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The NZ mare Blue Mist, in seven seasons of racing, proved herself an outstanding performer over all distances and one of the best racemares produced in that country. When she was retired in 1953 she had contested 77 races for 19 wins and 20 placings. Her earnings totalled £16,230 and at that time was second only to Loyal Nurse as the highest stakewinning mare in Australia or NZ.
In 1951 at the Inter-Dominion Championship at Addington, she won her 1½ miles heat in the NZ record winning time of 3:08. She won many cup races in NZ throughout her career but when taken to Australia in 1953 she put up possibly her most memorable performances. In the Inter-Dominion Championship at Perth that year, Blue Mist was winner of the first two heats over 1½ miles and 1¾ miles and was fourth in her third heat, all from the 24 yeard handicap mark. She finished fifth in the Grand Final and was considered extremely unlucky, meeting two checks in the running.
She followed this up by winning two free-for-all events and then, in the two-mile WA Easter Cup, she started from the backmark but annihilated the field, winning by 40 yards in a record time of 4:16.
In March, 1953, Blue Mist ran a mile and a half against time at Bunbury, WA, in 3:03¼, a world record for that distance. She ran the half mile in 60½, the mile in 2:01 and the full distance in 3:03¼, easily beating Scottish Pence's American and world mark of 3:06.
At stud, Blue Mist produced two foals. The second of these was Medium Blue, a good open class performer at Harold Park in the early 1960's.
Credit: Ron Jenkins: Great Trotters
YEAR: 1969
E 'DOODY' TODD
One of NZ's most successful trainers, Mr E 'Doody' Todd died at Invercargill last week at the age of 75. One of the 'old school' of traiers, Mr Todd enjoyed a long association with trotting.
Mr Todd turned his attention to training horses after World War I, during which he worked in the Wyndham coal pits. He based his training operations at Wyndham, and later acquired land at Menzies Ferry, maintaining that a private property was vital in training.
Mr Todd was associated with many outstanding horses, the more notable ones including Blue Mist, Barrier Reef, Rocks Ahead, Nell Grattan, Tactics, Mandrake and Will Cary. Other winners to pass through Mr Todd's hands included Sungauge, Blue Mountain, Journey's End, Sure Harvest, Blue Blood, Lynwood, Carver Doone, Willowbank, All Sunshine, Scarlett O'Hara, Dan McGrew, Elation, Happy Night, Quick Trick, Morning Sun, Dame Rumour, Volo Bond and Icilma.
Blue Mist, a former world champion pacer over a mile and a half with her 3:03 1/4 against time on the Banbury track in Western Australia, set in April 1953, reached her greatest heights under the care of Addington trainer, C H Fairman, but much of the credit for developing her rested with Mr Todd. Barrier Reef(2:07 3/5) was one of the outstanding trotters of his time, and Nell Grattan and Tactics were both well performed members of the noted First Water family to which Rocks Ahead, who won 16 races and established one of it's best branches, belonged.
Mr Todd achieved the unique distinction of winning successive races at the Wyndham Totting Club's autumn meeting in April 1949, with Blue Mist. The races were the Edendale and the Final Handicaps. Mr Todd drove her in both wins. The Invercargill Trotting Club's meeting in 1935 was one which Mr Todd had good reason to look back on with fond memories. He achieved a feat probably unequalled in Southland trotting when he produced five successive winners. The winners were All Sunshine (Invercargill Trotting Club Handicap), Royal Drive(Crescent Handicap), Journey's End(Travis Memorial), Lynwood(Members' Handicap) and Rocks Ahead(Takitimu Handicap). Mr Todd drove four of those winners.
One of his sons, Ray, a former Southland Rugby representative, is farming at Wyndham. He has inherited his fathers' love of horses and has been a trainer for some years. Ray Todd was responsible for the education and early training of Le Chant and Stylish Major, both champion trotters.
Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 19Nov69
YEAR: 1965
J MALLOCH
Mr J Malloch, who owned the pacing mare Blue Mist, a world record holder, died in Christchurch last week.
Mr Malloch, who, until a few years ago, farmed at Morton Mains, bred a number of good winners from the first mare he owned, Bell Drusus.
Blue Mist was by far his best winner. She was one of the top mares of her time in NZ and Australia, winning 19 races and £16,230 and taking a world record for a mile and a half of 3.03¼. She put up her record against time on the Bunbury track in Western Australia.
Blue Heaven, Sporting Edition, Blue Emperor, Medium Blue, Friendly Hall and the promising 3-year-old trotter, Misty Light, were other horses bred or owned by Mr Malloch
Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 14Jul65
YEAR: 2011
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