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FEATURE RACE COMMENT

 

YEAR: 1974

1974 NZ TROTTING CUP

Eight-year-old free-legged pacer Robalan returned to the birdcage to a standing ovation from the crowd, who had just witnessed him win the New Zealand Trotting Cup at his fourth attempt.

For Robalan it was justification at last. At previous attempts at the New Zealand and Auckland Cups he had not always had luck on his side and was being hailed as a horse who could not win a big handicap. But all this went overboard as Robalan wore down Kotare Legend inside the final 60 metres and went on to win convincingly by two and a quarter lengths.

The race was a triumph for part owner-trainer Denis Nyhan who had the un-nerving experience on October 23 of having Robalan turn in a shocking performance at the race trials at Addington. A mysterious complaint was thought to be the cause of Robalan's form loss at the trials but he showed gradual improvement last week and showed that he was close to his best when he won at the Cup trials.

Favoured by a good run in the $50,000 Cup, Robalan clearly outstayed Kotare Legend and the raging favourite Young Quinn, who had to be content with third, a placing he filled last year. Robalan's victory took his lifetime earnings to $140,115 the result of 32 wins and 31 placings, one of these wins and two placings being gained at Harold Park in Sydney. The Lumber Dream-Elsinore gelding recognised as one of the fastest pacers in commission at present is raced in partnership by Nyhan, Invercargill farmer Alan Devery and company director Peter Hope. His time for the 3200 metres in the Cup was 4:09, the first 800 metres in a fast 1:02, the 1600 in 2:04.2 and the first 2400 in 3:10.2, the final 800 metres took 59.2 and the final 400 in 30.

Robalan was back in tenth place on the outer at the 1000 metres but Nyhan sent him forward to follow favourite Young Quinn up towards the leaders as Peter Wolfenden made his move. Robalan was travelling nicely in fifth place on the home turn as Kotare Legend slipped clear from Hi Foyle, Young Quinn and Noble Lord. Robalan moved to Kotare Legend 60 metres out and went on to win comfortably and in doing so he gave Denis Nyhan his third driving success in the Cup and his first training success. Previously Nyhan had won two Cups behind Lordship, a horse trained by his father Don Nyhan.

Kotare Legend who was handy throughout after leading briefly early, shot to the lead with 500 metres to run and though he looked to have a winning break at the 200 metres he had no answer to Robalan. Young Quinn was a big disappointment to his army of supporters. He opened up paying $1.25 and was still showing only $1.55 a few minutes before closing time. He started to pull about the 1600 metres and though he battled on solidly after getting up to third at the 500 he never looked like winning. Hi Foyle looked a big danger when he moved into second at the top of the straight but he wilted to fourth more than five lengths from the winner. Lightsey surprised many by battling on for fifth though four lengths further back and he was clear of Why Bill who was hampered at the start but ran past beaten runners in the final 600 metres. Well-supported Speedy Guest from the back mark of 10 metres attempted to follow Young Quinn and Robalan forward from the 1000 but he could not muster the pace and never really threatened afterwards.

Credit: 'Lookout' writing in the NZ Trotguide

 

YEAR: 1972

1972 NZ DERBY STAKES

If you had to pick an outstanding performance during the two days and two nights of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club's Cup meeting, it would have to be that of the NZ Derby Stakes winner Willie Win. Seldom has a three-year-old turned in a more impressive winning performance and shown as much sheer speed as Willie Win did, nor had to overcome such obstacles to do so.

The start of the Derby was a poor one and it was not until the final two furlongs that the event bore any resemblance to a $17,020 classic. But then, when first Lord Gregory, then Kotare Scott took cracks at the pacemaking favourite Young Quinn, the excitement started to mount. It reached a high point when Willie Win cut loose from the back with a brilliant sprint that carried him past Kotare Scott at the half-furlong and from then on the result was never in doubt. Considering that Young Quinn had forced a record-breaking pace throughout, the fact that Willie Win could muster such a finishing sprint speaks volumes for his ability.

Willie Win's victory cannot be mentioned without credit being paid to Maurice Holmes, the man who drove Mr Bob Negus's three-year-old to victory. The win was an unparalleled 12th in the classic, his previous winners being Wrackler (1928), Arethusa (1930), Ciro (1931), Aldershot (1938), Imperial Jade (1939), Scottish Lady (1942), Free Fight (1946), Congo Song (1947), Royal Minstrel (1954), Tobacco Road (1957) and Student Prince (1960).

Willie Win's success was a triumph for the New Zealand bred stallion Good Chase. Good Chase had two representatives in the Derby from his first crop, sired before he embarked on a successful racing career in America, and the other representative ran a very creditable race for third.

In winning, Willie Win clipped one fifth of a second off Flying Note's three-year-old record of 3:25.2 for 13 furlongs set in 1961.

The runner-up in the Derby, Kotare Scott did very well for a horse who started only once as a two-year-old then went into the Derby with two wins and a third from four starts to his credit this season. Kotare Scott's owners Mr and Mrs A R Abell, went very close to completing a notable double for the night for in the previous race, Kotare Legend had shown a lot of ability in winning the NZ Spring Time Stakes for two-year-olds.

Credit: 'Lookout' writing in NZ Trotting

 

YEAR: 1975

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



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