CLICK HERE TO GO BACK

JACK 'SONNY" TRENGROVE

When two Dunedin butchery partners decidedly to separately get into harness racing in the 1920's the results were astonishing.

One won the New Zealand Cup with his first starter in any trotting race, a unique feat. The other was the first owner to win three NZ Trotting Cups. Together they won four New Zealad Trotting Cups in 13 years and ran another six placings.

Jack "Sonny" Trengrove and George Barton were partners in Dunedin's biggest butchers shop, sited in the Octagon. Both started off racing gallopers and, in Barton's case, continued to do so. Long before Australians started paying big money for our top horses Trengrove and Barton were big spenders. In September, 1923 Trengrove paid £2000 - a million dollars today - for two horses, Alto Chimes and Great Hope.

It was money well spent. Trengrove, who had a number of successful gallopers, set a thus far unique record in the 1923 NZ Cup won by Great Hope. The little chestnut horse was driven by the then youngest driver to win the race, 21-year-old Jimmy Bryce jnr, but more incredibly it was the first time Trengrove's colours had been carried in a pacing race.

"I am delighted. Wouldn't you be it you won the Cup the first time your colours were unfurled?" Sonny asked the media. One cheeky reporter noted that "although his present condition of obesity would seem to belie it, Jack Trengove was a star of the Heathcote Valley rugby team in his earlier years". The portly butcher was also a steward of both the Forbury Park and Otago Hunt Clubs.

Great Hope was placed in two further Cups (Alto Chimes ran in one of them) and helped break new ground when, at Trengrove's insistence, he travelled all the way to Perth for the Pacing Championship, the first attempt to get an Inter-Dominion series off the ground. Great Hope won the three heat series by one point winning over £1000 for Trengrove who travelled to the meeting. The butchery business survived a huge fire in 1921 and grew even larger but Trengrove sold out in 1926 to follow his horses.

Great Hope, the best 3-year-old of his era, was originally owned by breeder Robert McMillan of Santa Rosa stud in Halswell - the Nevele R of its time - who was killed in a spectacular crash between a car and the southbound express at Templeton which also severely injured his great friend Eugene McDermott. The horse was then bought by Hawera's Joe Corrigan for £1000. Great Hope was slightly disappointing at four and Corrigan - not entirely for racing reasons - sold him on to Trengrove after the August National meeting, the horse remaining with James Bryce.

Young Bryce gave Great Hope the run of the race and he beat the first 4-year-old to run in the Cup, Acron, which would have won had he gone away.

George Barton was also a self-made man having started out as a butcher's apprentice. Uniquely, at the height of his racing fame he employed private trainers on both sides of the Tasman - a thoroughbred one in Victoria (where he had Group 1 winners) and a standardbred one in Christchurch. After the freak death of his long time harness trainer and advisor, Tomkinson, Barton bought the trainer's Derby Lodge stable and set up "Tomkys" foreman, Claude Dunleavy, in his place, with Mrs Tomkinson being allowed to live in the house.

Like Trengrove, Barton had a unique racing record. He won eight successive owner premierships in harness racing in the 1930's. The in 1938-9 was the leading thoroughbred owner in the country, a dual code feat never equalled and unlikely to ever be. He had retired from Otago's best known butchery in 1936.

Barton, a fearless punter, especially in Australia, was direct and could be ruthless. Six hours before the 1937 New Zealand Cup in which he had three runners Barton sacked trainer Dunleavy (who later went to Roydon Lodge), Tempest running third in the event for the stable with Doug Watts in the cart. Southland's Jim Walsh was (Briefly) given the horses. Dunlevy had won £23,000 in stakes for the owner in the previous three years and twice had three Cup runners the same year for him, a record which endures to this day. Barton gradually returned to thoroughbreds for his major interest though he retained his interest in trotters. His high class galloper Ark Royal was principally responsible for his leading owner status in the thoroughbred world.

Barton, who gave up his Australian galloping stable over a case on suspicious running once pointed out that at a country gallops meeting in Victoria he had won three races worth £90 but won £2000 in betting on them. In December 1934 Barton caused a sensation when resigning from the Forbury Park Trotting Club on apparent health grounds - and a "recent unpleasant incident" - which referred to a Stewards inquiry into the running of his horse, Tempest, which had earlier sensationally beaten the pacing star War Bouy ending his 9 winning streak.

Barton would nor accept his horses were not run entirely on their merits. He bought and raced stars like Free Advice, Subsequent Inter-Dominion champion, Grand Mogul, Nelson Derby, Lapland, Cloudy Range and many others.

However, Barton's greatest triumph was buying subsequent triple NZ Cup winner Indianapolis from Harry Nicoll in the depths of the Depression. Tomkinson trialled him and declared him a bargain "the greatest pacer ever foaled" at £500. It seemed a remarkable price considering what Sonny Trengrove had parted with for Great Hope a decade before. The Indianapolis story is an amazing one and owner Barton remains one of only two men to have individually owned three New Zealand Cup winners. Indianapolis's public image would dwarf most modern "superstars". Newspapers devoted entire articles to him just standing in a box recovering from injury. Had Tomkinson lived there is no doubt Indianapolis would have been our first 2 minute miler.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 31Oct12

1923 NEW ZEALAND CUP

Another Cup has come and gone and this year it went to the favorite, Great Hope, who was sold some time back to the Dunedin owner, Sonny Trengrove, who made his first appearance as an owner of a light harness horse.

Ever since the National meeting Great Hope has been in the market, as the majority of people thought he would improve considerably on his August efforts. So he did, but this scribe is not going to suggest that the improvement was not the result of his races and there was nothing not all square about it. Right here let it be said that after seeing the Cup run and won by Great Hope, this scribe thinks that, though he was unplaced, the pony Taraire is to-day the best pacer in the Dominion. Well, what happened to him on Tuesday? Nothing more or less than that it failed to leave the mark and lost about three seconds. Afterwards he went a good race, but turned it up when pursuit was hopeless.

Now for the race. The bracket was a good favorite and both Great Hope and Tamaire stripped well; so did the second favorite, Acron, but he is a young horse and many were afraid of him at the peg. Early in the day his trainer told Owner J. R. McKcnzic that he had every hope that the bay would be tractable at the peg. but though he was not very bad, still he was on his toes and the assistant starter took hold of him after he had been giving trouble, but at Kennerley's request he let him go again.

When the word was given Great Hope was in his stride like a flash, whlle Paul Dufault dwelt and so did Acron, Whispering Willie and Turaire. Great Hope led to the stand, when he was steadied, and Paul Dufault led him and a bunched field, which was tailed by Taraire. Down the back stretch Paul Dufault was going very fast and tho driver of Great Hope was using him as a wind shield, while none of the rear rank could head them off. As they went into tho straight Vilo and Onyx were noticed putting in good work but the leading positions were unchanged. With half a mile to go Great Hope ran past Paul Dufault and down the back it looked like a stroll for the winner, but as they swept into the straight Acron who had been snowed in most of the way, Vito and Onyx started after the leader.

In a good finish ihe handsome chestnut held his own and won by a length from Acron with the consistent but unlucky Onyx in third p!ace. Then came Willie Lincoln and the Oamaru horse, Albert Cling. With five furlongs to go Snowshoe when well placed, left his feet and Tompkinson got a heavy fall but luckily, was not hurt. It was considered in some quarters that Acron was unlucky and he might have been, but this scribe will not have that the best horse did not win. He never put a toe wrong the whole way and young Bryce deserves every credit for the wry he drove the winner. It was a case of his father over again at his very best. Snowshoe has all along been giving trouble and probably he hit himself when he fell, as certainty nothing in the race interfered with the Aussie.


Credit: NZ Truth 10 Nov 1923

BARGAIN PRICED HORSES

Large prizes are the headlights of progress. They are the rewards which await those who own the fastest and stoutest racehorses. They increase values, and place the acid stamp of merit on the names of winners which, in time, become the basis of comparison with those which preceeded and those which follow them.

No owner of racehorses has ever complained that the stakes are too large, but it is a common lament on the part of sale-ring frequenters that 'they could have had for such and such a bargain price' a horse that surmounted its humble origin to flourish into one of the best compaigners of its time. The sale-ring bargains are numerous. Many of them changed hands at prices that must have been a considerable loss to their breeders, and, in the right hands, numerous cast-offs have richly rewarded the speculators with a keen eye for a passable bit of horseflesh.

Buying horses is a gamble and always will be. There are more bad ones than good ones sold or practically given away. On the same day that 400gns was paid for a good-looking filly, which turned out to be a duffer, Nicoya, a gelding by Wrack, was knocked down for 4½gns.

Here we digress for a moment. The Wracks became one of the greatest breeds we have had in this country, but their early stocks were low indeed. In spite of Wrackler and First Wrack coming from Wrack's first season, shrewd judges got the idea that the bulk of the breed were 'wasters.' So strong did the prejudice become that some owners did not so much as bother trying their young horses by Wrack. One well-known breeder even resorted to the desperate expedient of going on a shooting expedition among a paddock full of Wracks! This unwarranted prejudice was no doubt the reason why three of the greatest trotters of the breed, or any breed for that matter, were picked up at auction by lucky ringsiders for a few pounds each.

I have in front of me as I write a sale catalogue of H Matson & Co dated Easter Monday, 1931, in which a bay yearling filly by Wrack from a Paul Huon mare was sold on behalf of Mr H F Nicoll for 6gns to D Neill. That filly was none other than Sea Gift, who late found her way to J Bryce's stable, eventually to end up in the ownership of Mr C M Archer. Trained by E J Smith, Sea Gift won thousands, became the champion 2-year-old trotter - her record of 4.21 2/5 still stands - and beat good pacers after outclassing herself among her own gait.

Lot 13 turned up trumps for Mr R H Butterick, who went to Tattersalls Horse Bazaar on Wednesday, August 14, 1935, and paid no heed to superstition or anything else by bidding 4gns for the aforsaid lot, a bay mare, seven years, by Wrack from a Nelson Bingen mare. This mare was about the most unprepossessing piece of horseflesh imaginable, and it took Allan Matson all his time to 'give her away.' The mare, intended for a humble farm animal, by mere chance was tried for speed and became Peggoty, who won seven races on end, had a foal, and returned from the brood mares paddock to win the Dominion Handicap.

In another catologue I find that Nicoya was sold by the same firm, and on behalf of the same vendor, for 4½gns. Nicoya was described by a well-known trainer at the sale as "a big, soft-legged, carty gelding who might be useful in the harrows." The great majority who saw him sold evidenly sudscribed to this opinion, because Nicoya was knocked down to a West Coast sportsman for 4½gns. When he eventually came into the ownership of Mr J Manera, and was handed over to L F Berkett to train, Nicoya became a star among our best handicap trotters and finished up by beating Huon Voyage in the Champion Handicap, one mile and a half. The 4½gns cast-off was one of the greatest trotters produced in this country. It is certain that the best of him was never seen.

A 'Tasmanian buyer' secured a veritable goldmine when a NZ agent bid 37½gns, on his behalf for Ayr, who was sold at Tattersalls on behalf of Mr H F Nicoll on March 24, 1932. The 'Tasmanian buyer' was Mr E Tatlow, who bred from her Springfield Globe, Our Globe, Ayress, Van Ayr, Ayr Derby, and three younger ones all by Raider, the last of which, a colt, arrived in 1943. In view of the great track performances of Springfield Globe and Our Globe, it is reasonable to assume that any foal from Ayr today must be worth a tidy sum.

Karangi was bought at one of Mr J R McKenzie's dispersal sales for £10; Roydon's Pride (dam of Certissimus and Desmond's Pride) went under the hammer at Tattersalls for 27½gns, and Slapfast (dam of Gold Flight) for 12gns.

When 'money is scarce and hard to get' you should search round and try to happen upon something like Garner. But you would require a lot of luck as well as an eye for a likely sort to pick up such a rare bargain as Garner turned out to be for the late E C McDermott. This daughter of Sonoma Harvester and Pat Dillon was bought by McDermott for 16gns. She was a born trotter who showed unusual ability when only 2-years-old. As a 3-year-old she was the best trotter of her age that season, winning a double at Cheviot. At 4 years she put up a remarkable performance by winning the three principal trotting events at the Auckland Cup Carnival. Later she beat most of the best trotters in commission at Addington and took the two-mile record of 4.28 2/5. In her track work Garner trotted a mile in 2.09, and the last half mile in 62 4/5.

Thelma Wrack, when carring the Sapling Stakes winner, Moana Tama was sold for £2/10/- and the mare and foal were later passed on to Mrs G Bills for £10. It is related that Thelma Wrack was a hard mare to handle and that she could never be raced. At one time, I am informed, she was ordered to be shot, but she eluded all attempts to catch her. The frustration of those who had designs on her life is one of the fads of Fate, not new by any means.

Madam Templeton, in foal to Jingle, was knocked down at Tattersalls for £3/10/-. A colt foal duly appeared, to be named Rollo. He was raced for a time by Mr D R Revell, who sold him to Mr H M Allen, for whom he won thousands.

Mr E F C Hinds bought the then crippled Harold Logan for 100gns and won more than £11,000 with him. At Mr H W Aker's dispersal sale he had Tactless knocked down to him at 60gns, and developed him into a tidy stake- winner. Llewellyn's Pet, whom he secured for 14gns won several races.

Quality, one of the best staying mares of her time, was sold in 1927 on account of Mr A Bright, Ashburton, to Mr J O'Grady (her breeder and original owner, by the way), for 45gns. Quality won a considerable sum in stakes and qualified for the NZ Cup. She was one of the best investments that C S Donald ever had in his stable.

Billy Sea, when his sun was setting, as most people thought, was sold by Mr J A Mitchell, of Palmerston North, in 1927, to L Stobart, of New Brighton for 38gns. Stobart won the big race at New Brighton the following year with his purchase, and paid a huge dividend. Then N C Price trained Billy Sea to win a saddle race at Addington. Returned to Stobart, Billy Sea started in the Ashburton Cup, which he won at another large dividend. He was a hard wearing veteran, and it was remarkable the number of times his ability was under-estimated.

Kean John, sold by Mr M O'Brien to Messrs Barton and Trengrove in 1932 for 100gns won £1337 for those owners, while The Rook, sold in 1922 by A Hendriksen to A E Messervey for 27gns afterwards collected close to £1000 in prize money. Albert Logan, who was sold for 62gns by Mr A P Tutton to J W Thomas in 1923, won nearly £600. Tumatukuru, bought by a patron of W J Tomkinson's stable for 35gns, showed a handsome profit, as did Whakaku who was sold by Mr M O'Brien to a Perth sportsman for 75gns in 1926, and won distinction in the West. Lady Barrister, a well-bred mare in foal to Guy Parrish was sold in 1928 by Mr E Cambridge to Mrs W Balloch, of Melbourne, for 70gns. Her foal was Guy Parrister, a good winner, and she was raced again after rearing the foal, with good results.

Glenrossie, who was sold by Mr R M Morten to Mr J McDonald, for 80gns, won his way to the best company, crediting the Wellington sportsman with several thousands in stakes, and at times returning good dividends when his form should have pointed otherwise. Logan Park, another winner of thousands, was purchased by Messrs Armstrong and Johnston for 125gns, and Cannonball proved a bargain at the 105gns paid for him as a young horse.

Carmel, winner of thousands, changed hands as a youngster at 14gns. Mountain Dell, another big stake-winner, was sold as a juvenile for £10, and Impromptu, a great pacer, was sold as a 3-year-old for £45. Moneyspider was another that was passed on very cheap, and last, but not least, Monte Carlo, winner of the first NZ Trotting Cup, who once changed hands for £25.



Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 20Sep44

Great Hope with J Bryce Jnr after the 1923 NZ Cup

1923 NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP

As the first two decades of Cup competition closed there was a changing of the guards of sorts when Great Hope led home the unlucky Acron, the first 4-year-old to contest the race, in the hands of James Bryce Jnr, who at 21 remains the youngest reinsman to win the Cup, along with Allan Holmes.

In a fine field, they were followed in by Onyx, Willie Lincoln, Albert Cling, Trix Pointer and the winner's stablemate Taraire, the backmarker on 48 yards.

Initially raced by his breeder Robert McMillan and then Joe Corrigan, Great Hope had only been owned for three months by Dunedin sportsman J Trengrove.

He went on to be placed in the next two Cups and was also runner-up to stablemate Taraire in the forerunner to the Inter-Dominion Championship in Perth.

Credit: NZ HRWeekly 1Oct2003

-o0o-

Great Hope, always well-placed and well-driven by James Bryce junior, held out the four-year-old Acron after a great contest. Bryce, only 21 years nine months, was by far the youngest driver to win a New Zealand Cup, a record he held until 1932, when Allan Holmes, 21 years one month, piloted Harold Logan to victory.

Bracketmates Great Hope and Taraire were the race favourites. The latter, the top money-winner from the previous season, scored a dashing win in the King George Handicap at Addington in August, posting 4:29.6, and qualified within the limit of 4:30. But Taraire was badly treated by the handicapper and shared the back mark of 48 yards with Vilo. As it turned out, Taraire began badly and never showed up during the running.

Great Hope raced three times in August. Earlier in the three-day National meeting he raced prominently in the August and King George Handicaps, but failed to see out the distance, fading in the last 100 yards. In the National Cup on the final day he improved to run third behind Alto Chimes and Onyx.

From the start Bryce positioned Great Hope, from his 12-yard handicap, in behind the leader Paul Default, and they were followed most of the way by Trix Pointer, Vilo, Albert Cling and Willie Lincoln. Snowshoe fell when mixing her gait in the back straight the first time and dislodged Bill Tomkinson. In the back straight the last time Paul Default and Great Hope were driven clear, while Onyx made a forward move and Acron moved up fast on the rails. At the tanks Bryce sent Great Hope away in the lead, and he turned for home on his own, finally winning in 4:31.4 by a length from the fast-finishing and unlucky Acron. Then followed Onyx, Willie Lincoln, Albert Cling, Trix Pointer and Taraire.

Great Hope, a five-year-old, was by the American sire Great Audubon, from Sadie Dillon. He was raced early in his career by his breeder, Robert McMillan, of the Santa Rosa Stud, where Great Audubon stood at a fee of £15 15s. At three, Great Hope was the best of his age, winning the Great Northern Derby at Auckland and the New Zealand Derby at New Brighton. Between these winning runs, McMillan died and the horse passed to Joe Corrigan, a patron of the Bryce stable. After the August meeting, where Great Hope proved disappointing, he was sold again, this time to the Dunedin sportsman, J Trengrove. When presented with the Cup by the Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, Trengrove expressed his jubilation and good fortune at having owned a horse for only three months and in that time having him win the country's most prestigious race.

Acron was the first four-year-old to contest the New Zealand Cup, but, like so many other extremely good four-year-olds who followed him into the race, the win eluded him. Acron possessed brilliant speed and stamina and for 10 years held the record mile time in New Zealand of 2:03.6. The outstanding youngster of his time, winning the Great Northern and New Zealand Derbies, Acron was the last qualifier for the 1923 New Zealand Cup, winning the Islington Handicap, the last race on the final day of the August meeting, with a superlative performance. He started from 72 yards and beat 17 others to record a time of 4:29.8.

Slow away in the Cup and a long way back early, Acron gradually improved and at the end of the first mile took a place on the inside, at the back of the first group. That proved to be a bad decision because Jack Kennerley could not clear Acron until the race was all but over, though he put in a tremendous run for second. Such bad luck was to dog owner J R McKenzie and his son Roy, who, despite every effort, have failed to land a New Zealand Cup. Yet, between them the McKenzie's have won every other important race on the harness racing calendar and have been leading owners 18 times. J R McKenzie headed the owners' list for the first time in the 1925-26 season.

Acron and Onyx (who ran her usual honest race for third) were by Free Holmes' imported stallion Logan Pointer, then standing alongside his other American import, Rey de Oro, at his Upper Riccarton Stud. Both were successful sires, but Logan Pointer more so. Logan Pointer, foaled in 1909 and imported in 1915, did not race in New Zealand and was first represented on the sires' list in 1918-19. For six seasons, from 1922-23 until 1927-28, and again in 1930-31, he was the country's top sire. Unfortunately, Logan Pointer met a premature end, in 1924, in the prime of his stud duty, when he was kicked by a pony and had to be destroyed. In all, he sired 187 individual winners. His greatest son, without doubt, was pacing idol Harold Logan. Other outstanding performers, in addition to Onyx and Acron, were Prince Pointer, Jewel Pointer, Logan Chief, Cardinal Logan, Logan Park, Native Chief and the trotter Trampfast.

On the second day of the 1923 meeting some excellent performances were recorded by several young horses, none more so than the victory by Logan Chief in the New Zealand Free-For-All, beating Great Hope and Happy Voyage. Logan Chief was one of the stars of the early part of the season, recording three wins and two minor placings from five starts.

Kennerley must have been the envy of most trainers at this time, with Logan Chief, Acron and rising champion Great Bingen in his Belfast stable. But even with this powerful trio, Kennerley trailed James Bryce at the end of the season. Bryce trained 24 winners and drove 28. Kennerley, with 16½ training and the same number of driving successes, was runner-up.

A cold easterly made the third day unpleasant. Don Wild, a free-legged pacer, won the Christchurch Handicap from Tatsy Dillon and Trix Pointer. Don Wild continued his good form after this meeting and by the end of the season was the top money-winner with £3202. Free-legged pacers have been a rarity on racetracks in New Zealand and few have made top company. There have been exceptions - Young Irvington, Don Wild, Lawn Derby, Robalan and Final Decision all raced 'without straps' and made it to the top level.

Native King, a son of Nelson Bingen and Norice, won the Dominion Handicap in race-record time of 4:37.2. Native King was a brother to Nelson Derby, sire of Haughty.

The betting at Addington over the three days was £210,436, a decrease of £11,000 on the previous year. The trend continued, as interest, it seemed, had peaked at Addington. Patrons at the track in 1923 were greeted with extentions to the steward's stand. However, the purchase by the club of a large property on Riccarton Road and the proposed transfer of operations away from Addington were much-discussed topics at this time. The Riccarton project never went ahead, although substantial plans were drawn up. Significantly, the track was designed to run clockwise, the opposite way to Addington. The Riccarton land was sold some years later, and it seems that harness racing in Christchurch will forever have its headquarters at Addington




Credit: Bernie Wood writing in The Cup

Reta Peter's 1921 Cup & Evelyn Robson

Prior to 1914 the winner of the NZ Cup did not win a cup.

From 1914 to 1923 the then President of the NZMTC donated cups for this purpose. The imposing silver cups were made in London, were 26 inches (66cm) high and were surmounted by a silver horse, sulky and driver.

Since 2001 the 1923 Cup won by J Trengrove's Great Hope has been used as a challenge trophy for the Dominion Handicap.