| HORSES |
YEAR: 1914
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Although when surveying sires of past years you seem to be saying it all the time, it has been a fact that most successful imported sires have failed to establish a male line of any great significance. Why this is, is difficult to say and a number of factors are involved. One of the major ones however is that the sons of successful sires are often not given a decent chance to prove themselves at stud. Had they had such a chance things might have been different and a good example of what might have been is the case of Nelson Bingen.
A number of his sons were stood at stud. More to the point the owners of his sons set about proving that their horses were good sires with the result that Nelson Bingen probably outshines any other imported sire when it comes to successful sons. True, his male line has not survived but it did exert considerable influence in its time and it was perhaps a pity that the third generation of his line did not produce a racehorse of good enough quality to ensure the success of the line.
Nelson Bingen arrived in this country as a 2 year old in 1914 imported by Etienne Le Lievre of Harold Dillon fame. At about the same time Mr Le Lievre imported the mare Berthabell who was to exercise considerable influence in our breeding. She was mated with Nelson Bingen on many occasions and in some ways Nelson Bingen's stud record relies on his matings with the imported mare. Stood at stud early in his career Nelson Bingen must have had mixed success for he did not appear on the sire lists at all until 1919 and as a seven year old he was given a race preparation and produced on a number of occasions. A trotter, he was a very good one and scored victories at Gore, New Brighton, Forbury and Addington. He was one of the tops of his day and twice beat Reta Peta the champion mare who won two NZ Cups.
In his public appearances Nelson Bingen attracted a good deal of attention with his impressive looks and fine action and when again retired to stud he received much more patronage. But still it was 1928 before he topped the sires list. He retained the title the following year and was second for the following three years, though he died in 1932. Altogether he sired 219 winners and they won nearly $400,000 in prize money.
His matings with Berthabell resulted in his two most successful sons Great Bingen and Peter Bingen. Great Bingen seems to have lost his rightful place as one of the handful of greatest pacers ever bred in this country, perhaps because he didn't win a Cup, though he was placed second from a long mark. The idol of his day and a great stayer who could sprint with the best of them Great Bingen won 26 races and over $25,000 in prizemoney. To get this in perspective it should be remembered that this prizemoney record stood until 1947 when lowered by Highland Fling and few money-winning records last over 20 years.
Great Bingen himself the sire of many winners was the first horse outside America to break 4:20 for two miles which he did in a placed performance in Auckland in 1926. He had a number of trainers when raced in the ownership of J R McKenzie including D Withers, J Kennerly and R Plaxico. He was twice placed in the Cup and but for the huge handicaps he had to concede at the time must have won one of them. Although not so well known as a sprinter he took a time of better than 2:07 for a mile. He full-brother Peter Bingen won two NZ Cups but did not blossom as a stayer until comparatively late in his career and indeed in his early days raced as a trotter. He won nearly $17,000 of 'Depression' stakemoney and he kept the family to the fore by being the first pacer ourside the USA to beat 2:40 for the 1¼ miles. He won 16 races altogether and was also a successful sire.
Though a number of Nelson Bingen's get favoured the trotting gait he threw some other top pacers including Jean McElwyn who reached Cup class from Roy Berry's stable, Nelson Derby winner of the Great Northern Derby and Auckland Cup and was a son of Norice, Nelson Fame, Nelso's Victory and Nelsonian. He left any number of top trotters including Olive Nelson, Norma Bingen and Native King who were all Dominion winners, Great Nelson (a brother to Great Bingen and Peter Bingen) winner of the old NZ Trotting Stakes, Baron Bingen, Bingen Wilkes, General Bingen (saddle mile in 2:11.6), Commander Bingen and Kempton. Worthy Bingen was a fair trotter and sire of Worthy Queen. Katute won the NZ Trotting Stakes and Sea Pearl, Admiral Bingen, Escapade (a top saddle trotter and grandam of Fallacy), Sister Beatrice and Stand By were all top class trotters.
As a sire of broodmares Nelson Bingen was a fair success though perhaps his total of under 200 winners from this source can be counted as a shade disappointing. A number of his sons were successful broodmare sires. Among Nelson Bingen's most successful daughters were Lady Trafalgar who produced five winners; Lily Bingen who produced six including War Guard who won seven including a National Handicap; Stella Bingen 3rd dam of Stella Frost; Belle Lorrimer grandam of the winners of 78 races including Grouse, Lyndhurst, and the top trotters Faming Way, Flammula, Inflammable and Alight as well as Nantwitch herself the winner of seven races including the Sapling Stakes and dam of Gerafalcon who won 14 including the Trotting FFA; Courcard and Cyrano; Bertha Bingen and Bessie Bingen ancestress of more than 40 winners.
Etta Bingen was the dam of six winners and Peggoty a colourful mare of the 1940s for the Butterick family is from a Nelson Bingen mare. Another successful mare by the stallion was Berenice. Dam of the top trotter Flotsam who won nine. Berenice is the ancestress of a number of good winners including Idaho. Katute was the dam of Mah Jong who won eight, and three other winners. Sparkling Sunshine the dam of a near champion in Attack was from a Nelson Bingen mare and Jean McElwyn was successful at stud, among her progeny being the successful sire Prince Charming. Sister Maud produced Queen Maude the dam of five winners including Maori Queen, Maudeen and Sports Review, all top class trotters.
It was perhaps a shade unfortunate that Nelson Bingen was an old horse before his value was really appreciated. A number of his sons carried on with the good work however. Easily the best was Nelson Derby. Great Bingen sired 44 winners and was considered to be something of a disappointment at the stud but his mares bred on especially well. Great Bingen mares produced trotters such as Keen Blade (NZ record holder and winner of 8), Lady Inchcape (7 wins), King's Brigade and Sure Gift who were both NZ Trotting Stakes winners and Roderick Dhu, Vagus and Lady Baffelan who all won 7 races apiece. Among the best pacers from his daughters were Kublai Khan and Ghengis Khan who won 16 races between them, Bonny Azure who won 17 on her own, Powerful Lady (Oaks), Bobby Burns (8 wins), Golden Marino (6 wins including the Timaru and New Brighton Cups) and Sandusky who won 11 races.
Nelson Adonis served a handful of mares as a colt before being gelded. One he left was Sterling Lady who was the dam of 6 winners including Onward (9 wins), Stirling Castle (5), and Mineral (6 wins).
Native King was a successful sire considering his opportunities and he got Gracie Fields who won nine races, she being a daughter of Reta Peta. Native Queen was another good one of his stock as was Minnetonka who later left four winners. Native King mares were again successful leaving horses like Maori Home (17 wins and twice placed in the Cup). Native Scott (10 wins) left Statuette successful both on the track and at stud; Beverley Volo (7 wins); Willonyx and Gamble King who each won six; Inquistive Lady and NZ Trotting Stakes winner Temple Star. Worthy Bingen didn't do much after siring Worthy Queen, though one of his daughters produced Greek Brigade who won eight.
Peter Bingen sired Peter Smith a top class pacer and another one of the same ilk in Double Peter. Peter Bingen features in the pedigree of the top northern trotters of a few seasons ago in Paula and Paulette. Altogether Peter Bingen left 32 winners. As a rule the sons of Nelson Bingen did well as sires of classic winners one of the best being Taxpayer, by Great Bingen.
Nelson Derby looked to be the Bingen son to ensure the line carried on but one of his better bred sons Wayfarer didn't get much of an opportunity at the stud in spite of producing a classic winner in his first crop. The Bingen line has now died out here as it did in the U S. Before leaving Nelson Bingen however, we should mention that one of his sons Kemel left the dam of the top pacer Laureldale though nothing else of note, and that Nelson Bingen blood has continued to be influential in our trotting scene, two examples being the 'Cord' family of winners of Herbert Hewson and Protector whose grandam was a Nelson Bingen mare.
It is difficult to sum up Nelson Bingen's career. His critics, and there were a number of them, point out that but for Berthabell his stock may have been quite ordinary performers. There is some truth in this, particularly as beside Great Bingen and Peter Bingen his other top horses were the result of matings with such class mares as Norice. Still he was twice leading sire and five times runner up so his general ranking must be high. And his sons certainly bred on better than most imported sires before and since.
Credit: David McCarthy writing in NZ Trotguide 15Dec76
YEAR: 1984
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In 1836 a French whaling boat sailed in and around the bays of Banks Peninsula and dropped anchor at the sight which probably impressed those aboard most...Akaroa. The French whalers stayed for several months and one of them, Francois Le Lievre must have been particularly pleased with what he saw, because a year later he was among 63 passengers on board the Comp de Paris, the first settlers' boat from France.
Francois set about establishing the most successful farm on Banks Peninsula and marrying Rose de Malmanche, who had also arrived on the Comp de Paris. Francois and Rose raised several children, but it was Etienne who inherited his father's love of the land, and it's horses. Etienne, who was born in 1854, was brought up in the days when the horse was mainly the mode of transport. His family regularly travelled the miles to the flatter land of Little River, where at picnic gatherings each farmer would bring his fastest horses to race. Naturally, Etienne followed with interest the progress of trotting in town, Christchurch, which by the turn of the century was going ahead in leaps and bounds.
It was obvious at the time that the early importations from America, the likes of Berlin, Childe Harold, Irvington, Vancleve and Wildwood, and mares like Jeanie Tracey and Woodburn Maid were responsible for considerable improvement in the local breed.
Having inherited the largest and most successful sheep farm on Banks Peninsula some years earlier, Etienne had the resources and time to make some excursions in this field himself, and in 1904 he began the long trip to California in search of quality young horses. In the company of Robert McMillan, a highly respected young American horseman who had been living at Halswell in Christchurch, Etienne returned to New Zealand with a yearling colt by Sydney Dillon, a six-year-old entire called Wallace L and a five-year-old mare in Muriel Madison, while McMillan was credited with purchasing the stallion Mauritius and the mare Miss Youngley.
The colt by Sydney Dillon, the sire of the first 2:00 trotter Lou Dillon (1:58.5), was Harold Dillon, NZ's champion sire for five years between 1916-17 and 1920-21. Harold Dillon sired some 190 winners including the public idol Author Dillon (1918 NZ Cup), as well as Waitaki Girl, John Dillon, Oinako, Sungod and Adonis, all among the best pacers of the day. Well over 200 winners came from Harold Dillon mares including Pot Luck, Parisienne, Glenrossie and Dilworth. Wallace L was only moderately successful at stud while Muriel Madison founded a very successful family, to which over 160 winners trace,including No Response and Koala King. Mauritius was exported to Australia in 1907 and wound up leaving around 120 winners while Miss Youngley was the granddam of 1923 NZ Cup winner Great Hope and is the ancestress of close to 100 winners.
In 1913, Etienne went back to California and purchased a two-year-old colt by Bingen called Nelson Bingen and three young mares, one of which was Berthabell. Stinted almost entirely over the years to Nelson Bingen, the leading sire here for two seasons, Berthabell was to prove one of the most remarkable broodmares in the history of standardbred breeding in NZ, and the founder of one of our largest maternal families. Belita and Belle Bingen were the other mares. Belle Bingen had been bred fron Berthabell in America in 1913, being by Bingen, and had arrived with her dam in 1914. Belle Bingen was crippled on the journey to New Zealand, however, and was put in foal as a two-year-old.
Berthabell had been in foal to The Harvester during the trip but upon returning to Akaroa the resulting foal lived only a few days. Etienne's poor luck was to continue, as in 1916 Berthabell foaled dead twins by Nelson Bingen. Then, the following year, Berthabell produced a colt to Nelson Bingen, the first of eight consecutive foals by the son of Bingen and eight consecutive winners. Worthy Bingen was unsound and very lightly raced as a trotter, starting 13 times over 4 seasons for four wins. Lightly patronised at stud, he sired 33 winners, including the champion trotting mare, Worthy Queen.
Then came the champion Great Bingen. Raced by Sir John McKenzie and Dan Glanville, who bought him from Etienne as a two-year-old for £400, Great Bingen won £14,920, a stakes winning record for several years. In NZ he raced 73 times for 22 wins and 26 placings, while he also contested the Australian Championship, the forerunner to the Inter-Dominions, in Perth in 1926, recording four wins before being just beaten by Taraire in the final. While Great Bingen was the best pacer during the late 1920s, his younger brother Peter Bingen was also acquitting himself well in the tightest class. As a nine-year-old, starting from 48yds, Great Bingen was just beaten by Peter Bingen in the NZ Cup, the first of two wins in the event for Peter Bingen. Peter Bingen raced 87 times for 16 wins and 24 placings, for stakes worth £8629, a little more than half Great Bingen's earnings. Great Bingen later sired 46 winners, including Double Great (1935 NZ Derby) and Taxpayer (1932 Sapling Stakes, NZ Derby), while Peter Bingen sried 45, including top pacers Peter Smith, Double Peter and King's Play.
After them came the fillies Bessie Bingen and Bertha Bingen, who were lightly raced as pacers, each winning twice. Great Peter (eight wins, GN Derby), Baron Bingen (seven wins) and the trotter Great Nelson (five wins) completed the remarkable record of Nelson Bingen and Berthabell. Mated with Guy Parrish, Berthabell left the leading northern pacer Great Parrish, who won 14 races and £3317, taking the 1929 Great Northern Derby and 1932 Auckland Cup. He sired 41 winners. Sent back to Nelson Bingen in 1927, Berthabell left the filly Bell Nelson, who was unraced. The Guy Parrish filly Corona Bell followed, winning once as a trotter.
Travis Axworthy, whom Etienne had imported in 1924 along with Guy Parrish, was the sire of Berthabell's 1930 foal, the colt Ring True. Raced from age three until 11 in the north, Ring True won nine races and £2029, and later sired 46 winners. Ring True had his last start on February 14, 1942, 21 years and one week after the first of Berthabell's progeny, Worthy Bingen, made his debut, finishing third in the 1921 NZ Trotting Stakes at Forbury Park.
The 11 winning progeny of Berthabell had won 94 races and stakes worth £35,335, a figure by today's standards that would run well into the millions.
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in NZ Trot Calendar 11Sep84
YEAR: 1911
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| Lady Clare and driver Jack Brankin |
Lady Clare, the second mare to win the New Zealand Cup, was a six-year-old by Prince Imperial from Clare, who was by Lincoln Yet, the sire of Monte Carlo.
Her trainer, James Tasker, who had been successful with Marian in 1907, took the drive behind her more favoured bracketmate Aberfeldy, and entrusted the drive behind Lady Clare to Jack Brankin. The Cup field was not a strong one, with Wildwood Junior out of the way. Also missing from nominations was King Cole, the star of the August meeting. King Cole, winner of the King George Handicap from Bribery and Dick Fly, and the National Cup from Havoc and Bright, had been temporarily retired to stud. The club received 14 nominations, but the early favourite, St Swithin, was injured and withdrawn. Sal Tasker, who had not raced for four years, and Manderene were two other defections. The front starter, Imperial Polly, received five seconds from the back marker, Bright. Al Franz, because of some outstanding trials, was race favourite, with the bracketed pair of Dick Fly and Redchild, from the stable of Manny Edwards, also well supported. Redchild was the only trotter entered.
The field did not get away at the first attempt because Free Holmes, the driver of Bribery, jumped the start. Medallion stood on the mark and took no place in the race, while Bribery went only one lap and then pulled up lame. Lady Clare led from the start and at the halfway stage was still in front, followed by Al Franz, Dick Fly, Imperial Polly, Aberfeldy, Havoc and Redchild. The mare held on to the lead to win by a length, in 4:38, from Dick Fly, with necks to Al Franz and Redchild. Then came Aberfeldy, Bright and Havoc.
The Cup victory was the last of Lady Clare's seven career wins, but she showed her durability by racing over eight seasons. Indirectly, she featured again in the Cup in 1988, when Luxury Liner turned the clock back 77 years. Lady Clare was the firth dam of Luxury Liner. Lady Clare's £700 from the Cup stake of 1000 sovereigns was the only money she won during the season. Emmeline, an outstanding mare by Rothschild from Imperialism, a Prince Imperial mare, won £949 and was the season's top earner. Rothschild and Prince Imperial were both still standing at stud in the Canterbury area. Rothschild was at Durbar Lodge, in Ashburton, available at a fee of 10 guineas. Prince Imperial and his son, Advance, stood at James McDonnell's Seafield Road farm, also in Ashburton. Prince Imperial's fee was also set at 10 guineas, but Advance was available at half that rate. Franz, the sire of Al Franz (third in the Cup), stood at Claude Piper's stud at Upper Riccarton, at 10 guineas. Franz was a full-brother to Fritz, by Vancleve from Fraulein.
A new surname at that time, but a very familiar on now, Dan Nyhan, introduced another great harness racing family to Addington. Nyhan trained at Hutt Park and ha won the 1909 Auckland Cup with Havoc. He was the father of Don Nyhan, later to train the winners of three New Zealand Cups with his legendary pair of Johnny Globe and Lordship, and grandfather of Denis Nyhan, who drove Lordship (twice) and trained and drove Robalan to win the Cup.
Of all the stallions in Canterbury, Wildwood Junior commanded the biggest fee, 12 guineas, but he held that honour only until 1914, when Robert McMillan, an expatriate American horseman, stood his American imports Nelson Bingen and Brent Locanda at fees of 15 guineas at his Santa Rosa stud at Halswell. He also had Harold Dillon and Petereta on his property. Harold Dillon, sire of the champion Author Dillon, was the top sire for six seasons, from 1916-17 until 1921-22, while Petereta gained some fame by siring the double New Zealand Cup winner Reta Reter.
The outstanding feature of the 1911 Cup meeting was the introduction of races restricted to trotters, particularly the Dominion Handicap. The move, prompted by the Metropolitan Club, came at an appropriate time to save horses of this gait from extinction in New Zealand racing. In the 1880s and 1890s there were two trotters for every pacer in New Zealand, but by 1911 the reverse ratio applied. With the advent of the sulky and harness from the United States, trainer in the 1890s found pacers easier to gait and easier to train, and learned that they came to speed in less time, so many trotters were converted to the pacing gait. Generally, the trotter could not match the pacer on the track.
Coiner won the Middleton Handicap on the first day, in saddle, and raced over two miles in 4:52. Quincey, who had been successful against the pacers on several occasions, got up in the last stride to dead-heat with Clive in the Dominion Handicap, with Muricata, a promising five-year-old, third. Muricata became the dam of double New Zealand Cup winner Ahuriri. The Dominion Handicap carried a stake of 235 sovereigns and was raced in harness for 5:05 class performers. Quincey's time was 4:37.4 slightly faster than Lady Clare recorded in the Cup on the Tuesday. Another of the 13 trotters in this race was the Australian-bred Verax, who started in the New Zealand Cup six times.
The meeting ended with some high-class racing on Show Day. In the Enfield Handicap, in saddle, Aberfeldy, from scratch, beat 14 rivals in 2:12.6, a New Zealand race-winning record for one mile. St Swithin, who had to miss the Cup, won the Christchurch Handicap from Emmeline and Little Tib. The Andy Pringle-trained pacer confirmed how unfortunate it was for his connections that injury denied him a Cup start.
Further improvements had been made at Addington, with a large new 10-shilling totalisator housebeing used for the first time. With bookmakers outlawed, the totalisator turned over a record £27,418 on Cup Day, and betting on the Cup of £6096 10s was a single-race record. The total for the three days of the carnival of £68,329 was an increase of £17,440 over the previous year.
Credit: Bernie Wood writing in The Cup
YEAR: 1914
BERTHABELL
BERTHABELL(1909 Peter The Great-Corona Mack). Dam Corona Mack was by Wilkes Boy(sire of Grattan, great Canadian family) with her third dam being the founding mare of USA family Kate by Highland Chief; placed as a pacer, $111; 16 foals, 11 winners. Breeder: C G Thompson, Kentucky, USA. Imported by and all her foals bred by E X (Etienne) Le Lievre, Akaroa(Oinako Stud).
The immortal trotting broodmare, Berthabell, was foaled in North America and was imported to NZ by Etienne Le Lievre in 1914 together with a filly foal by Bingen(Bell Bingen) and in foal to The Harvester whose colt foal died within days of birth. Imported at the same time was Nelson Bingen who went on to be a leading stallion. Le Lievre successfully imported from North America a number of sires including Harold Dillon, Wallace L, Great Audubon, Guy Parrish, Travis Axworthy and many mares apart from Berthabell(Miss Spear, Muriel Madison, Grattanette, Solon Gazella).
Berthabell raced as a pacer on five occasions producing three placings(two seconds and the third). Berthabell's female progeny included six daughters all of whom bred on leaving large families. It is only possible to provide a subjective snapshot of some of the better performers.
Bell Bingen was her first, foaled in North America and crippled when shipped to New Zealand with her dam. She did not race but produced many foals most of them were female, including Belita: grand dam of Au Fait(Trotting Stakes-three, Dominion Hcp) and sister Precocious(ID Trotting Final, Dominion Hcp, NZ Trotting FFA), 5th dam of Admiral Holliday(VIC Derby, Golden Nugget);Mavis Bingen: 4th dam of Spry(NZ/Kaikoura Cups) and Berkleigh(NZ Derby, Ashburton Cup), family of iron horse, Ldle Scott(219 starts-46 wins[36 at Alexandra Park}/75 placings $1/2m, Rowe Cup, National Trot twice, NZ Trotting FFA, Trotter of the Year, NZ Hall of Fame), Tip Your Hat(Qld Derby); Mavis De Oro: Kotare Knight, Deep Court, Henschke(SA Derby); Cyone: left a son of Logan Derby in Vodka(Dominion Hcp, NZ Trotting FFA, first Australasian winner in North America, NZ Hall of Fame), Mi Coconut(VIC Queen of Pacific), Die Wondering(NSW SS-2f); Parrish Belle(Rowe Cup); Young Travis(Westport Cup).
Bell Nelson, unraced, was the 4th dam of top performer Our Mana(Easter Cup, twice second in NZ Cup/second AK Cup) and a good mile performer(NZ Flying Mile, Down Under Miler/Waikato Flying Miles twice). He was the winner of the inaugural $10,000 West Coast bonus for winning three races on the Christmas circuit. Bertha Bingen, was the winner of two pacing races at Wanganui and grand dam of Indomitable(Rowe Cup). Bessie Bingen, twice a winner whose major credits were Contender(GN Stakes-2, GN Derby) and trotter Bessie Parrish. Corona Bell, winner of one trotting race when raced as a four- to eight-year-old, left Hopeful(Taranaki Cup). Bertha Parrish, Berthabell's final foal, was dam of Sea Gypsy who left NZ Cup winner Our Roger(Louisson Hcp, Ashburton Flying Stakes).
From Berthabell's female branch of the Kate family have come three winners of the Rowe Cup - 1937 Parrish Belle, 1950 Indomitable and 1990 Idle Scott.
Many of Berthabell's male progeny were successful in the breeding shed. Great Parrish(Guy Parrish) raced from a two-until a ten-year-old and was the winner of 14 races including two as a two-year-old (Hawkes Bay), GN Derby and an Auckland Cup at six, the latter two wins for J.T.(Jim) Paul. His 41 winners included Otahuhu Cup winner Parrish Lad, Bonniedene(GN Derby), Bold Venture(AK Cup trial, 2nd AK Cup) and damsire of Indian Parrish(Rowe Cup), champion Australian mare Angelique(VIC Oaks, SA Cup), Gold Horizon(NZ Trotting FFA and NZ Hambletonian twice), Pleasant Smile(Otahuhu Cup). Ringtrue(Travis Axworthy), was the winner of ten races(Five as a three-year-old), nine of which were at Alexandra Park and FPTC's, sire of 46 winners(Parshall) including 21 pacers in Australia having stood at Inverell(NSW) in early 1950's.
Berthabelle produced six brothers by Nelson Bingen who finished top of the sires list in 1928-29 and 1929-30, was five times placed and left 219 winners with stake earnings approaching £191,000. The one gelded son was trotter Great Nelson whose five wins were spread over 6 seasons including NZ Sires Produce - 3T at Forbury Park.
Her siring sons were led by Great Bingen, a high class pacer whose 26 wins(22 NZ, four AUS)including a NZFFA, Australian Championships(four wins, beaten by Taraire in final), Dunedin and Exhibition Cups at Forbury, Christchurch and New Brighton Hcps. He won the York Hcp(108 yards behind) at New Brighton before the Duke of York,(later to become King George VI). He was placed second twice in NZ Cups, fourth on one occasion as well as twice fourth in Auckland Cups, often from lengthy marks. During his career, Great Bingen won six Free-For-Alls. His 2:07.6 placed him among the first hundred NZ horses in 2:10 and in finishing third over two miles in 4:19.8(108 yards) at Alexandra Park, he was the first horse outside America to go under 4:20. Great Bingen was leading stake earner in 1925/6(£4,015) and his total stake winnings of £14,120 stood as a record for 17 years.
Great Bingen was the first stallion to stand stud duties for Sir John McKenzie leaving 46 winners including Taxpayer/Double Great(NZ Derby), Refund/Great News(Welligton Stakes - 3) and dual gaited Dark Hazard. His broodmare sire credits included Bintravis(WA Cup), Bonnidene(GN Derby), Powerful Lady(NZ Oaks), Tapuwae(Rowe Cup) and Crocus, grand dam of Sole Command(NZ/AK Cups, Horse of Year). Great Bingen died in May 1945 in his 26th year at Roydon Lodge.
Peter Bingen started his career as a trotter which included a second in the NZ Trotting Stakes - 3. He became a high class pacer, his 16 wins including consecutive NZ Cups and a NZFFA(three times second), National Cup and Canterbury Hcps. He was also placed second in an Auckland Cup and a division of NZ Cup. His 2:07.0 placed him among the first hundred NZ horses in 2:10.
Hid 45 winners included three time Otahuhu Cup winner Double Peter, Peter Smith (FFA/big stake winner), Peters Find (GN Derby) and damsire of NZ Derby winner Single Medoro. Worthy Bingen, recorded four wins in his three seasons of racing. The sire of 33 winners of whom 21 were trotters, he was rated the best sire of the brothers by journalist Karl Scott. He sired Worthy Queen whose T2:03.6TT(took 5.4 seconds off previous record) set in 1934 stood as a NZ Trotters mile record for 28 years and Tan John(Dominion Hcp). Great Peter had three wins as a three-year-old including GN Derby and the final running of the Champion Stakes at Addington in 1927 before its transfer to Ashburton. He won again at Auckland at both four and five before his final three victories(eight in total) came as a six-year-old during the Auckland Summer carnival. He retired after being unplaced at seventh but died shortly thereafter. Baron Bingen won seven races and was exported to the United Kingdom to stand at stud.
Berthabell died at Oinako Stud aged 23, her progeny won close to 100 races and over £35,000 in stakes, much of it during the depression years.
Credit: Peter Craig writing in Harnessed 2014