| FEATURE RACE COMMENT |
YEAR: 1911
 |
| Lady Clare and driver Jack Brankin |
Lady Clare, the second mare to win the New Zealand Cup, was a six-year-old by Prince Imperial from Clare, who was by Lincoln Yet, the sire of Monte Carlo.
Her trainer, James Tasker, who had been successful with Marian in 1907, took the drive behind her more favoured bracketmate Aberfeldy, and entrusted the drive behind Lady Clare to Jack Brankin. The Cup field was not a strong one, with Wildwood Junior out of the way. Also missing from nominations was King Cole, the star of the August meeting. King Cole, winner of the King George Handicap from Bribery and Dick Fly, and the National Cup from Havoc and Bright, had been temporarily retired to stud. The club received 14 nominations, but the early favourite, St Swithin, was injured and withdrawn. Sal Tasker, who had not raced for four years, and Manderene were two other defections. The front starter, Imperial Polly, received five seconds from the back marker, Bright. Al Franz, because of some outstanding trials, was race favourite, with the bracketed pair of Dick Fly and Redchild, from the stable of Manny Edwards, also well supported. Redchild was the only trotter entered.
The field did not get away at the first attempt because Free Holmes, the driver of Bribery, jumped the start. Medallion stood on the mark and took no place in the race, while Bribery went only one lap and then pulled up lame. Lady Clare led from the start and at the halfway stage was still in front, followed by Al Franz, Dick Fly, Imperial Polly, Aberfeldy, Havoc and Redchild. The mare held on to the lead to win by a length, in 4:38, from Dick Fly, with necks to Al Franz and Redchild. Then came Aberfeldy, Bright and Havoc.
The Cup victory was the last of Lady Clare's seven career wins, but she showed her durability by racing over eight seasons. Indirectly, she featured again in the Cup in 1988, when Luxury Liner turned the clock back 77 years. Lady Clare was the firth dam of Luxury Liner. Lady Clare's £700 from the Cup stake of 1000 sovereigns was the only money she won during the season. Emmeline, an outstanding mare by Rothschild from Imperialism, a Prince Imperial mare, won £949 and was the season's top earner. Rothschild and Prince Imperial were both still standing at stud in the Canterbury area. Rothschild was at Durbar Lodge, in Ashburton, available at a fee of 10 guineas. Prince Imperial and his son, Advance, stood at James McDonnell's Seafield Road farm, also in Ashburton. Prince Imperial's fee was also set at 10 guineas, but Advance was available at half that rate. Franz, the sire of Al Franz (third in the Cup), stood at Claude Piper's stud at Upper Riccarton, at 10 guineas. Franz was a full-brother to Fritz, by Vancleve from Fraulein.
A new surname at that time, but a very familiar on now, Dan Nyhan, introduced another great harness racing family to Addington. Nyhan trained at Hutt Park and ha won the 1909 Auckland Cup with Havoc. He was the father of Don Nyhan, later to train the winners of three New Zealand Cups with his legendary pair of Johnny Globe and Lordship, and grandfather of Denis Nyhan, who drove Lordship (twice) and trained and drove Robalan to win the Cup.
Of all the stallions in Canterbury, Wildwood Junior commanded the biggest fee, 12 guineas, but he held that honour only until 1914, when Robert McMillan, an expatriate American horseman, stood his American imports Nelson Bingen and Brent Locanda at fees of 15 guineas at his Santa Rosa stud at Halswell. He also had Harold Dillon and Petereta on his property. Harold Dillon, sire of the champion Author Dillon, was the top sire for six seasons, from 1916-17 until 1921-22, while Petereta gained some fame by siring the double New Zealand Cup winner Reta Reter.
The outstanding feature of the 1911 Cup meeting was the introduction of races restricted to trotters, particularly the Dominion Handicap. The move, prompted by the Metropolitan Club, came at an appropriate time to save horses of this gait from extinction in New Zealand racing. In the 1880s and 1890s there were two trotters for every pacer in New Zealand, but by 1911 the reverse ratio applied. With the advent of the sulky and harness from the United States, trainer in the 1890s found pacers easier to gait and easier to train, and learned that they came to speed in less time, so many trotters were converted to the pacing gait. Generally, the trotter could not match the pacer on the track.
Coiner won the Middleton Handicap on the first day, in saddle, and raced over two miles in 4:52. Quincey, who had been successful against the pacers on several occasions, got up in the last stride to dead-heat with Clive in the Dominion Handicap, with Muricata, a promising five-year-old, third. Muricata became the dam of double New Zealand Cup winner Ahuriri. The Dominion Handicap carried a stake of 235 sovereigns and was raced in harness for 5:05 class performers. Quincey's time was 4:37.4 slightly faster than Lady Clare recorded in the Cup on the Tuesday. Another of the 13 trotters in this race was the Australian-bred Verax, who started in the New Zealand Cup six times.
The meeting ended with some high-class racing on Show Day. In the Enfield Handicap, in saddle, Aberfeldy, from scratch, beat 14 rivals in 2:12.6, a New Zealand race-winning record for one mile. St Swithin, who had to miss the Cup, won the Christchurch Handicap from Emmeline and Little Tib. The Andy Pringle-trained pacer confirmed how unfortunate it was for his connections that injury denied him a Cup start.
Further improvements had been made at Addington, with a large new 10-shilling totalisator housebeing used for the first time. With bookmakers outlawed, the totalisator turned over a record £27,418 on Cup Day, and betting on the Cup of £6096 10s was a single-race record. The total for the three days of the carnival of £68,329 was an increase of £17,440 over the previous year.
Credit: Bernie Wood writing in The Cup
YEAR: 1914
The New Zealand Trotting Cup meeting opened in beautiful weather. There was a very large holiday attendance. The course was fast and the racing of the highest class. Some fast times were registered and the public were rather astray in their selections. A very large sum went through the Totalisator and the Club must be well satisfied with the prospects for the concluding days.
Fancy Gantle was made an even money favorite in the Spring Handicap (2 miles, saddle) for trotters only. She refused to leave the mark. When she eventually got away she did not show exceptional pace. Lochiel got well away and trotted steadily the whole way, winning with something in hand from Frank Wilkes. Fiction was a poor third. Time, 6.3. Frank Wilkes showed some pace, but always broke when the pressure was on. Armamenter trotted well, but faded out in the last half mile.
A largo field saddled up for the Empire Handicap (2 miles). Wingatua hopped away smartly and led for well over a mile, and Sherwood took up the running. Disappear made a good run through tho field, attended by Stanley's Child. Disappear continued near the post. He then wavered. In an exciting finish Sherwood won by a head, Stanley's Child was third, two lengths away. Time, 4.48. Grandee was favorite but failed to run up to his form.
The New Zealand Trotting Cup brought out the best twelve horses that have ever raced together in the colonles. The scratchings were Havoc, Red Mac and Lady Clare. Don Caesar and King Cole lost time at the start. Win Soon took the lead from the start. Win Soon, Country Belle and Eccentric led in that order past the stand the first time round. They maintained their positions during the second round. Entering the last round Emmeline ran up into fourth place half a mile from home. Win Soon and Country Belle left the field and in a good finish Win Soon, won by four lengths. Eccentric was twelve lengths back third with Emmeline another six lengths distant in fourth place. The fast time of 4.31 was recorded. The race was rather uninteresting, as the leading horses kept their places throughout. Win Soon was all out to win, the only horse threatening danger being Country Belle. Emmeline ran right up to her best time. Denver Huon ran a good race and was timed to do 4.30. His task was an impossible one as he would have had to do 4.25 to get up to the winner. Don Caesar was favorite, Win Soon being next m demand.
Norval King took out the Middleton Handicap (2 miles, harness) for trotters only. He and Imperial Crown were in advance for a mile when the latter cried a go. Adventuress then ran up into second place, Olive L. following. They ran in this order to the finish, Norval King winning all out by a length, Olive L. two lengths behind Adventuress. Olive L. lost several seconds at the start, otherwise she would have won. Time, 4.35 2-5.
The Lyttelton Handicap (two miles, harness) was an exciting race. Antonio and Erlna wont away with a good lead. A mile saw the end of Erina. Our Thorpe and White House closed on Antonio six furlongs from home. At the distance, Our Thorpe passed Antonio and, in a stirring finish, won by a length. White House beat Antonio on the post for second money. The time was very fast — 4min. 38 4-5sec.
Kinetic was very warm for the St Albans Handicap (1 mile, saddle). He got away smartly, but was soon displaced by Qulnaldine. The latter went on with a good lead. Four furlongs from home, Frandocia worked his way through into third place, Caledon being second. Fifty yards from the post Frandocia caught Quinaldlno, and went on and won by a length. Rawene was placed third. Time, 2.17.
A largo field started In the Rlccarton Handicap (1 ½ miles, harness). Tommy C. was favorite. He hung on the mark and Al Franz went away in front and stayed there for half the distance. With a milo to go, Jingle put in a great run and secured a good position. Entering the straight he had everything settled and went on and won comfortably from Mountain Rose and Muricata. Time, 3min. 27 4-5 sec. Marble Arch showed great pace during the early stages of the race, but failed to stay on.
The money was on Frank Tracy in the Hagley Handicap (1 mile, harness). He failed to got anywhere near the front. Bequest took the lead and bade good-bye to the others. Corbell and Child Beldon chased her the whole way. The order at the finish being Bequest, Child Beldon, Corbell. Time, 2.24
Credit: Brent Locanda writing in NZ Truth 14 Nov 1914
YEAR: 1910
1910 NZ TROTTING CUP
The race of 1910 will be long remembered for the series of mishaps associated with it. Just after the field had been sent on its two mile journey Walnut swerved across the track and collided with Manderene, both horses losing their drivers. Then King Cole ran into El Franz, whose driver was thrown out of the sulky. In the meantime, Manderene had practically taken charge of the track. Careering around at a mad gallop he forced the other competitors to get out of the way as best they could. One of the few to escape trouble was the previous year's winner, Wildwood Junior. Cleverly driven by his owner-trainer, William Kerr, the handsome son of Wildwood got an almost uninterrupted passage and had no difficulty in defeating Bright and Ribbons.
Of all those early winners, Wildwood Junior stood out in a class by himself. Either he or another of Wildwood's progeny in the sensational Ribbonwood, would have equalled the performances of some subsequent winners had the track conditions and training methods under which they raced been equal to what they are nowdays.
-o0o-
NZ Trotting Calendar 31 October 1945
In 1909 and the following year Wildwood Junior won the NZ Cup. Many experienced horsemen who sa Wildwood Junior's performances, and every Cup winner since, are still of the opinion that Wildwood Junior ranks with the greatest winners of the race. His dam was the Kentucky mare Thelma. Thelma is one of the gems of the Stud Book. Not a great deal is known about her ancestry, as the Stud Book states she was from the thoroughbred mare Pride Of Lincoln, by Touchstone, second dam Sally (imp), but if anything can be written regarding her progeny it must be acknowledged that, despite the fact of inability to prove many tabulated ancestors, her breeding could hardly have been anything but aristocratic. To further enlarge on the influence of Thelma's progeny, it need only be mentioned that her daughter Authoress was the dam of Author Dillon, who won the Cup in 1918, and he in turn was the sire of Auditress, who was the dam of Marlene, the 1940 Cup winner; further, Wildwood Junior was the sire of the dam of Lucky Jack, also a dual Cup winner.
-o0o-
Bernie Wood writing in The Cup
Wildwood Junior set an Australasian record for two miles when he easily won his second NZ Cup. His time of 4.33 beat the record set by Ribbonwood seven years earlier. The Cup was again the only race Wildwood Junior contested during season. If he had stayed sound he might have been the country's second champion pacer, after Ribbonwood. The free-going son of Wildwood received a great ovation from the large crowd when he and owner-trainer-driver Bill Kerr returned to the enclosure.
His record run was remarkable because he had had to race through a disorganised field of 15, with a strong easterly wind and dust frm the front-runners hampering his progress. The stake for the Cup reached four figures for the first time and the club offered 6000 sovereigns over the three days. The time limit for the Cup was tightened to 4:44, and a capacity field of 16 made that mark, most of them pacers, though a few trotters were still able to make the top field.
Wildwood Junior was handicapped eight seconds behind the front line. Trackwork before the race suggested that Wildwood Junior, Al Franz, Manderene, Walnut (an Otago representative who came north with a big reputation), Ribbons and Aberfeldy would dispute the finish. The three-horse bracket of Manderene, Dick Fly and Albertorious, from the stable of Manny Edwards, were the favourites, with Albertorious the least popular of the three. Wildwood Junior, Walnut and Al Franz were the next-best supported.
Unfortunately, the race was a poor spectacle, spoiled by a series of mishaps. At the start Walnut swerved across the track and collided with Manderene, both horses losing their drivers, Robert Logan and Manny Edwards respectively. King Cole played up and ran into Al Franz, who dumped Charles Kerr on the track. Several others suffered interference, while Durbar refused to leave the mark. It was the second year in succession that King Cole and Durbar had failed to start.
Verax went to the front for Claude Piper and led from Bright, Fusee and Ribbons. For much of the race the driverless Manderene hampered the leaders. At the halfway stage Wildwood Junior got near and, passing the stands for the last time, Bill Kerr worked him in behind the leader, Verax. Once into the back straight Wildwood Junior went to the front and won by four lengths from the pony Bright, who ran an exceptional race for Tom Frost. Bright paid £21 15s for secod, a place dividend that has not been exceeded in the Cup's history. Ribbons (Free Holmes) was third 10 lengths back, then at considerable intervals came Aberfeldy, Terra Nova and Lady Clare.
A total of 29 bookmakers operated on Cup Day and brought the club £560 in fees. Totalisator investments were £17,036, of which the Cup attracted £4205. The three-day turnover reached a record £50,889. A new grandstand, with a seting capacity of 2500 and reported to be the finest in New Zealand, was in use for the first time. The outside patrons were given the use of the old grandstand, so altogether 6000 could be seated at Addington. After the second race the New Zealand Trotting Conference president, Phineas Selig, officially opened the new stand.
The weather on the second day was again perfect. Of great significance was the appearance on the programme of the Dominion Handicap, later to become major race for trotters. However, in 1910 the race was open to maiden performers assessed at 5:10 or faster. Two Australian records were broken on the third day. Redchild recorded 4:40 for two miles, the fastest ever in saddle; and Dillon Bell, a three-year-old, ran 4:41.4, a time never previously recorded by one of his age, when he beat Terra Nova, Aberfeldy and the other top-class horses in the Christchurch Handicap.
Credit: 'Veteran' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 13Nov63
YEAR: 1909
 |
| Wildwood Junior , with owner Bill Kerr |
Wildwood Junior, having his first and only race of the season, gave the other contenders a pacing lesson in the 1909 New Zealand Cup. By the time the post was reached, Bill Kerr's brilliant but unsound pacer was 40 yards ahead, winning in 4:39. The margin remains the most decisive in the history of the race.
In 1895 Kerr bought the three-year-old colt Wildwood for £500 on one of his trips to the United States. Two years later he bought the mare Thelma from her breeder, J Todd, of Lincoln, for £50. She turned out to be a great New Zealand-bred foundation mare. Wildwood Junior was the second foal of their mating. A five-year-old black stallion, Wildwood Junior was the eigth favourite of the 10 starters, mainly because he had not raced that season.
On the same day, Willowood, Wildwood Junior's full-brother and the result of the first mating of Wildwood and Thelma, won the Au Revoir Handicap after losing several lengths at the start. Unlike the Cup winner, whose victory was unexpected, Willowood went out favourite. He was retired unbeaten in three starts, recording a win in each of the 1907-08, 1908-09 and 1909-10 seasons.
The 1909 Cup was raced at a time when the country was divided on the gambling issue. The 1908 Gambling Act, passed by Sir Joseph Ward's Government still had bitter opponents. A day or so before the Cup, more than 100 people waited on the Prime Minister in Wellington, protesting at the increase "almost beyond belief" of the gambling evil. Sir Joseph Ward, from all accounts, gave them a sympathetic hearing, but it did not prevent him attending the Show Day racing. Certainly, as the momentum of Cup week gathered in Chrischurch , the country had its agitators seeking a change in the legislation to reduce racing permits.
That enormous strides had been made in harness racing in Canterbury was evidenced by the opening day of the meeting. The Metropolitan Club offered stakes of 5502 sovereigns. The Cup stake, increased to 700 sovereigns, was the richest offered for a harness race in New Zealand or Australia. The Cup card was regarded as the best offered by a harness club with the qualifying time of the race tightened to 4:45. For the first time the race carried a restricted handicap, which was set at 10 seconds and designed to give the backmarkers a better chance of victory. The Cup was raced on the first day, Tuesday, setting a pattern that existed for many years.
An exciting newcomer, King Cole, a son of Ribbonwood from the Rothschild mare Kola Nut, was the favourite, but, along with Durbar, he boke at the start and was out of the race. Albertorious, bracketed with Revenue (driven by Manny Edwards), was the next-best supported, but for the third time he let down his backers, finishing well back.
For a lap John M, Verax, Imperial Polly and Master Poole formed the leading group. Further on, Wildwood Junior got within striking distance of the leaders and, with a mile behind him, burst into the lead. From that point the outcome was never in doubt. The further they went the greater the lead became for Wildwood's speedy five-year-old son. There was a great contest for second, with Terra Nova finishing half-a-length ahead of Lord Elmo, a duplication of their 1908 placings. Then followed Revenue, Imperial Polly and Master Poole. Imperial Polly, unsuccessful in the Cup on three occasions - 1909,1910 and 1911 - was by Prince Imperial. Later, at stud, when mated with Logan Pointer, she produced Imperial Pointer, who to Rey de Oro produced Imperial Gold, dam of tha amazing Gold Bar. Lord Module, the star of the 1979-80 season, traces back to Imperial Polly.
Bill Kerr's association with harness racing stretched back into the previous century. In 1887 he bought a block of 50 acres on Wainoni Road, halfway to New Brighton, and established his stud, later appropriately named Wildwood, and private training establishment. He and his brother Charles trained numerous horses there. Later, the brothers dissolved their partnership, Charles setting up as a public trainer and Bill concentrating on breeding and training his own horses.
Wildwood Junior first raced as a three-year-old in the 1907-08 season and soon worked his way into the best circles. As a green colt he won the Progressive Handicap at Addington in 4:50.8 and later, as a four-year-old, the Courtenay Handicap in 4:41. He eclipsed those times in his first Cup victory, clocking 4:39.
Wildwood Junior, standing an impressive 16.1 hands, was described as a commanding and perfectly-shaped stallion. However, his racing days were restricted because he had unsound legs. His only races in the 1909-10 and 1910-11 seasons were the New Zealand Cups, an both times he was successful. In the latter season he was the top money-winner, solely from his 700-sovereign share of the 1000-sovereign Cup prize. As a two-year-old, Wildwood Junior served two mares, and the matings produced two good performers in Calm and Goldie, both of whom won their first three races. Calm was favourite for the 1913 Cup, but finished third.
With earnings of £1656, Wildwood Junior was retired to Kerr's stud as a seven-year-old, but not before he had become the first double-winner or the New Zealand Cup.
Prince Albert won the main race on the Thursday, the Christchurch Handicap, from King Cole and Lord Elmo. On the Friday, Al Franz, a speedy four-year-old, won the Courtenay Handicap from Albertorious and Aberfeldy.
A total of 27 bookmakers operated each day, yet despite that opposition the totalisator took a record £45,018. The £3072 invested on the New Zealand Cup was only £86 short of the 1907 record.
Credit: Bernie Wood writing in The Cup