tactician. Maurice was a very astute horseman. I learned a lot off him. We used to do a lot of travelling in those days, quite often taking teams to Auckland," said Grant.

It was in those early years he achieved what he considers his first milestone. Driving Trueco at Forbury Park, Grant was suspended after guiding him to win by the length of the straight. I was the first probationer to be put out, you know. I only pushed a horse out, but they didn't see it quite the same way," he said.

A friendship with a youthful Derek Jones - "we'd both done a bit of boxing" - had begun by then and in the early fifties Grant started work with the Templeton horseman. It was a highly successful association. In 1965 the pair went into partnership. During the sixties Jones and Grant prepared numerous winners and they headed the trainers' premiership in the 1965-66 and 1969-70 seasons. "We took about nine horses through to Cup class," Grant recalled. He reeled them off easily - Trueco, Smokeaway, Doctor Dan, Disband, Lochgair, Snowline, Leading Light, Diarac and Boy Louw. There were also the fine trotters Our Own and Light View. Diarac, who won the last race at the Amberley track before it closed down, was one of Grant's own horses. He also won the first race on Timaru's clay track with Kimbell Duke.

If you ask Jack Grant about the best horse he ever sat behind, he'll probably say Cardigan Bay. "I paraded him at Chertsey one day. Even had his colours on." If you ask him about the best horse he's ever seen, he'll probably say Cardigan Bay again, or perhaps Highland Fling. "They were freaks." But the whole games different now. "Horses lasted longer in the old days. The public got to know them and they idolised them," said Grant who has seen every NZ Cup since 1944. "Every horse has his day and nothing's going to beat them on that day. I haven't seen a horse who could have beaten Lord Module the day he won his Cup."

Grant's seen a lot of good horsemen in his time as well. "There were no better trainer-drivers than men like Jack Pringle and Ces Donald. They were real professionals. Derek's a good horseman for that matter. He has a nice easy way of working horses and gets on with any type." And then he remembered another prominent horseman who had given him some advice he had never forgotten: "Always take time to talk to people around you when you are going up - that way you'll have someone to talk to in those times you're going down again."

The big stables and the travelling are all behind Grant now. Breaking in and gaiting and playing around with his own horses on his 11 acre property in Prebbleton is enough. He is breeding from the Hi Lo's Forbes mare Hi Madam, a half sister to the useful Crow Bar, and has a 2-year-old filly by Armbro Del out of her. A yearling by Honest Master from her is another going through his paces at present. Most of the others in the team are just being broken in. Chancalot is the only one sporting his colours on the track these days. "He has been a bit of a handful and he still has a bit to learn," said Grant of the Armbro Hurricane 5-year-old.

The horse is going to have to be a bit more than just a handful to get the better of him and his experience though. Jack Grant is still one of the most respected men in his business.

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Article by Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 10Mar04

Jack Grant, who died last week at the age of 73, formed a successful training partnership at Templeton with Derek Jones. They headed the trainers' premiership twice - in 1965/66 with 37 wins and in 1969/70 with 38 wins.

Grant's best horse was Diarac, a rangy son of Morano and Concerto who won 12 races over four seasons, though he was sparingly raced. Grant drove him often, and won the Ashburton Flying Stakes from Selwyn Hanover and Stella Frost and four other races. Jones drove him to beat Meadow Bank and Holy Hal in the Hannon Memorial, and handled him when he beat Curragh Dan and Seafield Countess when he was on the verge of Cup class. Doug Watts drove him in his one NZ Cup start. Grant also won four races with Kimbell Duke, a nuggety son of Hancove bred by Jack McDonald, and drove Ardleigh to win a 2:14 trot at Alexandra Park.

In recent years, he trained on a small scale at Prebbleton, winning races with Besse Scott, Sheer Distinction - his latest winner - and OK Skippi, and he bred regularly from the Hi Lo's Forbes mare Hi Madam, who was a half-sister to the partnership's big winner, Crow Bar.

Grant's love for horses and racing began when he was at Addington Primary School. It meant an early start for he 7-year-old, cooling out Jim 'Pop' Young's horses before school started, and helping feed-up on the way home. He stayed with Young until they had a row. His great friend Maurice Flaws recalls that Grant was sacked after he broke a yard broom over 'Pop's' head. "What happened," said Maurice, "was that Jack was sitting down doing up a wheel. Kevin Murray, who was also working there, was poking the borax at Jack, and then Kevin threw a punch. Jack lifted a wheel and Kevin put his fist though the spokes, hurt his hand, and then ran off to tell 'Pop'. Somehow Jack hit him on the head. He got sacked over that."

Jim's son Bob, a legendary horseman, was sad to see him go. "Bob always insisted that Jack went away with the horses on the long trips," recalled Maurice. "He cared for horses like Aerial Scott, Victory Globe, Single Task and Gay Belwin, and you knew he would be totally dedicated to them. He was also strapper for Croughton when he won the NZ Derby," he said.

His other passion at this age was boxing, and he was good at it. Jones says he had 80 fights and fought the best of them in the light and welter-weight divisions, and was runner-up in a bout for a NZ title. "He won Canterbury titles," said Maurice. "He was not quite tall enough, but won when he could get in close. Wally Ireland said he could never recall Jack taking a step backwards, and that was Jack in life - he took everthing on the chin."

From Young's, Grant went to work for Maurice McTigue, when the team included Tactician, Ghenghis Khan and Kubla Khan. They had a great association, and in later years Grant trained a horse for McTigue, obviously forgiven when told to leave after throwing one of the McTigue kids into the family swimmimng pool. Grant then joined Derek Jones, and later became a training partner. "He was with me for twenty-two years and was a good servant. He helped make horses like Disband, Powerful Light, Smokeaway and Doctor Dan," he said.

Erin Crawford, a member of the HRNZ Executive, considers Grant gave him a thorough grounding in the industry during his time working for the partners. "He was very dedicated, and he was a traditionalist. He loved talking about history and the old timers. Old 'Donald' did this and old 'so and so' did that. He never took a day off, and he was mad keen on rugby and gangsters and he enjoyed a big fat cigar. The wild west was another favourite, and a Colt 45 hung on a wall in his home."

From the money he got selling Diarac, Grant purchased a property in Prebbleton, and later on trained a small team, and with Andy Tilson did some breaking in and gaiting. His last horse was Sheer Distinction, who won a race on the first day at Waterlea in January, and followed that up by running a shocker on the second. "I know what was wrong with him," he told Maurice..."they expected too much of him."

"That was the knowledge the man had," said Maurice.

Grant was given a private funeral at his home last week.



Credit: Frank Marrion writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 9June81

1949 DOMINION HANDICAP

There was no speed on for the first mile of the Dominion Handicap, and Acclaimation won well from Jimmy Scott, who was possibly unlucky in that he lost ground at the start.

Acclaimation is a beautiful cut of a bay mare, as regally bred as they come, being by the lamented Certissimus from Raclaim, a good winner at the trotting gait herself, and ranking a full sister to Wrackler, winner of the NZ Cup, whose dam, Trix Pointer, also won the premier event.

Acclaimation was bred by Mr G H Nicholl, of Ashburton, and has been raced throughout her career by Messrs A M and R J Bruce, of Ashburton. Acclaimation was trained for her first two successes by J Wilson, also of Ashburton, and a very able developer of young trotters. She joined J Young's stable during her four-year-old career, and Young has now prepared her for seven wins.

Young has had many great trotters in his care, the most notable to come to mind readily being Stanley T and Ariel Scott. With Young has always been associated his son, R Young, who has a 'ton' of patience, such a vital commodity where trotters are concerned, and his success as a reinsman has been built upon profound study, hard work, and an innate skill of much the same brand as that exhibited by a famous fellow countryman of his in James Bryce.

Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 16Nov49

1951 INTER-DOMINION TROTTING GRAND FINAL

Gay Belwin's success in the Inter-Dominion Trotting Grand Final was an achievement in more ways than one. It gave trainer J Young and driver R Young the distinction of having secured the only two trotting championships at the three Inter-Dominion meetings so far held in New Zealand.

For owner, Mrs E A Berryman, it was a triumph richly earned and universally popular. Mrs Berryman has been a loyal supporter of the square-gaited horse for more than a quarter of a century, and Gay Belwin is only one of the high-class trotters owned by her. Purchased last season from M Paul, of Auckland, for £2500, he has won 10 races and £8515 in stakes.

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Trotters, particularly, were impressive, and the only regrettable incident was the mix-up of unhoppled horses in the Grand Final. Through this mix-up, caused when Highland Kilt broke, two of the prominently backed candidates, Ripcord and Swanee River, had their chances extinguished. The winner, Gay Belwin, an ex-Mangere trotter, was lucky to escape, and it was mainly due to expert handling by his driver, R Young.

Highland Kilt, Barrier Reef, Ripcord, Swanee River and Gay Belwin were heat winners, securing their places in the Grand Final. Billy McElwyn, Two Step, Single Task, Jimmy Dillon and Dictation also made the grade as place-getters. As it was arranged to have 12 runners in the final, the committee invited two others, Signal Light and Tatsydale, both of whom had been closeto the placed horses in some heats, to join the field. On the great day the publis elected the Gay Belwin-Single Task bracket as favourite, then Ripcord, Swanee River, Dictation and Highland Kilt.

As already stated, the final event was to some extent marred. Highland Kilt, the youthful trotter of the section, after an outstanding performance on the first day, broke at the start of his next two heats and settled his chances. He did better in the early part of the final, but after about a mile broke and came back quickly on Swanee River and Ripcord, to spoil their prospects as well as his own.

At the time, Barrier Reef, Signal Light, Dictation and Gay Belwin - the latter cleverly avoiding trouble - were left clear, and they filled the places, Gay Belwin scoring from Signal Light by a neck, with Dictation shading Barrier Reef for third berth. Dictation, from 36 yards behind, recorded fastest time 3.27, for a mile and five furlongs, a new trotting record.

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PHOTO - Gay Belwin scores from Signal Light by a neck, with Dictation shading Barrier Reef for third. In fifth place is Highland Kilt, and just entering the picture is Two Step. Gay Belwin's time was 3.29 3-5, and Signal Light's was 3.29 4-5. The race was marred by the unfortunate incident caused by Highland Kilt breaking and spoiling the prospects of Swanee River and Ripcord as well as his own.



Credit: N Z Hoof Beats Vol 2 No.4

INTERDOMINON EARLY HISTORY

Claims have been made to the effect that the Championship meeting, now an accepted annual NZ-Australian standardbred duel, originated in 1925, but the official record of the series takes us back to 1936. The history of this now world-famous series is as follows:-

In March 1925, a gathering of enterprising trotting supporters in Perth held what was termed an Australasian Championship. This took the form of two heats and a final over three different distances - one mile and a quarter, one mile and a half and two miles. The winner was the NZ horse, Great Hope, a handsome chestnut stallion by Great Audubon from Sadie Dillon. He was taken to Perth by his renowned trainer and driver J Bryce.

The following year, under the same conditions, Great Bingen and Taraire emerged with eight points each. The run-off resulted in Taraire (J Shaw, of Perth) beating Great Bingen (J Bryce). Great Bingen was trained and driven for the Championship by Bryce, who, incidentally, trained and drove Taraire for numerous successes before he was sold to a Perth owner. Bred at Tai Tapu by the late R M Morten, Taraire was by Four Chimes from Muricata, dam also of the dual NZ Cup winner, Ahuriri, and other winners.

The so-called 'Championship' then lapsed until June, 1935, when Mr J P Stratton, the leading figure in Western Australian Trotting, and the late Mr H F Nicoll, the president of the NZ Trotting Conference, convened a meeting in Sydney which was attended by delegates from every Australian State and NZ. This conference discussed a yearly Inter-Dominion Trotting Championship, and was quick to realise the benefits which would be derived from it. It was decided that such a meeting would be held in 1936 and conducted annually thereafter. Since that date 14 contests have been staged.

The first Championship, held in Perth in 1936, was won by Evicus, a Globe Derby mare who raced well in NZ for a period. The Grand Final was actually won by Logan Derby, but on a points basis he was relegated to second place. Evicus was driven by veteran Free Holmes, who made the trip specially to drive her. No NZ horses took part in the second of the Inter-Dominion series, held in Adelaide in February, 1937. The winner was Dan's Son, from Wrinkle and Joy's John.

The first Championships held in NZ were at Addington in 1938. Bad weather seriously retarded the running off of the divisions. Parisienne, who succumbed to Pot Luck in the Grand Final, was declared the Champion on points. A brilliant pacer, and later a successful sire, Springfield Globe, was the winner of the fourth Championship held in Launceston, Tasmania. He was followed home in the Grand Final by Globe Dorell and Radiant Walla. Perth again set the stage for the 1940 series, and although the Grand Final was won by Grand Mogul, bred and owned in NZ, the Grand Champion on points was Logan Derby.

The series had to be suspended during World War II, until 1947, when they were again allocated to Perth. Stake-money had greatly increased in the interval - in 1940 the Grand Final was worth £3000; in 1947 it had jumped to £8000. The winner was Bandbox (Van Derby-The Mirror).

A very successful meeting resulted for the Auckland Trotting Club when the Championships were held there in 1948. For the first time trotters as well as pacers were catered for, and the innovation was attended with such bounteous results that the square-gaiters earned a permanent place in the Championship set-up as far as NZ is concerned. After Loyal Peter, Emulous, Highland Fling and Knave Of Diamonds had won divisions, Emulous, from 36 yards, put up a slashing run in the Grand Final (worth £7600) to win decisively in the then world's winning record time of 4.12 2/5 for the two miles. Emulous, a bay horse by Jack Potts from Light Wings, was trained and driven by W K Tatterson. Emulous was a mighty pacer who was Highland Fling's only recognised adversary over a fairly long period and he beat him several times. Division (or qualifying race) leaders in the trotting section were Fantom and Aerial Scott. The last named won the Grand Final from Toushay and Willie Winkie.

Adelaide, for the second time, was the venue of the 1949 Championships. Among the division winners were Victory Speed, Amorous, Raidella, Hatteras, Single Direct and Plunderer. In the Grand Final, of £8500, Single Direct, driven by his trainer, E N Kennerley, completely outclassed his opponents. The crowd, 45,000 was a record for an Adelaide meeting. Captain Sandy raced brilliantly in the Grand Final of the 1950 series, held in Melbourne, and beat two other NZers in Glob Direct and Sprayman. The Grand Final stake of £10,000 set a new high for stake-money at the Championships. Division winners were Globe Direct, Claude Derby, Avian Derby, Tivoli Star and Derby Globe. Much of the gloss was taken off the Grand Final when Claude Derby could not start because of an injury. He was then the recognised champion of Australia, and his presence that year created the widest interest.

The scene of the Championships returned to Addington in 1951 and must go down as one of the most memorable in the history of the series. A field of champions including heat-winners in Vedette, Soangetaha, Parawa Derby, Blue Mist, Zulu and Ada Scott faced the starter for the Pacers' Grand Final. In one of the greatest races ever staged at head-quarters, Vedette worked clear from an almost impossible position to beat his younger rival, Soangetaha, by a length and a half. Vedette's effort brought the huge crowd to it's feet in appreciation of a wonderful performance on the part of both horse and driver. As late as two furlongs from the finish Vedette appeared to have no earthly chance of finding an opening, although he was close enough to the leader, lying about seventh; but the field was closely packed on all sides of him and time was running tantalisingly short. It is now history how M Holmes extricated his charge to win the Grand Final, and run the mile and five furlongs in 3.22 3/5, which was then an Australasian record. Trotters were also catered for in 1951 and in a fine contest Gay Belwin took the honours from Signal Light, Dictation and Barrier Reef. Gay Belwin was trained by the late J Young - a master with trotters - and was driven by his son, R Young.

Fittingly, the 1952 Championships, the first to be held at Harold Park Raceway, coincided with the 50th anniversary of the formation of the New South Wales Trotting Club. On the Grand Final night, the largest crowd ever to assemble there - one of 38,090 - saw Avian Derby take the major honour. It was also very appropriate that this son of Lawn Derby - and therefore a descendant of Childe Harold, the great horse after which the Raceway is named - should rise to one of the greatest occasions in the club's history.

All roads led to Perth for the 1953 series and the ex-NZ pacer, Captain Sandy, after running prominently in the heats, was first home in the Grand Final from Ribands and Kellett. Captain Sandy thus became the only horse to win the Championship twice. His performance was all the more remarkable as, prior to his sale to Australia at a moderate figure, he had lost all form in NZ.

At Wayville, South Australia, in March 1954, 13 runners lined up for the Grand Final - Floodlight, Ribands, Merchant, Sparkling Max, Andi, Recovered, Beau Don, Captain Sandy, Goulburn Monarch, Wilber's Hope, Dainty Rose, Hedonist and Tennessee Sky. The winner was Tennessee Sky, who had barely qualified in the heats; but the Sky Raider-Lily Direct pacer was considered the unlucky horse on the early nights of the carnival. In the Grand Final he was skillfully handled by the Perth reinsman, Frank Kersley, and won brilliantly from Recovered and Andi.

Last year's carnival was held at Epsom, Auckland. In a stirring finish to the Grand Final M C McTigue's brilliant gelding, Tactician, a son of the 1939 winner, Springfield Globe, sprinted clear rounding the home turn and held off the determined challenge of NZ's idol, Johnny Globe, a son of 1940 winner, Logan Derby. Petite Yvonne was third and Laureldale fourth, with Australia's Ribands unplaced. Mr and Mrs E S Baxter's Battle Cry won the trotters section from Vodka, Precaution and Ecosse.


Credit: Ron Bisman writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 8Feb56

MRS E A BERRYMAN

The death occurred in Wellington last week of Mrs E A Berryman, who had a long association with trotting. For many years she had a number of horses in work with the Belfast trainer C S Donald, who won many important races for Mrs Berryman.

Included among the many good trotters and pacers raced by Mrs Berryman were Wahnooka, Captain Bolt, Great Way and Kempton, four of the best trotters racing at that time, and Red Hussar, Dundas Boy, Superior Rank, Top Hand and Lee Berry.

Mrs Berryman was always a lover of the trotter, and in more recent years she met with considerable success with Great Belwin, who won the trotter's section at the Inter-Dominion Championship series at Addington in 1951. Trained by the late J Young, Great Belwin won £9720 in stakes.

Mrs Berryman also owned a half share in a grand trotting mare in Mistydale, who is the dam of Highland Glen, winner of the NZ Trotting Stakes last season. Mrs Berryman raced Highland Glen, in partnership with Mr J Palmer, of Christchurch.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 6Mar57

1964 DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

Flaming Way confirmed his winning run in the Worthy Queen Handicap on the first day with the gamest of performances to win the Dominion Handicap. Flaming Way's effort was all the more meritorious as he dragged a punctured sulky tyre for the last half-mile of the two mile journey. Flaming Way was skilfully handled by A K Holmes, one of the youngest drivers in the game. Flaming Way had to work hard to catch and beat Queen's Cord, and he stuck to his task with rare determination. Flaming Way's breeder-trainer, J Wilson trained and drove a former champion in Dictation to win the Dominion in 1950, and he was also responsible for the early education and training of Acclamation, who won the race in 1949 when Acclamation was trained by J Young and driven by R Young.

Queen's Cord broke twice during the running and there was a good deal of merit in her performance to beat all but Flaming Way. Queen's Cord has only been lightly raced this season and she could be a much improved trotter later at the meeting.

Front Line made up a big stretch of ground from the half mile to finish third, and he is obviously very close to being right back at his best. Mighty Hanover broke after going less than five furlongs and his lapse made his task a difficult one. He finished on gamely for fourth without really appearing a real danger

Credit: 'Irvington' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar