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Worthy Queen & J S Shaw

WORTHY QUEEN

"I am certain, if conditions had been ideal that day she would have trotted two minutes." J S Shaw was discussing his champion of 13 years standing, Worthy Queen, a trotter who made history on a windy, dusty day at Addington in April, 1934, by trotting a mile against time in 2.03 3/5. "It was partly my own fault. There was a gale blowing, and it was the first time she had ever had a horse galloping beside her. I was under the impression I could trail the pacemaker, but was told I couldn't. Over the first three furlongs she was trying to beat the galloper, trying to go faster than she could. She was pulling hard and trotting all in a heap. She was hitched to a short sulky and round the showgrounds bend her hock was hitting my leg. It wasn't until she reached the back straight that she flattened out to really trot. But the first half in 61 1/2 took as much out of her as 58 or 59 would have if she had been trotting kindly.

"She was a really wonderful mare. She didn't know what it was to do anything wrong. She never broke in a race unless something took the legs from under her, which happened on only one occasion to my knowledge. She had her funny little ways," continued Shaw. "On race day you had no chance of driving her on the roads or on to the tracks. She had to be led, and even then she insisted upon stopping now and again to gaze at things. Nothing would thwart her."

Worthy Queen's 2.03 3/5 is not her only record that remains unassailed after 13 years. Her 3.14 1/5 in a race was also established in 1934, and she was clocked from post to post on that occasion in 3.09 - and round the field.

Worthy Queen, by Worthy Bingen from Queen Chimes, a Coldstream Bells mare from Vanquish, was bred by the late J R Corrigan, of Hawera, and sold as a yearling to Mr T Agnew, of Hastings. "A mutual friend of both, the late Harry Jones, saw her trotting in the paddock and told Mr Corrigan what a wonderful filly she was," related Shaw, "with the result that Mr Corrigan leased her back. For him she won several races under the direction of Alex Corrigan and afterwards, when I shifted from Auckland to Christchurch he sent her down to me. That was in 1931. I won several races with her for Mr Corrigan. When he became ill and restricted his racing activities he sold the mare's racing rights to me, and she continued to win races."

"Although Worthy Queen was the best trotter up to a mile and a half ever seen in this country, she was not a top-notch two-miler. The best two-mile trotter I ever had was Peter Dean, by Petereta-Ivy Dean. Mrs Sweetapple and I bought him five minutes before a race on the third day of the Auckland Christmas meeting of 1932. He was 144yds behind in a mile and a half race, and although I had never driven him before, he won; and he also won a two mile race the same day. He cost us £1000, but in the first three months we owned him he won £1025. He won three times and was second in his first four starts for us. Shortly after I brought him to Christchurch he kicked at another horse in an adjoining paddock, injuring himself behind, and although he won races afterwards, he was never sound again. His action changed altogether. I consider he is easily the best two-mile trotter I have ever seen. In a trial before leaving Auckland he came the last half-mile in 61sec and the last quarter in 29sec. When I make this claim I am not forgetting Hardy Wilkes, Electrocute, Bellflower, Submarine, Muricata, Quincey, Whispering Willie, Sea Gift, Trampfast, Wrackler, Huon Voyage, Moneyspider and other great staying trotters."


Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 20Aug47

J S (JACK) SHAW

J S (Jack) Shaw, who died in Christchurch on Saturday aged 76 after ailing in health for several months, will long be remembered in NZ racing and trotting circles for many fine accomplishments. But probably his greatest feat of all was blazing the trail to America for NZ standardbreds with that grand trotter Vodka.

It could be rightly said that someone had to be first in this role, but Jack Shaw overcame severe adversity to get Vodka into winning form in the United States in 1956. I was there with him at that time, and I believe no other horseman from this part of the world could have surmounted the difficulties that beset him on that trip and proved his point by leading the way across the Pacific to the hundreds of standardbreds that have followed.

Had Jack Shaw and Vodka failed in their mission, there would almost certainly have been great reluctance on the part of any other owners and trainers to take or send horses to America. The crack pacer Caduceus may not have been tempted to New York for International competition in 1960, there might not have been sufficient American faith in NZ performances to prompt the purchase of the mighty Cardigan Bay in 1964. And the keen demand for our standardbred product that arose through the deeds of our topliners in the United States transforming NZ trotting from a battler's sport to a flourishing industry, might not have developed.

Jack Shaw was just the man for such a significant crusade. Already by 1956 his name was a household word in NZ racing circles. His accomplishments, first in trotting with a string of outstanding pacers and trotters headed by the long-time NZ record holder for a trotting mile, Worthy Queen(2:03 3-5), and then with numerous gallopers headed by the outstanding classics and cups winner Beaumaris, had set the seal to his fame. And when the brilliant trotter Vodka, a gift to Jack Shaw from Auckland's Mr Trotting, Bill Hoskins, capped a fine NZ record by winning from 102 yards at 13 furlongs in record time at Addington early in 1956 in his final appearance, the stage was set.

The NZ trotting fraternity as a whole had every confidence that the Shaw-Vodka combination would prove winning ambassadors in their historic venture into the American harness racing scene. But events were to prove that it was not going to be all that easy. Jack Shaw took Vodka to America by ship. It was a bad trip, and Vodka and his master both travelled poorly. They reached New York down in health and Vodka, his condition aggravated by severe corn trouble, could not trot a yard when Jack set him to training at Yonkers. From being a star visitor with glowing advance reports to live up to, Vodka, when he looked and performed so poorly in first appearances on the busy Yonkers training scene, was reduced to something of a joke amongst the heartless grooms and touts of the area who knew nothing of the troubles of the visitor.

Jack Shaw was a man of great independence and pride. He refused to seek sympathy from raceway officials or to accept help from American horsemen - insistent in his own mind that he would overcome all the problems. But Vodka was proving more than a worry even for Jack Shaw, costs were running high, eating into the finance Shaw was legally restricted to. In desperation, Jack transported Vodka to the less significant Vernon Downs track in upstate New York, took moderate private lodgings, lived virtually on coffee and hamburgers for weeks on end while he devoted his every waking moment to patching up Vodka sufficiently to win with him.

In his day a robust but extremely fit man with a background that included a career in wrestling and wrestling refereeing, Jack lost several stone in weight and, I am sure, aged himself considerably in this ordeal. Jack by this time had refused to accept financial assistance offered him by globetrotting NZer Noel Simpson. He still wanted to do the job completely on his own. Boarding with him for a few days at that time, I found that despite all his woes, Jack Shaw still retained his sense of humour. When I mistakenly set the fire alarm for the whole township of Vernon going, thinking that I was using a telephone in the household, he laughed until the tears came.

Finally, Vodka was as ready as any hands could have possibly got him under the circumstances for his American race debut. Typically slow from the barrier in his first start, Vodka, though not half his former self, made ground into fifth at the wire. Though relieved that Vodka had shown sufficient to suggest he would be able to at least win minor races, Jack was nevertheless bitterly disappointed that he hadn't won first-up with him.

The following week, however, the NZ combination made no mistake, coming from another slow start to win handsomely. And history was made. Almost crying with joy, Jack invited me into the box with him and the horse after cooling Vodka out. As I tried to squeeze past Vodka's rump the gelding lifted his off hind leg as if to kick at me. I froze. "Don't worry about him. He won't kick you. If he does I'll send him back to NZ," said Jack. And fortunately for me, that great confidence that Jack Shaw had in himself and his horse was right once again. Vodka didn't kick me.

He was to win several more races under Jack and then a few more under an American trainer, Earl Nelson, who had been very helpful after Jack had finally befriended him. And though, before he died a year or so later while still in active racing Vodka did not win a really big race in America, he had proved a NZ horse could succeed in the States.

I related some of this story some months later to Karl Scott, long-time editor of the NZ Trotting Calendar and a top authority on NZ trotting. Karl said at that time: "Jack Shaw is not a trainer, he's a scientist with horses." I couldn't agree more.


Credit: Ron Bisman writing in NZ Trotting 14Jul73

J S Shaw holds Native Prince

J S SHAW

J S Shaw, talented reinsman and trainer of champions, breeder of bloodstock and one of the most consistent buyers of 'bargain' yearlings at Trentham over a long period; for nine years a stipendiary steward to the NZ Trotting Conference, has purchased a half share in the trotter Not Quite, whom he will race in partnership with Mr W Hosking. Shaw has also taken out a driver's licence, and he may hold the reins over Not Quite at the New Brighton Trotting Club's meeting on September 6, for which the trotter is being trained by C Fairman. Shaw had his last drive in a race behind Tempest at the Metropolitan meeting on 1937. He won, and is naturally hopeful of bridging a decade with success on either side. (Note: Not Quite finished fifth)

"I am certain, if conditions had been ideal that day she would have trotted two minutes." J S Shaw was discussing his champion of 13 years standing, Worthy Queen, a trotter who made history on a windy, dusty day at Addington in April, 1934, by trotting a mile against time in 2.03 3/5. "It was partly my own fault. There was a gale blowing, and it was the first time she had ever had a horse galloping beside her. I was under the impression I could trail the pacemaker, but was told I couldn't. Over the first three furlongs she was trying to beat the galloper, trying to go faster than she could. She was pulling hard and trotting all in a heap. She was hitched to a short sulky and round the showgrounds bend her hock was hitting my leg. It wasn't until she reached the back straight that she flattened out to really trot. But the first half in 61 1/2 took as much out of her as 58 or 59 would have if she had been trotting kindly.

"She was a really wonderful mare. She didn't know what it was to do anything wrong. She never broke in a race unless something took the legs from under her, which happened on only one occasion to my knowledge. She had her funny little ways," continued Shaw. "On race day you had no chance of driving her on the roads or on to the tracks. She had to be led, and even then she insisted upon stopping now and again to gaze at things. Nothing would thwart her."

Worthy Queen's 2.03 3/5 is not her only record that remains unassailed after 13 years. Her 3.14 1/5 in a race was also established in 1934, and she was clocked from post to post on that occasion in 3.09 - and round the field.

Worthy Queen, by Worthy Bingen from Queen Chimes, a Coldstream Bells mare from Vanquish, was bred by the late J R Corrigan, of Hawera, and sold as a yearling to Mr T Agnew, of Hastings. "A mutual friend of both, the late Harry Jones, saw her trotting in the paddock and told Mr Corrigan what a wonderful filly she was," related Shaw, "with the result that Mr Corrigan leased her back. For him she won several races under the direction of Alex Corrigan and afterwards, when I shifted from Auckland to Christchurch he sent her down to me. That was in 1931. I won several races with her for Mr Corrigan. When he became ill and restricted his racing activities he sold the mare's racing rights to me, and she continued to win races."

"Although Worthy Queen was the best trotter up to a mile and a half ever seen in this country, she was not a top-notch two-miler. The best two-mile trotter I ever had was Peter Dean, by Petereta-Ivy Dean. Mrs Sweetapple and I bought him five minutes before a race on the third day of the Auckland Christmas meeting of 1932. He was 144yds behind in a mile and a half race, and although I had never driven him before, he won; and he also won a two mile race the same day. He cost us £1000, but in the first three months we owned him he won £1025. He won three times and was second in his first four starts for us. Shortly after I brought him to Christchurch he kicked at another horse in an adjoining paddock, injuring himself behind, and although he won races afterwards, he was never sound again. His action changed altogether. I consider he is easily the best two-mile trotter I have ever seen. In a trial before leaving Auckland he came the last half-mile in 61sec and the last quarter in 29sec. When I make this claim I am not forgetting Hardy Wilkes, Electrocute, Bellflower, Submarine, Muricata, Quincey, Whispering Willie, Sea Gift, Trampfast, Wrackler, Huon Voyage, Moneyspider and other great staying trotters."

"Hardy Wilkes was a phenomenal horse, too. He broke five times in a NZ Cup when competing against the pacers and then finished just out of the money. He was especially good in bad ground, but was a very difficult horse to control. He was trained by A Fleming when I was in his employ. I was still in my teens when I trained my first horse. This was none other than Whispering Willie. He won many races, including the Auckland Summer Cup among the pacers at Auckland. For his inches he was a super horse. The sulky he raced in weighed 86lb, compared with the average of 35lb today. What was most remarkable about Whispering Willie was that he won races for every person who trained and drove him, among the number being J Wilson, G Murfitt, J Bryce, R W Mills, W Orange and myself."

Native Prince was a pacer who still stands high in Shaw's regard. "He was a really beautiful-looking horse," he said. "He was bred in Hastings, and sold as a yearling by Ben Shadbolt to C Rokkjer. He won races in Australia, and was bought back to Auckland by Peter Riddle and sold to Mrs Sweetapple. I trained him to win many races, and he finished up by running a great race in the NZ Cup, although he was unplaced. He was a really genuine horse."

"Jewel Pointer was the best all-rounder I ever had. He was good in saddle or harness, he won from a mile to two miles, he was equally at home on grass of clay, mud or dry, and any class of mud to boot. Besides being foolproof at the start - which was a great asset with him - you could always afford to take a risk and get a position before a race had been long in progress. I bought Jewel Pointer for Mr Moodabe for about £300, and he won thousands. One of his best feats was to win three £1000 races within eight days, besides three seconds. He had to travel from Auckland to Christchurch, and it has to be remembered that stakes were then less than half what they are today."

"Carmel must be included among a number a really good horses I had the good fortune to train and drive. The Richmond brothers, friends of mine, bought Carmel among some draught horses at a sale for 14gns the vendor being A Cameron. They leased him to me and I developed him and won several races before selling him to Mr J W Murphy. He went into C S Donald's stable, and under his guidance he won the Auckland Cup and many other races. Torpedo Huon, a good-looking well-bred horse from Australia, was a good winner under my direction, but he did not breed on," continued Shaw. "Western King was also bought in Australia for Mr Moodabe. Unfortunately, this grand pacer got hurt and I thought he would never race here. Even under this severe handicap he went 2.07 4/5 round a field to win, and he had a good two-mile record as well. This horse might have been capable of anything if he had not been injured. Florrie Bingen was one of my favourites. She was bought by Mrs Sweetapple and myself for £150 and she won numerous races, including two over two miles at one meeting in Christchurch towards the conclusion of her career. This was the first meeting at which a limit was put on both ends of a race. One of the races she won was 4.40 to 4.35."

In August 1930, after a run of successes with Warplane and Native Chief, I went out of racing and bought a partnership in a gymnasium in Auckland. A year later I came to Christchurch with Peter Pirate, setting up as a public trainer. It was then that I received Impromptu to train. He was not doing any good at that stage. The first time I started him he won at New Brighton. The following week he won the leading event at Wellington. He ended up by going 3.13 and winning very easily at Ashburton and beating Harold Logan in a free-for-all at Auckland. On his day it took a really good horse to beat Impromptu over any distance; but he was a bad-gaited horse and one of the hardest to train I ever had anything to do with. When I received Royal Silk to train he had one miss and then won five on end, including the big race at Dunedin, the Auckland Cup, the big sprint on the second day, and the big two-miles on the third day of the Auckland meeting; and the NZ Trotting Gold Cup at Wellington."

Koro Peter, champion 2-year-old trotter of the late 1920s, and the only horse of his age and gait to win in open company in the Dominion during the last 20 years, was another celebrity who passed through J S Shaw's hands. This big, overgrown gelding by Peter Moko from Koro Ena, trained and driven by his owner, T Cooper, astounded the trotting world by winning the Introductory Handicap of a mile and a half, from a big field of all ages at Cambridge in May, 1928. Shaw immediately opened negotiations on behalf of Mrs Sweetapple to buy Koro Peter, and secured him for £500. "The same season, a 2-year-old trotting filly named First Wrack, bred and owned by Mr H F Nicoll, had finished third in open company in the Allenton Handicap, of a mile and a half, at Ashburton a month before Koro Peter won at Cambridge. These youngsters were the only 2-year-old trotters to have shown any form for many years. In fact, it is the exception rather than the rule, even up to the present day, for a 2-year-old trotter to race, let alone perform with any degree of success," said Shaw.

"Koro Peter and First Wrack created such Dominion-wide interest that the upshot of it all was that their merit was recognised by the Auckland Trotting Club, which matched them over a mile and a quarter at their June meeting, 1928. The totalisator was opened on the event, and Koro Peter was made favourite. 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. After the match Koro Peter was sold to Mr G McMillan for £1000 and entered R B Berry's stable, from which he met with a lot of success, First Wrack also reached the top flight of trotters."

"Man o' War was the greatest stayer I ever had," continued Shaw. "He was so clean-winded that he would race on less work than any other horse I have trained. In addition, he had a splendid disposition and was most intelligent. I only had him for about 12 months. He was previously trained by J Bryce, for whom he won two Auckland Cups. The last time I drove Man o' War was a very memorable occasion. It was at Addington when a special day's racing was put on in honour of the American fleet. Man o' War rose to the occasion and won the HMS Hood Handicap, the leading event of the day. This was the worst day that I have ever experienced on a racetrack. There was hail and sleet all day and the races could not be postponed, as this was the only day the fleet could be in Christchurch. Of this particular race I saw only about half; Man o' War came from the back mark and did the job himself. I was absoutely blinded with the slush that was flying everywhere. This may soung incredible, but there are many of the old drivers who will vividly remember it. Some of our mounts had to be led back to the birdcage, as we were driving blind. The morning after the races I woke in daylight but everything was still black. It was hours before my eyesight returned to normal. Most of us had driven all day and our eyes had to be attended to in between races by the doctors present at the meeting. Warplane was a son of Man o' War bred by the late James Pettie, and sold to Mrs Sweetapple for £250. He was a very successful performer over all distances. On the last occasion I brought him to Christchurch - August, 1930 - he won two races in good company, his only two starts at the meeting."

"The Abbey was a good horse I trained, but he had to be humoured. He won several good handicaps for Mr Moodabe. One of his wins was the Whangarei Cup. The Abbey was one of those horses who suffered by the old system of handicapping. I remember one meeting in Christchurch, I won a 4.40 class with him on the first day in 4.29, and he was handicapped the next day in the big race on 4.28 in a 4.29 class, going back 11secs for winning a race which from memory was worth £250 to the winner. He ran second from a 4.28 mark and the found himself in NZ Cup company. Cases such as these," said Shaw, "must make the present-day owner thankful for the existing system of penalties."

"Peter Pirate was one of the best mud horses I ever drove," he continued. "I leased him for Mr Moodabe towards the end of his career, and he won several races. I drove him in four events at an Auckland meeting, for which he was trained by Edgar Kennerley, and he won three and was third in the other. One of his wins was the Adams Memorial Cup. I bought Ironside from Mr H F Nicoll for Mr Hosking for £500. I didn't get on well with this horse, although he won his first race for me, but under G Robertson and later F J Smith, he won good races and stakes running into several thousands. Among his successes were the Ashburton Cup and Adams Memorial Cup."

"The last horse I trained before I was appointed a stipendiary steward was Golden Eagle. She was a really sweet trotter and I was sorry to have to give her up. I bought her from J T Paul on his recommendation for £250 on behalf of Mr Hosking. She won several races, and when I parted with her she was sold to Mr G J Barton for £500. For him she also proved a good winner. Sold to a West Australian owner, she continued to win races in Perth. It was also on J T Paul's recommendation that I bought Not Quite for Mr Hosking and myself," said Shaw.

"The first horse I ever rode in a race was Bribery. He was a wonderful saddle horse, especially over two miles. At that time I was head lad for Mr T G Fox, one of my first employers. Mr Fox was a really considerate boss, and one whose advice I found very valuable in later life. I would like to make some reference to saddle races, particularly straight-out trotters' saddle races. The men who shone in this department some 30 years ago were A Pringle, T Annat, W Orange, J McEwen, F Holmes, and a bit later J McLennan, D Bennett and F G Holmes. In those days when men used to ride in trotting races they were in much better health than they are today, when you very seldom see a horse worked in saddle. I won a lot of saddle races with straight-out trotters and enjoyed them very much though I was never in the first flight of saddle horsemen and had to waste hard to get down to 10st."

"I remember once winning a two mile saddle race on a trotter called Rothmoor giving away starts of up to 28secs. When the limit horses went away I was on the ground putting a martingale on. I had 28secs in which to complete this, mount my horse, and travel down to the starting post to catch my clock under the old system of starting. The present system of starting is far ahead of the old system of the clock. And there is no doubt that the present system of handicapping is also a great improvement on the old order, under which there was a definite encouragement to wait for slow tracks."

Shaw recalled that he won the first Taranaki Cup with Overate, a trotter competing against pacers; and the first Adams Memorial Cup with the imported American stallion Ballin, who had just been converted fron a trotter to a pacer. Another Taranaki Cup winner he trained and drove was Jewel Wood, who also won the Nelson Cup and the first Hawkes Bay Cup in the same season. "The Squire was a trotter I had more than average success with in Auckland," said Shaw. "Mr G McMillan came by him in exchange for a mare named Bingen Jean, and the exchange proved a very good one from our point of view, as The Squire won the two big trotting events at the first Auckland meeting at which we raced him."

Asked about the standard of driving, Shaw said he considered there are equally as many, if not more, expert reinsmen today; but there are considerably more of those who, in his opinion, have not had sufficient experience before being granted a licence. "I think the grading of horsemen a big mistake," he said. "Either a man is capable of driving in any class of race or he is not. The races that we found the hardest to drive in were the maiden races, because here you have the large fields of green horses, and it is in these events that the inexperienced horsemen of today, classified 'C' grade, are found in the largest numbers. I always found it advisable in a race to trail the man, not the horse," said Shaw. "By this I mean that you will invariably get a better run behind an experienced horseman than you will get behind an inexperienced one who in the majority of cases cannot stay put for any length of time. The old hand knows the shortest way round and retains that little in reserve until the right end of the race."

"One of my regrets," continued Shaw, "is the complete dissappearance of the unhoppled pacer. At one time this class of horse was catered by the Auckland Trotting Club by the inclusion of a race for unhoppled horses, which embraced straight-out trotters and free-legged pacers. I won several of these events with a little horse called Nipper. The late A J Julian had a good unhoppled pacer in Haricot, and the late W J Tomkinson won more than his share with that good free-legged mare Pearlie Chimes. But easily the best of this class of horse was Don Wild, who held his own among the best hoppled pacers in the Dominion. I think that if this class of horse was catered for again, so would they be developed. In fact, the way pacers are bred today,they should have less need for straps, and I see no reason why the number of unhoppled pacers should not be considerably multiplied until there are as many of them as there were in Don Wild's day."

Amaris, Fairyland, Gay Paree, Halgana, Arachne, Sal Pointer, Ben Lomond, Warspite, Great Change, Jimmy Richmond, Meritorious, Prinzora, Rustle and Mr Penalty were some of the many other winners of both gaits Shaw trained and drove up to the time he was appointed stipendiary steward to the NZ Trotting Conference in 1937. He held this position with credit to himself and the sport until last year, when he resigned. As stated previously Shaw may return to trotting as an owner and driver with Not Quite (in whom he holds a half-interest with Mr W Hosking), at the New Brighton meeting on September 6. He is assured of a warm reception from the public an his fellow reinsmen.



Credit: 'Ribbomwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 20Aug47

DUAL GAITED TRAINERS

It seem slightly traitorous to some that high profile harness trainers are casting their eyes over the thoroughbred industry to extent their interests.

The way the gallops are going, you would have to wonder why? But when people of the calibre of Barry Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen announce they are increasing their commitment to the galloping code, and supporting acts like Todd Mitchell and Brian Court have already taken the plunge, it seems a trend in the making. If so, it is one old enough to have grey hairs.

A century ago, one of New Zealand's leading harness trainers was the Palmerston North-based Lou Robertson, a superb horseman though inclined to test the patience of officialdom with some of his adventures. He left New Zealand for Australia when bookmakers were banned here (1910); became a top harness trainer in Melbourne, but switched to gallopers at the request of his owners. He won the 1915 Caulfield Cup (and again as late as 1949) and after that trained several turf stars until the remarkable year of 1935 when he won the Cox Plate, the Melbourne Cup, the VRC Derby and the VRC Oaks in a matter of weeks. Lou was ludicrously superstitious but never regretted his journey to the 'dark side' from harness.

Dave Price of the same era was the man who spied the freak pacing mare Princess on the road to Ashburton in the 1880s and turned her into a goldmine on both sides of the Tasman. When he was disqualified for life for pulling Princess in Australia he toured in a circus with her doing riding tricks. He developed our first genuine Addington superstar, Ribbonwood, and travelled to America to buy the famous foundation mare, Norice.

The banning of bookmakers hastened Price's permanent exit to Australia when he switched to thoroughbreds in Sydney in 1922. His list of top horses would fill this column. He was famous enough to have his racing memoirs published in a series in a top Sydney newspaper - and he had plenty of stories to tell, especially about his New Zealand career.

In the 1920s an Australian trainer, Peter Riddle, set up a trotting stable in Domain Terrace at Addington and soon had remarkable success. He returned home, took up with gallopers, and owned and trained a fabulous horse called Shannon which later set world records in America.

Bill Tomkinson (for his son Jim), Ces Donald, and Jimmy Bryce (for his daughter Rona) were among prominent trainers of the 1930s to have gallopers (at least ones which were supposed to do that), while that remarkable horseman 'Dil' Edwards was winning the best races at Addington and top races at Riccarton at the same time from his Yaldhurst stable.

Jack Shaw was a famous dual-gaited trainer, having the champion trotting mare of the 1930s in Worthy Queen and the champion galloper of the 1950s in Beaumaris. Claude Fairman, who trained the famous pacing mare, Blue Mist, used to help out with Shaw's gallopers. Lately of course, Graeme Rogerson has been trying a similar change in reverse - as Freeman Holmes did more than 100 years ago.

Graeme has found it a challenge, as is any training enterprise, but is a hard man to beat. History suggests Barry, Natalie and company will be well up to the task doing it the other way round.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 26Jan11

VANCLEVE

In any survey of great stallions of past decades, the case of Vancleve would never be challenged as being the most unusual.

Although sires earnings were not officially recorded until well into this century there is little doubt that Vancleve would have topped such a list at least once and would have been in the top five over a number of years. The fascinating thing about that is that Vancleve never stood at stud in this country and as far as is known, never left a foal here. His influence was based solely on Australian imports as he spent all of his stud career in that country. He did pass through NZ in the early 1880's but there is no record of his having served any mares and even if he did their subsequent stock are lost in the mists of time. And while other Australian-based sires notably, Ribbonwood and Globe Derby have influenced our racing, none had the impact of Vancleve.

Foaled in 1881, Vancleve was imported to NZ by Robert Wilkin the following year along with another colt Blackwood Abdallah and several mares. Mr Wilkin already had Berlin at stud so decided to lease Vancleve for two years to Mr Andrew Town owner of the big Hobartville Stud in New South Wales. Vancleve was so successful he never returned to this country and Mr Town later bought him outright. It is understood Mr Wilkin did make attempts to get his horse back at the end of the lease but, as often happens in such cases, there was always good reasons why he could not travel. Vancleve raced occasionally across the Tasman and was in fact the first horse to break standard time in Australia going 2:28 in 1893. This made him much faster than the NZ champions on the day.

While Vancleve had tremendous influence on Australian trotting it is his NZ success which we are concerned with here. But in passing it might be noted that his daughter Fidget was the grandam of the mighty Globe Derby the greatest colonial bred sire. Vancleve produced pacers and trotters with equal ease though many of his pacers were free-legged performers. His greatest son was Fritz. Fredrick and Franz were full brothers to Fritz and were also fine performers, while in Australia one of Vancleve's sons in Valour won many races and took a 2:16 mile time. Another outstanding son of Vancleve was Vascoe who was Australian-bred but who made most of his reputation in NZ from Free Holmes' stable. Vascoe was the leading stake winner in the 1901-02 season and won races over many seasons.

Many of the Vancleve horses which made good in this country were brought over by Mr James Buckland who campaigned teams here at the turn of the century. Other Vancleve winners he brought were Viva and What. Undoubtedly the best pacer he brought over however was Durbar. Durbar won in Mr Buckland's colours before being purchased by Mr H F Nicoll and for his new owner he won many races including the National Cup and the NZ Cup of 1908, the Otahuhu Cup of 1903 and two other placings in the NZ Cup. Mr Nicoll named his well known Durbar Lodge after his old favourite.

Another top horse Vancleve produced and who came to this country was Quincey a trotter who won the inaugural Dominion Handicap from the Ashburton stable of S Scott who later stood the Vancleve horse at stud. Quincey's dam had been imported from America and he had fair success as a sire. Altogether Vancleve sired more than 60 winners in this country which in those days was a fine achievement for any sire, never mind one who never stood at stud here. Among them were Van Dieman who won an Auckland Cup, Vanquish, Verity, Archangel, Valmond and Velox the latter winning six races in the 1902-03 season in spite of being barely 14 hands.

As a sire of broodmares Vancleve was even more successful and a number of his daughters were particularly fine producers. The most successful has been Verity the second most successful broodmare this country has ever seen and steadily making ground on the famous Thelma. At last count her family had produced 154 winner-producing mares of over 380 races. Verity has achieved most of her stud renown (she was a fine pacer herself) through her daughters Pearlchild and Pansey to whom any number of fine horses trace.

In Australia, Vancleve was the sire of Doris M two of whose sons Hardy Wilkes and Pedro Pronto did very well in this country when brought over by Jack Kennerly. Hardy Wilkes was a fine trotter and Pedro Pronto almost in the champion class as a pacer, and later a successful sire. Vanquish another Vancleve mare was the grandam of the champion trotting mare Worthy Queen. Other Vancleve mares who established successful families here were Daybreak, Whist, Archangel, Cling and Ella G the latter the grandam of Captain Sandy.

Vancleve didn't have a very successful sire line though Franz must have had considerable influence for his name is in the pedigrees of some of our best trotting families including that of Whispering Grass (dam of Sea Gift winner of 18 and grandam of Durban Chief) and Olive Turmoil the ancestress of Court Martial, Nigel Craig, etc.

Most of his later influence was through his daughters which is not surprising when you look at Vancleve's own pedigree. Vancleve was by Harold, an intensely in-bred stallion, as both his sire and his dam were by Abdallah. Harold was by Hambletonian from Enchantress a mare which spent most of her life at work in a New York livery stable. He was an undergrown awkward colt treated as a no hoper for much of his life but subsequently proved to be one of the great trotting sires in North America. Vancleve's dam Vassar was by Belmont (also a son of Abdallah) from Venus, a mare by the much scorned stallion Seeley's American Star. Interestingly enough though, Harold had a fine stud reputation just before his death. Subsequently his daughters bred on better than his sons and the same happened with Vancleve.

It was a sad day for NZ breeding when Vancleve was shipped over to Australia, but all the same he made an immense contribution to the evolution of our standardbred without ever standing in the country where he was a leading sire.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in NZ Trotguide 28Oct76

1908 NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP

Bookmakers had two terms of legal betting in New Zealand. In the early days they were licensed by the clubs, which worked with or without totalisator betting. By the turn of the century bookmakers had been banned, but in 1908 they were back, operating on the course only, at the whim of the clubs. The situation lasted until 1911, when they were finally denied access to the courses. The 1908 Gaming Act also prohibited the publication of totalisator dividends. This prohibition was not lifted until 1950, when the Totalisator Agency Board was established and off-course betting was legalised.

The Metropolitan Club issued a large number of bookmakers' licences in 1908 and they operated in the public and members enclosures. Their operations affected first-day turnover, which dropped to £10,606, compared with £13,168 on the first day of the 1907 carnival. On the second day, 24 bookmakers operated, providing the club with £480 in fees, and on the third day 30 bookmakers took out licences. On Cup Day, despite the bookmakers, a record £18,404 was handled by the totalisator. The three-day total of £41,432 was a drop of £1209 from the previous year.

At his third attempt, Durbar, owned by Harry Nicoll and trained by Andy Pringle, a combination of owner, trainer and driver that was to become a familiar sight at Addington, won a grand contest.

On the first day, Addington patrons had their first opportunity in the new seasonto see the very good four-year-old Wildwood Junior. Bill Kerr's star easily beat 14 others, most of them Cup contenders, in the Courtenay Handicap. Dick Fly was second and St Simon third. Wildwood Junior did not have a Cup run.

A small field of nine faced the starter in the New Zealand Cup. Advance, the early favourite, went amiss and was withdrawn from the carnival. Albertorious was the favourite again, after his eight-length win in the Christchurch Handicap the day before the Cup. But Albertorious, driven by Jim August, was last all the way. He was bracketed with Fusee, driven by Newton Price. Fusee fared worse. His sulky broke just after the start and he was pulled up.

Florin took an early lead and led until the last lap, when Terra Nova took control from Dick Fly, Master Poole, Lord Elmo and Durbar. Pringle sent Durbar after the leaders and he won by two lengths to Terra Nova, with eight lengths to Lord Elmo. At considerable intervals came Dick Fly and Master Poole, with the others well beaten. Durbar's time of 4:36 was just outside Ribbonwood's national record. The stake for the Cup was raised to 500 sovereigns, and for the first of many times the qualifying mark was tightened, on this occasion to 4:48.

Most of the Cup horses lined up again in ther seventh race, the Provincial Handicap, where Lord Elmo improved on his third placing in the Cup. He gave Wildwood Junior a two-second start and beat him by eight lengths. Durbar, also off two seconds was third.

Durbar was a 12-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Vancleve. Terra Nova was by Young Irvington and Lord Elmo was by Rothschild. All three sires were outstandingly successful. A tough old campaigner, Durbar raced until he was an 18-year-old, and unsuccessfully contested the 1909 and 1910 Cups. He was the top stake-earner in 1908-09, with £682. For the fifth consecutive season, John Buckland was top owner, his horses winnnig a record £1391.

In 1881 John Kerr, of Nelson, and Robert Wilkin, of Christchurch, had imported some American stock, which laid the foundation for harness racing breeding in this country. Among Kerr's stock was Irvington, and among Wilkin's importations was Vancleve, who stayed only a short whilein New Zealand and did not serve any mares before being sold to a trotting enthusiast in Sydney. He became one of the most successful sires identified with the Australian and New Zealand breeding scenes. Apart from the great trotter Fritz, and Durbar, he sired Quincey (Dominion Handicap), and a number of other top performers who were brought from Australia to win races in this country. More than 60 individual winners of hundreds of races on New Zealand tracks were sired by Vancleve, a remarkable record for a horse who spent his stud life in Australia. Vancleve mares also found their way into New Zealand studs, the most celebrated being Vanquish - granddam of the immortal Worthy Queen, who created a miler record for trotters of 2:03.6 at Addington in 1934.

Irvington was used for only a few seasons in New Zealand before he too, went to Australia. Irvington was a poor foaler. He sired only two winners - Lady Ashley and Young Irvington - and it is through the latter that the name survived. Bred in 1886 by Tom Free at New Brighton, Young Irvington was a good racehorse, not only the first "pacer" seen on Canterbury tracks, but also a natural or free-legged pacer, racing without straps. Young Irvington left about 60 winners, and his daughters were also outstanding producers at stud. Early on they produced Ribbonwood (Dolly), Our Thorpe (Lady Thorpe) and Admiral Wood (D.I.C.).

Durbar's owner, Harry Nicoll, who raced both thoroughbreds and standardbreds, was also a breeder and top administrator. For many years he was president of the Ashburton Trotting and Racing Clubs. He retired from the presidency of the New Zealand Trooting Conference in 1947, after holding that office for an uninterrupted period of 25 years. He owned his first horse in 1902 then, in 1905, Andy Pringle became Nicoll's private trainer and they started a long and successful association. Pringle was an astute horseman, often sought by other owners and trainers to drive their horses. He was top reinsman in 1914-15 and again in 1916-17 and 1917-18. His son, Jack Pringle, was also a top horseman, winning the trainers' and drivers' premierships in 1950-51. Nicoll was top owner in 1910-11 (£1547 10s), 1911-12 (£1222), 1912-13 (£987 10s) and 1920-21 (£4161). His Ashburton stud, named Durbar Lodge after his first Cup winner, produced some great pacers and trotters, with Indianapolis, Wrackler, Seas Gift and Bronze Eagle foremost. All were bred by Wrack, who was bought by Nicoll from American owners.

Credit: Bernie Wood writing in The Cup

BERTHABELL

When a member of the present generation of the Jacobson family writes a further volume of "Tales of Banks Peninsula," many of us will be disappointed if we do not find between the covers a whole chapter devoted to those inseperables, the late Etienne Le Lievre and Berthabell.

In a previous issue of the Calendar we were glad to concede that Akaroa is famous for its cheese, its cocksfoot, its serene loveliness; that it is also renowned as the original nursery of all the beautiful weeping-willow trees that adorn the banks of the Avon.

But when we reminded you that perhaps Akaroa has a greater claim to your particular interest because here Etienne Le Lievre, who inherited his love of horses from his French pioneering father, Francois, installed Berthabell as the grand dame of his already famous "Oinako" stud.

Berthabell's name as a producer will ever remain imperishable. This blood-like mare was foaled in 1909, and in 1913 she had a filly by Bingen, which accompanied her to New Zealand when she was imported from America by Etienne Le Lievre in 1914. She had been stinted to The Harvester, 2.01, and on arrival in New Zealand she foaled a colt, which unfortunately died.

An impression existed for many years that Berthabell did not race in New Zealand, and this idea was probably firmly implanted in the minds of some people by the fact that she was bred from before she came to this country, and is shown in the Stud Book as produced for the next three years after her arrival here; but she managed to edge in a racing career somehow, and in her only five starts she was three times in the money. A pacer, she finished third in the Amateur Handicap at the South Canterbury Trotting Club's meeting in July, 1915, and at New Brighton the same year she finished second to Sinoda over a mile and a half in the Innovation Handicap, the winners time being 3.40 1-5. She also finished second to Sweet Agnes in the Telegraph Handicap of one mile at the Canterbury Park New Year meeting of 1916. The winner's time was 2.22, and as Berthabell started from the same mark as Sweet Agnes, and finished within two lengths of her, it is obvious that Berthabell must has registered at least 2.23, this when she was probably in foal, because the Stud Book shows that in the same year she foaled twins to Nelson Bingen, both of which died.

Is it any wonder, in view of these facts, that such a mare bred a line of champions when she was eventually allowed to retire to the matron's paddock? She found a ready affinity with the sire Nelson Bingen, for to him she left Great Bingen, Worthy Bingen, Peter Bingen, Bessie Bingen, Bertha Bingen, Great Peter, Baron Bingen and Great Nelson, all winners. To other sires she left Great Parrish and Corona Bell (by Guy Parrish), and Ringtrue (by Travis Axworthy).

The progeny of the great mare earned £35,535 in stakes, as follows:-
Great Bingen £14,120 including Australian winnings, Peter Bingen £8,629, Great Parrish £3,317½, Great Peter £2,850, Ringtrue £2,029, Baron Bingen 1,475, Great Nelson £898½, Worthy Bingen £691, Bessie Bingen £215, Corona Bell £175, Bertha Bingen £135.

None of the sons of Berthabell has proved an outstanding success as a sire, but six of them have got winners, namely, Worthy Bingen, Great Bingen, Peter Bingen, Great Nelson, Great Parrish and Ringtrue. Great Nelson's siring merit hangs on a very slender thread, as he left only one very moderate winner, but all the others have sired several winners. Of them all, the siring palm goes to Worthy Bingen, who was a fine trotter, and got Worthy Queen, whose records of 2.03 3-5 for a mile against time, and 3.14 1-5 for a mile and a half in a race still stand. The best horse left by Peter Bingen is Peter Smith, a Free-For-All winner with records of 2.36 for a mile and a quarter, 3.11 2-5 for a mile and a half and 4.15 for two miles. He was a big stake-winner, just fractionally removed from being a champion.

Great Bingen has been represented by several Classic winners including Taxpayer, Refund, Double Great and Great News. To date Taxpayer is probably the best horse he has sired, though Dark Hazard was a bigger stake-earner and a winner of good races at both gaits, while Karangi and Pre-Eminence are two present-day pacers by Great Bingen who should extend their records. Great Parrish has sired winners of both gaits in Auckland, and one of his best to date is Bold Venture, who finished second in an Auckland Cup, and took a two-mile record of 4.19 3-5.

Ringtrue is the sire of a high-class pacer in Parshall, winner of the last Auckland Free-For-All, besides being placed in Cup company at Addington. Parshall has records of 3.13 2-5 for a mile and a half (winning) and 4.15 4-5 for two miles, and will be a competitor in the next NZ Trotting Cup. Other winners left by Ringtrue included the trotter Paiahua, one of the comparatively few to beat the pacers.

Great Peter and Baron Bingen were other sons of Berthabell who at one time gave promise of reaching the best class. Great Peter won the Great Northern Derby, Champion Handicap (Addington) and other races, but he died as a seven-year-old when shaping like a Cup horse. Baron Bingen, who probably had as much speed as any member of the family, was a very excitable horse, and eventually became so temperamental that he was gelded late in life and eventually had to be given up as a racing proposition.

Berthabell's daughters were not a patch on her sons as racehorses. Bell Bingen, of course, was injured on her way out from America, and did not race, but the later fillies, Bessie Bingen, Bertha Bingen, Bell Nelson and Corona Bell never threatened to break any records. The best racemares among them were probably Bessie Bingen and Corona Bell, both trotters. Bertha Bingen won races as a pacer.

Bell Bingen has already established a good family of her own. She left Huia Bird, Mavis Bingen, Belle Axworthy, Parrish Belle, Pearl Parrish and Young Travis, all winners, besides Bertha Dillon, Bingen Bell, Sonoma Bell, Lambeth Walk and Paua Bay. Mavis Bingen's branch of the family has been quite a successful one. Her progeny were Cyone, 4.27 2-5, a good winner; Policy, 3.18 1-5, who also won several races; Range Finder, one of out best trotters of today; and Sonora. Cyone has already produced five winners - Toceetie, 2.40 1-5; Cyone Girl, 3.20 3-5; Cyone Maid, 3.27 2-5; and Manonee, 3.30 4-5. Toceetie is now at Mr E Tatlow's stud in Tasmania. Sonara has not fared so well. Of her seven foals, two died, and none of the other five so much as got to the races. But one of her daughters is now being bred from, and may revive the line, as so often happens.

Bertha Dillon produced only one foal, a colt named Jack Parrish, who did not amount to anything; there is no record of Bingen Bell having produced at all, but Sonoma Bell is the dam of a useful winner in Surprise Potts.

Belle Axworthy, herself a good winner, looks like being a real success as a brood mare, for already she is the dam of Modest Maid, one of the best trottters in Auckland at the present time, and Young Pointer, who won races and ended up with a mile and a quarter record of 2.44 3-5. Belle Axworthy's later progeny include two by Indianapolis.

Pearl Parrish has produced Pearl Scott and Pearloro, 2.50 2-5, but there is no record of Parrish Belle, who at one time held a mile and a quarter trotting record of 2.46 3-5, having produced anything. She was a nice trotter.

Bessie Bingen's first foal was Bessie Parrish, 3.19, a good trotter who reached high-class company. Then followed Lady Bunker, a winner at the trotting gait, and Contender, who won the Great Northern Stakes and Great Northern Derby. Bessie Bingen was still breeding up to 1942, her last two foals being by Worthy Belwin(imp).

Bertha Bingen is the dam of Iolaire, Endurance, Self (winner of several races. Queen Bertha, 3.31 4-5, and Opportunity, 2.52 3-5. She had no foals after 1934.

Berthabell's later daughters, Bell Nelson and Corona Bell, may have produced, but the Stud Book authorities have received no advice of it if they have. Every now and then the name of Berthabell comes to the top. The latest promising member of the "Oinako" mare's household is Karangi, a son of Great Bingen.

Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 18 Oct 44