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COLIN McLACHLAN

Six months after his age forced Colin McLachlan to retire from driving, the Templeton horseman has decided to sell his farm and business, move into town and almost make a clean break from harness racing.

Colin and his wife Sylvia have owned four shoe stores in and around Christchurch for nearly 40 years, with Colin also succeeding as an owner/trainer of standardbreds. But now the McLachlans have sold their stores, as well as their 16 hectare training establishment in Templeton. "Since my health hasn't been the best I've decided to sell up. I used to enjoy driving at the trials but I can't even do that now - that takes some of the interest away," Colin says regretfully.

Born in Dunsandel in 1923, Colin's first equine experience was working with Draught horses on the family's farm. He first handled standardbreds when his neighbour, the late O E ("Ossie") Hooper, took a small team with Ben Grice on the then popular Hawera circuit. Colin looked after the remainder of Hooper's team while he was away.

After Colin left school he spent six years in the Air Force before trying his hand at various jobs, including engineering. Colin stumbled across the shoe business when his wife Sylvia was employed at Eastmonds Shoe Store. One night when Colin went to pick her up, Sylvia's employer asked him how he spent his Friday nights. "I told him I never did anything in particular so he asked me if I wanted to work part-time on that night," Colin recalled. The occasional work soon turned into full-time employment and seven years later he was managing his own store in Armagh Street, directly across the road from the present-day store.

Colin and Sylvia's only son, Wayne managed the business in its latter years, but was tragically killed in a car accident three years ago. An avid rugby fan and long-time supporter of the Christchurch Club, Colin designed a light-weight football boot and wholesaled them throughout the country in the late 1960's. The 1967 All Blacks to Britain and the 1970 All Blacks that toured South Africa, wore the McLachlan-designed boots.

The first horse Colin owned was Status, who he raced in partnership with his friend Syd Rassie. The pair bought Status off Ben Grice. The Morano entire was trained by Peter Yeatman but he was still a maiden when he was sold to America. Colin and Syd then leased and later bought the Thurber Frost mare Miss Frost who won four races on the West Coast circuit, including the 1968 Greymouth Cup. "We were out celebrating after Miss Frost's Greymouth Cup win and a guy called Gordon Elley came up to me and said he had a horse at home that would lap my mare," he said. Caught in all the excitement and soaking up the famous West Coast hospitality, Colin shouted: "I'll buy him." The horse was General Demand, who went on to win seven races including the Winter Cup before also being sold to the States.

Before training his first horse, Lachlan Bay, Colin owned Flying Home, who won the Gore and Winton Cups as well as four other races. In his first training season, Colin won 20 races, and thought the game was easy, but he was brought back to earth the following term when successful only once. Other winners from the McLachlan team include: San Sebastian, Mighty Tuft, Scottish Chief, Flying Tempest, Way Lynne, Whata Cutie, Jack Shine, Golden Casanova, Tickle My Fancy, Lord Charles, Formal Fella, Big Brute and dual Derby winner Mighty Me.

Flying Tempest provided Colin with his first driving success at Addington, when the horseman was 47 years old. Jack Shine still holds the New Zealand record for a 3-year-old over a mile (stand). His 2:03.8 was set in June, 1982, on a wet Waterlea surface.

Formal Fella and Mighty Me were purchases from the 1981 National Yearling Sales at Addington, but if Colin had had anything to do with it, Formal Fella would've been the only yearling he took home from the sale. "While I was paying for Formal Fella, Sylvia bid for and bought Mighty Me," he said.

Colin says he owes a lot of his success to Christchurch reinsman Bob Cameron, who he ranks as world class.

Colin says he intends to auction his large band of broodmares, foals and racehorses in the near future. And although selling up and getting (almost) right out of the game, Colin just happened to have his finger up at the right time at the NZ Premier Yearling Sale last month. Knocked down to him for $9000 was a Talk About Class colt out of NZ Oaks winner Swift Princess. "I couldn't let the son of an Oaks winner go that cheap," Colin said. So even at a solemn stage of his career, Colin is still keen to play a minor part in harness racing.

Credit: Steve Wilson writing in HRWeekly 1Feb89

1983 NZ DERBY

The season's leading driver, Bob Cameron, took advantage of a dream run behind the pacemaker Borana to land Mighty Me home an upset winner of the $60,000 NZ Derby.

While Cameron and Mighty Me were receiving a run drivers dream of, warm favourite Lyndon Robert and his driver, Robert Dunn, were in all sorts of bother and eventually wound up fourth. Mighty Me, whose lead-up form had been disappointing, was given a mixed reception by the small crowd on his return to the birdcage, but this was not enough to dim the delight of owners Colin and Sylvia McLachlan and Bob Cameron.

For the season's premier three-year-old classic, the race could only be described as tame, with the nine contestants dawdling along for most of the journey and only sprinting home the last 800 metres. Mighty Me's winning time of 3:25.6 for the 2600 metres was a slow one considering the ideal conditions, though he paced his last 800 metres in slightly better than 58.8.

Purchased two years ago by Mrs McLachlan at the National Yearling Sales for only $2,300, the Out To Win-Believe Me (by Fallacy) gelding has now won $62,090, the result of seven wins and four placings from only 20 starts.

Cameron described Mighty Me's run throughout as "perfect" and added he was travelling so well at the 800 metres, he was confident of getting some of the money. He did not have to cover an inch of extra ground as pacemaker Borana eased off the fence under pressure in the run home, and it was this that helped Mighty Me hold out the fast finishing Glamour Chief by half a neck. Glamour Chief was three back on the rails for most of the way and sprinted home well to push Mighty Me to a close decision, with less than a length to tough stayer Borana who made a game attempt to lead all the way.

Up until the 400 metres, Robert Dunn had driven a copybook race on the favourite, easing him off the fence after 400 metres to enjoy a perfect trail on the outer behind Dunhill. But things went wrong approaching the 400 metres when Braedoon swept forward and trapped Lyndon Robert in a pocket - a pocket Dunn was unable to clear in spite of some desperate efforts. Lyndon Robert clipped the wheel of the tiring Dunhill approaching the straight entrance and broke, checking Steady Edition in the process and dropping back to last. Once balanced again, he came home strongly for fourth, but his chance was gone. Dunn was later suspended for careless driving.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar

COLIN McLACHLAN

Colin McLachlan was 85 when he died in Christchurch last week.

A former footwear manufactuter, McLachlan had notable success with Mighty Me, the winner of two Derbies and voted NZ 3-year-old of the Year in the 1982/83 season.

Mighty Me, by Out To Win from Believe Me, won 11 races and was 18 times placed for stakes of $141,125.

Other good horses he trained at Yaldhurst were Waylynne (Timaru Cup), Flying Home (Winton Cup), General Demand, Scottish Chief, San Sebastian, Mighty Tuft and Flying Tempest.

Credit: HRWeekly 13Nov08