| PEOPLE |
YEAR: 2002
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Closure on another chapter in the colourful history of the Holmes family came last week with the passing of Freeman. He was a grandson of 'the Grand Old Man of Trotting' Free Holmes and a son of 'F.G', who won the 1953 NZ Cup with Adorian to emulate the feat of his father.
Old Free's many unique distinctions included riding Manton to win the 1888 NZ Cup at Riccarton and training and driving Trix Pointer to win the 1919 NZ Cup at Addington. A filly he imported a few years earlier after his first trip to America along with Logan Pointer and Bonilene, Trix Pointer is the only Cup winner to become the dam of a Cup winner - her first foal Wrackler.
Freeman did not manage to win the Cup himself, but could so easily have done so had the sensational Noodlum not gone amiss on the eve of the 1975 edition. Troubled by strained ligaments in a leg from midway through his 3-year-old campaign, Noodlum had as a 4-year-old chased eventual Cup winner Lunar Chance home in the Louisson and National Handicaps before brilliantly winning the Laing at Addington after being well back and eight wide turning in. The Ashburton Flying Stakes and Canterbury Park 4yo Flying Mile, from Trevino, In Or Out and Cyclone Lad, followed but a week out from the big event Noodlum broke down at the trials. Blistered and patched up on a limited preparation, Noodlum reappeared five weeks later to win the National Flying Pace over what was the Auckland Cup field. However, thirds in the Auckland and Wellington Cups were not the real Noodlum and with his value at stud assured, he was retired to Holmes' The Manor at Ellersmere to begin another highly successful aspect of his career.
Noodlum, a rich, dark liver chestnut by Bachelor Hanover from the top racemare Deft, had earlier been the focus of much attention from the general public when he went on a tour as a 2-year-old and it became common knowledge that he was named after Rob Muldoon in reverse. He was bred and raced by Mrs Ann Wilson, an ardent admirer of Muldoon who considered the Prime Minister the "most deft person I know."
Noodlum was so precocious that Holmes took him north to win the first juvenile race of the season, the Morrinsville Stakes in September, and by the end of the term he had won a record 12 races fron 15 starts. Along the way he swept the Welcome and Sapling Stakes and NZ Juvenile Championship by eight lengths in record time. There was also the infamous crash when well clear nearing the finish at Forbury Park, where he attempted to jump a head number and lost a few teeth. From that point however, Noodlum strung together a record 15 consecutive wins - his last seven at two and first eight at three - bettering the previous record of 10 held by Cardigan Bay, War Buoy and Young Quinn.
Freeman was also his regular pilot at three following the compulsory retirement of his uncle Maurice that year and Noodlum had qualified for the NZ Cup in August when no other 3-year-old had achieved that feat before the race was run. Tumbling records and wide winning margins were the highlight of that spring and his dominating performance in the NZ Derby from Commissioner on the final night of the Cup Meeting was his eighth win for the season. It as his 23rd career win fron 26 starts.
Then the unthinkable happened when he was out of the money in the North Canterbury Stakes after a shocking passage and beaten by Commissioner in the Champion Stakes at Ashburton and Parlez Vous in the Mercer Mile at Addington. This was the point where his leg condition worsened, but on limited training Holmes had him back later in the season to win the Russley Stakes by seven lengths and a heat and the final of the Queensland Derby, on the latter occasion stunning the locals after conceding a 50m start.
Noodlum went to stud after 28 months of racing in which he raced 42 times for 28 wins, six seconds, two thirds and a fourth. He was well received right from the start when stood for the 'horsemens' fee of $500 and in a 14 year career at stud averaged covering 147 mares a season. In all he produced 1286 live foals for 385 winners (30%), among them two time Horse of the Year Master Mood, Race Ruler, Laser Lad, Miss Clevedon, Speedy Cheval, Young Eden and trotters Tyrone Scottie, Lenin and Cracker. His broodmares have to date produced over 430 winners, notably Lyell Creek, Il Vicolo, Homin Hosed, Mark Hanover, Mark Roy, Fraggle Rock and Sundowner Bay.
Considering his pedigree, it was perhaps surprising that Holmes was not to the fore much earlier than the 1970s. However, he was for many years first and foremost a farmer at Oxford, and had got the commentating bug after being selected as an 11-year-old from many applicants to read a daily junior news bulletin on Christchurch's 3ZB radio station. This led to 25 years of professional race calling at meetings from Oamaru to Wellington, and as a paid official of clubs he was unable to race a horse or hold a licence to train one. However, during this time he bred horses and those that raced were in the name of his wife Peggy and trained by his father after Holmes gave them their early education. Among them were good sorts in Commonwealth, Forward Star, Adulate and Bedazzle.
The transition to horses full time came in 1969 when he bought a property at Ellersmere and set it up as a stud. Named The Manor after a good galloper he raced from John Parsons' stable, Holmes stood the likes of Play Bill, Mark Lobell and Jersey Hanover and ultimately Noodlum. He was also training and driving a small team and not long to appear on the scene was the fine pacer Armbro Free, followed by good trotters in Edis Nova, Wadestown and Picotee, the grandam of Sundowner Bay. The last winner of note he trained was Gavotte, a daughter of Noodlum.
Derek Jones, who delivered the eulogy at the funeral, described Holmes as simply "a great all round horseman and a real good bloke. He did everything well, but everyone who knew him will remember him for his generosity," said Jones. He was a top studmaster, but what really impressed me was his knowledge of breeding in both standardbreds and thoroughbreds. He had an exceptional memory for families and detail." he said.
Those thoughts were reiterated by another longtime friend in Jim Dalgety, who raced a good filly from Noodlum's family in Fancy Wishes. "It was amazing when he was race calling, both trotters and gallopers, how as soon as there was a winner he could tell you all about the family for three or four generations," said Dalgety. "He had a photographic memory for all things actually. He just loved stock in general and took great joy in showing off his black angus cattle. And he got a Diploma in Wool Classing and was into that side of things, as well as growing crops like chaff, oats and barley," he added.
Dalgety also recalled with fondness the day Holmes, who "loved to entertain," pulled out a video which had every Melbourne Cup since 1926. "This went on for hours, but boy did we see some good horses. Freeman didn't have much quality of life in his later years, but no one ever heard him complain."
Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 09Oct02