CLICK HERE TO GO BACK YEAR: 1881THE 1881 CLASH BETWEEN NATIVE CAT AND OUR PONY
It is 1881 and there are no standardbred stallions in New Zealand, no trotting clubs in the South Island, no races for top horses. The stakes in the races which were part of gallops programmes were pitiful and influenced the amazing "rorts" which haunt trotting to this day. Yet 1881 produced one of the most dramatic and most publicised trotting races never mentioned in our past.
One of the two runners went on to earn a unique place in our harness history. Native Cat, named after his odd grey and white flecked coat, was the first New Zealand trotter to win a feature race in Australia - in 1882 four years before the first full trotting meeting was even held in Christchurch.
Owners of good horses then could only make real money through "matches", backing their horse against all comers, usually on the roads. They became as common as race meetings are today. Some were for sums as small as £5 or to forfeit the losing horse to the winning owner. A few were for sums up to £1000. None compared with that between Native Cat and a little horse accurately named Our Pony in a special match at Forbury in January, 1881. Both owners, Billy Kirkwood and William Philip put up £500 (it appeared a Mr Gloyden actually owned Native Cat) and with betting reliably reported at over £3000 this was trotting with a profile never seen before. The stake was more than twice that Princess won in trotting's first feature meeting eight years later, and wasn't equalled for over 20 years.
Kirkwood was a Wanganui publican who had assembled a strong team of pony trotters - horses less than 14hh. He won Our Pony in a forfeit match in Christchurch involving another of his ponies Titokawaro, named after the Maori chief who terrorised Wanganui during the Maori Wars. Kirkwood, who died in Rotorua in 1913, later moved south and started a boom in pony trotting in Canterbury.
Native Cat was from further south and regarded as unbeatable in match races. When the syndicates put up their stakes excitement about the trotting match far exceeded anything the sport had experienced previously. Once again it was the Dunedin Jockey Club - which later promoted the historic 1889 meeting where Princess became a star - organising the race. Canterbury Jockey Club officials of the day would probably have rather been seen bathing nude in the Avon than advancing the cause of the "illegitimate" sport. Small wonder some trotting fans have never to this day forgotten!
However the erudite local racing editor Joe Chadwick, gave it plenty of space (he later claimed to have had a share in Our Pony earlier in its career) and he had been the handicapper for the first trotting club in New Zealand in Wanganui. Our Pony, which had won several lucrative matches in Wanganui (Kirkwood once unwisely also backed himself against the rival owner in a 100 yard foot race as well as the foot race. His opponent, J H Pollock, was a near champion sprinter and gave Kirkwood 20 yard start, and still beat him) and was an utterly reliable betting horse on the big day. By Ake Ake, a respected sire of road trotters then, she was ridden at Forbury by Harry Goodman, later a famous New Zealand gallops trainer.
However the betting men of Dunedin, flush with their goldmine funds, thought Native Cat, who towered over his 13,2hh rival would do the same on the track. The race was part of the Otago autumn carnival and a record crowd fronted up for the momentous occasion. Native Cat's record meant he was required to give five seconds start. As it happened the race was a non-event. Native Cat turned on a rodeo act breaking several times during the race, which was out of character. Little Our Pony, foolproof on such occasions, drew out to win easily. There were a lot of empty wallets in Dunedin that night.
With no other big stakes in the wind Native Cat was sent to Australia and at the Sydney Driver's Clubs meetings, beginning in 1882, he won several feature events against the best trotters in Australia. For a time he was trained by Frank Balwin, an American who had emigrated to Australia and was the leading professional of his time Balwin once described Native Cat as "an exceptionally kind and obedient animal". For much of his later career the grey was trained by Bill Kelso, who went on to become a famous Australian thoroughbred trainer, as was his son.
Our Pony posted another milestone as a winner at the first trotting meeting held in Canterbury, at Heathcote in 1886. She should have won two races but at a somewhat shambolic meeting, two horses which had dropped riders carried her off the course. Soon after she foaled to Balderdash in 1890 she was kicked by another horse and had to be put down.
Oddly, Native Cat met an untimely death the same year. Used out hunting, he took what seemed an easy jump over a small tree, fell and broke his neck trying to recover. His owner was distraught and the honest and kind horse's demise was of sufficient stature to find its way into Australian newspapers.
It is easy to dismiss iconic events like the Native Cat versus Our Pony events as too long ago to bother with compared to the "star of the week" achievments of today. Wrong. They took us from where we were and did not want to be to another level. Horses like Native Cat and Our Pony played a pivotal role on the harness highway and were as well known as horses like Smolda are today. Actually, to be honest better known. Halls of Fame, where are you?
Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 13Jun2012 YEAR: 1887TROTTING AT LANCASTER PARK
How many of the thousands of people who pack the stands and the embankment of Lancaster Park to watch football matches realise that there was a trotting course there many years ago?
It was in 1887 that the Lancaster Park Amatuer Trotting Club was formed. For 22 years it carried on. Then in 1899 the Lancaster Park, Heathcote and Canterbury Trotting Clubs amalgamated, and became the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club.
One of the earliest competitors in trotting races on the ground now given over to football, cricket, hockey and other athletic sports was the late Bert Edwards, noted trainer and driver. A story which he once told of a race at Heathcote may be mentioned. Those were the 'break and turn' days of trotting in Canterbury, when every horse that 'broke' had to be turned round before it was allowed to trot on. The first horse that Bert Edwards owned was Fidget. This was his story:-
"I nominated my new purchase for a trotting race that was to be run on the Heathcote Racecourse. The race was won by a horse called Conger, ridden by Alf Keith, a grey horse, Erin, ridden by George Burke, being second, and the stallion, Victor, ridden by Johnnie Rodriques, was third, with Fidget fourth. The race was a regular fiasco. The first horse, Conger, was disqualified for having won a race at the head of the Bays, which was not put on his entry form. Erin was disqualified for turning the wrong way when he broke and Victor was disqualified for galloping along the back of the course and failing to pull up and turn. I finished fourth on Fidget, and had the only ticket on my horse on the totalisator. As there was only first and second money, I did not weigh in and so the race was declared null and void, all moneys being returned, less 10% to the investors. One of the Stewards, the late Mr Barney Hale, came to me, and said,'Well my boy if you had weighed in you would have got the lot.' That was not a very good experience for a kick-off, was it?"
Edwards continued:-"Somewhere about this time the Lancaster Park Amateur Trotting Club was formed, and came out with a programme. It's track was a very small one, being three laps and 40 yards to the mile. I entered Fidget for the principal race, which was a three-mile one. This race he won, going the three miles without a break, the time being 9mins dead. The grey horse, Erin, ridden by the late Dan O'Brien, finished second. Alf Keith, who at that time was considered the champion rider of trotters, was third on a bay mare called Malvina. Fidget, by winning the big race at the Lancaster Park Amateur Club's inaugural meeting, can I think, claim to be the first winner of an open race this club held. The club's first race was a maiden event, all off the one mark, and was won by the late David Barnes, with a bay mare called Winnie. Later, I sold Fidget to George Burke, now of Melbourne. Some years later Burke rode him three miles on the Show Grounds, Christchurch, winning the race in 8mins, which was a NZ record for that distance for some years.
"Shortly after the start of the Lancaster Park Amateur Trotting Club, a new club was formed at Addington, called the Canterbury Trotting Club - that used to race on the Show Grounds. Of this club I was one of the first members. Three of the stewards were appointed to frame the handicaps: W Kerr, Tom Walker and myself. We made such a good job of it that none of us won a race, whereupon we all decided that we would not take it on again. At the next meeting of the club, two of the stewards were appointed: Mr Alex Duncan and Mr H Brinkman. Later, Mr Duncan fell out of it for business reasons, but Mr Brinkman continued to become a leading handicapper.
"A year or two later, the Lancaster Park Club put on a free-for-all - it was not so designated in those days - of two miles off the one mark. The three best horses in Christchurch then were Wait-a-While, Daisy and Plunger. Wait-a-While was trained by the late C Kerr, Daisy was owned by Alf Dunn, and Plunger by myself. The conditions of the race were for three horses to start or only half of the stake to be paid. On entry night C Kerr and I met Alf Dunn. He said that he had no chance and did not intend to enter. Kerr and I each thought we could beat Daisy, and as we wanted the full stake, we tried hard to get Dunn to nominate. At last he said,'Well, if you like to pay up for her, I will put her in.' We did so. The track was three laps and 40 yards to the mile, and was very heavy because of recent rains. Alf Dunn with Daisy, drew the inside position, and Wait-a-While second, Plunger being on the outside. The inside going was much the best. The outside, which recently had been banked up with soil, on account of the small turns, was very heavy; my horse was going in almost to his fetlocks. Well, Daisy went to the front and, although tiring badly, won by half-a-length from Plunger, and got the race. It is needless to say we did not pay up any more for other peoples horses. This Daisy was a great trotting mare and later went to Melbourne. Wait-a-While and Plunger were both by thoroughbred horses. Wait-a-While being by Albany, and Plunger by Wrangler. Wait-a-While was a speedy horse and a great stayer.
"Somewhere about this time there was in Christchurch a crack bike rider - I think his name was Webb - hailing from Australia, and a discussion arose as to which would win a match: Trotting horses against a bicycle. The match was duly fixed up to take place on Lancaster Park over 10 miles; the trotting horseman to have two horses. The race eventuated, the two horses being ridden by Alf Keith, who was considered on of the crack riders in those days. His horses were Wait-a-While and a bay mare called Malvina. He rode the horses five miles each and beat the bike by over a lap. The 'bike' was one of the old-fashioned high-wheelers.
"The Lancaster Park track being so small, was very confusing, as in some of the three-mile races the limits were as much as 75sec from the scratch horse. The horse on the limit would often be once around before the back-marker started; so you can just imagine how confusing it was. A bell would ring when the leading horse entered on his last lap. Some of the old-time trotters that were running in those days were the late F Mulholland's grey gelding, Doctor, R Sutherland's Cock Robin, and Kirkwood's Our Pony, later named Betsy. This pony, which came from Wanganui, was a champion and could hold her own with all comers. A little previous to the time I am talking about, this little mare was matched, for a good sum, to trot Native Cat, which was the best horse they had down south in those days. Our Pony, ridden by W Thompson, won the match."
Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 8Nov44 |