CLICK HERE TO GO BACK

RACING HISTORY

PEOPLE

L O THOMAS

A well-known former trainer driver, Llewelyn Oliver Thomas, died in Christchurch recently.

Mr Thomas, 81, was the father of current successful horsemen, Trevor, who trains at Belfast, and Ivan who trains at Pukekohe. He himself prepared a team in the lower part of the North Island and later Addington.

Many of his horses reached the top company, among then Excelsa, County Antrim and Glenrossie. Excelsa was probably the best of them. She won 10 races, including the 1955 Easter Cup. County Antrim's two most important victories were a NZ Champion Stakes at Ashburton in 1946 and an All-Aged Stakes on the same course.

Earlier Mr Thomas had won the 1929 Derby Stakes with Purser, a Dominion Handicap with Huon Voyage in 1933 and a National Cup with Battle Colours. Glenrossie was a Consolation winner at the 1938 Inter-Dominions at Addington.

As well as his race-day activities, Mr Thomas was prominent as a committee member of the Canterbury Owners and Breeders Association for many years.



Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 1May79

PEOPLE

H S DONALDSON

Tinwald owner-trainer H S (Hughie) Donaldson collapsed during the running of the Ngaio Handicap (won by his horse Santoza) at Hutt Park last Friday night, and died later in Wellington hospital.

Mr Donaldson, who was aged 72, had a long association with trotting, taking out an amateur trainer-horseman's licence during the 1945-46 season and a professional licence eight years later.

Though he never had a large team in work at any time, he gained a lot of success, particularly with trotters which he preferred to train. During his career, he developed such good trotters as Lessaday, Ninety Days, Stormy Petrel and Copper Tone and more recently, Santoza, whose win last Monday night was the eigth of his career.

Early in his career, Mr Donaldson prepared the grey mare Quite Contrary to win several races, and she later made her mark as a broodmare, being the dam of Soft Magic, who in turn left Doctor Voss, Ilsa Voss and Ripper's Delight, all good winners. Indianna, the dam of the useful winner Individual, Pieta, Countess Ada, Scotty's Double, La Gloria, Highland Host, Sure Lass and Pylon were earlier good winners for Mr Donalson.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 11Dec79

PEOPLE

Lorraine Grant with Rainbow Patch

LORRAINE GRANT (formerly WATSON)

"Once I was in the cart I was as good as gold. Before then I knew that all eyes would be on me...if I made a mistake, everyone would see it." That was how Lorraine Watson summed up those minutes before her first race as a fully licenced driver at Methven last Tuesday. She needn't have worried, even though Lorraine and her charge Lord Burlington finished only ninth in the first leg of the double. She tried to get Lord Burlington out into the clear at the start but was forced to change her plans when Wanda Bye went into a gallop along side her. From then on she sat back on the rails with Lord Burlington running on "as well as expected" in the straight.

The most nerve-wracking part of the day was yet to come. Immediately after the race, amid the flurry of well wishers and friends, there were the inevitable television and radio interviews for the South Island's first woman to drive in a tote event. "That was worse than the race. I suppose I was a bit shy and was worried about what I was going to say. Thank goodness, it happens only once," she said later. She actually drove her other representative, Hydro Byrd, into the money in the final event on the day. Hydro Byrd began like a rocket from the outside of the second line, and avoiding a slight mix-up at the start, was soon in the lead. For a long time down the straight it looked as though Lorraine might do the trick for her hometown crowd but, sticking on well, fourth was the best she could manage. Still, she got some of the money to cap off her day. "I always get on well with Hydro Byrd," Lorraine said. "I've won a lot with her at work-outs and trials. In fact, I have few problems with either horse."

Lorraine has had a licence to drive at matinees and trials for about a year now. But she has been "totally involved" with trotting ever since her marriage to the late Murray Watson fifteen years ago. But she has always liked horses, spending all her holidays on a farm, before then riding the ponies at Caroline Bay, Timaru. She used to go with her parents to as many race meetings as she could, too.

An aunt, Rita Jackson was NZ's first woman professional galloping trainer, who made her mark in the North Island with several well-performed horses. Lorraine (I've always had a competitive streak) gets the same thrills out of driving she once got from running. She was a South Canterbury athletic champion twice, but gave that up at 16 so she could follow the horses more closely. "But driving a race is a wee bit like running. You've got to keep your wits about you and plan ahead," she said.

Lorraine helped Murray with a lot of the jogging and other work with the team he trained on their Methven property. So it was only natural she would want to carry on after he died in hospital after a race crash with Belmer Lady at Motukarara in October, 1971. "I felt I had to keep on, I didn't want to see all the work he'd done go to waste, or the horses go to someone else," she said. "And that's what he would have wanted."

Lorraine has 26 horses on the 75 acres - another 309 acres are leased out - she has now. Lord Burlington and Hydro Bryd are the only two racing, but she does have a couple of 3-year-olds coming along nicely. One is Misgiving, by Lordship out of Misleading (by Fallacy) and the other is Dotrice, by Sly Yankee out of Copperwork, a half sister by Bachelor Hanover to Misleading, both members of the renowned Purple Patch family. Misgiving has had one start at the trials but has been put aside until the spring and Dotrice is just beginning fast work.

Last Tuesday wasn't the first time Lorraine had driven in an actual race. While on holiday in Queensland a couple of years ago, she drove at a Queensland 'bush meeting'. "It was a tiny wee track that had you leaning out round the corners. The horse I drove had the trail all the way but was so slow I almost had to get out and push it to keep second," Lorraine recalled last week.

Lorraine was pleased by the reactions of her male counterparts on Tuesday. "Of course, there will always those against women drivers, but I was surprised by a lot of the others," she said. Many had wished her well before the race and had spoken to her after. "But really driving is all in the hands and feet, sex makes no difference," she said. There would be the exceptions of course, such as with a really strong puller who might take a lot of strength to control.

She said she would continue to drive her own horses at tote meetings. Unless, of course, she felt they would do better in the hands of sombody else. If she were offered other drives, she would probably accept them although at this stage she was feeling her way. She had really applied for an amateur licence so she could drive her own team. And her overall impression of her first day's racing:" A little like driving at the trials, although it's a lot more serious in the straight, isn't it!"

-o0o-

Extract from HR Weekly 21 Jan 98

Lorraine Grant (formerly Watson), one of the early pioneers to develop the role of women on the racetrack, died earlier this week. Based in Mid-Canterbury, Grant was 54 and had been in ill-health for the past year or so.

Grant was involved in all aspects of the Industry, breeding, owning, training, and more recently standing the stallion Happy Chatter II, and along with Dorothy Cutts and Anne Cooney, was the first to be granted a licence to drive against men.

Cutts was the first to succeed in this domain, winning with Kenworthy at the Matamata on-course only meeting in February, 1979. Grant, then Lorraine Watson, had her turn on 21 March the same year, winning at Methven, she repeated the dose on the first night (6 April) of the Met's Easter meeting winning, on both occasions with the Butler Byrd horse, Hydro Byrd.

A very capable and patient trainer, Grant had more success than most with sons of Lord Module. Flashing By and Burgundy were sons of the Lordship horse to win four races. Hydro Byrd won six, Jay Ardee seven, but the star of the stable was Rainbow Patch, a striking chestnut by Main Star who won 10 races.

Grant has the honour of being the only woman to drive in the NZ Cup, driving Rainbow Patch in Il Vicolo's Cup two years ago. Grant was a member of the Silks and Satin Club, a supporter of harness racing in the Mid-Canterbury district, and a polished entertainer in the Methven Choral Society. She is survived by her husband, John.


Credit: Graham Ingram writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 20Feb79

MESCELLANY

RECORD PLACE DIVIDEND?

Divvies don't often come better than this, if ever...pictured is Royal Victory whom we believe paid a record place price away back in 1950.

Trained by F F Scott (seen here in the cart) who was granted the first trainer's licence in Nelson in 1916, and driven by K Purdon, Royal Victory was beaten half a head and three lengths at the Marlborough Trotting Club's meeting in January that year.

And the record price? A mere £112/19/6...that is $225.95 these days.

Credit: Graham Ingram writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 28Aug79

MESCELLANY

DRIVING LICENCES FOR FEMALES

Three women have been licensed by the NZ Trotting Conference to drive in totalisator races in New Zealand.

Mrs Lorraine Watson, Miss Dorothy Cutts and Mrs Anne Cooney were granted licences to compete against the men at a meeting of the conference licensing committee in Auckland last week.

Miss Cutts, from Mangere, has been granted a professional driver's licence while Mrs Watson (Methven) was given an amateur driver's licence and Mrs Cooney, a professional probationary licence. Two licences were also issued for women to drive professionally at matinees and trials.

The criteria laid down by the Conference for the granting of licences to women is exactly the same as that which applies to the men.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 13Feb79

MESCELLANY

HEROES ON COURSE

Every boys dream...to meet a genuine war hero. And it is twice the pleasure for Gary Argyle, Simon Philip and Campbell Lochhead as they shake hands with two Victoria Cross winners, Charles Upham (VC and bar) and Jack Hinton, seen here with Mid-Canterbury trotting identity Colin McLaughlin (right) at the Ashburton races the other day. Mr Upham owns the broodmare Lansdowne, named after his Parnassus, North Canterbury property, and Mr Hinton, from Auckland, races Special Fella in partnership.

NOTE: The road that runs through the Addington property from Whiteleigh Avenue to Wrights Road is named "Jack Hinton Drive" in recognition of Mr Hinton.

Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 9Oct79

INTERDOMINIONS

ADDINGTON PREPARATIONS

Des Parker was working at Addington Racecourse when the Inter-Dominions were held there in 1938. He will be there again this year, but in a vastly different capacity. Forty-one years ago he was working in the tote. Today as Secretary/Manager of the NZ Metropolitan TC, he and the club's racing secretary Trevor Davis are the key men in the organisation of this years series at Addington, from March 10-24.

It will be the third series they've been been involved in together. The two previous at Addington were in 1961 and in 1971. Parker was involved, too, in a more limited way when the 1951 Inter-Dominions were held at the course. At that time he was working in the office, before being appointed secretary a couple of years later. It's because of all this previous experience the organisation is running into very few problems this time, both Parker and Davis told me last week.

Club officers and stewards had formed a special committee (all have jobs on various sub-committees) to organise the championships as long ago as 1977. It's first meeting, in July that year, "was fairly informal" involving mainly planning discussion with quite a lot of reference back to what had happened in 1971. And since then, the major committees have had up to 25 meetings. The problems encountered so far have been only of a minor nature. "In the main we have based out planning on past experience," Parker said. The biggest problem this time - "keeping on top of things" - has resulted directly from the increased number of permits for racing at Addington. From October 1, 1970 up to the time of the '71 series, there were seven meetings at Addington. This time, there will be fourteen, with only a small increase in raceway staff.

Parker has been involved full-time since January 1 with the Inter-Dominions. And a lot of the duties around the office have been re-allocated to keep Trevor Davis as free as possible as well. "It has been a matter of organising the office around the Inter-Dominions, rather than any other way," Davis said. The organising committees' working brouchers had to be constantly up-dated. The special functions list had been up-dated at least half a dozen times so far; the overall plans "the secretary's bible" about ten times. The series had involved an "extraordinary amount" of coresspondence as well, Parker said.

There had been a minor hassle earlier when the original dates, from March 3 to 17 had to be changed after an objection from the Wellington Racing Club which is down to race it's Centennial meeting at Trentham on the 17th. The organisers copped a little backlash from Australian tour operators who had already booked accommodation in Christchurch for the original dates...and had been unable to find alternative beds at the new time. "Two tours - one from Western Australia and the other from Tasmania - of eighty people each had been cancelled. Another eighty strong party from Melbourne has been cut down to twenty," Parker said. Both men agree, apart from that, the clash of dates would not have done either club any good. "In fact it probably couldn't have been worse."

The series will almost certainly be the biggest Parker and Davis have organised. It will certainly carry the highest stake money. With the Grand Final worth $125,000, total stakes could be over $350,000 depending on the number of heats necessary. At the moment the programme caters for nine pacing heats, each worth $10,000. "But on nominations, it looks as though a fourth heat will be necessary each night, and another consolation on the last," Parker said. As well, there will be trophies worth not less than $250, donated by local business houses and trotting clubs in the area, for the winners of every trotting and pacing heat. Benson & Hedges who sponsored the 1979 series in Auckland, have once again come to the party with an arrangement which extends to the next two NZ Cup meetings as well; and Air New Zealand which will sponsor the big trotters' final. Max Harvey Furnishings, Mrs Rhona Donald, Wrightson Wine & Spirits are others who have contributed to ensure the success of the meeting.

The club is hoping for anything up to 20,000 patrons on each of the three nights and the final day...and is making sure it has the facilities geared to cope. The biggest number ever on the course was an estimated 30,000 who flocked to Addington to see, as Des Parkers recalls, the 1946 or '47 NZ Cup. "We couldn't get an accurate count as all soldiers in uniform were admitted free." About 18,500 attended the Cup last year, with up to 22,000 on Show Day. The club had some major problems with the tote during the 1977 cup meeting. "But we made immediate steps then, with last year's Cup and the Inter-Dominions in mind, to explore the possiblity of improving those facilities," Parker said. As a result, there has been a huge increase in selling outlets (as well as an intensive maintenance programme), most of them in the main public stand.

And these Inter-Dominions will see another innovation for Addington, the pre-selling of reserved seats in the stand. At the moment the club is selling season tickets only, at $100 a seat (the same seat each day and including admission) in the covered stand; $35 a seat in a temporary open stand the club will build at the top of the straight. "It is new for NZ...but it's always done in Australia," Davis said. Otherwise patrons will pay $2 a night entrance, $8 for he carnival.

Before they even get on the course, race-goers will notice a difference at Addington. At present, only a matter of weeks before the big event, there is an outline of planks laid out on the ashpalt near the existing members' entrance. By the time the Inter-Dominions get under way, the area will be taken up with a new turnstile complex, the only access to the course from the three car-parking areas. Architecturally designed, it'll be a permanent feature of the course and, according to Des Parker, will incorporate automatic turnstiles similar to the very successful system used at Moonee Valley. The new facility was to provide the maximum amount of space for parking, and make for better use of staff. The construction of the Southern Motorway across land previously used for car parking had forced the club into replanning parks and entrances. With the demolition of the old Derby Lodge, more land had been made available for parking as well.

Again this year, the club has paid particular attention to security around the raceway and stabling areas. The 24-hour arrangements which caused so much good comment in 1971 will be repeated, with, if it's at all possible, even more stringent precautions. "Really, you couldn't get them more tighter than then," Parker said, recalling that one visiting trainer was barred access to his own horse until he returned to his hotel to pick up his forgotten identity card. Only then could he put his horse to bed. The incident was widely reported, even in Australia; and other owners and trainers were thankful for the service. "just ten of those top horses could be worth up to a million dollars," Davis said. "Look at Pure Steel, for instance. What would happen to him if a gate were left open? The precautions are not only to keep unauthorised people out...but just to keep a general eye on things."

While the spotlight, of course, falls mainly on the horses at the Inter-Dominions, there are a number of social functions and off-course activities associated with the racing. And this aspect of the carnival has taken up a lot of the organising committee's time. After all, both Parker and Davis agree, they organise actual racing programmes every week. They are 'a piece of cake' now. The Inter-Dominions are certainly bigger...therefore just a little more complex. They only have to worry if anything goes wrong on raceday itself. But there was a considerable amont of extraordinary planning needed to take care of the needs of the overseas guests and visiting owners and trainers. The visitors won't just be coming from across the Tasman. There'll be at least two parties from America, too - officials from the U S Trotting Association and another group from Hollywood Park and the West Coast states.

Members of the public won't be left out during these championships. Away from actual racedays, they will be able to take part in such diverse activities as an ecumenical 'Trotting Mass' at the local Catholic church in Spencer Street on March 11, a cocktail party on March 13 and the Inter-Dominion Ball at the Town Hall on March 22. As well, trials at Rangiora on March 15 will feature four stakes races, there will be a big barbecue after the Sunday trials at Motukarara on the 18th, and for those who want even more racing, there is the Methven club's meeting on March 21. The additional printing involved for all aspects of the carnival was a huge task. And so was the job of organising 'essential supplies' for the various functions.

The stakes offered and the reputation of the NZMTC in Australia had meant that hardly a horse of any worth had not nominated for the series, Parker said. The club had advertised the programme in each state and had kept in constant touch with the bodies controlling the sport in Australia. At last year's event in Melbourne, club officials had organised a promotional function for journalists, owners, trainers and other Australian officials. By the entries, this move has obviously paid off. Trevor Davis and NZ Met. Vice-President Murray Taylor followed this up with a ten-day trip late in November when they saw the connections of most of the prominent horses there.

But now, all the hard work is about to begin. The plans have been made. "It's now up to the administration staff to bring the plans to fruition," Davis said. "You can do a ton of pre-planning, get everything geared to go...but it's only in the last few weeks you know exactly who and whats coming. Then the work starts. In the final fortnight last time, both men were putting in up to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. Parker produced his diary for that time. It showed in actual fact one week they put in 81 3/4 hours. "You have got only a certain time in which to get things done. It is no use being a day late. There would never be any racing," Davis said.

Racing there will be for sure on March 10. But after March 24, not much more for Des Parker. For then he retires, after more than forty years with the club. "Yes, it'll be my swan-song," he said. "I just hope I go out with a bang."

Credit: Graham Ingram writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 23Jan79

INTERDOMINIONS

CHRISTCHURCH - RONDEL
The 1979 Inter Dominion Championships staged at Addington will best be remembered for the phenomenal finishing burst that gave victory in the Trotters Grand Final to South Canterbury's No Response and Peter Wolfenden's masterful drive to take the Pacers Grand Final with the lightly fancied Auckland campaigner Rondel which edged out Sapling.

INTERDOMINIONS

No Response

1979 INTERDOMION TROTTERS GRAND FINAL & NZ TROTTING CHAMPIONSHIP

For the standardbred purist there is no more aesthetically pleasing sight than a great trotter in full flight, and no doubt one could come up with 10 great trotting races just as easily as the pacers.

Time and space do not permit us to do the latter exercise this time round, but picking one seems to spring to mind for most everbody old enough to have seen it - No Response's exhilarating 'back from the dead' win in the 1979 Inter-Dominion at Addington.

In fact, that Championship is best remembered for the trotters and No Response in particular, even if the Pacers Series had been severely depleted by the defections of Australian champion Maori's Idol along with Pure Steel, Rip Van Winkle, Koala King and Royal Force. The defending pacing champion Markovina was there, but the loss of Maori's Idol hurt.

The previous year in Melbourne, Maori's Idol had equalled Lucky Creed's 1970 record of 24 consecutive wins in the heats, only to be inexplicably beaten into third in the Final. The 5-year-old entire then won two heats of the Sir Clive Uhr (Queensland) Championship in Brisbane, beating top pacers which included Koala King, Paleface Adios, Master Findlay, Roma Hanover and Sporting Son in the process, and give Rip Van Winkle a real race in the Final. Maori's Idol returned the next season to win four of five starts, including the Dullard Cup at Moonee Valley from 40 metres, but then went amiss and while nominated for Addington, he never made it to the end of the comeback trail.

Outside of the unbeaten run through the heats by the fine stayer Wee Win and a few sideshows from Lord Module, the Pacing Championship was actually all rather anti-climatic in the end, but there was enough class and depth to the trotters to make for some compelling racing. Even if in this pre-Internet and Trackside day, hardly anyone had ever heard of the Australian visitors Alby Logan, Hec's Hope, Hilton Adios, Mighty Miller and Silken, the latter a fine type of 11-year-old mare for Victorian horseman Kevin Murray. Only Hec's Hope and Mighty Miller would not make worthwhile contributions at some point during the Series, with Alby Logan and Silken making the Final and Hilton Adios winning the Consolation on the third night.

Even Speed and Spartan Prince were rising 5-year-old open class stars on the scene in 1979, and others of the same age who would prove more than capable on their day included First Prize, Miss Castleton and Pointer Hanover. About Now and Hano Direct were classy 4-year-old mares at the time, while Ilsa Voss and Our One were older mares who were also top class at times. Waipounamu was a 10-year-old and far from finished - in fact he was just getting warm - while Diogenes, Relinquish and Yankee Talent wer others commanding respect into the Championship.

But this was the time of a 7-year-old No Response and Scotch Tar, Slim Dykman's 5-year-old pacing-bred freak who trotted faster than the great majority of pacers. One just had to catch him in the right frame of mind, which was not always often. After winning five of eight races the previous season, Scotch Tar had gone through to open class in his 12th start with a double in Auckland in the spring, and then in his first race against the best around, had split No Response and favourite Framalda - the 1977 Rowe Cup winner who was unbeaten in four races at Alexandra Park that season for Roy & Barry Purdon - in the Challenge Stakes.

Come the Worthy Queen Handicap on NZ Cup Day, and No Response was a late scratching after becoming distressed after doing his preliminary, and Scotch Tar was a costly failure after doing a stretch. Winning that race was favourite Spartan Prince, the Doody Townley-trained and driven Tuft gelding who had been the top youngster of his year, and he would now go into the Dominion unbeaten in three races that season. Spartan Prince had been unbeaten in three starts at the Cup Meeting the previous year, but that season his career would be derailed by unsoundness and strangely enough, an ownership dispute.

The Dominion had merely served to underline the awesome potential of Scotch Tar however. In what was considered "one of the greatest exhibitions of trotting ever seen," not to mention a fine display of horsemanship by Bob Cameron to hold him together near the end as Spartan Prince made his challenge, Scotch Tar triumphed in race, track and New Zealand record time of 4:11.6, which bettered Easton Light's "great" record of 4:13.1 from the 1974 Dominion, and which would have won that week's NZ Cup by six or seven lengths. Scotch Tar had applied the blowtorch to Alias Armbro, Brian Gliddon's Banks Peninsula Cup winner that year who would win the Dominion the next season, from as far as two laps out and gone past him on straightening, and Spartan Prince could make no impression despite enjoying the run of the race.

By the Thorpe Hanover horse Tarport Coulter and from a mare by Scottish Command, who had sired the two previous NZ Cup winners in Trusty Scot and Sole Command, Scotch Tar had won that battle in No Response's absence. No Response, troubled on and off throughout his career by arthritis and various other ailments after making his debut as a 6-year-old, was back on song for three feature race wins in Auckland over Christmas as Scotch Tar went off the rails on that trip, and headed into the Inter-Dominions with six straight wins and eight wins from 10 starts for the term. Scotch Tar got back on track by winning a class two trot at Washdyke from 90 metres in late February, and the stage was set at Addington.

On the first night, Scotch Tar lost no friends apart from the punters who made him odds-on when he recovered for a close fifth after losing 100 metres at the start and racing three and four-wide from the 1000m in Hano Direct's heat win over Diogenes, Waipounamu and Silken, but No Response confirmed his Inter-Dom favouritism with a classy win over Even Speed, Our One and Hilton Adios in the second heat. He was even more impressive in putting away Silken and Alby Logan by four lengths from 15 metres over 3200m on the second, and Scotch Tar was at his brilliant best as well later in the night. Peter Wolfenden had been engaged for Scotch Tar for the Series, and after missing away from 15 metres, they looped the field to sit outside Hilton Adios and won easily by a couple of lengths over Hano Direct and Waipounamu.

THE RACES
With over 13,000 in attendance despite the hefty gate charges and many more watching live on television, the Inter-Dominion Final was like one sensation after another. Scotch Tar blew the start again and lost too much ground to make up, and as the race unfolded No Response seemed to become less and less of a chance back in the running. Alby Logan, a 9-year-old and the only "city class" trotter in NSW, had led them along at a merry clip from the start for Grahame Kirkwood, whose wife and owner/trainer Noleen was out to become the first woman to officially prepare an Inter-Dominion champion - 22 years before Lorraine Nolan succeeded.

Turning for home and No Response showing $1.60 to win, was in the immortal words of an Aussie reporter in the Press Box - "a hundred-to-one chance to win." And yet No Response unwound so quickly, dramatically and powerfully, while changing ground for the gaps three times in that scintillating run home, that in the end he won easily going away by over two lengths from Alby Logan, with Silken, Pointer Hanover and rank outsider Josephus almost in line for third another length and a half away. "If I went around them on the bend, I was going to hit the tree at the top of the straight, so I just had to wait and hope the gaps came," said his unflappable trainer/driver Richard Brosnan later.

If that had been a superlative individual performance and left any observer stunned, No Response and Scotch Tar would provide the match race that everyone had gone to see a week earlier, in the NZ Trotting Championship on the day of the Inter-Dominion Pacing Grand Final. In an all too rare race from a mobile for Scotch Tar, and in a 2600m event which underlined just how much better they were than any other top trotters around at the time, Scotch Tar and Wolfenden were around the field to take over a lap out, stalked all the way by No Response. When they drew clear passing the 400m, Brosnan was able to drop onto Scotch Tar's back momentarily, before coming out again in the straight and drawing level at the 100m. Neither flinched or gave an inch, but No Response gradually got a neck advantage close to the line, and the time of 3:21.9 broke another of Easton Light's long-standing NZ records. Miss Castleton was the best of the rest, 10 lengths away.

For No Response it was his 10th win on end and 12th for the season, and while he had bowed out for the season before Even Speed's Rowe Cup after also missing the Dominion, he was pretty much a unanimous choice for Horse of the Year and the first trotter to achieve that honour. He was a popular choice as well.

No Response was the first real step into the big time for his then 30-year-old unassuming and 'nerves of steel' trainer/driver Brosnan, while he was raced by 69-year-old Fred Black, a retired farmer at Pleasant Point who had bred him after being gifted his non-descipt grandam First Axworth at the age of 18. Black had been given the choice of two mares a quarter of a century earlier by small time Palmerston North trainer Dave Hansen, in return for Black's help around the stables over many years during his time as a meat inspector at Feilding.


Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 9Aug06

HORSES

SCOTTISH HANOVER

The honour of being NZ's leading sire of stake-earners for the 1978-79 season falls again to Roydon Lodge's sire Scottish Hanover. And who better to be his best representative than Roydon Lodge's own star performer, Wellington Cup winner Roydon Scott.

Epitomising much that is typical of Scottish Hanover's stock - speed, size, great staying ability and durability, Roydon Scott did much to enhance the already growing stature of Scottish Hanover, who looks destined to go down in our record books as one of the most influential sires of the late seventies and early eighties. Scottish Hanover's siring career has been notable for his remarkable consistency in leaving quality fillies and colts each year, and all improving with age. Breeders, after a slow start, have now recognised these qualities and have ensured his book has been near full each season.

The decision of Mr Roy McKenzie, managing director of Roydon Lodge, to purchase Scottish Hanover in 1966 for stud duties in NZ was a fortunate one for our breeding and racing industry. With such an excellent record of having stood previous top sires like Light Brigade, U Scott, Captain Adios and Thurber Frost in past seasons, it was hardly surprising that Roy McKenzie chose such a worthy successor. To quote Roy McKenzie's reasons for purchasing him: "Apart from his good race record in his races, he always finished strongly and usually covered extra distance, as Saunders Russell's wife did not like him driving horses and was only happy about his doing so if he kept out of a packed field, which often meant he raced one out in the death seat!"

Allied to his obvious racing ability (he paced 1:59 as a 3-year-old and 1:57.2 as a 4-year-old) was the appeal of his pedigree, which had a double strain of Scotland blood so successful in NZ with U Scott and the mare Minnetonka, who was the second dam of Light Brigade. The Peter The Great line in NZ has enjoyed great success under our racing conditions, through siring sons like Wrack and grandsons like Dillon Hall. The greatest influence, however, has occurred with Volomite's siring descendants (Light Brigade, Out To Win, Local Light, Fallacy, Tuft etc.) and Scotland's (U Scott, Scottish Hanover, Young Charles, Scottish Command, etc.)

Scottish Hanover's bloodlines have crossed well with most, and his stream of winners now exceeds 132, with over 12 in 2:00, inclding horses of the calibre of ...

~ Roydon Roux, a champion filly whose nine wins included a NZ Golden Slipper stakes and Great Northern Derby.
~ Final Curtain p, 1:59.6 - the winner of 18 races and 24 places.
~ Palestine - whose list of notable wins includes a Wellington Cup.
~ Roydon Scott p, 1:58.9 - the brilliant winner of the 1979 Wellington Cup.
~ Hanover Don p, 1:58 - an excellent performer in USA.
~ La Roue and Kara Kara - excellent racemares.
~ Classiebawn - winner of NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes.
~ Scottish Heath - a durable type who competed with distinction at this year's InterDominion.
~ Watbro - a leading Southland 4-year-old.
~ Gretna Hanover - a leading North Island 3-year-old filly.

If past records are anything to go on, it will be in the broodmare field that Scottish Hanover will make a new impact, and Roy McKenzie expects his mares to be excellent producers in the years ahead - a pattern followed incidentally, by his other leading sires, Light Brigade and U Scott.

For the future, it is pleasing to see some of Scottish Hanover's sons being retained with a view to stud duties. Palestine, one of his best pacing sons, is being given a chance at stud, while Roy McKenzie is considering Roydon Scott's full brother Dreamover for a possible stud career once his racing days are over. There would be nothing more tragic to our breeding industry that to have such an excellent sire's bloodlines lost to out racing and breeding scene.


Credit: Ron Bisman writing in DB Trotting Annual 1979