| HORSES |
YEAR: 1966
 |
| Highland Kilt, winner 1950 NZ Trotting Stakes |
As a yearling Highland Kilt was bought for me for $800 from his breeder, Mrs K Barre of Templeton. This was just before his full brother Highland Fling and his three-quarter brother Caduceus, hit the world headlines. He was by U Scott out of Queen Ayesha by Frank Worthy.
He made his race track debut as a 2-year-old in 1949 at Addington in a time trial against Todd Lonzia's 2-year-old record which had stood for 17 years. There was great intertest in Highland Kilt's appearance as the year before his full brother, Highland Fling, had paced to a world record on the Addington track of 1:57 4/5. He didn't let the family down; he ran the mile in 2:19 1/5 to take the record by 3/5 of a second. The next season he won at Marlborough then took the prestigious NZ Trotting Stakes.
As a 4-year-old he won the Addington Trotting Stakes and two other races, one a heat of the Inter-Dominion championships over 1¼ miles in 2:40. In the middle of a packed field in the final he struck interference, broke, and lost 40 yards yet still finished a good fifth. He was at his peak in 1952, beating a field of the best trotters including Fair Isle, Single Task, Dictation and Gold Horizon. From 36 yards behind he won in the record time for the Forbury track of 3:31 1/5. It was a remarkable performance and he ran the last quarter in just under 30 seconds.
At Kaikoura, in another time trial, he recorded 2:04 3/5, running his last quarter in 29 without being driven out. It is one of my regrets that he did not go against time again while at his peak.
As a 5-year-old Highland Kilt won five races and the last of these, on a wettish track, again confirmed his top ranking. This was in the Wellington Champion Free-For-All and the field included all the top trotters of the day, Dictation, Barrier Reef, Signal Light, Precaution, Gold Horizon, Gay Belwin and others. Normally he was not suited to wet tracks but as it was the end of the season we decided to start him. We need not have worried; after running in the middle of the field he took the lead with a quarter to go and won handsomely from Dictation and Barrier Reef.
The following season he had a few starts off difficult marks before retiring to stud. With Light Brigade leaving top trotters there were only limited opportunities for him and he was eventually leased for stud duties in the North Island. He left some good trotting winners, one of the best being our own Highland Flight 2:03 2/5 raced on lease by E W Lockyer who trained at Raetihi. Highland Glen 2:02 3/5 was another of his offspring; he raced for some years in the States for Eddie Cobb.
Highland Kilt's mares have proved good breeders of trotters. One, Pipetre, was the dam of Nigel Craig, 'Horse of the Year' in 1977 and the first trotter in NZ to better 2:00. The second dam of Castleton's Pride, Highland Gift was also by him; She was out of Esprit, one of Roydon Lodge's original imports.
Highland Kilt meant a great deal to my wife and me. He was racing for me not long after we had been married and as he improved so did out home furnishings. He would have been an ideal trotter to race in the States where at his best he would have become NZ's first 2:00 trotter.
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NZ Trotting Calendar 23Mar66
Highland Kilt, whose death is reported, was a champion juvenile and aged trotter.
In 1949 he lowered the 2-year-old trotting record against time to 2:19 1/5. The previous record, Todd Lonzia's 2:22 2/5, had stood for 19 years. Among his three wins as a 3-year-old was the NZ Trotting Stakes.
He won four races at four years, including the Addington Trotting Stakes, the Nicoll Handicap (two miles), and a Qualifying race of the trotters' section of the Inter-Dominion Championships, held at Addington. His five wins as a 5-year-old included the Metropolitan Greyhound Handicap and the Wellington Champion Free-For-All, in which he led home Dictation, Barrier Reef and Signal Light. Another in that field was Gold Horizon. Among his successes in later seasons were the Metropolitan Worthy Queen Handicap and the Ashburton Cup.
Highland Kilt was bought as a yearling by Sir John McKenzie from his breeder, Mrs K Bare, Halswell, and raced throughout in the McKenzie interests.
Credit: Roy McKenzie: The Roydon Heritage