| PEOPLE |
YEAR: 2013
ED WARDWELL
New Zealand harness racing lost a loyal and generous benefactor with the death recently of Ed Wardwell.
He was a big spender for the best part of 20 years on middle-market yearlings, always in partnership with Grant Dickey, and Ken Barron trained them. He was also a ready seller. Aged 79, Wardwell was born in Washington and died in the Virgin Islands.
His best horse was Georgetown (12 wins, $534,190), Thumpem came next with $255,548, and the horse he always thought might have made it to the top had it not been for injury was Thunder N Lightning. Other winners included Spiritual King, Typhoon Touchdown(5), Man Of Honour(3), United We Stand(3), Franco Hemmingway(3), Captain Webber(4), Supreme Mach(8), Pacquaio(2), Seaward(6), Executive Stress(6), Media Miss, Mattnamaras Band(6) and his only trotter, Whatariskybusiness.
Wardwell started off enlisting with the US Naval Academy and had a career in submarines before setting up two marine companies, one that laid oil pipes and the other that specialised in deep sea diving activities. The led to a contract with the US Navy to clean, inspect, repair and paint ships, hulls. The business soon had bases on both coasts of America, plus affiliates throughout Europe, Asia ans Australia. Dickey recalled that when he lost a contract he continued to employ all the staff involved until he regained the business 12 months later.
Wardwell chanced on harness racing when he was in Christchurch on holiday 28 years ago. He bought an apartment and bought his first horse - Dreamin Scheme - from Jim Dalgety - and, keen to help a young man get started, sent the horse to David Butt. They also had success with Rare Charm and Media Miss, while Brian O'Meara and Barry Purdon trained for him until the long association started between John Lischner and Barron.
His racing highlights were winning more than 100 races, watching Thumpem win the Sires' Stakes Series Final and Georgetown the Yearling Sales Series Final, and hearing of Ken's 1000 wins as a driver. Aside from his racing interests, Wardwell was a keen golfer and enjoyed nothing more than paying for his friends to play with him. "He took us to different parts of the world over the past 20 years, including four British Opens," recalled Dickey. "He was a great partner who put faith in people he trusted. He loved the people in the harness racing sport in NZ, and loved NZ. As Ken puts it, Ed was one owner in ten million."
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 8 May 2013
YEAR: 2008
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In any other year, Georgetown would be hailed for his great victory in the NZ Derby. In any other year, he'd have a NZ record to show for it as well. But he's done neither, and this is not any other year.
This is 2008 - a bad year for good 3-year-olds. And Georgetown is a very good 3-year-old. He's not alone. Fiery Falcon, Absolute Magic, Mattnamara's Band, Justa Tiger, Passion N Glory and Goldie Blue also broke Holmes D G's 3:11.1 record in the $200,000 Christian Cullen NZ Derby, running the 2600m mobile in 3:11 or better. It was not good enough.
The winner won by three lengths and ran 3:09.4. He ran his last 800 metres in 55.8. His mile rate was 1:57.2. That's Auckland Reactor for you. Ten straight wins - the Southern Supremacy Stakes Final shaping as another scalp on April 26, and the Harness Jewels a month later. Again, Auckland Reactor raised the bar too high. He didn't lead as he did in the Flying Stakes the week before, he didn't come from last as he did when he won the Sires' Stakes in November. This was another dimension; no rush out of the gate, instead eased by Mark Purdon to a settling spot near the back. At the 1600m, he set off three wide, joining Georgetown at the 1250m, then taking over a lap out. He looked strong; Purdon said he felt it.
Full credit to Georgetown. Maybe still down a notch on his fitness, he tried hard to stay with Auckland Reactor when Purdon called for more at the top of the straight. But the quarry was off and gone, and as he ended with another hard-running quarter, the only unknown factors awaiting answers were time and margin. Barron knew he was part of both, running along at a bustling speed for the first lap, then being best of the chasers at the end of the second. "I don't know if one more race would have made any difference to my horse. He was four kgs below my goal weight for him. Maybe if he was there, I might have tried to park Mark, but basically we were running for second," he said. "We were travelling well until the 400 metres. Auckland Reactor put three lengths on us at the corner, and we couldn't get it back, though it didn't get any more." With stablemate Mattnamaras Band running home as well as Absolute Magic, Barron is now considering the New South Wales Derby on Anzac Day for both horses.
By Mach Three, Auckland Reactor is raced by his breeders, Auckland vet Tony Parker and his wife Anne, who bred him from the Soky's Atom mare Atomic Lass. He is her 11th foal. The Parkers finished second with Hunka Hickling in the Derby Stars And Stripes won, and second with Sharp And Telford, who was kicked by his stablemate and eventual winner The Court Owl the day before the race. They have many hopes waiting in the wings, with foals this season by Bettor's Delight, McArdle, Artesian, Live Or Die, and Dream Away, plus yearlings by Mach Three, Continentalman, Badlands Hanover, Earl, Grinfromeartoear and Malabar Maple.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 9Apr08