| PEOPLE |
YEAR: 1990
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Nearing the end of his one-sided fight with the cancer that claimed him last week at the age of 58, Maurice Vermeulen arranged to have the tune "My Way" played at the close of his funeral service. The Dutch-born immigrant savoured outstanding success as a breeder, owner and trainer - doing things his way.
In his standardbred breeding activities, Maurice thought big. He subscribed totally to the theory that breeding the best to the best gets the best. He sought out the best families and put his mares to what he considered were the best available stallions. It was a tribute to his judgement and courage that his best horse was from a well-bred young mare he despatched across the Tasman to blend her with what he considered was the best blood ever to come out of America to Australia.
Vermeulen came to New Zealand from Holland in 1952 as a 20-year-old. He had seen and enjoyed a little trotting in his home land and Denmark, but mechanical engineering was to be his game to begin with. After first working at Wellington and Lyttleton, he moved to set up a business in Southbrook, North Canterbury. By the late 1960s, Maurice could afford to begin getting himself involved in his first love - horses.
He struck up an affinity with the Brosnan family of Rangiora, who had a strong line of the highly-successful Moonbean family. They did deals with few outsiders but leased the 1965 foal of Morris Eden and Stowaway to Maurice's wife Margaret and Templeton trainer Jack Smolenski's wife, Marie. One of Stowaway's nine winners, she raced as Margaret Marie and won her namesakes four races as a three and four-year-old before returning to the Brosnans and becoming an excellent producer.
Maurice leased and eventually exercised a $3000 right of purchase on Stowaway's 1968 foal, Robin's Sister, and after this daughter of Johnny Globe had won him and Margaret five races he put her quickly to the stud. She left several winners including the brilliant Timely Robin, whose 10 NZ Victories for the Vermeulens included a heat of the 1979 Inter-Dominions at Addington. Borrowing Stowaway herself for one year, Maurice put her to Good Time Eden and bred Royal Cheval. She won the Vermeulens six races and was second in the NZ Derby, then left several winners including Regal Cheval (7 wins), who in turn became the dam of another top-class Vermeulen pacer Speedy Cheval.
In 1969, in partnership with Christchurch clothing manufacturer John Osborne, Vermeulen paid $2700 at the National Sale for the Thurber Frost filly from the famed Purple Patch family that was Royal Belmer. Trained by Smolenski she gained 12 wins and 14 placings from 42 lifetime starts and was NZ's fastest race mare of her time with a 1:58.8 placed mark. A shy breeder, Royal Belmer nevertheless produced NZ Derby winner Sovereign for Osborne and Royal Decision, winner of 12, for Vermeulen.
In the early 1970s, Lauriston trainer Alister Kerslake offered Osborne and Vermeulen the choice of some fillies and mares he intended to sell. On the advice of Templeton trainer Derek Jones (who became one of Vermeulen's closest friends) New Guest was purchased by Osborne for $5000. By premier sire Garrison Hanover from True Guest, and thus from the prolific Derby-winning family descending from champion Indianapolis' unraced sister Tondeleyo, New Guest was a sister to high class pacer Speedy Guest.
Going sore after winning at only her second start, she was retired in 1974 to the Rangiora Raceway Farms Ltd breeding operation that had just been set up by Vermeulen and Osborne. Vermeulen by now had sold the engineering business. Things were going well. New Guest was despatched to Bernie Ahern's B J Stud in Victoria, where outstanding American stallions Kentucky and Hilarious Way had been set up in service.
New Guest's first two foals - Risky Business (by Kentucky) and Oshawa (by Hilarious Way) were sold - eventually winning in 1:58.8 and 2:00.2 in America, where they were good winners. New Guest returned to NZ with a yearling filly by Kentucky and a filly at foot by Hilarious way. On the toss of a coin, Osborne took the Kentucy filly, who, as Dixie Royal, qualified only and at stud has proved a very shy breeder.
The Hilarious Way filly was Hilarious Guest who, raced and trained by Vermeulen, won him 12 races including the NZ Juvenile Championship, NZ Sapling Stakes, NZ Derby, NZ-NI Oaks double and NZ Messenger and was twice second (to Armalight and Royden Glen) in the Auckland Cup.
A hard case with a wonderful sense of humour and a heart of gold, Maurice Vermeulen confused many of those who knew him when three years back his spark faded and he became something of an introvert. What was not known at that time was that he was suffering the advanced stages of the tumour that was to cut his successful life short.
He will be remembered and loved, not only by Margaret, son Phillip and daughters Lsa and Karina, but also the many privileged to have known him.
Credit: Ron Bisman writing in HRWeekly 8Aug90