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Lofty Shaw, Jack Baker, Garry Dillon & Peter Wolfenden

1965 NZ TROTTING CUP

Adroitly shepherded through a traffic hazard just after negotiating the home turn, Garry Dillon decisively outstayed the favourite Robin Dundee in the NZ Cup at Addington Raceway.

Crack northern reinsman Peter Wolfenden had the winner in front from barrier rise, he took the trail behind Danny's Pal with about seven furlongs covered, and thereafter he stayed on the fence in the path of the pilot until he got the green light in the run home - he actually edged his way to the outer and had gathered in Robin Dundee half-way down the running.

Garry Dillon had three lengths to spare as he passed the post, too decisive a result to warrant any reaching for the excuse book. However, there were the usual casualties. Gay Robin looked as unlucky as anything. He showed a torrent of speed to finish fourth after striking trouble and going into a prolonged break with only a furlong and a half covered - this lapse cost him about a dozen lengths and he was less than five lengths from the winner at the finish. Orbiter fared little better in the battle of tactics than he did a year ago (when he was second to Cairnbrae) but on this occasion his chance got completely extinguised when he got squeezed back with less than three furlongs to go. He was running a fairly close eighth at the time. Jacobite also made a remarkable recovery to come third, because he misfired as badly as anything at the start and still had at least a dozen of the field to mow down with half the race to run.

Lochgair, Avante and Gay Reel were others to tangle at the start, and Garry Dillon's early attendants were Idaho, Robin Dundee, Orbiter, Danny's Pal, Pancho Boy and Garcon D'Or. Garry Dillon was a clear leader with a mile and a quarter to go, but then Danny's Pal rushed up to take over, and with six furlongs left he had Garry Dillon, Idaho, Avante, Robin Dundee and Tactile as his nearest pursuers. Cairnbrae made a short-lived spurt wide out going along the back the last time, but the one who really 'got cracking' as the field crossed the top was Robin Dundee - she was in full cry on the home bend and soon had Danny's Pal and Idaho in trouble, but no sooner had she drawn clear than Garry Dillon made his sweep well out on the track and Robin Dundee had no answer to his perfectly timed onslaught.

Robin Dundee was a length and a half in front of Jacobite, who was a head better than Gay Robin, and Idaho was the same distance back fifth. Danny's Pal, Lordship, Van Rebeck, Orbiter, Tactile, Avante, Pancho Boy, Garcon D'Or, Lochgair, Gay Reel and Cairnbrae followed in the order named.

P T Wolfenden, interviewed after the race, said he thought he was the only one with a chance of beating Robin Dundee from the home turn if he could get clear, "and I managed to." D J Townley, driver of Jacobite, thought he was "a certainty beaten." He lost fully 36 yards at the start.

Garry Dillon is raced on lease by Messrs E B S Grey and J H Shaw from his Southland breeder, Mrs E M Kirk. A seven-year-old bay gelding by Garrison Hanover(imp), who is now close to the top of the sires' list for the current season. Garry Dillon is out of Regina Dillon, by Dillon Hall out of Regina Pointer, by Logan Sun out of Regina de Oro, by Copa de Oro from Regina, a famous foundation mare whose descendants include Native Chief, Logan Chief, Grand Mogul and a host of other class performers; but this was the first New Zealand Cup winner from the family.

Garry Dillon has now won 12 races and £11,042 5s, including Tuesday's £100 gold Cup. The cup was presented by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr D Seath). Robin Dundee's stake-winnings have reached £23,055, plus around £5000 in Australia.

Despite a showery, gloomy morning, the attendance was good, 17,482 compared with 18,000 last year. The weather cleared after the second race. The on-course betting on the Cup was £27,353, an increase of £4850 on last year; the off-course Cup total, £36,842, was £1829 up on last year. The totalisator, on-course, handled £230,015 (including £23,644 10s on the double) compared with £216,064 10s last year. The off-course total was £211,674 15s (including £104,503 5s on the double), compared with £196,592 10s last year.

On a sticky track the time was relatively slow - 4:22.4 for the winner. Sectional times were: Half-mile 64.8; Mile 2:12.8; Mile and a half 3:19.8.

J P Baker, who trains Garry Dillon at Morrinsville, Auckland, told of Garry Dillon's arrival at Addington as late as last Friday following a 600-mile trip by float after a flight from Auckland had to be cancelled. Baker would have driven Garry Dillon himself but for meeting with an accident in recent weeks which injured his ribs and broke his collar-bone. Baker gives unstinted credit to veteran Cambridge trainer C G Lee for his assistance in the training of Garry Dillon in recent weeks, and also his care of the horse on his trying float trip south.

P T Wolfenden was driving his second NZ Cup winner in the last three years - he drove Cardigan Bay in 1963 when, incidentally, Robin Dundee was also second to him.

Credit: 'Ribbonwood' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar

1965 NZ FREE-FOR-ALL

Robin Dundee gained a runaway win in the NZ Free-For-All on Friday and her success was well received by the crowd. Robin Dundee enjoyed a grand run in behind the two leaders, Anarca Direct and Gay Robin. Peerswick sprinted up passing the two furlongs but once M Holmes pulled Robin Dundee out she soon had full control of the situation.

Her success was her 17th and she has also been placed 40 times for £24,355 in stakes in New Zealand and more than £5000 in Australia. Robin Dundee paced her last half mile in 59.8 sec, the full journey taking 2:37.

Fairly well back early, Orbiter put in some telling work over the concluding stages for third. A win for this capable pacer shortly would be popular. Lordship backed out as the barrier was released and was a clear last soon after the start. His fourth placing was not devoid of merit. Garry Dillon made one of his rare lapses at the start and was never really dangerous afterwards.

Credit: 'Irvington' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar

PETER WOLFENDEN - GARRY DILLON 1965

'Wolfie' won four Cups, every one an immaculate drive, usually trailing or handy on the outer. So it was with the longshot 'who's he?' Garry Dillon, in 1965, our first and soon trailing. But Peter knew that his charge lacked the brilliance of many of his rivals and was still going to need all the help in the run home he could get.

So he worked him into the lead earlier than expected at the turn and headed wide to get the firmer footing on the outside of the damp track. PTW was the first to get out there. The horse sprinted clear to win easily and against names like Robin Dundee, Lordship, Orbiter, Tactile and previous winner Cairnbrae, it had to be the "outside lane". They should have put Wolfie's name on the Cup.

TRIVIA FACT: Wolfie's most dramatic trail/win at Addington was the 1979 Inter Dominion final with Rondel. He noted how pacemaker Sapling tended to run out on the bends so he risked being locked into the trail(no Passing lanes) confident he would eventually get a gap as Sapling came under pressure. He did, very late and won by half a neck. You had to be ice cool to do that in a $125,000 race then. What a great driver he was.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed Oct 2016

1965 saw the death of the inspirational British Prime Minister and Wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill. The space race between the USSR and the USA was in full swing, the Springboks narrowly beat the All Blacks at Lancaster Park, Fieldmaster won the NZ Cup at Riccarton and the North Islander Garry Dillon, driven by Peter Wolfenden, easily won the Trotting Cup.

Garry Dillon was also an outsider being 12/10 in the 16 horse field and paid £28/7/- ($56.70) for the win. Among the more favoured runners were Robin Dundee, Jacobite, Orbiter, Lordship & Tactile. Robin Dundee driven by Maurice Holmes improved on her second place in the Cup to win the Free-For-All, while Orbiter won the Allan Matson Stakes Stakes and the Ollivier Handicap respectively on the final two nights

Garry Dillon was raced on lease by E B S Grey and J H Shaw from his Southland breeder Mrs E M Kirk. In a post race interview his trainer, J P Baker of Morrinsville, related how the flight that Garry Dillon was booked to come down on was cancelled and the horse had to endure a trying 600 mile (960k) float trip which saw him arrive the Friday before the Cup.


Credit: Colin Steele