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RON BISMAN

The doyen of harness racing journalism in New Zealand, Ron Bisman, passed away last month. The prolific author who was renowned for many publications during his many years as a writer passed away late in June, aged 82 in Queensland.

Mike Grainger, who enjoyed a sustained working relationship over many years with Bisman described his former colleague in a simple fashion. "He was an absolute gentleman," Grainger said. "I spent a lot of time with Ron when I would travel to Auckland for meetings and would stay at his house. He was a prolific compiler of harness racing history and his library of information at home was extensive and he had things there that most people would have thrown away instantly. He loved all that kind of stuff."

Grainger said it was Bisman's kind demeanour and willingness to listen to everyone's story that made him such a successful journalist and added that it was easy to find him on any given race night at Alexandra Park. "He was always in the same stand, standing in the same spot and the same bar. Harness racing was his life alongside Eunice and you would never find anyone who had a bad word to say about him or anyone who he had a bad word to say about. He was just an all-round decent person."

Born in Lyttleton in 1932 and educated at Christchurch Boy's High School, Bisman joined The Christchurch Press as a cadet reporter at the age of 16. He toiled away as a general reporter for two years and then spent five in the racing department before accepting the role as editor of the New Zealand Trotting Calendar.

After a year there he visited the United States in 1956, accompanying globetrotting breeder-owner Noel Simpson and New Zealand owner-trainer Jack Shaw; with the trotter Vodka, they blazed the trail for the Down Under horses that were soon to race so successfully in North America.

On his return Bisman edited the weekly racing publication Friday Flash in Wellington for the first four years of its existence, then accepted a position as associate editor on the Kentucky published Horseman and Fair World. After two years in Lexington, Bisman returned to become racing editor of the New Zealand Truth, and four years later, in 1966, joined the Auckland Star as trotting editor.

He visited America again in 1967 in company with Peter Wolfenden, and through his travels became closely associated with some of the principal figures in the life of Cardigan Bay. Ron was also a long-time contributor to trotting publications throughout the world (America, Australia and Italy). He also had two years as secretary and judge of the Macau Trotting Club. He was Auckland correspondent for the NZ Harness Racing Weekly for many years. He was also a member of the NZ Trotting Hall of Fame.

Cardigan Bay was his first book. Ron also wrote the DB Trotting Annual for several years, worked for Harness Racing NZ as their "man in the North" and later worked as the Public Relations manager for the Auckland Trotting Club. He edited the first nine editions of the Trotting Annuals from 1972. He compiled The Interdominions with Taylor Strong, first published in 1975 and two subsequent editions.

New Zealand Trotting Greats, Globetrotting Simpson and Harness Heroes are other books he wrote. In 1982 Ron's deluxe limited edition book, A Salute to Trotting, covered an extensive history of 418 pages of harness racing in NZ from its earliest beginning until July 1982.

After retiring, Ron and his wife Eunice moved to Queensland's Sunshine Coast. His daughter Christine Eggers said her father had battled cancer for almost a year. "Dad's first operation was at the end of January (2015) and he was even playing golf and having chemo three weeks ago. He went downhill very quickly and, sad as it is, he was ready to go," his Sydney based daughter said.

Bisman is survived by his wife Eunice, daughter, Christine and son Perry.

Credit: Duane Ranger - Harnessed July 2015

HARNESS SCRIBES AND SEVEN OF THEIR PAPER STEEDS

Everything changes so it is said (though sometimes "and nothing changes at all" is an added proviso) and few things have altered over more than a century of racing publications. They start, they thrive and than they die - onlt for replacements more suited to the times to spring to life.

Some regard this as a weakness when it is a strength. Adapting new ideas is an essential for any business. So we thought we would say goodbye to Harnessed by recalling the valiant and successful attempts to market harness racing in previous eras. And especially the talented scribes who rode the publishing waves.

As you will see many survive long after their flagships eventually sank.

THE NEW ZEALAND REFEREE

The first publication to dedicate space to trotting it was a weekly founded in 1884 which later became the Office Calendar for both racing codes. The Christchurch Press bought it in 1891 to merge with its Weekly Press and it stasyed that way until the middle of the 1920's when i shifted base to Wellington. It "died" after a lengthy illness in 1939.

One of the main suppliers of copy in it's heyday was Fred Thomas (writing as "Templar") a breeding and racing expert who also produced the first volume of the Trotting Stud Book in 1905, All of this was incredibly difficult then. He was still contributing features on the sport into the 1950's.

Another standout was a contributor and later editor, John Olliver, whose cricketing family was closely connected with the founding of trotting in Christchurch. His early death accelerated the end of the Referee era.

Some early trotting writers were men of influence. W G Garrard was a rugby test referee and a leading cricket journalist on first name terms with some of the greats of that game. He was still supplying season statistics to the Trotting Calendar shortly before his death in 1944. Thomas Davey, another early trotting scribe, was a Member of Parliament and also Mayor of Christchurch.

THE TROTTING ANNUAL

Moa Publications discovered a mini goldminein the 1970's producing hard-backed, easy to read reviews of the season in several different sports. The Trotting Annual, sponsored for many years by Bominion Breweries, kicked off in 1972 with Auckland Star identity Ron Bisman as editor and contributions fron Norman Pierce, Mike Grainger and even Lord Langford who led a movement to make the sport popular in England.

The Annual was on most harness fan's wish list for Xmas for many years and sets were carefully collected and stored. Some still are. Dave Cannan, a highly regarded harness writer for the Christchurch Star and author of Unhoppled Heros, was a remarkable compiler of statistics and took over the editorship in 1981 with Don Wright the man from the south along with Otago's Taylor Strong and northerner Leo George among those adding support. He handed over to Jeff Scott, later trotting editor of the Christchurch Press ans now a website editor, in 1985.

Bisman returned in 1990 as public interest started to waneand Moa the exited. With Alan Meadows (Meadowset Graphics), Bisman produced a colourful 1994 edition and then a handsomevolume in 1998 with the highlights of intervening years. But it failed to sell and the game was over. In its time however, the "Annual" was hot property and the volumes remain a great source of ststistical information today. Televised racing and video recording however, started a terminal bleeding that could not be stopped.

THE TROTTING CALENDAR

A pubilication called Racing and Trotting Digest briefly carried industry essentials (programmes) through the 1930's until a frustrated Trotting Conference established the New Zealand Trotting Calendar in 1938 under contract with top journalist Karl Scott and his brother Wattie. They produced and printed the paper and Charlie Craig (NZ Herald) and his successor Pat Naden were among contributors along with southerner Norm Pierce. Harry Jarden was another leading trotting journalist in Christchurch at that time and also a member of a famous racing family.

Karl Scott, a man of many talents, was the first to write a book in this country specifically on harness racing back in 1949 (Pillars of Harness Horsedom) though he later claimed he made more from his rural activities than from printing publications.

The Calendar was a rather simple volume of limited pages full of official notices and annoted results. Meetings were covered, an economical easy to read "pithy pars" style popular in that era covering a meeting with many titbits rather than a lengthy article. It was only sold to the public from a few outlets. In later years it broughtin new blood like Ron Bisman and Mike Grainger but the focus remained very much on the needs of industry participants.

THE TROTGUIDE

The Trotguide was a controversial move in the early 1970's with the familiar aim of widening the appeal of the industry publication. It involved the "Calendar" to Lower Hutt where it was produced under its new title by INL Print, publishers of the Friday Flash, NZ Racing Calendar, Turf Digest and the once very popular monthly Hoof Beats which was also seeking a new audience. It also now produced the Year Book of results a printing contract previously held by the Scotts. HRNZ discontinued that many years ago.

Tony Williams was the chief Canterbury contributor with enthusiasts such as Peter Larkin, Shelley Caldwell etc among the freelance supporters. The decision to move the publication caused resentment in Canterbury with a suggestion the Conference Executive at the time had been overly swayed by northern interests. The experiment was not a success from several points of view and especially the ill feeling which followed it from Christchurch.

THE NZ TROTTING CALENDAR(2)

In 1977 the Trotting Conference negotiated a contract with Tony Williams to edit the weekly publication in Christchurch with the proviso it regained its old title of the Calendar - reflecting earlier tensions. The venture, with Frank Marrion as a long time assistant, proved a success and especially from an advertising perspective, classier presentation along with lively content. Williams also reprinted the early Stud Books. Richard Turnbull provided a lot of northern content.

The arrangement lasted nine years but again there was not complete happiness in the camp when it ended. Terms could not be agreed. The advertising growth William had achieved was a major attraction and HRNZ decided to "bring the Calendar home".

THE HARNESS RACING WEEKLY

The new publication, under the editorship of Marrion and with pro-active former daily newspaper reporter Matt Conway among a livewire team, made another attempt to widen the market, publishing late in the week with full race day coverage to match the big boys along with hard hitting stories. Ther HRW was a competitor production-wise but again it didn't make the progress hoped for and so distribution costs, the cause for many closures over the years, became prohibitive.

Marrion left in 1987 for a breeding industry position (he would return later) and eventually Mike Grainger was appointed editor and Michael Guerin continued the tradition of NZ Herald contributions from the north. Michele Harris later became another important cog in the wheel and laterly Katie McNamara and Stacey Markham (nowMedia Manager) assisted among others the same general content was retained but in reduced form with earlier deadlines and lower costs. Printed by the Ashburton Guardian for many years if rarely, if ever, went over budget.

The Weekly remained a popular read for fans until, again because of increasing costs, the decision was made to move to a monthly under the editorship of Matt Markham with input from Michelle Harris, Courtney Clarke and Stacey Markham in 2015. It was a professional publication and gained strong reviews but there were practical disadvantages. Mainly, however, the "Weekly" proved too strong a tradition to erase and is niw due to return.

THE DAILIES

Newspapers increased their coverage of racing before and following World War II as a result of growth in the industry never since matched. 25 years ago city newspapers had full racing departments and a staff of at least six, sometimes with three reporters covering one code on race day before computers took over much of the routine work.

Even smaller provincial papers (Timaru Herald etc)had a specialist racing winter. Few papers now even carry full time specialist racing writers in what is a dramatically different working canvas. The wheel has gone full circle but the dailies retain somewhat basic coverage and fields.

Geoff Yule(The Press) and Pat Naden(NZ Herald) served 37 years and 35 years respectively as harness editors until the late 1980's, Yule being the first Kiwi daily journalist to cover an Australian InterDominion for a daily.

Bisman was ever present and Pierce and Wright spent similar stints in Southland and Strong in Otago. A number of their pupils moved on to greater things. Ron Bisman was an instition at the Auckland Star and also wrote several books, including a biography of Cardigan Bay and the momumental Salute to Trotting. With Taylor Strong he also wrote a history of the InterDominions.

A number of scribes from 30 years ago are still active in some way but the era of the full time specialist writer is almost over. Ironically many early trotting writers were known as "sporting writers" reflecting how they needed to cover more than one area to gain work. John Ollivier in the Referee, for example, covered trotting topics but was also the theatre critic for the paper.

THE OTHER WEEKLIES

Two of the best-known - the Friday Flash and the Truth were hugely popular at their peak but neither survive, though industry support helps The Informant and Turf Digest to carry on the Flash traditions.

Truth had a comprehensive racing coverage pushing controversy and more colourful writing as its point of difference. At its peak it sold 200,000 copies but gradually declined as "sensational" subjects (divorce; sex crimes) previously avoided by leading dailies, became part of the mainstream reporting. Truth demanded controversy and colour and woe betide the reporter who tried to avoid it. Some of its anonymous form par writers used codes(one, using a par such as "Good Day finding it difficult to regain form" actually meant to be on Good Day next start).

Its most notable modern editor was Ray O'Connor who balanced the news and the controversy fairly. In some ways Truth was a victim of its own success as vastly improved structures and systems removed a lot of controversy from harness racing.

The Friday Flash reached a Cup Week print peak of 35,000 in the 1970's but was down to around 3000 at the time of its demise in 2006. Those numbers are about on par with leading current publications. It offered superior previews and trial form as well as trackwork to punters along with a dash of colour and newsy columns. Des Coppins is most remembered among the editors and was followed by colurful Aucklander Bob Lovett who increased trotting content but unhappily, not sales.

The Sunday papers featured racing with full time staff writers for many years but none now employ them. When Barry Lichter took charge of the Sunday Star Times harness coverage increased even it proved a two edged sword for some of the more sensitive in the game. Again blanket television coveragemade even Sunday's news seem out of date.

THE INTERNET

Harness racing was quick to adapt to the computer age dating back to the 1980's and has continued to provide most of what fans and professionals need in the modern age. Victor Rolton(HRNZ) has been an industry leader in that field and Colin Steele od Addington Raceway has placed thousands of stories from times past on the Addington Raceway Timeline.

Frank Marrion posted another first with his online only news and tipping site Harness Express which eliminated distribution costs and pointed the way to the future.

Leading players also established their own sites carrying stable or industry news. This has been a challenge for commercially printed and sold news and form guides though "holding on to the page" still strongly appeals especially to older readers.

CHANGING TIMES

Early racing reporters wrote stories in longhand, had to use public transport and needed to be good handlers of pigeons to send the race results. The Press building demolished in the 2011 eathquake still had a Pigeon Loft which was used until the 1940's. Before the mid 1930's reporters could be and often were expected to work 100 hours a week if required and $10 was a princely weekly wage without overtime. Most were "stringers" working part time for the paper. In newspaper offices younger writers had to wait their turn to get a story published and much of their work was less interesting, largely involving preparation work for fields.

Technology revolutionised the profession through the 1990's computers, televised races, fax machines, then internet, emails and social media made everyone a potential critic on racing. Modern reporters needed to be more versatile using radio and tv interests either part of their contract or a pathway to the future. In the print media heyday no reporter dare take a job on radio. It was the competition.

As we said. Everything changes. But then maybe, as we also said, nothing really changes at all.


Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed July 2017

MATCH RACING

In the earliest days of trotting in NZ, match races proved popular tests of speed and stamina as well as the avenue for gambling. Most tests were run over the distance of three miles although several were often of greater length - journeys of ten to twelve miles with a minimum weight limit of eleven stone. An example of this was a race run from Dunstan to Cromwell approximately 12 miles over hill and down dale on a rough road.

As early as 1864 match races were being held in South Canterbury where local champion cob Tommy(H Waldon) had won six races by mid 1865. Match races were popular in the area with distance events being run from Makikihi to Waimate(approx. 19kms) and Washdyke to Temuka(approx. 15kms). Wagers of amounts as large as £100 were placed. In 1868 a match for £200 a side was held on the Silverstream course near Dunedin between Flora Temple(E Pritchard) and Tommy(Horace Basting). Both owners rode their steeds in a race won by Flora Temple in a time of 9 minutes 39 seconds.

In the 1870s in the Wanganui area, a 16 mile race from Oroua Bridge to the Club Hotel Palmerston North and back was contested by Millie trained and ridden by Tom Hammond from York Farm near Marton. Hammond had predicted that Millie could run the journey in under one hour. Millie, of unknown pedigree, ran the 16 miles in 55½ minutes with Ron Bisman remarking in Salute To Trotting that 'Hammond...made good time. Arriving in Marton, he quaffed a shandy and pressed on'.

In Christchurch in the mid 1870s, a 12 mile race on Yaldhurst Road for £200 a side, took place between Black Boy(rider J Hamilton, breeder Mr Deans of Homebush) who trotted the distance in 36 minutes easily accounting for Hammond's Millie(now owned/trained by Frank Evans of Bulls and hotelkeeper of Rutland Hotel, Wanganui). It was stated that the straps on a breastplate cutting into her shoulder was the cause of Millie's defeat. She later raced in wagon with Marmion and also served in the Marton coach.

Another match race took place between W Kirkwood's Our Pony and Jenny(B Hale) between the Heathcote Bridge to the Caversham Hotel(later King George) on the corner of Madras Street and Ferry Road, Christchurch. Our Pony won by 200 yards earning an unknown but large stake. Subsequently taken to Dunedin, Our Pony(rider W Thompson) competed at Tahuna Park over three miles on the second day of 1881 Dunedin Jockey Club's Cup meeting for a £200 a side purse against Native Cat. Our Pony, won easily by 5 seconds(rider W Thompson, stockman for mercantile firm) from Native Cat(scr) ridden by Harry Goodman in 8 minutes 30 seconds. Match races remained popular with another taking place between Mr Harry Murfitt's Drain Road and Mr Core's Polly at Rangiora for £75 a side. On Lincoln Road, Christchurch(close to current Addington Raceway site), a match between Mr Archie Muir's Dick and champion mare Doctor's Maid was won by Dick by two chains.

A good example of a match race was held at Forbury Park on Monday 30 November 1885, the second day of Dunedin Jockey Club's spring meeting. This was also believed to be the South Island's first trotting race in harness(as opposed to saddle). The race over 3 miles for £50 a side was between Mr A Drake's Dot off scratch and Mr G Smith's Constance receiving 300 yards start. The Otago Daily Times of 1 December 1885 reported:
"Mr Drake's pony - a pretty little thing with splendid action - settled down to trot in earnest after about half a mile had been gone, and had made up 100 yards of the concession at the end of the first mile. Constance was trotting steadily, but continued to lose ground at a great rate in the second mile, and in coming round to the stand again Dot passed her, this virtually finished the race. Mr Drake pulled in his little mare during the third mile, but trotted away again in the straight a very comfortable winner."

The journey had been covered in 12 minutes 33½ seconds, a full 4 minutes 25 seconds slower than Tommy had recorded to win the handicap trotting race on the first day of the meeting on Saturday 28 November. This possibly says as much about the carts used, heavy. high wheeled, bone shaking contraptions with steel wheels, as it does about the superiority of Mr Drake's pony(with acknowledgement to the unpublished history of trotting at Forbury Park).

A New Zealand record for trotters was established during a match race between Wildwood and Prince Imperial at New Brighton on 24 September 1896. Wildwood recorded a time of T2:24.2/5TT. In his time he had been known to trot a half mile in 1:06.2/5 on Henry Mace's track at New Brighton(eventually purchased by New Brighton Trotting Club).

FRITZ v RIBBONWOOD:
Fritz, the great Australian trotter was by Vancleve from Fraulein, dam also of very good performers Freda, Franz, Frederick, The Heir and Prinz. Fritz is best remembered in NZ for a series of match races against Ribbonwood(Wildwood/Dolly) conducted on the first day of the NZMTC's three-day Easter carnival on Saturday 11 April 1903. It was one of the biggest attractions for trotting attracting interest both locally and throughout Australia. Dave Price, Ribbonwood's owner/trainer/driver issued a challenge to race any horse Australasia-wide for £500 a side, best three of five heats over a mile with each side putting up £500 or 1000 sovereigns in total for the match race. The NZMTC put up a £100 gold cup or the cash if Ribbonwood's 2:11.2/5 Australasian record was bettered. A full copy of the match race conditions agreed between Dave Price(Ribbonwood) and John Arthur Buckland through his agent Claude Piper(Fritz) can be found in Karl Scott's "Pillars of Harness Horsedom".

The crowds flocked in from all over the country - by steamer from Wellington and special excursion trains from throughout the South Island. There were many attendees also from Australia. The crowd included the country's Premier, the Right Hon. Richard John Seddon, numerous public figures and representatives of the Canterbury Jockey Club.

Matching a 4yo black NZ pacing stallion against a then 12yo bay Australian trotting gelding was likely to lead to only one result especially as Buckland had little time to ready Fritz for the match race. So it proved, before a crowd of 11,000, age won out as Ribbonwood comfortably outshone Fritz over 3 heats in mile times of 2:14.1/5, 2:13.0 and 2:10.0(new NZ record). The NZMTC then put up £100 if Ribbonwood could beat 2:10. A week later on day three of the Easter meeting, Ribbonwood lowered his NZ record to 2:09.0TT, a time which stood until beaten by his son King Cole(2:08.3/5TT) in August 1911. It is worth noting that the Addington track in those days was just under five furlongs in circumference without the banking or surface it had in latter years.

It must be acknowledged that both Fritz and Ribbonwood were great horses, superior to others of their day. Fritz was undisputed champion of Australia up until the time of the match race while Ribbonwood was the up and coming dominant horse in the Dominion. Fritz was past his best at the time of the challenge but Buckland, a true sportsman, took up the challenge although knowing the advantage lay with the younger horse. Fritz was reported by Buckland to have been working private trial miles in 2:06.0 at home but that was not to be the case when it mattered.

NATIVE CHIEF v GREAT BINGEN:
This flying one-mile exhibition match race was held at NZMTC's summer meeting on 11th February 1928 at Addington. Following five false starts, Native Chief(Logan Pointer/Regina De Or)driven by Jack Kennerley led throughout to defeat Great Bingen(Drum Withers) by three lengths in a time of 2:04.1/5 with thew first half in a minute(NZ record was Acron's 2:03.3/5 set in 1924).

KORO PETER v FIRST WRACK:
A match race between 2yo trotters was unheard of until Wednesday 27 June 1928 when the Auckland Trotting Club scheduled the 2yo Trotters' Challenge Stakes(175 sovs of which 25 sovs went to the loser), a race between the gelding Koro Peter(Peter Moko/Koro Ena) and filly First Wrack(Wracker/Pearlchild) over 1¼m. They were the first 2yo trotters to show any sort of form for many years. Koro Peter(owner/trainer/driver T Cooper) had won the Introductory Hcp(1½m) over a large all age field(23 starters) by 1½ lengths(T3:54.2/5) at Cambridge's annual meeting on 5 May 1928.

He was immediately sold for £500 to Mrs I E Sweetapple, who became one of Jack Shaw's major Auckland owners. First Wrack, bred and owned by Harry Nicoll had finished third in open company(as a 2yo against 22 other starters) in the Allenton Hcp(1½m) at Asnburton on 21 April 1928(winner Author Thorpe in T3:43.2/5). The totalisator fielded on the event with Koro Peter favourite for the North/South battle.

In Ron Bisman's Harness Heroes, Jack Shaw recalls, "It was a terrible day. The going was fetlock deep in slush, and the two horses had to frighten thousands of seagulls off the track as they went along. These birds frightened First Wrack more than they did Koro Peter, and Koro Peter managed to win after a great struggle all the way up the straight."

Koro Peter, driven by Jack Shaw beat First Wrack(Dan Warren) by 2½ lengths in T3:34.2/5. Koro Peter was sold after the match race to G McMillan for £1,000 and subsequently performed well from Roy Berry's Yaldhurst stable(leading stake earning trotter 1930). First Wrack also became a top class trotter(Sockburn/Middleton Hcp Trots).

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROTTERS MATCH:
This match race was held at a NZMTC meeting at Addington on 4 February 1933 for a stake of 200 sovereigns to the winner. The 1½ flying start event was won by Durbar Lodge's Wrackler(tr: Jack Behrns, dr: Maurace Holmes) by 1½ lengths in a time of 3:18.0. The placegetters were Olive Nelson(2nd), Todd Lanzia(3rd), Stanley T(4th) with Peterwah the other starter.

WALLA WALLA v REST
Without doubt the most star-studded match race series ever undertaken in NZ was held in the autumn of 1934. The NZMTC made arrangements for Australian champion and glamour pacer Walla Walla(1922 Globe Derby/Princess Winona) to contest a series of seven match races held throughout the country involving Harold Logan(1922 Logan Pointer/Ivy Cole), Red Shadow(1927 Travis Axworthy/Our Aggie), Roi L'Or(1923 Rey De Oro/Gold Queen), Jewel Pointer(1921 Logan Pointer/Jewel Chimes), Lindberg(1925 Author Dillon/Taruna Mary), Impromptu(1926 Pedro Promptu/Petrova) and Auburn Lad(1924 Globe Derby/Velocity) among others. These contests were enthusiastically received by the racing public with even track work of invited horses creating great interest weeks before the clashes.

Red Shadow was installed as favourite for these races with the first invitation race run over a mile(£500) on opening day of Addington's Easter carnival(Saturday 31 March 1934). Walla Walla (dr: Billy McKay, Owner: L S Martin) before a crowd of 22,000 began very fast setting a new world's best time from a standing start of 2:04.1/5 narrowly beating Harold Logan by a neck with Red Shadow in third place three lengths away. Walla Walla did not acclimatise well and was not seen at his best during the remainder of the match race series. Harold Logan was to the fore in the remaining six races beginning with Addington's second day of the Easter carnival(Wednesday, 4 April). Walla Walla put his foot through Jewel Pointer's cart and sidelined his chances with a mile to run, leaving Harold Logan(driven throughout the series by Maurice Holmes for owner E F C Hinds) to pace a slow 3:16.2/5 for 1½m(£500) winning by ¾ length from Red Shadow, Lindbergh and Jewel Pointer.

At Auckland's Autumn meeting (Saturday 28 April), Harold Logan led throughout to win again over 1¼m(£300) by 1¼ lengths on a soft track from Walla Walla, his stablemate Auburn Lad, Red Shadow and Jewel Pointer in 2:45.2/5. At the Northland club's annual meeting held at Alexandra Park(Monday, 30 April), C Moran's Impromptu(dr: Jack Shaw) defeated Red Shadow by a short neck with Harold Logan third after drifting off the rails at a vital stage. They were followed in by Auburn Lad, Lindbergh and Worthy Light in the 1¼m(£200) journey on a muddy track in 2:42.2/5. Walla Walla did not start.

Next it was Forbury Park's turn(Wednesday 9 May) where the muddy Track was so bad horses were required to race in the middle of the track. Harold Logan beat Walla Walla(the only starters) who had set a strong early pace by half a length over 1 mile(£250) in 2:13.1/5. Moving onto Oamaru three days later(Saturday 12 May) Harold Logan prevailed over 1¼m(£300 plus trophy) from Red Shadow, Walla Walla and Roi L'Or in a time of 2:43.1/5. The final match race in the series was held a week later at Wellington's Hutt Park(Saturday 19 May) where Harold Logan recorded his fifth win in the seven race series, this time over 1¼m(£250) in 2:42.0 by a short neck from Impromptu, Red Shadow, Walla Walla, Auburn Lad, Lindbergh and Glenrossie. It was later revealed that Walla Walla had been suffering from a severe cold.

VAN DERBY v LAWN DERBY:
A match race between descendants of Ribbonwood(grandsire of their dam Roselawn) in half brothers Van Derby(Globe Derby/Roselawn) and Lawn Derby(Robert Derby/Roselawn) for £200 appearance money took place on Alexandra Park's then, six furlong grass track during the 1938 Christmas carnival(Saturday 31 December 1938, third day). Van Derby trained and driven by F J(Wizard)Smith outlasted Lawn Derby(Jack O'Shea) by half a length in an Australasian grass track flying mile record of 2:01.1/5(half 1:00.3/5). This time equalled Indianapolis's dirt track record, which had been the best in Australasia until Lawn Derby's 1:59.2/5 at Addington in November 1938, the first time 2 minutes had been bettered outside North America. Van Derby later time trialled at Epsom, Alexandra Park in 2:00.2/5(11 February, 1939). The achievements of these two champion pacers alone would merit their own story.

GOLD BAR v HAUGHTY:
At a special Patriotic meeting held at Addington on 27 March 1943 to raise funds for the war effort, Haughty(dr: Ossie Hooper) and Gold Bar(dr: Free Holmes) raced over a mile. Their battle saw Haughty prevail by two lengths in a new Australasian mares record of 2:00.2/5. Both horses established mile records of 1:59. 3/5TT - Gold Bar on 2 January 1942, second Australasian horse under two minutes after Lawn Derby and Haughty the third under two minutes on 11 November 1944, a NZ and Australasian mares record. They were the winners of three NZ Cups between in the mid 1940s(Haughty two, Gold Bar one).

JOHNNY GLOBE v OTHERS:
At Timaru on 7 March 1953 Johnny Globe took on several other superstars of the early fifties in Van Dieman, Burns Night, Vedette and Soangetaha over one mile. Between them, they were the winners of 2 NZ/GN derbies, 2 NZ Cups, 3 NZFFA's, 2 Auckland Cups and an InterDominion Grand Final. Johnny Globe prevailed on the grass in 2:04.2/5(first quarter in 30 seconds, half in 1:02.2/5) from Van Dieman and Vedette. To see screen footage of the even, google 'Timaru Harness Nostalgia' and enjoy.

PETITE EVANDER v NIGEL CRAIG:
Petite Evander was ready to fly out to North America so a match race was organised at Alexandra Park to take place at the Thames Club's meeting on 26 March 1977. In the preceeding month, Nigel Craig(Bevan Heron) had become Australasia's first sub two-minute trotter when he time trialled in T1:58.8 at Addington on 19 February 1977. Just three weeks later, Frank Weaver's Petite Evander(driven by John Langdon) became the first Australasian female trotter to break two minutes with her T1:59.8TT at Alexandra Park on 12 March 1977. The match race proved farcical with Nigel Craig dawdling through his first half in 1:06, three-quarters in 1:40.9 before sprinting home the last quarter in 29.9 winning by a half head in a ridiculously slow T2:10.8 for such quality trotters. This would appear to be the last match race held in NZ.


Credit: Peter Craig writing in Harnessed April/May 2016

Cecil Devine adjusts Lord Module's headgear

C C DEVINE

"You know, I should have made it 1917, not 1915," says a somewhat rueful Cecil Devine. No doubt he is thinking of the date of birth on his licence application, the date which decreed that as from August 1 he was no longer able to drive a standardbred racehorse in either NZ or Australia. And no doubt, too, he is thinking that those two extra years might mean he would be able to continue driving his pride and joy, champion Lord Module, until he went to stud at the end of his racing career.

But rules are rules. In the trotting world as well as anywhere else. Cecil Charles Devine, born March 23, 1915, is openly critical of Rule of Trotting 90: "A professional horseman's licence shall not be granted to any person who, though not disqualified under Rule 84 hereof (a) is under the age of 16 years; or (b) is 65 years of age or over; or..." and so on. That's the bit that got at Cecil. "I have always been against the retiring rule. I firmly believe a driver should have to give up on a strictly medical basis; It wouldn't be so bad if a man could continue driving his own horses after reaching the age of 65 as long as he was fit."

Yes, it is an argument that has cropped up previously. Just about every time that one of the more prominent drivers has turned 65. Cecil presses home the point. "Morrie Holmes, Doug Watts, 'Gladdy' McKendry, Bob Young, Maurice McTigue, they all could have kept on driving long after they had to go. They were pushed out miles before their time. They were all fit men and trotting was the loser in more ways than one when they retired. "Their expertise was lost for a start; and name drivers encourage betting. Certainly, there is no lack of drivers today and there are some top young drivers, the likes of Peter Jones and the De Filippis. But there are others who could benefit through watching a top man. When I first got into trotting, I had to get out and drive against the top men."

And when did Cecil Devine first get into trotting? Back in the days of the depression. If it weren't for the depression who knows where he might have been now? He might even have been still practising at the bar. Legal men don't have to retire at 65. "I had the idea I might like to be a lawyer when I was at school. But after two and a half years at high school the depression hit and I had to give that idea away." It was just as tough in Cecil's native Tasmania (his father was a farmer at Collinsville, "up in the hills near Hobart") as it was anywhere else. Finding work was just about impossible. Cecil couldn't get a job. A lot of others managed to exist by "chipping the grass in the domain". And it was about this time Cecil first developed an interest in horses. He got a job with his older brother Eric, a prominent trotting trainer in Hobart at the time. He's still successful with horses, but has more recently had some top gallopers through his hands.

It was only because Eric could not afford to take the time off to bring a small team over for a month at NZ Cup time that Cecil ever came to NZ. "The horses belonged to a fellow named Rudd who bred a successful family of pacers, 13 of them in fact, from a mare called Milky Way. Among them were Evicus (he topped the points list at the 1936 Inter-Dominions at Perth), open class performer Cevius and Icevus (also placed at Inter-Dominion level and later stood here at stud). They were all good horses," Cecil recalls.

"I suppose I was about 20 at the time; I took on the job and was supposed to go back when the horses returned. But Wellington looked so good - they had a beautiful six furlong grass track at Hutt Park in those days - I decided to stay on to see if the rest of the country lived up to that early promise." Live up to it's promise NZ must have done; Cecil Devine is still here even though he does return regularly to his former homeland and is known as "Tas" by closer associates.

It wasn't long before he was offered a job with Vic Leeming who was training just out of Christchurch. Colonel Grattan was his top horse about that time; E C McDermott his number one driver. Cecil had driven a winner or two in Tasmania (he'd driven close to 400 when he had to retire) but can't recall with any certainty his first winner here. "Tonioro I think it was, probably at Omoto," is his initial recollection. But a check through the records of the time show that on December 31, 1938 Tonioro, driven by C C Devine , was beaten into second by a neck.

Still Cecil is more certain about the horse that got him started on the path that led him to his current situation. "It would have to be Teddy Gregg, a Quite Sure horse I leased and named after an Australian naval officer." Cecil had also leased a 20 acre property at Prebbleton some time earlier (the stables are still there, the track is gone) and spent most of his time breaking in horses for others, as well as doing a little training. Teddy Gregg was plagued with unsoundness and when tried as a pacer he couldn't stay. "I converted him to trotting and from then on he never looked back. He was in the money about 19 times from 21 starts. And he won four or five. I'd have to say he got me started. He must have won close on £2000. And about the time of the war, that was a fortune. Cecil never went to the war - "I was unfit they said" - but gradually gathered a small but useful team about him. "I got the odd good one or two and just went on and on from there."

Cecil has never had a large team to train. "I think the most I've ever had is twelve." But right from those early days there has been a good horse in the Devine team. Cecil screws up his face in the afternoon sun and starts to remember them. Great Wonder "she was a pretty good sort" who beat Johnny Globe (on a protest); Shadow Maid who was third in Gold Bar's 1945 NZ Cup; Bronze Eagle who had won the 1944 NZ Cup before coming to Cecil's where he died of tetanus; General Sandy "a top horse who beat Caduceus" and then one day dropped dead of a heart attack in training...the names roll forth. He didn't train them all when they came to their peak. Often they came to him after a run of outs and he got them going again.

One he had from the start was the champion filly Vivanti, incidentally by Bronze Eagle. She was a top juvenile winning the 1950 Sapling Stakes, the Juvenile Handicap at Addington from 24 behind - "a phenomenal run", the Welcome Stakes, the Oamaru Juvenile and so on. She beat Johnny Globe in a lot of those races but he came out on top when they met later in the year in the NZ Derby. However, she did win the Oaks.

The next year there was Van Dieman, the horse who was to give Cecil the first of his six NZ Cups and thus the wherewithall to allow him to consider buying his own property. He had every intention of buying a place on the Main South Road, not far from his present place; and Cecil minces no words when he recalls how he lost out in the bidding to another. "I was determined to have that place but eventually had to pull out when I realised I was in too far. The other chap would have kept going all day. He knew what my limit was." That same day, however, while doing some shoeing back at Prebbleton, a friend mentioned to him that the owner of the land he now occupies might be interested in selling. Cecil made the approach. True enough. The land was for sale. One hundred and sixteen acres of bare land were Cecil's. "The best thing I ever did. I've never had to consider expanding. It's probably the time to shrink."

By this time Cecil was married with a child, Bonnie, the red-haired girl who was later to marry Kevin Williams, the man who will be behind Lord Module this season. Cecil had met his wife 'Vonnie' while at Prebbleton where she was organist at the local church for ten years previously. Marriage "was too time-consuming" to continue that. Together they designed their present home, built another on the place as well as the track, stables and men's quarters.

A lot of young men have worked for Cecil and have then gone on to make their own names in the trotting world. Men like Jack Smolenski, Leicester Tatterson, Peter Yeatman, Jim Dalgety, Faser Kirk, Paul Gallagher. He's got a reputation of being a tough boss. "If paying attention to detail is tough, then I am tough," he admits. "When you don't take outside drives or have a big team, you have the time to be particular. And if your not, there is not excuse." He laughs when you suggest he has probably been responsible for putting a lot of people on the right track in his time. And then he confesses, he has learned something from most of those who have worked for him. "You develop your own ideas over the years, but you have got to be prepared to learn off others. Anyone who is not prepared to listen to others is doing himself a disservice. I'm still learning. I learned something the other day from someone who's been in the game only three months. And then when Lord Module had those cracked hooves, I had no idea how to get them right, even though I thought I was a fair student of shoeing. The mushroom shoe we used to fix them was Delvin Miller's idea. You have got to try every avenue to solve problems."

Cecil Devine expects as much from his horses as he does from his men. His philosophy towards training a top horse: feed well, work hard and not always fast, pay particular attention to that detail again. You must respect a top horse who gives everything; any owner, trainer or driver has to." Cecil stops and laughs and, looking straight at Mrs Devine: "but I don't think you get to love them as much as some people think." Mrs Devine races Lord Brigade in partnership with Cecil and it's obvious she thinks he's a good horse, even though he was just pipped at the post in Cecil's last raceday drive. Strangely enough, Mrs Devine has never driven a racehorse - "and I don't ever want to," she laughs.

Those top horses who give everything. Cecil has raced more than his fair share of them. Van Dieman won the NZ Cup in 1951, Thunder in 1956, the mighty False Step in 1958-59-60, Lord Module just last year. "That's far too long a gap," he laughs. Then there were the likes of Terryman, Raft, Van Rush, Drum Major, Bass Strait, Star Beam, Good Review...the list goes on. He has had some great wins in trotting. He's won a fair proportion of the big ones over the years. He reels them off: "Four Dunedin Cups, two Easter Cups, three Rangiora Cups, a Nelson Cup, three New Brighton Cups, Invercargill Centennial Cup, two Timaru Nursery Stakes, two Sapling Stakes, three Flying Stakes, two NZ Derbies, a Champion Stakes, Juvenile Stakes several times at Oamaru, Canterbury Park, Geraldine, Waikouaiti, Rangiora and Timaru Challenge Stakes, a Timaru Cup, Hannon Memorial, a Royal Cup and the big International Paces at Yonkers and Roosevelt..." the list goes on.

He finds it hard to pinpoint any particular highlight over the years. False Step's win in the $50,000 National Championship Pace at Yonkers in 1961 would be one, winning the 1954 Royal Cup when Van Dieman came with a withering run to beat Thelma Globe and Zulu and then meeting the Queen is another. "That would have to be a highlight; most people would have cut off their arm to win that race. Of course in those days you didn't meet or see royalty very often. Now, with the ease of travel, royalty is almost commonplace." Cecil also remembers February 15, 1964 with particular enthusiasm. that day at Addington horses by Van Dieman filled the first three placings: Van Rush driven by Morrie Holmes, Raft (C C himself) and Young Dieman (Paul Gallagher). "They were the only three horses by him in the race; it would have to be a unique feat."

Two years ago he was loathe to compare any of those top horses against the other. But now, he doesn't hesitate to say that Lord Module is the best of all his champions. "It's hard to compare horses of different eras, but Lord Module has done so many good things. False Step didn't have as much speed as Lord Module, but he was a top racehorse, Van Dieman was probably faster but needed to be covered up; Lord Module can do it from anywhere over all distances.

Cecil has been asked time and again when and if he is taking Lord Module to America. Usually it's been accepted that he will before settling back to a life as a stud stallion. But Cecil has never sid yes or no definitely. But now he says Lord Module will go...provided he races up to last year's form. And provided "Mum lets me go". "You can go," Mrs Devine is quick to reply. There are, however, no definite plans. You get the impression Cecil would like to win another NZ Cup before heading away. The stud career is definite. Nothing is more certain. There have been offers already to stand the horse "with full books guaranteed". But there's time for that. "He's the living image of Globe Derby," Cecil says fossicking around for a photograph of "the greatest sire ever" to prove his point. "It's uncanny, even down to the one bit of white on one foot."

The Cup won't be beyond Lord Module again. If anything, says Cecil, the son of Lordship has come back bigger and better than last year. "He's matured, he's very strong. Personally I think he will be a lot better than last year. He feels good in the sulky." Which is where Cecil won't be on raceday, and that makes him just a little sad in another way too. He thinks that only by driving a horse in a race can you really tell what he needs. Still, son-in-law Kevin Williams has been handling the horse in work and at the trials without any bother so it's now up to them on raceday. No-one else has ever driven the horse before. Cecil's been told that when he takes the horse to America he "shouldn't drive the horse" himself. He should get "a good driver". "Well, what's he going to do with a good driver on him?" Cecil asks. "It would be interesting." It's hard to tell whether or not he's annoyed at having that advice given him. Still, as long as he is fit, he intends to drive himself in America. There's no rule to stop him there. And he is fit. He is up and about by 7 of 7.15 every morning, and works hard enough to keep himself fit. "You must stay pretty healthy working out in the fresh air all the time...even if it is a bit too fresh sometimes these mornings," he says.

If he weren't 65, Cecil Devine would do the same thing all over again. "It's given me a pretty good life; I started with nothing and don't need anything now. I've had a lot of luck and I've had a lot of good horses (he's figured in the finish of 11 NZ Cups with Shadow Maid and Blue Prince as well as those others) over the years. Yes, I'd do it all again."

Of his last season, he was disappointed he couldn't get anything to go right in Sydney ("Lord Module wasn't half the horse he was here") and that he was only second in the Auckland Cup. Still he has a lot of admiration for the horse that beat him on that day, Delightful Lady. "She's a good mare, of that there is no doubt. That day, she was well turned out and very well driven. No doubt about that either.

Cecil means it when he says that. He has got a reputation for straight-talking, even though he can be a bit cagey about revealing future plans. His forthrightness has often got him into trouble with officialdom on racedays but as he says: "I always call a spade a spade. And I don't believe in being run over. If your right, it pays to stick to your guns. I've always done that."

He prefers not to talk about the time he was suspended after a battle with Jack Litten down the straight at Addington, except to mention that he did lose a few good horses through his suspension. Enough said. He remembers just as well his last drive down the straightwith Lord Brigade. "It was close you know," he say a little wistfully. "I would like to have won. Still you can't win all the time. I think I've won my share."

-o0o-

Ron Bisman writing in HRWeekly 11Jul90

C C (Cecil) Devine, who died in Christchurch last week aged 75, was a battler who clawed his way from being a nonentity to fame an fortune in the hard school that is NZ harness racing.

Content to train a small team, even when big success did come his way, Devine neverthless compiled a record in the nation's most prestigious harness race - the NZ Trotting Cup - that is second to none. He won the great event six times, and, while this equalled the training feat earlier in the century of the great James Bryce, Cecil drove all his winners, whereas Bryce shared the driving honours with sons Andrew and James jnr.

Devine's record is likely to stand the test od time.

In his hey-day, with some of his owners not averse to having a punt (and embued with great confidence in the judgement of their trainer), some of NZ's best-known book-makers refused to accept wagers of any sizeable amount on horses from Devine's stable. Devine trained with a purpose. He was a man with very set ideas and, as (sometimes)officialdom and (always) those who crossed him came to learn, he stood up unflinchingly for what he thought was right. When the chips were down, he was a hard man to beat - not only on the track but anywhere. To those he liked, Devine was a generous and loyal friend; to those who got on the wrong side of him, there was almost invariably no reprieve.

Born in Tasmania in 1916, Devine was drawn into trotting through his elder brother Eric, who worked with and drove horses. Hopes to become a lawyer were dashed by lack of wherewithal and opportunity in depression times that saw Cecil, after three years at high school, leave to work in a horse stable. In 1936, when brother Eric was unable to assist trainer Fred Rudd with the good Tasmanian performers Evicus, Icevus an Emlilus on a visit to New Zealand, Cecil got the trip. He was to be here for a month, but stayed for good.

Impressed by the sport here, Devine was readily persuaded to join up with the late Vic Leeming, training at Prebbleton. But, as second-string driver in the stable to Eugene McDermott, opportunities were few and far between. In 1938, Devine went it alone on a little property at Prebbleton, from where his first success as a trainer came with Prince de Oro, whom he rode to win a saddle event at Westport on Boxing Day, 1939. It was two years before Devine won again - on the Coast with trotter Teddy Gregg; and a few weeks after that he won with the same horse a non-tote race at Addington.

It was 1945 before Devine made his first NZ Cup tilt, and this was with Shadow Maid, a good race mare who had been handed to him after losing all semblance of form. Under his guidance, she finished third to Gold Bar and Integrity in a memorable Cup race. Better horses began coming into Devine's stable, and around 1950 he was making his mark with good pacer Good Review and crack filly Vivanti. The latter, bred by Devine and sold to the late Bill Parkinson, won the Sapling Stakes and NZ Oaks and was second in the NZ Derby before Parkinson sold her to Australia.

A milestone in Devine's career came when he leased, with right of purchase for $1000, Van Dieman (U Scott-Reno) as a two-year-old colt from Brian Forest, of Kaiapoi. In an outstanding career for Devine, who eventually bought him outright, Van Dieman won the 1951 NZ Cup and Royal Cup at Addington in 1954. Devine became a national hero as he received the congratulations of the Queen and Prince Philip.

In 1953, Devine left the small Prebbleton stable for a 46-hectare property at Templeton that he transformed from a bare patch of land into a model training establishment. Apart from Van Dieman, one of the first stars from his new property was Thunder, who made a meteoric rise through the classes, culminating with success in the 1956 NZ Cup. A big, rangy son of Light Brigade and Jack Potts mare Busted Flush, Thunder's maiden winat Methven was memorable. He collided with a rival at the start, dislodging Devine, who ran behind, caught hold of the sulky and climbed back in. Making up 100 yards to catch the body of the field, Thunder continued on to win the race to rave reports praising both horse and driver.

Other good horses in Devine's stable at this stage included Starbeam, Great Wonder, Nancy Lee and General Sandy (who was on his way to the top when he dropped dead soon after downing Caduceus in the NZ Pacing Championship). Next came Invicta, who, after winning his way to a tight mark, was despatched to the stable of Steve Edge by Devine. Along with the late Jack Litten, Devine had been suspended from driving for six months for their memorable whip-fight at Addington in 1957. If he couldn't drive Invicta, Devine didn't want to train him. But for this, he would almost certainly have added another NZ Cup to his bag. Under Edge, Invicta, as an 11-year-old, sprang a boilover winning the 1961 NZ Cup.

By now Devine had taken over False Step, inheriting him from the Litten stable following an argument between Litten and owner Jim Smyth. Winner of 14 races including the NZ Derby under Litten, False Step carried on under Devine to win 19 more races in NZ, and in doing so joined Indianapolis as the only three-time winners of the NZ Cup. False Step's Cup wins were in 1958, '59 and '60. Devine then campaigned him in New York. After tragically being stood down from the first leg of the 1961 Yonkers International Series when a blacksmith drove a nail into the quick of a hoof, False Step finished unluckily second to Australian star Apmat in the second leg. And while Devine won the third and finasl leg with False Step, with Apmat fourth, the Australian was awarded the title on points. Shortly after, False Step (now sold for $115,000 to American polaroid tycoon Jack Dreyfus) was driven by Devine to win the Frontiers Pace at Yonkers, with America's champion pacer Adios Butler only fifth.

More vivid in the memory of current-day harness racing fans will be Devine's great exploits with Lord Module. Buying this son of Lordship and the Bachelor Hanover mare Module through the National Sale for a mere $3000, Devine developed Lord Module into one of the most capable pacers pacers produced to this time in New Zealand. Despite a recalcitrant streak which cost him dearly at the start of many of his races, Lord Module won 28 of 93 races ans was also 40 times placed.

Highlights of his career were his 1979 NZ Cup win and his 1:54.9 time trial in 1980 in weather conditions all against a fast time at Addington. In his final race in the 1981 Allan Matson Free-For-All at Addingtn, Lord Module came from last to first to win brilliantly in the hands of Jack Smolenski, one of several one-time employees of Devine who went on to make names for thenselvesin the game.

Devine was forced to retire from race driving at the end of the 1979/80 season. After Lord Module's retirement from racing and standing him at stud, Cecil pottered with a horse or two, but his heart never really appeared to be totally in it from that point. Though he didn't show it, Devine took great personal satisfaction from the success of his son-in-law Kevin Williams with his NZ and Auckland Cups winner Master Mood. Devine's final race win was with Cheeky Module, a son of Lord Module, driven by Smolenski to win a maiden race at Motukarara in January, 1988.

The great trainer is survived by his wife Avonnie and his daughters Bonnie (Williams) and Debbie (Carolan).

-o0o-

A PERSONAL TRIBUTE by Dave Cannan

He was, unquestionably, one of the old school of trotting, long before it became fashionable to call the sport harness racing. And he was proud to be a trotting man, proud sometimes to the brink of vanity and egotism.

But then Cecil Devine had a lot to be proud of and while he never, in my experience, actively sought public recognition for his numerous achievements he was not one to take the self-effacing approach when the media became interested in him or his horses. Why? I never asked him and, if the truth be known, I was probably too intimidated to risk such an impertinent question. My educated guess is that Cecil worked so hard, battling his way from anonymity to world-wide fame, that he wasn't about to give anyone else the credit. And who would deny him that?

Cecil Devine won the NZ Cup six times, training and driving False Step (three), Thunder, Van Dieman and Lord Module to win the country's greatest race. James Bryce also won six Cups but Cecil, rightfully, claimed the record outright as Bryce only drove four. Its possible, but highly unlikely, someone will eventually take that record from Cecil and if "Tassie" is looking down on Addington the day it happens I'll bet dark clouds will magically appear on a bright and sunny November day, and grumble ominously in discontent.

Cecil, who died in July, 1990, aged 75, didn't live long enough to see one of his proudest achievments wiped from the record books - Lord Module's 1:54.9 time trial mile - and while I mourned his premature passing as much as most people, in a way I'm glad Cecil was spared that. Not that I would detract an ounce from Starship's 1:54.5 effort on a hot sunny day at Richmond in 1992 but who of us present could forget the drama and excitement of that cold, wintry night at Addington in 1980 when Lord Module set his mark more than 13 years ago. Not Kevin Williams, who drove the galloping prompter with frozen fingers, not Cecil Devine, who wiped the dew from the sulky as Lord Module prepared for his epic dash, and not me or the thousands of others who stayed on after the races were over to cheer on their champion to such an astonishing time.

And 18 months later they were cheering again when Lord Module denied all odds for the last time to win the Matson Free-for-all, downing Gammalite and Armalight in a race that threatened to bring the Addington Grandstands down. Cecil, forced into unwanted retirement, had to watch like all the rest of us from the stands and before the race began he walked quietly into the press room and slipped some tickets into my pocket. Knowing I rarely risked a dollar on the tote, Cecil had backed up my wavering - and his unflinching - faith in the much-troubled Lord Module with his own cash.

But later, when I chose to spend the proceeds on a mounted action picture of Lord Module, which still (hopefully) adorns a wall in the Addington press room, Cecil was openly furious with me, pointing out the dividend could have - and should have - been spent on my wife or young children. "You always look after your own first...always," he chided me and as epitaphs go, I think it's one of several Cecil Devine would have found appropriate.

Credit: Graham Ingram writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 9Sep80

GRAHAM HOLMES

The late Graham Holmes was a sad loss to NZ trotting when killed in December in a freak accident while clearing gorse by a fence near his Meadowlands Stud property in Templeton.

Graham who was never suspended in 32 years of race driving, drove over 220 winners, the first with Calando at Motukarara in October, 1947, and the last being Prince Nugent at Ashburton in October, 1978. He also trained over 120 winners. He was a son of Freeman G Holmes and a brother to Freeman L Holmes

Ron Bisman writing in DB Trotting Annual 1979

-o0o-

Templeton studmaster and trainer Graham Holmes died suddenly at his home last Friday night at the age of 50.

Graham, who gained his driver's licence in 1946 at the age of 18 when employed by his father, the late F G Holmes, trained successfully at Templeton for a number of years.

In recent times he has been more prominent as a studmaster, standing the very successful imported stallion Armbro Del. Armbro Del was imported to NZ in the 1960s and has been one of the country's top sires.

Over the past few years, Graham had reduced the size of his racing team to concentrate on his duties as a studmaster, but among the good horses he trained were Co Pilot, who competed successfully in open company, Lord Nugent, Lady Nugent, Charlotte Rose and Gigilo.

Graham is survived by his wife Maureen, son Peter, and two daughters, Robin and Sandra.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 12Dec78

Young Quinn and John Langdon

GREAT RACE: YOUNG QUINN 1975 INTERDOM FINAL

As the 1975 Inter-Dominions in Auckland loomed, New Zealand's chances of repelling the formidable Australian assault and ending their almost complete domination of the Championship for a decade seemed to be on very shaky ground. Outside of Stella Frost's promoted win at Addington four years earlier, following the disqualification of Junior's Image, and Phil Coulson for seven years - later remitted to four years by the NZ Trotting Conference - after a caffeine positive, New Zealand had not looked even close to winning an Inter-Dominion since the 1965 series in Dunedin was shared by Jay Ar and Robin Dundee.

This included the previous Inter-Dominion at Alexandra Park in 1968, a series dominated by Tasmanian champion Halwes and following his shock withdrawal from the Final with a quarter crack less than a hour before attempting a clean sweep, ultimately won by NSW's First Lee. This was Australia's first Inter-Dominion win on New Zealand soil, which was not supposed to happen. And the Forbury Park success had hardly counted, what with Blazing Globe being the only Australian contender of any note. A son of Stormyway and the grand NZ mare Thelma Globe trained by Perc Hall at Penrith, Blazing Globe won a heat on the third night, but a couple of fourths in the heats was the best that could be managed by the combined efforts of Guiness (NSW), Palpitate (Vic) and Minton Hall and Pacing Lawn from WA, and their trip seemed mostly about taking in the scenery.

The 11-strong Australian challenge for the Pacing Championship in 1975 though was spearheaded by two-time winner Hondo Grattan and well established stars in Paleface Adios, Just Too Good, Tarcoola Frost and Royal Gaze, all but the latter from NSW. Hondo Grattan had won 44 races at that point, while Just Too Good had won 46 and Paleface Adios 43 and Royal Gaze had just won the Hunter Cup.

Then a week out from opening night came the devastating news that Robalan had been withdrawn after being troubled by an abscess on the chest. The 8-year-old free-legged champion had brilliantly won that season's NZ Cup and NZ Free-For-All, the latter for the third consecutive year and in world record time, where a 5-year-old Young Quinn had arrived in Christchurch off the back of eight straight wins and proved fallible.

A few months later, New Zealand's hopes of an Inter-Dominion win seemed to rest squarely on the shoulders of the Auckland and Wellington Cup winner Young Quinn. The likes of Hi Foyle, Speedy Guest, Vanadium, and the 4-year-olds Captain Harcourt, Master Dean and Kotare Legend were considered good class, but hardly capable of beating the Australian champions even with a head start in the handicaps. But this was Alexandra Park of course, and a whole new ball game, or direction, for the visitors. And they were about to run into a horse who by the end of the Championship, would be talked about as the best seen since Cardigan Bay.

Young Quinn, affectionately nicknamed 'Garbage' by his Edendale connections due to his habit of eating everything in sight as a youngster, including his bedding, would also by the end of his 5-year-old campaign earn the label of 'the Mighty Quinn' from none other than Peter Wolfenden, who since being spoiled by 'Cardy' had rarely been heard to utter a generous word for any other horse.

When the dust had settled on the season, Young Quinn had raced 22 times in New Zealand for 19 wins, two thirds and a seventh, and in Australia, three times for two wins and a fourth, the latter in a heat of the Lord Mayor's Cup at Harold Park from 25m not long after brilliantly downing Mitchell Victory, Royal Gaze, Hondo Grattan, Paleface Adios and Adios Victor in the Miracle Mile, and Hondo Grattan in the Hurricane Stakes. Robalan had set the record for wins in NZ in a season the previous year at 12, while Young Quinn's 10 consecutive wins to complete his campaign was also a record within a NZ season. He earned $149,961 when no other horse had topped $100,000 in a year and became the first horse in Australasia to top $200,000 in career winnings, at a point when the only other six-figure winners were Robalan ($164,020), Arapaho ($128,345) and Lordship ($113,790). In today's terms, it was easily a million dollar-plus winning season.

He set New Zealand race records for one mile (1:57 in the NZ Miracle Mile) and two miles (4:06.7) and his records for 2200m, 2600m and 2700m from a stand were faster than the records from mobiles.

Bud Baynes and his son Des had bred Young Quinn after the former had bought his out of form dam, the Hal Tryax mare Loyal Trick, for a few hundred dollars in what was just his second venture into standardbred ownership, having earlier won a race with a son of Hal Tryax in Hal Away. Convinced he could get the Southland 3yo Stakes winner back into form, Baynes soon discovered that Loyal Trick was too far gone with arthritis to be a racing prospect and bred her to Young Charles, who was standing at stud for his brother Colin at nearby Ferndale. The resulting filly in Judy Charles was sold as a yearling to Christchurch's Colin McLachlan and had three wins, losing one on a protest, while Loyal Trick's third foal and first colt, by Young Charles, died of tetanus. Des Baynes was 19 and working for Colin, who coincidentally then offered him a free service to Young Charles, and Bud loaned Loyal Trick on the understanding they would race the foal together.

A very precocious youngster, Young Quinn had won seven juvenile trials before making his debut in the Mercer Stakes at Addington in January, 1972, where Baynes had asked a polished former Southland horseman in Robert Cameron to drive. Cameron agreed, but during the float trip to Christchurch he said to Baynes "they're pretty good up at Addington; I think we'll be lucky if we finish about sixth." Young Quinn was 12th at the half but got up to impressively down smart sorts in Willie Win and Marc Bohan and by the end of the season had won eight races from 10 starts, equalling the juvenile record for races won by Sam Tryax, and taken out the prized double of the Sapling Stakes and Juvenile Championship.

An early knee injury cost him dearly as a 3-year-old, and attempting to win the NZ Derby in his season's debut when not ready set him back even further. But after being placed with Charlie Hunter at Cambridge for a failed Great Northern Derby tilt, Young Quinn began to fulfil his considerable earlier promise at four, a season he started in open class. He chased Arapaho home in the NZ and Auckland Cups and came up half a head short of Robalan in the Miracle Mile, won in 1:58, but his wins included the Allan Matson and Ollivier at the NZ Cup Meeting with Hunter at the helm.

His failures however included the Perth Inter-Dominions, where he made no impression after not travelling well and failing to settle at all in the heat. Returning home to romp away with free-for-all in Auckland in March, Young Quinn went for a well earned rest, and was soon back in the new season and sweeping all northern rivals aside with seven straight wins in the hands of Wolfenden heading into the NZ Cup carnival. Starting hot favourite in the Cup, he got hooked up in an early speed duel and pulled himself into the ground, and only class carried him into third as Robalan carried the day in his fourth attempt over Kotare Legend, while he recovered from last early to finish a distant third in the FFA.

Another Allan Matson from 25m in record time was a mere formality in Robalan's absence however and then came the Miracle Mile in Australasian record time of 1:57, where Robalan was favourite but went off stride challenging at the furlong. Freshened for the Auckland Cup carnival, Young Quinn led up and inexplicably faded to seventh in the National Flying Pace as arch-rival Robalan swept by brilliantly, but this would be the last time he would meet defeat in New Zealand.

Going into the Inter-Doms, Young Quinn had bolted away with the Auckland Cup by 10 lengths over Robalan (30m) in very wet and slushy conditions, as well as the Waikato Flying Mile by eight lengths and Wellington Cup by five from 35m. Hunter had taken back the reins after the NZ Cup Meeting and must have been on good terms with himself when Young Quinn proved much too good for pacemaker Just Too Good and Royal Gaze on the opening night of the Inters. Jack Smolenski won the other pacing heats with Speedy Guest and Vanadium, as Paleface Adios finished a bold second to the latter and Hondo Grattan ran into strife after Tony Turnbull left his shadow roll at home and had to borrow an unsuitable one. But on the second night, Hunter was brought back to earth with a thud - literally - when involved in a pile-up which wiped out half the field, and put both his arms in plaster. Three races later, up stepped Hunter's 27-year-old right-hand-man John Langdon to not only quide Young Quinn safely through the remaining heats, but win the Trotting Final with Castleton's Pride for Roy McKenzie and trainer Hunter.

Come the $61,000 Grand Final and over 30,000 were on-hand to cheer Young Quinn on from 15m, with only Hondo Grattan behind him on 25m. The rest of the country tuned in to watch on television, this being still very much a novelty reserved for major events. Young Quinn was favoured, but it would not be easy, and the Australian record in the Final was to be not only respected, but feared.

Previewing the big event for the Trotting Calendar, Ron Bisman wrote "Young Quinn starts on 15m in one of the best fields of pacers to assemble for a race in New Zealand. He came from a similar mark to win in record time at 3200m on Saturday night, but had to work hard to do it and has a shorter distance here. Grand Finals are usually go-stop-go affairs, and the one thing necessary for a backmarker to get around the field to challenge when he wants in such big-time races in the fastest turn of speed. Young Quinn has shown this time and again, and with John Langdon driving very confidently and adroitly, they just have to be first choice. Big bold challenges are expected to come from Victoria's Royal Gaze and NSW star Hondo Grattan after their fine third night form, but just the same the second choice in this quarter will be the brilliant free-legged pace Final Decision."

With Smolenski opting to handle Vanadium over Speedy Guest after returning to top form with wins on the first two nights, he was Bisman's third choice, but also accorded chances of threatening off the front were Hi Foyle, Kotare Legend, Master Dean and Why Bill along with the aforementioned. Just Too Good had lost form during the heats and started rank outsider from 10m for Keith Pike, while Colin Pike's 5-year-old Paleface Adios had lost it altogether and couldn't even make an impression in one of the Consolations.

Nursed away by Langdon to avoid any trouble, Young Quinn still copped several checks and settled all of 80 metres behind the tearaway pacemaker Master Dean and Bob Cameron. His chances of success looked remote with only a couple of stragglers in Bomber Bill and Why Bill behind him in a strung out field with a lap to go, and then Final Decision was checked, broke and came back on him with just 800m to go. But that was also the point where Young Quinn turned on the stuff Champions are made of. Gradually but inexorably moving into contention wide down the back and around th last bend, Langdon brought Young Quinn into line six-wide and he stomped down the centre of the track to in the end win quite comfortably. Hi Foyle found a gap late to come on for second for Henry Skinner and ironically, the first two home were the two horses lured to Perth the previous year by travel subsidies to 'make' that Inter-Dom Series, and performed so dismally.

By everyone was just playing bit parts in the Young Quinn Show. The accolades flowed for 'the Mighty Quinn' and so did the invites. On-hand for the Inter-Dominions was Dr Thomas Siciliano, who had been a partner in Cardigan Bay's US campaigning, but Hunter advised against any lease deals and $100,000 was not enough to buy him. Young Quinn would instead head to Sydney for the $50,000 Miracle Mile and so emphatically dispose of a truly great field there from the dreaded six alley, and while withdrawn from the Lord Mayor's Cup after being checked and hurt in his heat, he had recovered to bolt away with his farewell Down Under race at Alexandra Park in May.

Two days later he was winging his way to America to compete in the rich International Series at Yonkers in New York and Sportsman's Park in Chicago, but that of course is the start of another story.


Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 28Jun06

J B PRINGLE

Ron Bisman writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 14Sep55

'Jack' Pringle loves horses; and horses love 'Jack' Pringle. A brief sojourn at 'Clifton Grange,' Templeton, recently was allthat was needed to impress that upon me. And surely, every visitor to J B Pringle's training quarters would leave with the same train of thought.

When I arrived at Pringle's I was amazed at the number of old and broken down horses roaming around the paddocks. I asked him about them. "That's Acropolis, and there's Parawa derby and Lahore," and there was so and so...and he named for me the various once-talked-about-now-forgotten standardbreds who ambled up to cast bedimmed eyes upon us. "The no-hopers, I call them," he said. "If nobody wants to take them away when they've finished racing, I feed them - give them a home for life." I remarked that Acropolis looked in good order. "Yes, Mr and Mrs Adams, who raced him, bring him carrots regularly," the trainer told me. I said I thought he had enough to look after, to which he replied with a smile: "You haven't seen anything yet. There are four cats, two dogs and a magpie around the place somewhere, and always on hand at feed time."

Pringle was 'born among horses'. His father the late Andy Pringle, was a famous horseman in his day, and was for many years private trainer to the late Mr H F Nicoll. He ranked as one of the finest reinsmen in the Dominion, and his success in saddle races for trotters was outstanding. He was the leading reinsman of the Dominion in the 1914-15, 1916-17 and 1917-18 seasons. Mr Nicoll once said of him: "Andy Pringle was probably the best all-round horseman of his day; it was rarely he took my horses to a meeting without winning one or more races. His integrity was an intrinsic part of his nature...Pringle was always in great demand by other owners to ride and drive horses, and for many years there was rarely a race run, when he was present, in which he was not engaged. The sport lost an admirable exponent when he retired. I have nothing by happy memories of my association with him."

When J B Pringle left school, it was decided that he should work in an office. He could not stay away from horses for long, however and, upon his own decision, he left his office job and took up employment at Yalhurst under the late M B Edwards, a very prominent trainer at the time. From there, Pringle transferred to Sir John McKenzie's establishment, where he worked under the American horseman, R B Plaxico, in the late 1920s. Good winners from that stable at the time were Acron and Silk Thread.

Pringle was acquiring valuable knowledge, and his next employer, L O Thomas, who then trained at Hutt Park, soon entrusted him to race driving. On December 26, 1930, on the first day of the South Wairarapa Trotting Club's annual meeting, Pringle brought home his first winner - Messrs Murray and Connelly's Ailsa Bingen. On the second day of the meeting, he won again with this mare, from 48 yards, over a mile and a quarter. Later that season, he drove Glenrossie, the star member of Thomas's team, to win over a mile and a quarter at Auckland. Glenrossie, a gelding by Matchlight from Alice Dillon, owned by Mr J McDonald, was an iron horse. In 11 seasons racing he won 15 races and was 27 times placed for £6210. His successes included a consolation race of an Inter-Dominion Championship series. Pringle learned much from Thomas's early handling of this high-class performer.

In the 1932-33 season, Pringle took up private training for the late Mr J R Corrigan at Hawera, and while there prepared and drove El Merit and Arabond with success. His next move was to Tamahere, where he set up as private trainer for Mr Wilfred Johnstone in 1934. That season he won races with Transworthy and Lady Fame, but in 1936 he returned to the South Island to act as head driver for the late R J Humphreys.

In his first season with Humphreys, Pringle quickly established himself as a skilful reinsman. He had few outside drives, but ended the season with a tally of 12 successes. His winners included Windsor Lass, Esplendor, Olive King, Violet Wrack, Sonoma King, Mystery Yet and Loyal Pat. The following season he shared the driving of the horses from Humphrey's stable with G Mouritz, and gained 10 wins, four of them with Cantata.

In 1938-39 Pringle really came into his own, and he topped the reinmen's list for the first time with 29 successes. That season, Humphreys finished third on the list of trainers with a tally of 28. Pringle's best winners were Windsor Lass(5 wins), Acuity(5), Blair Athol(4 including Wellington Gold Cup), Cantata(3), and Donald Dhu(3 including Timaru Cup).

During the following season Pringle began training on his own again, at Domain Terrace, Spreydon, on the property formerly used by the late J J Kennerley. That year his success as a reinsman totalled 21 and as a trainer 12. He trained and drove Stormtost for four wins, Windsor Lass for three, Loyal Pat for two, and Passport, Mortlake and Lady Milne for one each. With a similar team the following season, he won 15 races and was successful as a reinsman on five other occasions with outside drives. Channel Fleet and Special Edition, who each won three races that term were prepared by him, while Bronze Eagle, who he drove to win three races, was an 'outsider'. Ronald Logan, Knapdale Lass and Busted Flush were good winners trained and driven by Pringle in the 1941-42 season, when he finished fifth on both lists, with 15 and 13 successes respectively.

Watcher, Busted Flush and Frank Logan kept Pringle to the fore the following season, but after three successes as a trainer in 1943-44, he gave up training. His 13 wins as a reinsman that season, however, placed him third on that list. Five of those successes were with Gold Flight, and three, including the Methven and Gore Trotting Cups, were with Dianus.

During the following two seasons he was seen to advantage with such good horses as Casabianca, Caledonian Girl, Jack's Son, Galvena, Indian Clipper, Technique, Cabin Boy, Margaret Hall and Lady Scott; but late in the 1945-46 season he transferred to Wellington to train privately for Mr J Spiers. In his brief stay at Wellington he prepared the good trotter Ariel Scott for several important placings. Pringle returned south the following season, and set up training at Hornby. Late that term, Mrs N M Adams placed the Dillon Hall-Seaworthy gelding Acropolis with Pringle, and he immediately won five races in succession with him. Another good winner from Pringle's stable that year was A H Todd's Coral Princess. Driving members of S T Webster's team, Pringle won the Wishful and Dominion Handicaps and the New Brighton Trotting Free-for-all with Casabianca, and four races with Fairy Wings. He ended the term in fourth position on the drivers' list with 23 successes.

During the 1947-48 season, Mrs Adams took Acropolis away from Pringle because he had missed the nominations for the gelding for the Inter-Dominion Championship meeting at Auckland. A few days later, after the programme for the Dunedin Centennial Cup meeting had appeared, she returned the horse to Pringle, and told him that if he won the Centennial Cup it would "square things up". Acropolis had trained off, and Pringle's ability to condition horses for major races was well illustrated when the gelding scored a clear cut win over Highland Fling in the big event. That was a training triumph if ever there was one. Other good winners for Pringle that term were Fairy Wings, Pardon Me and Maudeen. In 1948-49 Maudeen, Fortuna and Lady Averil kept Pringle well in the limelight.

In 1949-50 he trained and drove the winners of 20 races, finishing fifth on the list of drivers and seventh on the list of trainers. Mr R Lewis's Lady Averil did not win a race that term, but her placings included a grand performance to finish a close third behind Loyal Nurse and Captain Sandy in the NZ Cup. With Mr L T Paget's good Dillon Hall gelding, Parawa Derby, Pringle won six races, and he gained three wins each with Mr G Lancaster's 2-year-old, Yankiwi, and Mr E Sheed's Winston Hall.

The 1950-51 term proved a 'boom season' for Pringle. He topped the drivers' list with a tally of 31 and the trainers' list with 27. The best of his team that season was Parawa Derby, who won six races and gained a meritorious third placing in the Inter-Dominion Championship Grand Final at Addington. Parawa Derby in 1951 established a NZ and Australian mile and a half record of 3.07 2/5 which stood until first lowered to 3.07 1/5 by Rupee in 1954. Both these were race efforts.

Drs A C and A S Sandston's Thelma Globe, in her first season under Pringle, won four races as did Messrs R J Marshall and V C Caldwell's 3-year-old colt Radiant Night, and Lahore whom Pringle raced in partnership with Mr E McMaster. Thelma Globe won another five races under Pringle in 1951-52. Radiant Night(4 wins) was the next best of the team, while Parawa Derby's lone success was in a free-for-all at Hutt Park. Altogether that term, Pringle gained 12 successes as a driver and 15 as a trainer.

His major success in the 1952-53 season was in the Autumn Stakes, in which he produced Mr R Porter's Kissing Cup to win at the expense of Johnny Globe. Kissing Cup also won the Timaru Handicap under Pringle, while Lahore(3 wins), Financial(2), Thelma Globe, Radiant Night, Amarant and Thelma's Advice were other winning members of the team. In 1953-54 Pringle won four races and £9240 with Thelma Globe, and she was the leading stakes-earner for the season. Her main success was the Auckland Cup, while she beat all but Van Dieman in the Royal Metropolitan Cup. Thelma Globe was developed by Pringle into one of the greatest mares ever raced in this country and her 4.11 for two miles is still a world record for a mare.

Pringle has been several years at the 'Clifton Grange' property, which was once used as hunting grounds. Some of the old stables stand still. Mrs Pringle, who is a sister to the trainers, D G and T C Nyhan, is keenly interested in the sport, and she knows the name and breeding of every horse on the property.

As I turned to leave 'Clifton Grange,' the trainer called me back. "If you are going to write anything about this place, I'd like you to say that I've got two good boys working for me - Dave McKinley and Ian Aitken," he said. I don't wonder that he is one of the most popular men in the game. Here are his distinctions: 307 successes as a reinsman, 178 successes as a trainer, and last, but not least - a heart of gold.

-o0o-

'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 11Sep63

J B (Jack) Pringle's address these days is No 3 R D, Amberely. He has been successful in recent seasons with the pacer Estimation, and his name again appears among the licensed trainers and horsemen for the current season. Long may it continue to do so - Jack is one of the most talented men ever to hold the reins in the light-harness sport in this country. Few of his contemporaries would begrudge him this compliment.


Credit: Ron Bisman writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 14Sep55

MABEL & NORICE

There have been few more colourful tales of our harness world than that of Norice, arguably the greatest broodmare in its history, and her owner Mabel Duncan.

In the World War One years Norice was the breeding queen of New Zealand and Duncan kept her in suitably palatial surroundings at the country's plushest trotting stud, Coldstream Lodge in Fendalton. The present homestead at the end of Chilcombe St - the property originally fronted Memorial Avenue when it was 59 Burnside Rd - remains the only memorial to what also was the first stud of any code in New Zealand and the place many harness fans angled to get an invite to visit during carnival week in Christchurch.

Coldstream had been established and named by Ernest Jerningham Wakefield on whose motion the Canterbury Jockey Club was formed in 1855. He stood The Peer there (Peer St is still close by) but Ronald and Mabel Duncan would enlarge and transform it at great expense into a showplace hosting four of the most famous standardbreds of their time.

Horse-mad Mabel Duncan, an accomplished show rider in her youth, was the youngest daughter of A J White whose furniture store was Christchurch's largest. Her Husband, an accountant, successful real estate agent and land speculator, was the sixth son of the former Mayor of Christchurch, Andrew Duncan (there were seven in all) and a dashing "man about town" in the land agency business. They had been married in Sydney in 1905, chiefly to avoid embarrassment to family. The Whites were the high profile Catholic family in the city and the Duncans leaders of the Presbyterian church - not a popular quinella at any religious ceremony in those far off times. The doomsayers would have the last laugh.

Ronald Duncan acted as judge, timekeeper and stipendiary steward at several Canterbury racing clubs and later on the executive of the NZ Trotting Association and King Cole (for a time) was the only horse he raced. He added 10 ha to Coldstream and built a luxurious stable complex and trainer's quarters which included, a reporter marvelled, a hot shower. Mabel was loosening the purse strings as well.

She bought Norice, the most famous racemare in the country, for a hefty sum from the popular Bower Hotel (New Brighton) owner, James Pettie, who had imported Norice from California (accompanied on the trip by Dave Price who brought back the first spreaders used here) but was now moving to the outskirts of Gisborne. Mabel also bought the promising King Cole from Nelson Price as well as his dam. Mabel's trainer, Dave Price, had already given her his half share in King Cole as a foal.

King Cole was one of only 17 foals left here by Price's champion, Ribbonwood. 15 raced and 12 won. Another notable and expensive purchase, before her marriage, had been the champion Sal Tasker, the fastest mare in Australasia, with a sensational official time at Addington in 2:20. She was named after Sarah Tasker the wife of her prominent breeder James Tasker - though Nelson Price first raced the mare and landed a betting plunge first up at Sockburn with her before selling.

At the outbreak of World War One Coldstream boasted both the fastest mare and stallion in Australasia (King Cole having broken his sire Ribbonwood's mile record in a special morning trial at Addington) as well as Norice, the most commercial broodmare. Mabel often used Sal Tasker when driving to town (Ronald played a big role in the tramway being extended to Clyde Road later) safe in the knowledge no challenger could possibly beat her down Fendalton Road.

Mabel also sent mares to be bred in Australia to Abbey Bells and horses to race there including Sal Tasker and her son Coldstream Bells, which was cruelly robbed of the biggest prize in Australasia, the Melbourne Thousand, when another driver deliberately crashed into him and Price at the start. Coldstream Bells still ran second and was later a sire of some note. Mabel Duncan seemed jinxed at times with her horses yet Norice was always there to give Coldstream its status. She also had a champion pony stallion which went years without defeat in Christchurch show rings.

Norice had six generations of recorded pedigree when most local mares, Sal Tasker included, rarely had more than two. She was by Charles Derby (ancester of Johnny Globe, Lordship etc) and after she was bought a half-brother became one of the fastest juveniles in America. Black, fast, sometimes erratic, Norice was the leading stake earner of 1904 winning six of her first seven starts here. She would have won the first NZ Cup that year too but she had problems which prevented Price from training her sufficiently for the race. Even so she led clearly most of the way and as she was eased when passed by Monte Carlo in the straight the big margin was misleading. The veteran never beat her in shorter races.

Norice made history again when disqualified from first in a Flying Handicap at Addington for galloping near the finish. In a landmark decision the race was restored to her because the committee had not taken evidence from her driver, Price, which would have established that a hopple had broken. From then on committees could not make decisions without hearing evidence from the drivers. Later in the day she won the Champion Free-For-All. Norice had also caused Pettie some grief because he had to lodge another cheque "under strong protest" with the NZTA before Norice could race here. Her previous owner was apparently in forfeit to the American Trotting Association and that body had just agreed to share it's rulings with this country.

At stud Norice left a series of smart colts who were in strong demand in Australia as sire but her most famous son was Nelson Derby, a striking colt from birth bought from Mabel by George Craw of Palmerston North for a record £750. He won the Great Northern Derby and the Auckland Cup though not sound, according to trainer Bill Tomkinson, and sired Haughty the first mare outside America to break two minutes. Therein lay quite a story.

The racing dream which seemed to belong to Ronald and Mabel Duncan started to fall apart around 1916 when Duncan took the extraordinary step then of suing his wife for £325 through the courts, presumably for Coldstream costs. Coldstream was sold with Mabel retaining the home block. Ronald Duncan bought and moved to the famous homestead block in North Canterbury. He later moved to Australia where he died in 1942 having remarried after Mabel's death.

Mabel had to cut numbers and sell virtually all her young stock. Watching Nelson Derby, the horse she had been aiming to breed for so long walk out the gate must have been heartbreaking. Selling Norice and Sal Tasker (whose descendants are still competitive today) was never an option. She still clung to part of Coldstream when she died in 1936 the once wealthy heiress having been adjudged bankrupt the previous year. Her parents had a strong social conscience and spent much of their wealth on community projects including building and supporting the large St Joseph's orphanage in Halswell. Norice had her last foal in 1931.

Among the horses sold was Queen Cole (King Cole-Norice) to John Grice of Tinwald whose son Ben inherited her first foal Colene Pointer (Methven and Timaru Cups) a fine stayer and dam of Queen's Treasure and Kingcraft. Ben had another foundation mare, Logan Princess, dam of the high class Regal Voyage. When that mare retired, down the road at Walter Gudsell's Pluto Lodge Stud in Tinwald was a poorly patronised Nelson Derby and so history in the form of Haughty was made. Crossing the two families and doubling up on Norice blood through Nelson Derby by Ben Grice to reinforce the family speed factor has ensured the survival of the Norice character through every generation since. Native King was another Norice colt successful at stud. Kingcraft, by the obscure Quincey who also happened to stand locally (Colene Pointer had broken down so badly she could not travel far) was almost a great horse, competing in the NZ Cup after just eight starts, but like his granddam was erratic at times.

Norice's essential qualities of high speed and waywardness combined with soundness problems have suvived to a remarkable extent through almost a century of breeding. At crucial times her tribe produces fast fillies like herself, like Single Star, Riviera and Petro Star for Grice. Perhaps the best example of the potency of the mare was the amazing Mount Eden. He was the essence of her pacing power and like her highly strung yet his performances were so stunning no less a commentator than Ron Bisman claimed he was to him the fastest horse the world had seen.

The Norice line has actually thrived on the superior breeding performance of relatively few mares, and largely just three breeders - Mabel Duncan, Grice and the Cummings family of Tuapeka whose mare Sakuntala has been the springboard of much of the family's recent success. The New Zealand Cup winners Iraklis and Monkey King, both from this source, were noted for extreme acceleration. Their ancestress Hindu Star, dam of Sakuntala, carried a close up (3x3) Norice masterminded by Grice. Holmes D G came from a more obscure branch of the Norice tribe but still had the essential double cross of Nelson Derby.

In earlier eras stars like Nicotine Prince, Chief Command and Indecision; the speedy Maurice Holmes 2yos like Strauss, Violetta and company; Hardy Oak, Single Star, Ardstraw, Canis Minor, Tuapeka Star, Ruling Lobell etc, etc kept the Norice name to the fore. O Baby is her current Horse of the Year poll winner.

The Norice legacy can be character building for those seeking to extend it. Lightning does not strike as consistently as with some families - but when its stars align it sends an electric charge through the pacing world that no other family can match.

Mabel Duncan and Ben Grice knew what they had to work with. Their work was not in vain.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 10Apr13

It seems that New Zealand's first trotting races were held as part of the programme of some of the galloping meetings in the Otago Southland area as early as 1864.
In his book "A Salute to Trotting" Ron Bisman notes that:-
"The steeds in these events were utility horses in the true sense, almost all of them being driven miles over rough roads and bridle paths to the meetings at which they raced. Ridden in saddle they were all straight-out trotters, tracing generally to thoroughbred blood, which no doubt accounted for their stamina. The times recorded were slow, but the conditions were quite different from today, with tracks so rough and uneven in most cases that pacers would not have been able to handle them and harness racing would have been quite impossible. The horses were totally untrained for racing - most of them sheperd's hacks who did their daily work on undulating or steep country.
Yet these beasts provided interesting contests and laid the foundations of the sophisticated harness racing that we know today. Most of their races were run over three miles, and the minimum weight carried was 11 stone".

The first totalisators were introduced about this time. They faced opposition from a curious alliance of bookmakers and anti-gambling factions but were approved by the Clubs and licensed by the Colonial Secretary.

The first trotting race on a racecourse in Canterbury was held at a location called Brown's Paddock in Ferry Road, Woolston. Contested in 1875, before the totalisator was introduced, the stake was only about a "tenner", but the match created a lot of interest.

About 1880, Lower Heathcote Racing Club was founded, and held its first meetings nearly opposite Brown's Paddock. The club supported gallops, but added trotting events to it's programme, giving smaller stakes.

Some years later the club discontinued gallops and became the Lower Heathcote Trotting Club, which gave stakes ranging from £15 to £35.