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Bill Bagrie & Orbiter

BILL BAGRIE

During the 1950s the Ohoka amateur trainer/driver Bill Bagrie and his wife, Elaine were farming in Southland. But after Bill suffered a haemorrhage he was told by his doctor he should give up farming and find a less physically exhausting job. Both Bill and Elaine came from farming families so when an alternative lifestyle had to be chosen it was difficult to know where to look so they decided to head north for Christchurch to see what life there had to offer.

Bill had an interest in harness racing and he had decided to buy a broodmare and begin breeding racing stock. So one of the first things he did when the family arrived in Christchurch was to attend a dispersal sale where he outlaid the considerable sum (in those days) of 450 guineas for the Dillon Hall-Tondeleyo mare Margaret Hall, a fine racemare who had won six races and was already the dam of the outstanding racemare, Rowan Star (now better known as the dam of the Australian pacer and now successful sire, Garry Rowan), and another winner in Rosslyn Rowan. Margaret Hall was in foal to U Scott but the foal was born dead. She was sent back to U Scott, the sire of her earlier winners, and in 1958 she foaled a filly whom Bill and Elaine called Kinsella.

At this time parking was just becoming a marketable commodity in Christchurch and so soon after Bill and Elaine arrived in the city they bought a parking centre - one of the first in Christchurch - close to Cathedral Square in the central city. They ran the centre - now known as the Avon Parking and Service Station Ltd - for five or six years before buying another central city business, Bennetts Shoe Store.

When it came time to begin working Kinsella, Bill leased facilities from Alan McKenzie in Harewood Road. Kinsella was the first horse Bill ever trained or drove, but she proved an outstanding introduction to harness racing, winning seven races and Bill drove her in all of them. Kinsella had given the Bagrie family a taste of success in harness racing but Margaret Hall's next foal - her 1959 colt by U Scott called Orbiter - was to achieve even better things on the racetrack.

Orbiter won 17 races in NZ including the 1963 Kaikoura Cup, the 1964 New Brighton Cup, the 1964 Hannon Memorial, the 1965 Allan Matson Stakes, the 1965 M G Pezaro Memorial, the 1965 Champion Free-For-All and the Dunedin Festival Cup Final in 1966. He also recorded a best mile time of 1:58.8 when he won the Flying Mile Free-For-All by three and a half lengths at Cambridge in 1966. From only 52 race starts in this country he finished further back than fourth in only 11 races, an outstanding record of consistency, particularly when the many miles he travelled during campaigns outside Canterbury are considered. Although he won only two races in the 1964-65 season, as a 5-year-old, he recorded four important seconds that year, three of which were at the NZ Cup meeting. He ran second to Lordship in the National Handicap at Addington in August, second to Cairnbrae in the NZ Cup, second to Lordship again in the NZ Free-For-All, and again in the Allan Matson Stakes on the final night of the Cup meeting.

Because Orbiter was racing so well, it was only a matter of time before somebody made Bill and Elaine an offer they could not refuse for the gelding. Early in 1966 the inevitable happened and an offer of $US120,000 was made for Orbiter by Noel Simpson, on behalf of a small grup of Americans. The offer did prove irresistable and Orbiter had his last race in NZ at Forbury Park on February 5, 1966 when he won the Dunedin Festival Cup Final. His American buyers wanted the gelding to race in the rich International Series at Yonkers that year and he was to be trained by Del Insko.

The geldings new owners - keen to get the best out of their purchase - invited Bill to travel to the United States with Orbiter and Elaine joined him there later. They were given an all-expenses-paid holiday in New York to enable Bill to assist Del Insko to prepare Orbiter. But somehow things did not work out as planned. Insko had his own way of doing things and he did not appreciate advice from somebody else on how he should train his horses. To make matters worse, Orbiter contracted some sort of chill or virus soon after he arrived in New York and the morning of the big race he was in an oxygen tent - fluid streaming from his nose - and obviously a very sick horse. Elaine said that it had been "heart breaking" to see him in such a bad way and if he had been at home he would not have even been worked in such a condition let alone raced. But race he did and, needless to say, he was unable to show his true ability that day. However, a NZ bred pacer did win the $100,000 International that year. The Yonkers favourite Cardigan Bay proved much too good and won easily, five lengths clear at the finish in the near race record time of 3:04.4 for the mile. Bill and Elaine returned home to NZ dissappointed and disullusioned at the way things had gone on the trip.

Soon after their return, Bill decided that the rented facilities he was using to train from in Harewood Road were no longer sufficient for his needs, so he decided to invest some of his money from Orbiter's sale in land. He sold the shoe business and bought 133 acres on Smiths Road (now known as Bradleys Road), at Ohoka, near Rangiora. The property, which has since been increased to 260 acres in two blocks, was essentially a sheep and cropping farm but even 20 years ago it was considered to be only marginally financially feasible. So the first thing Bill did was diversify the property. A large chicken shed was built and a contract to supply chickens to General Foods was undertaken. This proved a great success and today the Bagrie family have a contract to supply 100,000 chickens annually.

About six years ago Bill decided to further diversify the farm and he bought 17 hinds in calf. They now run about 120 stags and 130 hinds on the property. The deer provide three sources of revenue - velvet, venison meat and live sales. Although all three can be lucrative, live sale had been the most profitable because of the demand and subsequent inflated prices. Farming the property has always been a family concern and never more so than now, for last April Bill suffered a brain haemorrhage from which he has still not fully recovered. While Bill is recuperating Elaine and their son Peter, have continued to run the farm. Their workload is simply an extension of what they were already doing before Bill's illness.

Bill had a small team of horses in work when he became ill and Peter, an amateur trainer/driver, has been able to work them for him in the meantime while Elaine has been taking care of the mares and foals. Peter has often driven his father's horses in the past and he enjoyed an outstanding run of success in 1978 with Bill's horse, Gentle George who died at stud in 1983. Gentle George, by Bachelor Hanover from the race-winning mare Orbette (a half sister by Hal Tryax to Kinsella and Orbiter), won eight races altogether but created a big impression when he won four races at the 1978 NZ Cup Meeting. The stallion won one race at each of the two day and two night meetings (a feat equalled by only two other horses, Cardigan Bay in 1963 and the trotter Tutira in 1969), surprising many people but nobody more than the Bagrie family. Cello Sydney Wilkes (1919) and Red Shadow (1933) also won four races each at the NZ Cup meeting but not one win on each day. "We thought he might run fourth on the first day," Elaine said. "Bill usually drove him but this time he told Peter he could." And so Peter ended up driving George in all four of the wins at the meeting.

Gentle George's win on Cup Day topped off what had already been an exciting day for the Bagrie family, for earlier on Trusty Scot had won the big prize, the NZ Cup. The stallion was trained, driven and part-owned by Bill and Elaine's son-in-law Henderson Hunter, who had only been training a short time and had prepared Trusty Scot for the Cup at his in-laws property at Ohoka. The run of luck continued for both Gentle George and Trusty Scot on the second day of the meeting when Gentle George won the Cashmere Handicap and Trusty Scot won the Benson and Hedges Free-For-All.

The Bagrie's are currently breeding from five broodmares - Kinsella, Kindalla, Patronette, Roshelle and Georgelle. Kinsella who is now 28 years old was bred with Niatrix last year but she did not get in foal. She was bred to him again this season and it is not known yet is she in foal but because of her age, hopes are not high. She has been a wonderful broodmare though and left a number of good winners including Morpheus, Dalestar, Halfield Star, Hallfield Dream and Trinity.

Peter said that while they were "farmers first and foremost," his interest in horses has taken him to the United States three times working for Charlie Hunter and Brian Meale. He worked in Califoria and Chicago - at Sportsman's Park and Hawthorne. His first trip to the States was in 1972. That was in the days when horses were shipped regularly by boat. "I went on the last boat load that went," Peter said. The idea of a relaxing cruise with only a few horses to look after had instant appeal. "They thought they were going to have a leisurely trip," Elaine said. But once the trip was underway, those thoughts were soon shattered.

The trip took 22 days and the weather was rough. "We were as sick as dogs," Peter explained. But their illness was not the main problem. The horses were stabled during the trip in lightweight boxes located up on the deck and one morning, during a particularly bad storm, the grooms were told that they were not able to go up on deck too feed the horses because it was too rough. The command could not have suited them better bcause they were feeling too ill to move anyway, but they were only spared a short time. Not long afterwards they were given an urgent call to get up on deck immediately. They had two horses loose. "A big wave had smashed the boxes and left the horses starting in a heap of kindling," Peter said. The First Mate made a quick alteration of course in an attempt to "level things out" so the frightened horses out on the deck were able to be caught and put into shared quarters with the other horses until the ship's carpenter had completed replacement boxes. "We were lucky we didn't lose any over the edge," Peter said. Fortunately the rest of the trip was less eventful and all arrived at their destination safe and sound.


Credit: Shelly Caldwell writing in NZ Trot Calendar 4Feb86

RON CARTER

Mr Ron Carter, one of the best known and respected trotting officials in Canterbury, died at his Prebbleton home on Wednesday. He was 73.

Mr Carter became an assistant to the starter, Mr Bert Hastings, in the late 1930s and he succeeded to the senior position in 1959. He was the starter at Addington Raceway for 21 years until his retirement in 1980 and also acted for clubs throughout Canterbury as well as in Otago, on the West Coast and at Hutt Park.

Before he shifted to Prebbleton about ten years ago Mr Carter operated a contracting business, founded by his father, from a property in Centaurus Road, much of his work being done in the Horotane Valley and on the slopes of the Cashmere Hills where his horse-drawn equipment was used to cultivate areas where motorised vehicles were unusable.

For years he broke-in and gaited standardbred horses and until fairly recent times he usually had up to six horses in his care in various stages of their early education. Mr Carter took great pride in the fact that Orbiter and Noodlum were among the many horses he handled which went on to show fine form on the race track.

He often recalled that in the cases of Orbiter and Noodlum they had much greater intelligence than the average horse. Right from the time he started handling them he found that he only had to show them what was required once or twice and they accepted the instruction, whereas with others many hours had to be spent achieving the same results.

Mr Carter is survived by his wife, Rose.

Credit: The Press 24 Oct 1986

CLARRIE RHODES

Horsepower has dominated the life of Clarence Leslie (Clarrie) Rhodes. From as early as 1914, horses were introduced to his life. Not trotters or gallopers, but those animals used to pull the hansom cab operated by his father. The four-legged mode of transport was pushed to the back of Clarrie's mind in the early 1920s when he took over a Buick car agency in Ashburton.

The ability to sell 13 cars in nine weeks, a territory record for the vehicle in those years, and one which many car dealers today would envy, gave Clarrie the opporunity to visit America. Working for General Motors and living in an apartment at 99 Street and Third Avenue, Clarrie sold cars for $US600 each. For every vehicle sold he received $US28. Those years he spent in America were during the prohibition, the era of Al Capone, days when it was best to mind your own business if you knew what was good for you.

In 1926 Clarrie Rhodes returned to NZ. He came from America by boat and it was a trip that was to change his life. "I was feeling homesick," said Clarrie. "On the same boat was Free Holmes. He had been in America to buy a stallion, Grattan Loyal, and was returning to NZ."

Clarrie struck up a good relationship with Free Holmes and on their return to NZ he was a regular visitor to the Holmes' homstead. So regular that three years after returning from America he married Free Holmes' daughter, Daphne. Inseparable since, the couple have been married for 54 years. It was that meeting with Free Holmes and the marriage that rekindled the old feeling for horses. Not that cars were completely forgotten. The C L Rhodes Motors Company was formed, and, along with that and a rental car and truck business, it is still thriving some 50 year later. A momento that Clarrie cherishes, his drivers licence for petrol driven vehicles, is still in his wallet. The date of licensing - 1921.

Clarrie made an inauspicious start to the light-harness industry. His father-in-law gave him the Sonoma Hanover gelding Harvest Child in 1933. Then eight, Harvest Child had been extensively raced with a good deal of success. After gaining no return from the horse for some time, he leased him to Mr L A Maidens. Harvest Child went on to win three further races and this success stimulated Clarrie's interest. It is an interest that has not let up.

The first horse to race in Clarrie's name and colours was Worthy Need. A son of Frank Worthy and Necessity, Worthy Need was leased out in his early life. The horse was so small as a foal that he looked no bigger than a dog. However, under the guidance of J J Kennerley, Worthy Need developed into a promising two-year-old. Kennerley, who trained at Addington, had another promising juvenile in his stable, Southern Chief. Both horses were destined to have their first attempts on raceday in the Timaru Futurity Stakes in March of 1935. The two worked a mile in good time leading up to the race, but Worthy Need got out of his yard just before raceday and met with an accident that set him back more than a season. Southern Chief went on to score an easy two length win in the race. Raced on lease till the middle of his 5-year-old season, Worthy Need was taken over by Clarrie and placed with Free Holmes. The horse raced on till a 9-year-old and won seven races and gained 37 placings for stakes of £3126, good money in the late 30s and early 40s.

In the next ten years, Clarrie accumulated several horses, mares like Safety Pin, Bel Hamed, Escapade, Golden Pointer, Pauline Dillon, Ivy Peterson, Betty Ducrow, Suspense and Diversion. Diversion was the second foal of Escapade. She was secured by Clarrie towards the end of the 1939-40 season. When retired, Jack Litten, who had owned and trained her to win early in the 1939/40 season, joined Clarrie in a breeding arrangement with the mare. Diversion had the bloodlines to be a top class breeding proposition. Her dam Escapade was a half sister to Rustic Maid. She was the dam of Chamfer (NZ Cup and Great Northern Derby), Free Fight (NZ Derby), Slavonic (NZ Sapling Stakes), Scottish Lady (NZ Derby and dam of Scottish Brigade, Great Northern Derby) and Little Taff (dam of Student Prince, NZ Derby).

Diversion's first foal was the Grattan Loyal filly Sapience. She was unraced but left the Australian winners Pastime, Wise Leader, Wise Admiral and Crompton. An unregistered colt by Josedale Dictator followed in 1945. The mare was not served in 1942 and missed in 1943. His Majesty was the third foal produced. He won for Clarrie before being put to stud in Australia. In 1948 it was Jack Litten's turn to breed from Diversion. He had a sire selected to send the mare to but, after gentle prodding from Clarrie, elected to send the mare back to Light Brigade, the sire of His Majesty. The resultant foal was a colt named Fallacy.

Fallacy left his mark in no uncertain terms. As a 3-year-old he was a racing sensation. In his first six weeks he won five races, including the NZ Derby in NZ record time. Later the same season he won the NZ Champion Stakes and NZ Futurity Stakes. During his career on the racetrack, Fallacy won seven races. At stud he left a record that many sires will never repeat. False Step, winner of three successive NZ Cups, was Fallacy's first progeny to win. In all, Fallacy sired 240 individual winners.

The early 30s, when Clarrie started to build up his racing and breeding stock, saw him purchase the Rey de Oro mare Ivy Peterson. She was the second foal of a non-standardbred mare Lady Peterson and was bred by Peter Todd of Lincoln. Clarrie raced Ivy Peterson for four seasons and the mare won four races and gained seven placings for £572. Sent to stud in 1940, she founded the "Peterson" family which has won numerous races for the Rhodes family over the years. Ivy Peterson was the dam of ten foals. Nine raced and seven won. Lord Peterson was the first. By Grattan Loyal, he won four and was placed ten times for £1022/10/-. Sir Peterson followed with seven wins and over £2800. Admiral Peterson scored six wins and 19 placings worth £4095 while Jack Peterson (1949 NZ Futurity Stakes) won eight and was placed 13 times for £4866. Colonel Peterson and Princess Peterson were the poor relations of the first strain of Peterson blood. Neither won, Colonel Peterson managing four placings and Princess Peterson three. Overall, from the purchase of Ivy Peterson, Clarrie not only had the start of a very successful standardbred family, but a line that in its first generation won 41 races and £17,321, a great deal of money some 40 years ago. And money which was quickly put back into racing with the purchase of Peterson Lodge, a 150 acre farm at Templeton (formerly the late Roy Berry's training establishment).

Though success came in abundance in the early years, Clarrie also had many more horses than most owners during those years. Not all, though, were of great ability and many never saw a racetrack. Like all owners, Clarrie had to wait a good while before the glory of a classic winner came his way. It was 13 years after Harvest Child was given to him that On Approval scored a half head win over Darkie Grattan in the 1946 NZ Sapling Stakes. On Approval had been bought by Clarrie as a yearling from a Mrs Frost of Cust. He paid £50 for the colt and a similar contingency. But the glory of seeing the win was not there. Clarrie was tucked up in bed at home when the Sapling Stakes was run, recovering from a bout of pneumonia. However, he did hear the race. The Sapling Stakes was the first race to be broadcast in NZ and Clarrie had the added honour of owning the winner. He says that his doctor could not believe the remarkable recovery he made after the late Dave Clarkson confirmed On Approval as the winner. The day after, Clarrie was sitting up in bed like a new man.

The dream of all owners is to have your horse win a NZ Cup. That, too, was Clarrie's dream. In November of 1957 that dream came true. Lookaway, the only 4-year-old in the race, created NZ history when he became the first of his age to win the Cup in its 53 year history. Trained and driven by Maurice Holmes, Lookaway came right away from a talented field, that included False Step and Caduceus, to win by five lengths. Clarrie rates Lookaway's win in that Cup as his most prized of all. However, the Cup never came his way. At the presentation it was not a cup that was given as a trophy but a silver tray. Lookaway holds a special place in Clarrie's memory. Lookaway's dam, Raceaway, was bought from Mrs C E Hunt of Burwood. Raceaway won three races for Clarrie before being put to stud. Her first foal was Lookaway. Two starts as a 2-year-old brought little reward for Lookaway but as a three and four-year-old he notched 16 wins. Nine came at three, his first at Greymouth in October of 1956 with Leicester Roper driving. Lookaway's last win at three came in the NZ Futurity Stakes, winning by five lengths from Gentry. His nine wins that year were scored by margins ranging from one to nine lengths. At four Lookaway was the top earner for the season. His bankroll of £10,285 was £2000 more than his closest rival, Highland Air.

Wins in the National Handicap, NZ Cup and NZ Free-For-All were topped with what Clarrie thinks was the horse's best performance. In the first mobile mile on the grass at New Brighton, Lookaway came from lengths off the pacemakers, Caduceus and False Step, on the turn to win by two lengths in 2:01.6. Along with Caduceus and False Step, Don Hall, Light Nurse, Our Kentucky, Ricochet and Tactician were among the beaten runners. More wins followed. At five Lookaway won the Hannon Memorial. At six, when Clarrie was in Australia, he received a phone call from a close friend Cliff Irvine. Irvine said Lookaway was at his best and he wanted to take the horse to Auckland. Being thousands of miles away, Clarrie was uncertain about the trip. However, a suggestion by Irvine that he lease the horse for a month was accepted by Clarrie. The horse duly won and on his return from Australia, when the horse was back in his ownership, Lookaway won the Au Revoir Handicap at Auckland for him. Au Revoir was another top horse that Clarrie raced. He won 13 races for him with the National Handicap and consolation of Tactician's 1955 Auckland Inter-Dominion being his best wins. The following year Lookaway himself scored a win in a consolation of an Inter-Dominion. This was at Addington in 1961 when Massacre won the final and four races later Lookaway won one of the consolations. Lookaway won another race in his final season at eight. The Ollivier Handicap fell his way with a youthful Bobby Nyhan driving and Leicester Roper training. In seven seasons of racing, Lookaway won 21 races for Clarrie. Added to the wins were 13 placings for total stakes of £20,976.

It was around the time of Lookaway's retirement that Clarrie struck up a good relationship with Martin Tananbaum, president of Yonkers Raceway in New York. In 1956 the control and operation of Yonkers was placed in the hands of Tananbaum and two of his brothers, Alfred and Stanley. Four years after taking control at Yonkers, Martin Tananbaum made his initial trip to NZ and Australia in search of the best pacers from 'down under.' It was during this trip that Clarrie and Tananbaum met. This is how the International Pace, one of the richest challenge races between American, Canadian and Australasian horses came about.

NZ's first entrant in the event, back in 1960, was Caduceus, trained by Clarrie's life-long friend Jack Litten. Tananbaum and Clarrie Rhodes organised horses to represent NZ and Australia and exported them to America. They would race in their NZ interests (owners). The owner and wife, trainer and wife and driver would all travel to America free of charge. Caduceus was NZ's only entrant for the first series in 1960 and deadheated with Champ Volo in the first of the three-race series. However, bad luck struck when he was relagated to fourth. There were also teething troubles for Clarrie and Marty over transporting the horses to America. They were unable to gain rights to fly the horses direct to America. Instead they had to ship the horses by sea from either Bluff or Lyttleton to Sydney and then fly from there to America. It was a costly operation and one that went for several years. Orbiter, who was the Kiwi representative in the 1966 International series, was one of the last horses to be transported to America in this way. Orbiter was one of a 20-horse flight of NZ and Australian pacers to America in February of 1966. The flight, originating from Sydney, was hailed as the largest airlift in equine racing industry. This has since been bettered in the now modern age of air travel. Some time after this, air rights were given to Clarrie and Marty Tananbaum and direct flights started from NZ.

The purchase by Tananbaum of a 440-odd acre property at Rochester, some 400 miles from New York, sparked the start of an exodus of NZ horses to America by Clarrie and Marty. Called the White Devon Farm, the property was managed by Harry Moss. Clarrie and Marty would buy horses in NZ, mainly mares, transport them to America and race them. Once retired they would breed the mares to top American stallions then return the subsequent foals to NZ. This operation went smoothly. At the same time, Clarrie would send four of his staff at a time to White Devon Farm to help out Marty Tananbaum and for the lads to gain experience. Each of the staff members spent a maximum of two years in America.

The tragic death of Martin Tananbaum some years ago was a blow to Clarrie Rhodes. In one of the largest private sale transactions ever, Clarrie purchased the whole White Devon Stud contingent following the death of Martin. Among the contingent was a stallion named Lumber Dream, who had been imported to NZ in 1964. It seemed appropriate that the horse was now Clarrie's property as Lumber Dream's dam sire, Dominion Grattan, was a grandson of Grattan Royal, sire of Grattan Loyal, imported by his father-in-law so many years ago.

With the success of his operations in America, Clarrie's Australian business was also well in operation. Horses he has leased or owned outright have to this day won 198 races across the Tasman. Kiwi Peterson and Garrison started the ball rolling, Garrison winning 30 odd races before going to America and Kiwi Peterson taking a lifetime mark of 2:06.1 and winning over $68,000.

American stallions imported to Australia, like Truant Hanover and Typhoon Hanover have also found their way to NZ, along with Canny Scot and Emory Hanover. Another stallion that Clarrie has a place for in his heart is the Fallacy entire True Averil. True Averil gave Clarrie his second win in the NZ Cup 14 years to the month after Lookaway. Driven by Doody Townley, True Averil got home by a neck from Radiant Globe after being four wide for the last half. The winning drive by Townley was in some way compensation. Townley, the regular pilot of Stella Frost, had lost the services of the mare for the Cup after she had been taken to America to race in the International Pace. So in some way Clarrie Rhodes paid Townley back by giving him the drive on True Averil. True Averil stood in NZ for some time before being exported to Australia. Clarrie recently bought the horse back to NZ and he is to resume stud duties from this season.

With over 43 years of experience in the light-harness industry, Clarrie Rhodes has plenty to offer younger trainers by way of advice, but the now veteran of over 500 wins as a breeder and owner is not as outspoken as in his earlier years.

-o0o-

Article in NZ Trotting Calendar 24Jun86

When Clarrie Rhodes died last week at the age of 80, NZ lost one of her most successful breeder/owners of standardbreds. Clarrie died early last Thursday after several years of heart problems.

It is difficult to do justice to a gentleman, and he was in the true sense of the word, whose involvement with standardbreds spanned all of 50 years. Clarrie did not confine his interests to NZ, being represented by over 200 winners in Australia and also having close ties with harness racing in North America since 1960.

He had his first success as an owner almost 50 years ago when Bill Grattan won at the New Brighton Trotting Club's Spring meeting in September of 1937 for trainer/driver Free Holmes. Fittingly, Clarrie's last win in NZ came in great style, Free's Best accounting for the NZ Oaks in national record time last month. Best Dream, exported to California but still owned by Clarrie, was his last winner, scoring at Fairplex Park in Pomona a few weeks ago. There were well over 500 wins, mostly in Clarrie's familiar colours of a black jacket, red sleeves and cap, between Bill Grattan and Best Dream.

The highlights of Clarrie's involvement with standardbreds was undoubtedly Lookaway's runaway win in the 1957 NZ Cup. Trained and driven for him by his brother-in-law Maurice Holmes, Lookaway became the first 4-year-old to win NZ's most prestigious harness race when he crossed the line five lengths clear of Thunder, La Mignon and False Step. For most, winning a NZ Cup is just a dream, but Clarrie had the added thrill when he won the event again in 1971 with True Averil. Clarrie not only bred and owned the entire, but trained him as well. Doddy Townley was the driver.

There was also an added thrill when Clarrie won his first major classic race, On Approval narrowly winning the NZ Sapling Stakes at Ashburton in 1946. Clarrie did not see the youngster win by half a head, he was stuck in bed at home with a bout of pneumonia, but he heard Dave Clarkson's commentary in what was the first radio broadcast in NZ.

Horses, and horsepower, have always dominated Clarrie's life. Among his earliest memories is the cab operated by his father and the horses which pulled it. Clarrie made his name selling motor vehicles in the 1920s, initially in Ashburton and later in North America. He remained a motor vehicle dealer for most of his life. On his first trip home from North America in 1926, Clarrie struck up a friendship with the legendary horseman Free Holmes, who had just purchased what was to be an outstanding sire in Grattan Loyal. Clarrie and Holmes' daughter Daphne married a few years later.

Clarrie's first love over the years was always the breeding industry, and much of his success can be attributed to his knowledge. Clarrie owned dozens of stallions throughout Australasia notably Lumber Dream here and Hondo Hanover in Australia.

Lady luck was not always on Clarrie's side. In the late 1940s he entered into a breeding arrangement with a life long friend in Jack Litten over a mare called Diversion. Clarrie bred Diversion to Light Brigade and got a useful winner in His Majesty. The following year, Litten bred Diversion to the same sire and got Fallacy, a brilliant racehorse who later sired over 240 winners. Fallacy sired triple NZ Cup winner False Step from his first crop, while he later left True Averil for Clarrie.

Clarrie's other good winners included Jack Peterson (1949 NZ Futurity Stakes), Gerfalcon (1942 NZ Trotting Championship), Au Revoir (Cup class), Safe Return (1961 Kaikoura Cup), Best Bet (1977 NZ Trotting Stakes), Alec Peterson (1979 Methven Cup), Bel Hamed and, more recently, the likes of Hondo's Dream, Best Dream, Chataway and the trotters Armbro Almont, Bossy Boy and Quick March, the latter a top mare in New South Wales. No doubt, there were many stories behind every winner for Clarrie and many, many other stories he could have shared. Sadly, a part of trotting's heritage passed away with him.

Clarrie is survived by his wife Daphne, sons Alan, Freeman, Gerald and Peter, and daughter Mary.


Credit: Brian Carson writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 27Sep83

RON CARTER

When Ron Carter steps down off his starter's pedestal for the last time at the end of the season, he could very well be setting off on another facet of his racing career...as a trainer and an owner. "I don't know whether I'd get a trainer's licence...they might think I'm too bloody old," is his wry assessment of his chances in that department.

But on a more realistic note, Ron Carter at a mere 67 would have a good few years in front of him as a trainer. Already he has forgotten more of the good horses who have passed through his hands for their initial breaking and education than he remembers. Among those he remembers easily are Arapaho, Orbiter, Noodlum and naturally, this season's 3-year-old filly sensation Armalight. Armalight's young owner-trainer Brent Smith is on record as saying he sent the filly to Ron Carter to be broken because he wanted to do "everything right."

That's the way it has been for many others over the years Ron Carter has been associated with horses. Owners and trainers have sent horses to him to break to give them a decent start to their racing careers. And once they make it onto the track, it has been Ron Carter's duty to make sure they get a decent start in any race in which they might line up. Officially he has been in charge of that department for trotting meetings in Canterbury and Marlborough, on the Coast and in North Otago for the last 22 or 23 years. He gained his open starter's licence in 1957 and he won't renew it after the New Brighton Trotting Club's winter meeting at Addington on July 19.

Ron Carter's association with horses has been a lifelong one. Receiving his formal education in Christchurch he "cleared out from school" when he was 13 because, as he puts it now, "I didn't like it for one thing". His father had for years run a horse-drawn transport business so young Ron drove a team of Clydesdales, contracting all over the Port Hills and around the city. A lot of the business came through carting bricks and pipes from the recently demolished Murphy's brickworks nestled at the base of the hills. In fact, the Carter headquarters were centred on the stables sited next door to the kiln. Ron continued in the business after his father died but finally gave it away when he was granted his full licence. "We were probably the last around here with a team," he recalled. A lot of the work in those later days involved carting pipes and bricks from the adjacent works to the railway.

The young Ron Carter's interest in horses didn't end with the working variety. Even as a lad of 14 he was travelling 'here and there' with the late A J (Bert) Hastings, a well-known starter of the times. "I used to go to time trials and race meetings all over the place, even if it meant I had to save up for the boat fare to get to the North Island," he said. It wasn't the betting or the gambling that appealed. It was just the horses and the chance to be near them. I've never had a bet, not even before I was a starter. Even when I retire from this and am allowed to, I won't be worried about betting. I used most of my early money to go with Mr Hastings everywhere I could."

It was round the early 30s that Ron Carter started getting paid for his interest in racing. With his father he had been getting "about 7/6 a week", as a starter's assistant, about 15/- a day. Later this was raised to 30/- a day "and it stayed that way for years and years". Now, of course, a starter gets much more than that and with more meetings and more trials there's a lot more involved. But because he couldn't exist solely as a starter, Ron Carter broke in horses as well and gave them their early education before they went on to professional trainers. "I've broken in so many, it isn't funny how many I've forgotten. Some have gone on to be good horses and others have gone away almost as soon as they've been broken. But I've just had to be with horses."

Ron Carter remembers well the first time he took to the stand officially, even if he doesn't remember the date. Mr Hastings had been in Wellington at the time and Ron Carter had been granted a temporary licence to start the races at Rangiora. "There must have been about thirty horses in the field, packed in like sardines they were. But they all got away. Like ever job, you have your good days and your bad. That was a good one. I think though, all the drivers were more alert than usual. I suppose they were watching out for the new chap on the stand."

Alertness was one of the keynotes of the job. Even an assistant had to be equally alert and completely aware of what the actual starter was about to do at any particular time. A large part of Ron Carter's scheme to keep on the ball relies on taking advantage of the time early in the day. "I have always reckoned an hour in the morning is worth two at night; besides when you've got feeding out and the like to do before work you've got to be up early and then be alert all day."

A few days before the races, and then again quickly the night before, he reads through the fields just to see what horses are there and what problems, if any, they're likely to present. In years passed, the starter was usually in the secretary's office when the draw for barrier positions was made just to make sure he had everything right.

So far, just about everything has gone right for Ron Carter. He can't recall ever sending a horse away from the wrong mark and he has great difficulty remembering any day that might be called 'disastrous'. There was one day at Ashburton, though, when it took three goes to get a trotter's race away. The first time, when he said "go" the front barrier strand didn't release, even though it had been thoroughly tested before the races (one of the crucial tasks). "We tested it again on the spot and it worked okay. The field lined up again and once more the thing didn't release. We had three shots at it and as a last resort replaced a bracket before it worked perfectly." There have also been instances of the barrier strand catching across the backs of the sulkies of particularly long horses or flicking around horses legs, but generally all goes well.

But something which hasn't always worked that way, Ron Carter said, was the mobile barrier. It was introduced to Addington during Mr Hasting's time. The first, designed by well known Taranaki racing identity Alec Corrigan, was attached to a Land Rover. Another like it was built in Christchurch with all the controls in the cab with the driver. "I didn't approve of that in any way," Ron Carter recalls with just a little vehemence. "I finally got control over the closing of the arms but more importantly it was the accelerator I wanted. That first start from the mobile did a lot of harm. It put a lot of people off it immediately. But now the starter has control of everthing except the steering; and contact with everyone, even the secretary." Ron Carter sees having both mobile and standing starts as difficult for a number of horses. "Some are either very good away from a stand or from a mobile but chopping and changing upsets the majority of them."

If there is a problem with starting these days, Ron Carter puts it down to failing to close the totalisator right on time. "I would like to see the day when the starter closed the tote. That way we would avoid a situation that happens so often now with horses still being walked around some minutes after they should have been racing. There's nothing worse than to have them walking around and around waiting for the tote. If the starter had control there, too, he could start bringing them in with just enough time to get them all lined up and then away at the same time betting stopped." Those last few minutes were vital for both horse and horseman and any dely just made it harder for them. "I know just how they feel. I know exactly what they're going through. Still, they're a pretty good bunch of drivers these days and I'm going to miss them all when I stand down. I get on pretty well with them all. It's pretty easy to pick someone who is not co-operating...and it is vital they all play ball." A quiet talking to the person in question was usually enough to avoid a repetition. And only if a man-to-man talk didn't work was there a need to take things further. But come the end of the season, there will be a new man in the hot seat. Ron Carter tips Jack Mulcay, his assistant for the last six years, as his successor

And in retirement, it'll still be horses taking up most of Ron Carter's time. "They will keep me too busy to think about anything else. They always have." Yes, he and his wife will go to the races and with a 'bit of luck' Ron will be able to race one himself. Most of the luck involves getting a horse good enough to race and win with. "I've always thought that would be a real thrill. But you never know how they're going to turn out, do you?

He's currently working on a 3-year-old Good Chase gelding on his Prebbleton property "I think he will be all right. We will just have to wait and see." And then, with the interview over, Ron Carter's back to putting a filly through her first paces. Like he said, it's a never ending game with him. "There is no way you can ever say you'll be cleaned up and ready by dinner time.



Credit: Graham Ingram writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 17Jun80

1964 NZ FREE-FOR-ALL

Lordship produced his best form in the NZ Free-For-All. He hesitated a little at the start but was into top gear quickly and was soon handily placed. He waited on the leaders till well inside the furlong before challenging. Lordship caught Orbiter 24 yards out and went on to win by a length in the smart time of 2:34.6 for the mile and a quarter journey, a 2:03.6 mile rate. The leaders sprinted their last half mile in 60.2, the final quarter in 28.8 secs. Lordship appeared to be a much keener pacer than he was on Cup day, and he was given a rousing reception on his return to the birdcage. Lordship has now won £25,930 in stakes, the result of 24 wins and 21 placings.

Orbiter made a game attempt to win but found Lordship just too good on the day. Orbiter was alongside Cairnbrae racing to the straight and had that pacer covered after turning for home. He looked a winner until Lordship put in his claim, and he was far from disgraced in going under to a pacer of the calibre of Lordship.

Jay Ar finished in good style for third after being several places back at the home turn, with Vanderford in fourth place, followed by Cairnbrae and Waitaki Hanover, with three lengths to Flying Blue, who was followed in by Gay Reel and Dandy Briar, with Grouse tailed off.

Credit: 'Irvington' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar

Ted Lowe, Ces Donald & Cairnbrae

1964 NZ TROTTING CUP

Veterans both, Cairnbrae and C S Donald gave nothing a chance of heading them in the NZ Trotting Cup after taking charge with about half the journey covered, tramping the last mile in 2:04.2 and the last half in 60.2 and crossing the line two lengths and a half clear of Orbiter.

Cairnbrae qualifies for the veteran circle because he was one of three eight-year-olds in the field, the oldest group in this year's Cup.

C S Donald qualifies in age and ability - and with honours thick upon him as the most successful trainer of all time in the Dominion.

Cairnbrae's celebrated family - on both sides - has now produced the winners of seven New Zealand Cups - Cairnbrae's sire U Scott has been represented by Highland Fling (winner twice), Van Dieman and Cairnbrae; and on the dam's side Cairnbrae traces to Tairene whose great tribe included the dual NZ Cup winner Lucky Jack.

For Donald it was a second Cup victory - in 1940 he owned and trained Marlene, who beat Dusky Sound in a desperate finish. Incidentally, Donald also bred that fine mare. This was Donald's first driving success in the Cup. Marlene was driven by his brother Ron.

Records galore became a habit with Donald long ago - his success as leading trainer in the 1962-63 season meant that he had by then headed this list nine times, thus beating the record previously held equally by himself and the late James Bryce. Bryce's record of heading the trainer's list eight times was established as far back as the 1923-24 season, and Donald equalled it in the 1960-61 season. Donald has now held a trainer's licence for more than 42 years. It was in April 1922, that he took up the training of light-harness horses, and his score of winners to date has reached 857, easily a record for the Dominion.

Cecil Donald has consistently affirmed that the outstanding event in his training career was his win with his own splendid mare Marlene in the 1940 New Zealand Cup, especially since that milestone in the Donald fortunes was attended by the wins of Tan John in the Dominion Handicap and Plutus in the Free-For-All at the same 1940 NZ Cup meeting. That is believed to be a unique 'triple crown.' And at the same carnival he won the mile saddle race with Repeal and the Australasian Handicap with Superior Rank. Donald's first training and driving success was with the trotter Mangoutu in the Seaview Handicap at the New Brighton Trotting Club's Summer Meeting on Thursday, December 14, 1922. Donald has had a mighty cavalcade of great horses through the stables; perhaps the best remembered of his 'greats' of the past would be Lindbergh (a NZ Cup heat winner in 1931), Plutus (a free-for-all specialist), Carmel, Quality, Ferry Post, Clockwork, Bayard, Brahman and Falsehood; and he has also prepared a glittering band of trotters, among them Kempton, Rangefinder, Writer, Wahnooka, Great Way, Captain Bolt and John Mauritius.

Dandy Briar, Jay Ar, Oreti, Gay Reel, Waitaki Hanover and Orbiter were all slow away, Orbiter losing a good 36 yards, and he was well back when the field settled down. After going half mile, King Hal had charge from Vanderford, then came Valcador, Garcon D'Or, Urrall, Deft, Lordship, Cairnbrae, Oreti, Orbiter, Dandy Briar, Waitaki Hanover, Jay Ar and Gay Reel, most of the field racing in pairs. Cairnbrae moved up smartly soon after, and was in front with a mile to run. Following Cairnbrae was King Hal, and then came Vanderford and Valcador, Garcon D'Or and Urrall, Deft and Lordship, Orbiter, Dandy Briar and Oreti. Cairnbrae led into the straight, and it was obvious a furlong out that he had the result in safe keeping. Lordship and Orbiter made game attempts to bridge the gap to Cairnbrae, but neither could do any better, and Orbiter then came on the scene with a strong run to cut Lordship out of second place, with Vanderford fourth. Orbiter could be regarded as a shade unlucky. Oreti was fifth, then came Garcon D'Or, Gay Reel, Deft, Waitaki Hanover, Dandy Briar, Jay Ar, King Hal, Urrall and Valcador last.

Safeguard, the dam of Cairnbrae, was a performer above the average and took a two miles record of 4:18.4. She was bred by the late Mr W T Lowe, who also bred Cairnbrae, now owned by Mr Lowe's son, W E Lowe, of Hinds, where his late father bred many high-class pacers and trotters, notably Lucky Jack, a leading stayer in the late 1930's. He also owned Trampfast, the champion trotter of the early 1930's. Safeguard was by Springfield Globe, a champion Tasmanian pacer trained for many important wins in New Zealand by the late R B Berry, who trained and drove Lucky Jack. Safeguard was out of Molly Direct, a high-class pacer by Jack Potts from Real Girl, a useful winner by imported Real Guy from Tairene. Tairene was by Wildwood Junior (winner of the NZ Cup in 1909 and 1910) from Jessie B, to whom trace close to 100 individual winners.

Cairnbrae has now had 13 wins and 13 placings for £11,680 in stakes. Cairnbrae had the fastest two mile time of 4:12 among the Cup candidates before Tuesday's race. That was recorded when he finished third from 42 yards to Orbiter (Limit) and Great Credit (36 yards) in the New Brighton Cup last February. In his Cup victory he went slightly slower.

The result was a triumph for the blood of U Scott - Cairnbrae and Orbiter were sired by him and Lordship is out of a U Scott mare. Lordship was a warm favourite. On-course he carried £3108 for a win and £1644 10s for a place; off-course he had £640 for a win and £5747 for a place. The Cairnbrae-King Hal-Urrall bracket carried on-course, £789 10s for a win and £1975 10s for a place, and off-course £584 for a win and £1419 for a place. Total investments on the race were down on last year's figures: the on-course total was £22,503, against £24,147 10s last year; off-course investments totalled £35,013, against £35,930 last year. The totalisator turnover on-course for the day was £216,064 10s, a substantial increase on the £192,254 handled last year, and a record for one day at Addington. This year there were nine races, last year eight. The off- course total this year was £196,592 10s compared with £180,714 15s last year. The attendance was 18,000, compared with 18,500 last year.



Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar

Lofty Shaw, Jack Baker, Garry Dillon & Peter Wolfenden

1965 NZ TROTTING CUP

Adroitly shepherded through a traffic hazard just after negotiating the home turn, Garry Dillon decisively outstayed the favourite Robin Dundee in the NZ Cup at Addington Raceway.

Crack northern reinsman Peter Wolfenden had the winner in front from barrier rise, he took the trail behind Danny's Pal with about seven furlongs covered, and thereafter he stayed on the fence in the path of the pilot until he got the green light in the run home - he actually edged his way to the outer and had gathered in Robin Dundee half-way down the running.

Garry Dillon had three lengths to spare as he passed the post, too decisive a result to warrant any reaching for the excuse book. However, there were the usual casualties. Gay Robin looked as unlucky as anything. He showed a torrent of speed to finish fourth after striking trouble and going into a prolonged break with only a furlong and a half covered - this lapse cost him about a dozen lengths and he was less than five lengths from the winner at the finish. Orbiter fared little better in the battle of tactics than he did a year ago (when he was second to Cairnbrae) but on this occasion his chance got completely extinguised when he got squeezed back with less than three furlongs to go. He was running a fairly close eighth at the time. Jacobite also made a remarkable recovery to come third, because he misfired as badly as anything at the start and still had at least a dozen of the field to mow down with half the race to run.

Lochgair, Avante and Gay Reel were others to tangle at the start, and Garry Dillon's early attendants were Idaho, Robin Dundee, Orbiter, Danny's Pal, Pancho Boy and Garcon D'Or. Garry Dillon was a clear leader with a mile and a quarter to go, but then Danny's Pal rushed up to take over, and with six furlongs left he had Garry Dillon, Idaho, Avante, Robin Dundee and Tactile as his nearest pursuers. Cairnbrae made a short-lived spurt wide out going along the back the last time, but the one who really 'got cracking' as the field crossed the top was Robin Dundee - she was in full cry on the home bend and soon had Danny's Pal and Idaho in trouble, but no sooner had she drawn clear than Garry Dillon made his sweep well out on the track and Robin Dundee had no answer to his perfectly timed onslaught.

Robin Dundee was a length and a half in front of Jacobite, who was a head better than Gay Robin, and Idaho was the same distance back fifth. Danny's Pal, Lordship, Van Rebeck, Orbiter, Tactile, Avante, Pancho Boy, Garcon D'Or, Lochgair, Gay Reel and Cairnbrae followed in the order named.

P T Wolfenden, interviewed after the race, said he thought he was the only one with a chance of beating Robin Dundee from the home turn if he could get clear, "and I managed to." D J Townley, driver of Jacobite, thought he was "a certainty beaten." He lost fully 36 yards at the start.

Garry Dillon is raced on lease by Messrs E B S Grey and J H Shaw from his Southland breeder, Mrs E M Kirk. A seven-year-old bay gelding by Garrison Hanover(imp), who is now close to the top of the sires' list for the current season. Garry Dillon is out of Regina Dillon, by Dillon Hall out of Regina Pointer, by Logan Sun out of Regina de Oro, by Copa de Oro from Regina, a famous foundation mare whose descendants include Native Chief, Logan Chief, Grand Mogul and a host of other class performers; but this was the first New Zealand Cup winner from the family.

Garry Dillon has now won 12 races and £11,042 5s, including Tuesday's £100 gold Cup. The cup was presented by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr D Seath). Robin Dundee's stake-winnings have reached £23,055, plus around £5000 in Australia.

Despite a showery, gloomy morning, the attendance was good, 17,482 compared with 18,000 last year. The weather cleared after the second race. The on-course betting on the Cup was £27,353, an increase of £4850 on last year; the off-course Cup total, £36,842, was £1829 up on last year. The totalisator, on-course, handled £230,015 (including £23,644 10s on the double) compared with £216,064 10s last year. The off-course total was £211,674 15s (including £104,503 5s on the double), compared with £196,592 10s last year.

On a sticky track the time was relatively slow - 4:22.4 for the winner. Sectional times were: Half-mile 64.8; Mile 2:12.8; Mile and a half 3:19.8.

J P Baker, who trains Garry Dillon at Morrinsville, Auckland, told of Garry Dillon's arrival at Addington as late as last Friday following a 600-mile trip by float after a flight from Auckland had to be cancelled. Baker would have driven Garry Dillon himself but for meeting with an accident in recent weeks which injured his ribs and broke his collar-bone. Baker gives unstinted credit to veteran Cambridge trainer C G Lee for his assistance in the training of Garry Dillon in recent weeks, and also his care of the horse on his trying float trip south.

P T Wolfenden was driving his second NZ Cup winner in the last three years - he drove Cardigan Bay in 1963 when, incidentally, Robin Dundee was also second to him.

Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar

1965 saw the death of the inspirational British Prime Minister and Wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill. The space race between the USSR and the USA was in full swing, the Springboks narrowly beat the All Blacks at Lancaster Park, Fieldmaster won the NZ Cup at Riccarton and the North Islander Garry Dillon, driven by Peter Wolfenden, easily won the Trotting Cup.

Garry Dillon was also an outsider being 12/10 in the 16 horse field and paid £28/7/- ($56.70) for the win. Among the more favoured runners were Robin Dundee, Jacobite, Orbiter, Lordship & Tactile. Robin Dundee driven by Maurice Holmes improved on her second place in the Cup to win the Free-For-All, while Orbiter won the Allan Matson Stakes Stakes and the Ollivier Handicap respectively on the final two nights

Garry Dillon was raced on lease by E B S Grey and J H Shaw from his Southland breeder Mrs E M Kirk. In a post race interview his trainer, J P Baker of Morrinsville, related how the flight that Garry Dillon was booked to come down on was cancelled and the horse had to endure a trying 600 mile (960k) float trip which saw him arrive the Friday before the Cup.


Credit: Colin Steele

MARGARET HALL

Margaret Hall (1932 Dillon Hall/ Tondeleyo), USA family of Brown Lancet; 2:10.4; £8,730; 11 foals, 8 winners. Breeder: W Kerr, Christchurch. Foals bred by H W Drewery (Rowan Star, Light Brigade filly, Rosslyn Rowan, Rocky Rowan, Cappy Rowan, Sandra Hall (exported to Aust); all other foals bred by W L (Bill) Bagrie.

Margaret Hall's sire Dillon Hall was among the first 100 2-minute horses in North America (p4, 2:00.0US) before his importation to New Zealand, by George Youngson of Gore, in 1939. His sire The Laurel Hall was by Peter The Great who appears in his strong maternal pedigree as sire of his granddam. He dam Margaret Dillon (Dillon Axworthy by Axworthy) held the American Pacing Mile record of 1:58¼TT with Miss Harris M (set 1918) until 1938. Dillon Hall represented the then golden cross of Peter The Great and Axworthy.

Standing at stud in NZ for fifteen seasons, Dillon Hall was leading sire (top three for 13 consecutive seasons) and broodmare sire on five occasions and an inductee into NZ Trotting Hall of Famer. His 410 winners included Acropolis, Macall & Snowflake (GN Derby), Blue Mist (3 ID heats), Cabra (Dominion Hcp), Chamfer (G N Derby, NZ Cup), Maori Home & Parawa Derby (NZFFA), Our Roger (NZ Cup), Swanee River (2 ID Trot heats). His damsire credits exceed 550 including Annual Report (Dominion Hcp), Bass Strait, Doctor Barry, Student Prince & Tobacco Road (NZ Derby), Bay Foyle (NZFFA, Miracle Mile), Free Hall (ID Pacing Final), Garry Dillon (NZ Cup, ID Consolation), Global Hall (Rowe Cup), King Hal, Sun Chief & Tutta Tryax (GN Derby), Lunar Chance (NZ Cup, FFA), Poupette (ID Trot Final), Robin Dundee (NZ Oaks, NZFFA, ID Final, AK Cup, Miracle Mile). Dillon Hall was also sire of the second dam of Scotch Notch (Ada Hall).

Her dam Tondeleyo had only four winning offspring (plus classic producing broodmares) included in CF results information warrants an article in her own right. Briefly, she resulted from the matching of one of our most successful early imported sires, Wrack with Estella Amos (others include Imperial Jade, Indianapolis, Miraculous). Estella Amos (by Axworthy stallion Dale Axworthy) was imported by Free Holmes in 1923. After leaving Indianapolis, she was sold to Harry Nicoll's Durbar Lodge establishment together with the Wrack filly Tondeleyo. Despite being a full sister to Indianapolis and Miraculous, Tondeleyo was purchased by Lyttelton greengrocer Frank Woolley at a Christchurch Tattersall's sale in 1942 for 40 guineas. Tondeleyo had earlier left Margaret Hall before being purchased by Woolley for whom she founded a major winning family. Margaret Hall's siblings included sisters Loyal Guest (family of Hilarious Guest, Speedy Guest), Paramount (family of Seel N Print) and Gypsy Belle (family of Albas Reign).

Brown Lancet, the founding mare of this American family dates back to the 1870's . This family in particular through Estella Amos/ Tondeleyo dominates the two NZ Derbys with 10 winners to date (NZ-6: Imperial Jade, Bachelor Star, Main Adios, Game Adios, Hilarious Guest, Albas Reign; GN-4: Indianapolis, Speedy Guest, Main Star, Fiery Falcon). Other prominent family descendants include millionaires The Falcon Strike and Highview Tommy; Garry Rowan, Bionic Chance, Oaxaca Lass, Montana Vance, The Sentry, In Or Out. The family's fastest are My Temudjin (1:49.4US), Seel N Print (1:50.2AUS) and Le Sol (1:54.3 at Wyndham).

A fine racemare, Margaret Hall distinguished herself in winning seven races. Unplaced in her only start at two in the Welcome Stakes, she did not appear again until her 4yo season where her one win was at a Banks Peninsula RC meeting. Six wins at five were recorded at Greymouth, Westport/Reefton Cups and three races at Alexandra Park with two on the same day - 2m Hobson Hcp and 1¼m Freyberg Hcp as well as Farewell Hcp. Following this standout season with eight placings at six and a final season at age seven with four unplaced runs, she became an outstanding broodmare.

Margaret Hall's male progeny included:

1. Cappy Rowan, a gelded trotter, the winner of six races. Racing from age three, he recorded his first two victories at Morrinsville as a 6yo. Keen to repeat dual victories at the same track, he won twice at Cambridge at seven and Alexandra Park at eight (Whitford Hcp).
2. Late Frost, was the winner of six races beginning with the New Brighton and Hutt Park Challenge Stakes at three. A victory at Ashburton at four was followed at five with a win at Westport (seconds at Westport, Nelson and Rangiora Winter Cups). His final two successes came as a six-year-old at Hutt Park and in the Roxburgh Cup.
3. Rocky Rowan won a race at the Cromwell JC meeting as a six-year-old in his only season at the races.

4. Margaret Hall's stand out foal was the brilliant pacer Orbiter, by U Scott, Dillon Hall was his broodmare sire with Indianapolis's sister Tondeleyo being his granddam. The winner of 17 races in NZ for stakes of £19,490 and setting a NZ/ Australasian mile race record of 1:58.8 at Cambridge Raceway on 5 January 1966 (1st 100 NZ 2:00 pacers). Orbiter was the third in NZ to record a two minute race record after Tactician and Robin Dundee and tenth overall (other seven were time trials).
Orbiter recorded his first victory at Nelson as a three-year-old. His eight wins (Fourth leading money winner) at four were at Ashburton, Forbury Park, Kaikoura Cup, two victories during 1963 NZ Cup meeting including the D F Glanville Hcp at the inaugural night meeting at Addington - Wed 20 November 1963 and Harold Logan Hcp, New Brighton Cup (first time run at Addington after closure of New Brighton grass track in 1963) and Raceway Hcp, rounding out his season with the Easter Cup.
Only managing two wins at five, he recorded many meritorious placings. Wins came in New Brighton's Johns Hcp and Hannon Memorial. Second placings included National Hcp, NZ Cup to Cairnbrae, NZFFA/Alan Matson FFA to Lordship and third in the MG Pezaro Memorial at Auckland.
Orbiter's final season in NZ aged six where six wins placed him second on the money winners list with £10,065 earnt. Wins were in the Alan Matson FFA, Ollivier Hcp, Pezaro Memorial, Champion FFA, Cambridge Flying Mile and Dunedin Festival Cup. Placings included thirds in the Ashburton Flying Stakes, Hannon Memorial, NZFFA and Auckland Cup to Robin Dundee.
Orbiter's departure to North America from owner/trainer Bill Bagrie's Ohoka, North Canterbury, barn to clients of Del Insko's for $120,000 was arranged through Noel Simpson. Racing in the 1966 Yonkers International Series he placed seventh, third and sixth when struck with a virus prior to these races. Cardigan Bay made a clean sweep of international, Good Time and National Championship Paces. Orbiter finished a close second to Adios Vic in the 1967 edition of the Good Time Pace clocking an identical time to the winner of 2:29.8 (1¼m), fifth of a second outside the then world record time. Orbiter went on to become an international pacing star following in the footsteps of other Dillon Hall female offspring, Smoke Cloud and Robin Dundee, amassing total earnings of $380,894.

Margaret Hall's fillies bred on including:

1. Kinsella, a seven win race mare commenced with single victories in her four (Cheviot/ Rangiora) and five (Wellington) year old seasons. At six, she won on five occasions including twice at Cambridge (Hannon Memorial, Cambridge), Forbury Park, Alexandra Park and at NZMTC's Easter meeting (Bryndwr Hcp). Kinsella was the dam of:
- Dalestar, Orari Challenge Stakes-3 and 2:01.2US
- Hallfield Mike, NSW Winter C/S
- Kindalla, dam of Margaret Fields (Robin Dundee Crown) and Montana Vance (Cardigan Bay Stakes-2, NZSS-2c, Thames/Spring Cups, Messenger, 2/4yo Pacer of the Year); granddam of Field Officer (Rangiora Classic, Gold Coast Cup), Valiant Soldier (Amberley Cup, WA Higgins Memorial) and 3rd dam of Pacific Fleet (Greymouth Cup), Valiant Sue and Ben Junior (NSW Schweppes Cup).
- Morpheus (first 100 NZ Bred pacers in 2:00, 1:59.4US, $209,509).
2. Orbette, won one race, the event immediately after owner/trainer/driver Bill Bagrie had won the 1969 Roxburgh Cup with her half brother Last Frost. Orbette was the dam of:
- Delalee, trotting winner; dam of good class trotter Aron Del (Challenge Stakes, Morrinsville Cup and Alexandra Park FFA's), dam of Classic Comment (VIC Lightfoot Laurels) and granddam of In Tina Turner (T1:57.7 at Menangle in 2011).

Gentle George, an entire half brother of Orbiter's, won eight races including the Hororata Challenge Stakes. He is one of only five pacers to win four races during a NZ Cup carnival (1978 for tr: Bill Bagrie, dr: Peter Bagrie, C4-C7 paces, Flying 2000m/ Cashmere3200m/ November 2600m/ Final Hcp 2600m, all standing starts). The other four race NZ Cup meeting winners were: four races over Cup carnival but not spread over four days were Cello Sydney Wilkes 1919, Red Shadow 1933, while Cardigan Bay 1963, Tutira 1969 and Gentle George won on all four days of Cup meeting. Gentle George was sire of eight winners, died August 1983. Bill Bagrie's son in law Henderson Hunter won the NZ Cup with Trusty Scot during the same (1978) Cup carnival.

Patronette, granddam of Margaux H (Robin Dundee Crown), 3rd dam of Arnoux (Caduceus Club of Southland Stake-4).

Roshelle, 3rd dam of Elrama (NSW Christmas Gift), Louis Lad (NSWMuiracle Mile Night MO C/S).

Rosslyn Rowan, won at Nelson as a three-year-old before recording placings at four and five and with no successes at six or seven, was retired to the broodmare barn. She was the dam of:
- Andrele, Wauipa Challenge-3, granddam of Andross (SA Breeders Plate-2), Stylish Scooter (first 100 Aust bred 1:55 pacers; 1:53.0US).
- Ellen Guiry, third dam of Asian Paradise( WA Empress Stakes< 1:53.0US)
- Kenwood Rowan, dam of Lady Alba( 2f Pacer of Year, dam of Ladys Day granddam of millionaire Highview Tommy), Precious Fella (1:53.4US, $311,520), Smooth Rowan (granddam of Better To B Bad (Waimate Cup/ Southern Belle Speed Series) and granddam of The Falcom Strike (millionaire, 7 Group Ones).
- Rosslyn Frost, granddam of Colonel Grace (Rising Stars-3, Timaru Nursery, Kurow Cup), General Grace (Waikouaiti Cup twice), My Lord Grace (Timaru Nursery-2); 3rd dam of Ho Wong (Taylor Mile), Toretto (WA Christmas Gift).
- Rowan Valley, granddam of Hammer (NZSS-2c, first $100,000 earners in NZ); third dam of Hummer(all time NZ 1:50 Pacers list, 1:50.0US), Rowan Countess (Cambridge Gold Cup); 4th dam of Rowan Direct (VIC 4/5 C/S).

Rowan Star, the winner of eight races starting off with five wins at four following unplaced efforts at two and a solitary placing at three. These five wins came at Timaru (2), Greymouth (Westland Cup), Addington and Ashburton. Her solitary win at five came at Forbury Park before her final two successes at six - NZMTC (Express Hcp during Cup week) and Adams Memorial (3rd CF Mark Memorial) at Auckland. Her final season at seven, saw her place in the Louisson / Express Hcps and fourth in the Ashburton Flying Stakes. Rowan Star was the dam of:
- Cathpete, Waimate Cup.
- Dingle, among first 100 2:5 pacers in Australia (2:02.8, Fairfield, May 13, 1967
- Friendly Lass, winner and dam of Trusty Dream, minor sire in USA
- Garry Rowan (Granddam Margaret Hall), bred by Clem Scott, top pacer and sire in Australia. Winner of ID heat, SA/ Laidlaw/ HR Boyd/ Temora Cups, VIC Lyn White FFA twice). Sire of167 winners (Broodmare sire of 301 winners, 2 in NZ) including Classic Garry (WAGolden Nugget, leading sire/ Broodmare sire in Australia), Garrys Advice (Tatlow Memorial, VIC Derby), Special Garry (WA Derby); damsire of Ben's Image (AUS 2yo Pacers mile record 1:56.7TT),Rainbows Idol (VIC Trotters Oaks, NSW Trotters Derby, VICSS-4T; dam of Rainbow Billie- VIC Trotters Oaks, VICSS-3T; granddam of Rostevarren- VICSS-2T, Holmfield)
- Snell, winner of NSW Cowra Cup.




Credit: Peter Craig writing in Harnessed Apr 2015