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FEATURE RACE COMMENT

 

YEAR: 1927

1927 NEW ZEALAND DERBY

The New Zealand Derby Stakes saw some good three-year-olds in action and it took a high class filly in Daphne de Oro to gain the honors.

Admirably handled by F. G. Holmes, she got on the journey nicely and after mixing it with her opponents for nine furlongs she drew away to give her pilot "a ride in the park" down the straight. She won very easily.

For second money there was a keen set-to between Eugene de Oro and Harvest Child. Both youngsters answered gamely to the demands made upon them in the straight and it was only after a real battling finish that Eugene de Oro gained the upper hand. The honors of the race from a sire's point of view were all with Rey de Oro, which is the father of both Daphne de Oro and Eugene de Oro.

Donard did his best to get the money. He is a real pacer and one that will take Maurice Holmes first home on several occasions later m the season.


Credit: NZ Truth 17 Nov 1927

 

YEAR: 1934

1934 COURTENAY HANDICAP

750 sovs: 4min 26sec class: Two miles

A reversal of form was shown in the Courtenay Handicap, when Worthy Light, who had run unplaced on the first day, won in the manner of a champion pacer. A very mixed reception greeted the Aucklander on his return to the birdcage. On the opening day Worthy Light had shown speed in patches, but he failed to run on and was well beaten.

Yesterday he hopped off smartly, but gradually drifted back until six furlongs from home he was following Gold Tinge, Silver de Oro, Sunny Morn, Wrecker, Kingcraft, Sir Guy, and Harvest Child, and his position was not much improved at the half-mile post. Two and a half furlongs from home Silver de Oro slipped up on the inside of the leader, Gold Tinge, and appeared to have the race in safe keeping, while Sir Guy put in a fast challenge. Fifty yards from the post Worthy Light appeared on the scene and McKendry drew the whip on Silver de Oro, who at once went to a tangle and effectively settled Harvest Child, who was behind her.
Worthy Light put in a great finish and was going away from the field at the end. It was a brilliant effort and in striking contrast to first day's form.

Silver de Oro was driven a peculiar race, for with one round covered she dashed to the front and was then robbed of the lead by Gold Tinge. She was lucky enough to find an opening on the rails at the top of the straight and this should have given her the race. Her break spoiled her good chance.

Sir Guy was always well placed and had an uninterupted passage. He put a lot of dash into his work and finished very strongly, and Sunny Morn also gave an improved performance. Harvest Child was on the rails all the way, and was well pocketed in the straight. Glenrossie was close up to the leaders at the finish, and Kingcraft after being well placed early, faded right out of the race. Rollo and Wrackler were never dangerous.



Credit: THE PRESS 9 Nov 1934

 

YEAR: 1934

1934 YALDHURST HANDICAP

500 sovs: 4min 30sec class: Two Miles

The Auckland gelding Worthy Light was made a better favourite than Harvest Child in the Yaldhurst Handicap and though he made a good beginning he appeared to drift in the first two furlongs, when Arethusa and Trampfast were carrying on the running from a closely bunched field. The pair made the pace until the back stretch was reached, when Arethusa dropped out and Trampfast had had enough a furlong further on.

In the run to the post Harvest Child came very fast and though Gold Tinge and Arymont Chimes both made determined challenges Harvest Child held his own to win decisively. It was a fine performance, for after being on of the leaders in the early stages he got into what appeared to be in a bad position. He won by his excellent staying powers. He has proved a fine investment for his owner-trainer, L A Maidens, who drove him in the race.

Gold Tinge gave her best showing for some time, and though not well placed early in the race she finished very fast. At her best she is a very speedy pacer and a good stayer. Arymont Chimes was going faster at the finish than at any other part of the race, and his display promises well. Trampfast surprised everyone by being first out of the barrier and assisting to make the pace for the greater part of the journey. Worthy Light did not impress by his display, but he covered a lot of extra ground, and may do better later at the meeting. Avernus went a fair race but Roddy found the journey too far.

The time, 4min 22 2/5sec, from a 4min 29sec mark represented another good performance.


Credit: THE PRESS 7 Nov 1934

 

YEAR: 1941

LEICESTER MAIDENS

Now forgotten, a lesson on how few "legends" last beyond our own time, Winchmore trainer Leicester Maidens produced some amazing results with "has been" pacers and trotters on both sides of the Tasman in the 1930's and 1940's. What was his secret? - and did it later play a role in Bart Cummings winning at least one of his Melbourne Cups?

Maiden's feats with top class veteran horses remain unequalled. In 1941, fresh from a two year retirement on health grounds, he won 23 races just from January to July when leading trainer Ces Donald had 34 for the whole season. More remarkably, the youngest of his winners was eight and the eldest two were 12! Zincali, raced by West Coast All Black, Jack Steel, and formerly with experts Maurice McTigue and "Dil" Edwards, was the leading stakes earner nationally, winning six races and setting an Australasian record for a mile and a half.

In 1936 when asked to take a "lost cause" for Ashburton owner, Harry Nicoll, Maidens agreed - if he could also try the New Zealand Cup/ Dominion Handicap winner Wrackler, then 10, which had been hacked in retirement for more than 12 months. Nicoll reluctantly agreed and within three months Wrackler had won the Addington Handicap beating most of the best open class trotters around.

Born in 1900 into an Ashburton farming family, the personable and popular Maidens first came to prominence with Harvest Child, one of two high class winners from th first crop of the "hyped" expensive stallion, Sonoma Harvester who never repeated the feat. Past his best and a refugee from stables such as that of Freeman Holmes, Harvest Child was rejuvenated under Maidens.

At his 1930's peak Maidens had 30 horses in work near Methven, a huge number then. Rollo, then a 12-year-old, had been retired out of Roy Berry's stable but won several rich races for Maidens. Peter Locanda, Marie Celeste - both 10 year olds - Zingarrie, Jesse Owens - who won four of his six starts for Maidens after being taken over from Dinny Teahen of Certissimus fame - and Palomar were other great successes.

His two best results, apart from Zincali, were Blue Mountain and Peter Smith. Blue Mountain was a tough grey horse owned bt Mrs Inex Sweetapple of Auckland and fornerly with Jack Shaw before Maidens raced him in partnership with his owner. He went within a length of beating Indianapolis in that champion's first NZ Cup in 1934, anothe champion Harold Logan being three lengths away.

Maidens inherited Peter Smith late in his career. He won the rich Olivier Handicap and ran third in three NZ Cup attempts, his problem on Cup Day being that as a fast beginner he was always dragging the field up to inevitable tearaway pacemaker, Gold Bar.

Maidens retired again in 1945 and took over the Royal Hotel in Palmerston North. In 17 seasons training by his count he had been in the top four trainers or drivers seven times and rarely outside the top five. In 1949 Maidens turned up in Melbourne, claiming health reasons though his wife, Margaret, remained in Palmerston North. After a time he took over a free-legged pacer well past his best called Dauntless Peter and decided to train him in hopples, something the horse hated with a passion. "He tried to kick them off every day for six weeks," Maidens recalled.

Largely thanks to a rejuvenated Dauntless Peter who beat the best in the Melbourne Free-For-All in spite of carrying a buckled wheel for most of the way so bad the driver had to sit on one side of the cart, Maidens then won a Melbourne trainer's premiership. Later, in 1953, he was on the front pages (headline "Women Screamed) after surviving a spetacular smash at the Showgrounds when thrown 20ft high in the air, and he was also a guest columnist in the Melbourne Argus.

He was then private trainer for owner/breeder Bob Stewart but after a time there was strife with the stewards over the form of Silver Trigger in two races the same night at a provincial meeting. Owner-trainer and horse were disqualified for 12 months. On appeal Stewart was absolved. However Maidens, who had been in trouble for giving the stewards a "serve" about them talking to him before the start of the race on the night, (he won one race and was second in the other) lost his appeal in spite of several impressive character witnesses in his defence. Stewart sold up in favour of galloping in disgust. Maidens later retired and died in Toorak, Melbourne, in 1973.

The Maidens secret? Various tonics were in use in that era but few were unknown to the top trainers on whom Maidens seemed to improve on time after time. He had either found an effective form of natural hormone treatment or, as he himself seemed to claim, he was ahead of his time in recognising the role of ulcers on the performance of older horses. "Old horses suffer more from ulcers because of stress and the standard training feeding diet ofter makes it worse," Maidens once said in an interview. "Ulcers are painful and have a big effect on diet and work. I pay special attention to diets for my horses (lower oats content, special cooked supplements) and work them less to cut stress."

60 years later, after veteran Rogan Josh came from nowhere to win the 1999 Melbourne Cup, Bart Cummings sang the praises of an ulcer product as the winning edge. Treating ulcers became a racing fad - until an ingredient was found to be a prohibited substance. Ulcer treatment remains large in the training of older horses as a result.

It would have been another story the colourful Leicester Maidens would love to have told.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HR Weekly 6Feb13

 

YEAR: 1957

Lookaway, the first 4yo to win the Cup
1957 NZ TROTTING CUP

Records are made to be broken and Lookaway broke one last Tuesday when he romped home at the head of the field for the 1957 New Zealand Trotting Cup. He became the first four-year-old ever to win the race and a great horse and a great reinsman combined to achieve an outstanding performance.

Lookaway has had a meteoric rise to Cup company and on Tuesday he lived right up to the high opinion formed of him by his many admirers. Lookaway had gone from success to success, culminating in his clear cut win in the Dominion's premier two-mile race. His win gave M Holmes his third driving success in the race. He drove Wrackler to win in 1930 and trained and drove Chamfer to win in 1950.

The race was truly run from start to finish and the backmarkers were working hard from the time the barriers were released, and Holmes drove his own race. He waited for nobody, a habit Holmes has. The first half mile was run in 64 1-5secs, the mile in 2:08 4-5, the mile and a quarter in 2:41 2-5, the mile and a half in 3:12, the mile and five furlongs in 3:43 3-5 and the full journey in 4:14 4-5.

Once Lookaway became balanced he was taken up to sit in behind the pacemaker, General Sandy, and when that horse began to weaken just after passing the half mile, Lookaway streaked away into the lead and turned for home with a winning break on the rest. From that stage to the winning post it was only a matter of keeping him up to his work to win by the official margin of five lengths from last year's Cup winner Thunder. M Holmes must be given full credit for the manner in which he has developed Lookaway and he drove another masterly race on Tuesday.

Brahman was the only one to really break at the start but Thelma Globe was slow and Caduceus was also a little slow to get into his stride. Passing the stands for the first time, General Sandy was setting a solid pace from Roy Grattan with two lengths to La Mignon, Trueco and Lookaway, almost together. Then followed four lengths back, Worthy Chief, Tactician, Thunder, Laureldale, and Caduceus with a gap to Adorian. At the mile post Lookaway had moved up to trail General Sandy and M Holmes had settled down in his characteristic attitude. At this stage the two leaders were clear of Trueco, Highland Air, False Step, La Mignon, Thunder, Worthy Chief and Caduceus.

Passing the half mile Lookaway raced into the lead and reached the three furlongs with a handy break on Trueco who was closely followed by General Sandy, Highland Air and Thunder. Lookaway continued his fine run to reach the post a clear-cut winner from Thunder with La Mignon in third place and False Step fourth. Then came Caduceus, Highland Air, General Sandy, Worthy Chief, Trueco and Tactician, with the rest beaten off.

It is safe to say that there would be no more happy man on the course than Mr C L Rhodes, owner of the Cup winner. Mr Rhodes bred and did the early training of Lookaway and no owner is more deserving of success in the light-harness sport in the Dominion than Mr Rhodes. Lookaway is the first foal of Raceaway, who was a useful winner herself and took a record of 3:41 4-5 for one mile and five furlongs. Raceaway was got by U Scott from Loyal Bonny, by Grattan Loyal-Bon Rey, by Rey de Oro-Bonilene (imp) by the Bondsman. This is one of the most successful families in the NZ Trotting Stud Book.

For more than twenty years Mr Rhodes has raced pacers and trotters and he has won much more money with his horses than most people, and he has owned more horses than most people. They have not all been winners - some have not even got to the races - but this has never daunted Mr Rhodes. He has kept on pressing on regardless and no one would get a greater thrill out of Lookaway's fine win than his owner-breeder and one-time trainer.

Mr Rhodes made an inauspicious start in the light-harness game. His father-in-law, Mr Free Holmes, gave him a Sonoma Harvester gelding called Harvest Child in 1933. Harvest Child was then eight years old. He had been raced extensively, and with a good deal of success, before becoming the property of Mr Rhodes. Harvest Child made no return for some time and then Mr Rhodes leased him to L A Maidens who then trained at Winchmore. Maidens won three further races with Harvest Child and these successes stimulated Mr Rhodes's interest in the sport. He has never let up since.

Mr Rhodes has been in the limelight in recent years through the deeds of the 'Peterson' family. Mr Rhodes has put much of the money his horses have won back into his training establishment, 'Peterson Lodge' at Templeton. His 150 acre farm, and ideal training quarters and track (formerlythe late R B Berry's establishment) are praised by every visitor. Horses raced by Mr Rhodes have won over £60,000. Lookaway's latest success brought his record to 14 wins and £12,711 5s in stakes, a grand record for a four-year-old.

In presenting the Cup to Mr Rhodes, the Governor General, Lord Cobham, paid tribute to a fine horse and an expert driver and congratulated Mr Rhodes on his fine win. Mr Rhodes replied. Lord Cobham stated that he had seen trotting several years ago in Perth when he visited that city with the MCC cricket team.

This year's New Zealand Cup created widespread interest weeks before the big event, and there appeared to be a new spirit in the large crowd which turned up at Addington on Tuesday. The weather was threatening in the morning but had improved by the time the Cup came up for decision. The new spirit was reflected in the totalisator investments on the race which showed an increase over those of last year. The on course total on the race was £25,395 compared with £22,096 10s last year and the off course total was £24,137 as against £23,329 last year.

Attendances and totalisator figures for Cup Day showed a sharp increase over the figures for the previous year. The crowd was officially estimated at 21,000 compared with 18,000 twelve months ago. The crowd tested the capacity of the totalisator and many hundreds were shut out on the outside enclosure on several races. There was not the same congestion on the inside. On-course totalisator investments amounted to £191,118 5s, including £17,965 15s on the duoble, compared with £165,908 5s last year. Off-course investments also showed a substantial increase, amounting to £151,052, compared with £128,443 10s last year. The meeting was held in fine weather, but a cool southerly wind made conditions unpleasant early in the day. The track was in good order.

Credit: 'Irvington' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 13Nov57

 

YEAR: 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



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