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RACING HISTORY

INTERDOMINIONS

BRISBANE - WELCOME ADVICE
Welcome Advice, the horse who could have won three Inter Dominions had the luck gone his way, took out the big prize in Brisbane in 1972 - and was lucky to do so. Had it not been for good driving combined with luck, Welcome Advice, one of the best horses to ever look through a bridle, might never have been an Inter- Dominion Champion. Manaroa ran fifth after starting from 18 yards behind.

HORSES

FALLACY

A sensational colt pacer of his time, and one who made an even greater impact as a sire, the Light Brigade horse Fallacy died last week. Fallacy was raced by J D Litten who trained him throughout his career and apart from an odd stint at the stud away from Canterbury he spent almost the whole of his lifetime at Litten's Preston Farm at West Melton. He was foaled in 1948.

Fallacy hit the headlines in his first season of racing - as a 3-year-old, at which age he won seven of his 10 starts and also finished second twice. He was the top juvenile of his year winning the 1952 NZ Derby in a race record of 3:12 1-5, which stood for eight years until Stormont cut it back to 3:11 4-5. He also won the NZ Champion Stakes and the NZ Futurity Stakes that season. Fallacy was only lightly raced for the remainder of his career, being twice placed in four starts at four, he was unplaced in his three 5-year-old appearances and placed once in five starts at six.

As a sire, however, he matched his juvenile brilliance. He finished fourth on the NZ sires' list in the 1962/3 season and was leading NZ-bred sire for the year. And it was from this point on that he really made an impact on the NZ sires' list, being in the top five on no fewer than eight occasions. He was faced with strong opposition in holding his place in the leading bracket as Light Brigade, U Scott, Hal Tryax, Garrison Hanover and Johnny Globe were at their peak in a mighty siring age.

In the 17 seasons that Fallacy's stock raced in NZ he sired more than 160 winners of 528 races and $709,814 in stakes to the end of last season. Taking the winnings of his stock in Australia and America into account Fallacy's stock must have won around the $1 million mark. With several crops to represent him in future he could well join the only other NZ bred sire, Johnny Globe, to have sired winners of $1 million in stakes in his own country.

Fallacy sired a triple NZ Cup winner in False Step and also last year's NZ Cup winner, True Averil. Both hold 2:00 records - True Averil the winner of $52,830 in stakes with figures of 1:58 4-5 and False Step, who also won a heat of the 1961 International series at Yonkers in 2:00. Fallacy sired many grand stayers over the years, among them Falsehood(2:06 2-5), who won 18 races, Allakasam(2:00 2-5), one of the finest staying mares bred in this country and the winner of 18 races; a brilliant 3-year-old in Dignus who won the NZ Derby, Junior Royal, who won 12; a NZ Derby winner in Doctor Barry, who won 10, a NZ Cup place-getter in Happy Ending(4:11 2-5), a NZ Cup-class pacer in Rain Again(2:05 3-5), who has won 12 races. In both NZ and Australia the list of winners sired by Fallacy is a select and lengthy one.

In the past few seasons Fallacy has distinguished himself as a broodmare sire, and until his death he was NZ's leading living sire of broodmares. In the seven or eight seasons he has figured as a broodmare sire Fallacy mares have left the winners of more than $200,000 in stakes in NZ. They will continue to exert an influence far beyond this figure. One of NZ's star pacers at the moment in Royal Ascot: Geffin winner of the 1961 trotter's Inter-Dominion Grand Final: Tutira, who won the Dominion Handicap and NZ Trotters Free-For-All: Royal Trump(2:01 3-5): a star juvenile trotter in the ill-fated Black Miller are among those from mares by Fallacy.

Not only did Fallacy sire 2:00 performers in False Step and True Averil, but two of his sons in False Step and Dignus became 2:00 sires. False Step sired Miss Step(1:59 3-5), who left NZ as a novice and took her record in America and Dignus, a leading juvenile himself and winner of the New South Wales Derby, is the sire of Peerswick(2:00). Some of Fallacy's best performed sons were kept entire and as his male line has already taken 2:00 status (through his own siring efforts and those of his sons False Step and Dignus) it is certain to exert itself further. Other sons, particularly True Averil, Junior Royal and Happy Ending could further add to the male line of Light Brigade, through Fallacy.

Fallacy has an interesting breeding background. His sire Light Brigade was not only one of NZ's top sires over a long period, but his sons, grandsons and great grandsons have come to the top as sires. His fillies have put him at the head of the NZ broomare sires for the last three seasons. Fallacy's dam, Diversion also belongs to what is probably the most distinguished sire family outside America. Diversion was by Rey de Oro(imp) from Escapade, by Nelson Bingen fron NZ Cup winner Country Belle, whose grandam was an Arab mare. It is to this Arab mare that Logan Derby (sire of NZ's champion sire of the last three seasons in Johnny Globe) and one of NZ's greatest broodmares in Rustic Maid, trace. Rustic Maid has established a family of sires all of her own. Chamfer and Scottish Brigade, both leading sires in Australia, Gentry, who was top sire of NZ's 2-year-olds last season.

Fallacy will break an association of some 25 years with the Preston Farm household of the Litten family. Jack Litten always did the Light Brigade horse proud and only last month when I saw Fallacy at West Melton he certainly did not look his 25 years and was being given the same immaculate care that had been given him throughout his life.

Credit: 'Stopwatch' writing in NZ Trotting 9Sep72

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1972 NZ TROTTING CUP

The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club received little value for its $40,600 stake when Tuesday's New Zealand Trotting Cup turned into a disappointing affair.

The race was robbed of a tremendous amount of interest when Arapaho, Bella's Command, Royal Ascot and Wag broke at the start, then when the favourite Rauka Lad was sent into a gallop at the 12 furlongs and went right back to the rear.

There were some disgruntled drivers after the event, which went to the outsider Globe Bay. Bob Nyhan, the driver of Rauka Lad, rated the favourite a certainty beaten after the event though he said it was no good complaining afterwards. "I thought something like this might happen with no recognised pacemaker in the field," Nyhan said. "Everybody wanted to be handy but nobody wanted to lead. He was pulling very hard at the rear and I had no option to go at the five and a half," Nyhan said. Rauka Lad swept quickly round the field to hit the front on the home turn but Globe Bay was right with him and, not surprisingly, Rauka Lad was weakening inside the furlong and faded to fifth at the finish.

Globe Bay was favoured with a good run four places on the outer and moved forward with Rauka Lad on the home turn. He was clear at the furlong and under a hard drive, held off the game challenge from the free-legged Robalan who came at him first, then Scottish Charm, who burst through inside the final 100 yards to take second only three quarters of a length from the winner.

There was a New Zealand Cup background to Globe Bay. He is the third son of the 1954 Cup winner, Johnny Globe, to win the Cup. But Globe Bay has also a New Zealand Cup background on his dam's side. He is out of the Light Brigade mare Baylight, bred at the Roydon Lodge Stud and purchased in 1965 by Mr S J Wheatley, who bred and races Globe Bay, for 465 guineas. Globe Bay has now won 15 races and been 21 times placed for $57,825 in stakes. Globe Bay was first trained by D G Nyhan, but it has been for J A Carmichael, who drove him at Addington, that he has developed his best form. Baylight, the dam of Globe Bay, is out of Pleasure Bay, a half sister to Colwyn Bay, dam of the million dollar pacer Cardigan Bay (1:56.2) winner of the 1963 New Zealand Cup

Scottish Charm led out but was then steadied to trail Robalan with 12 and a half furlongs to run and then moved up on the outer in the open from the mile when Hundred Pipers went to the front at the 10 furlongs. She was handy into the straight and finished very well when clear. Robalan enjoyed a perfect trail when Hundred Pipers took the lead off him at the 10 furlongs and turning for home looked a big danger to Globe Bay. He was under pressure to do better however and was weakening a shade at the finish. Royal Belmer was a length and a half back fourth after racing in the third line on the rails from the 10 furlongs. She fought on gamely in the straight and was not disgraced. Rauka Lad was half a length back fifth, a mighty effort considering his run.

Berkleigh, who lost ground in the incident at the 12 furlongs, battled on for sixth ahead of Hoover who had a good run three back on the outside but could not come on. Royal Ascot, who was slow away and became badly placed on the rail after and battled on. Wag, who broke early, was beaten off nine lengths back ninth ahead of Arapaho, who went away in a hopeless gallop and was a long way from the leaders when they settled. He tried to follow Rauka Lad when he moved but could not muster the pace and was a well beaten horse two furlongs from home. Manaroa, who also attempted to go with Rauka Lad, was next ahead of Bella's Command and the very tired pacemaker Hunder Pipers. Jacquinot Bay was last.

The time for the race, 4:11.6, is the seventh fastest in the history of the race which accounts for he failure of those who were back in the running to make any ground over the last half mile when th pace really went on.

Following the running of the race, an enquiry was held into the incident at the 12 furlongs and as a result, I M Behrns, the driver of Hundred Pipers, was suspended for causing interference to Berkleigh who in turn checked Rauka Lad.


Credit: NZ Totting

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1972 DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

Aucklander Easton Light proved the star trotter at the NZ Cup carnival, his Dominion Handicap success confirming his staying worth and it justified the confidence and judgement of his owners Messrs E W & T R Running who had had opportunities to sell him overseas before this. However, now on a tight mark his opportunities will be restricted.

Easton Light is by Great Evander (a son of Bill B from the U Scott mare Ayrshire Scott, a member of the Muricata family), who has a wonderful siring record, particularly in the field of trotters with others including Paula (2:03.4), Paulette, Light Evander and Salvander to his credit. Great Evander, a top pacer at two and three years, sired one of the best pacers of his time in Vanderford (2:00.4), Wee Don (1:59.8) and so on.

Easton Light is out of the Light Brigade mare Beverley Light, dam also of Miss Debra (2:05.6), who has won seven races including a Franklin Cup. Beverley Light was a half sister to Hew Shell, the dam of Hal Scott (1:59.4) and Hal Brunt (2:01.2). Hew Shell and Beverley Light were out of the Sandydale mare Starshell who was exported to Australia in 1960.

Credit: 'Stopwatch' writing in NZ Trotting

FEATURE RACE COMMENT

1972 NZ DERBY STAKES

If you had to pick an outstanding performance during the two days and two nights of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club's Cup meeting, it would have to be that of the NZ Derby Stakes winner Willie Win. Seldom has a three-year-old turned in a more impressive winning performance and shown as much sheer speed as Willie Win did, nor had to overcome such obstacles to do so.

The start of the Derby was a poor one and it was not until the final two furlongs that the event bore any resemblance to a $17,020 classic. But then, when first Lord Gregory, then Kotare Scott took cracks at the pacemaking favourite Young Quinn, the excitement started to mount. It reached a high point when Willie Win cut loose from the back with a brilliant sprint that carried him past Kotare Scott at the half-furlong and from then on the result was never in doubt. Considering that Young Quinn had forced a record-breaking pace throughout, the fact that Willie Win could muster such a finishing sprint speaks volumes for his ability.

Willie Win's victory cannot be mentioned without credit being paid to Maurice Holmes, the man who drove Mr Bob Negus's three-year-old to victory. The win was an unparalleled 12th in the classic, his previous winners being Wrackler (1928), Arethusa (1930), Ciro (1931), Aldershot (1938), Imperial Jade (1939), Scottish Lady (1942), Free Fight (1946), Congo Song (1947), Royal Minstrel (1954), Tobacco Road (1957) and Student Prince (1960).

Willie Win's success was a triumph for the New Zealand bred stallion Good Chase. Good Chase had two representatives in the Derby from his first crop, sired before he embarked on a successful racing career in America, and the other representative ran a very creditable race for third.

In winning, Willie Win clipped one fifth of a second off Flying Note's three-year-old record of 3:25.2 for 13 furlongs set in 1961.

The runner-up in the Derby, Kotare Scott did very well for a horse who started only once as a two-year-old then went into the Derby with two wins and a third from four starts to his credit this season. Kotare Scott's owners Mr and Mrs A R Abell, went very close to completing a notable double for the night for in the previous race, Kotare Legend had shown a lot of ability in winning the NZ Spring Time Stakes for two-year-olds.

Credit: 'Lookout' writing in NZ Trotting

STARTERS & STARTING

FAMOUS FLYING MILE RACES

There have been fairly regular mile races from a flying start almost from the inception of trotting in the Dominion. The Wildwood v Prince Imperial, and Ribbonwood v Fritz matches long since became history to most living light-harness enthusiasts.

Not so the sensational Free-For-All at the NZ Cup meeting of 1924. In that flying start mile race Acron, in beating Realm by a length, with Logan Chief two lengths back, registered 2:03 3/5, which shattered the existing mile record against time of 2:04 1/5, held by Happy Voyage. In that free-for-all the minor placefillers clocked 2:03 4/5 and 2:04 2/5 respectively.

Another memorable flying mile, many years later, was the match between the champion mare Haughty, and the 'scorched earth' entire, Gold Bar, at an Addington matinee meeting in 1943 - the winner was Haughty, narrowly, in the brilliant time of 2:00 2/5 which stands as the match race record (between two horses) to this day.

Tactician became the first horse in the Southern Hemisphere to fracture two minutes in a race when he won the flying mile Rattary Stakes at the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club's Easter meeting in 1957. His time was 1:59 4/5, which stood as the NZ race record for many a day. Only a nose separated Tactician and False Step, who went 2:00, third was Local Light in 2:00 1/5, and fourth Merval in 2:00 3/5. It was a wonderful contest.

Up till then the starts of these races were on a moving-up basis 'in the open' and one of the most capable officials in this capacity was Mr A J Hastings. The mobile barrier was still a long way off.

Lordship won a mobile mile race at a Northland TC meeting at Alexandra Park in 1967 in 1:58 2/5, which is the existing NZ record. He won by five lengths from Tobias(1:59 4/5) and Elegant Hanover(2:00). Another searing mobile mile at Addington of recent vintage was the New Year Free-For-All at the Canterbury Park meeting in January, 1970. The winner was True Averil, by four lengths, in 1:58 4/5. The second horse, Spry, registered 1:59 2/5, and Stella Frost third in 1:59 3/5.

The trotters too, have put up some excellent times in flying mile races. In 1969 Stylish Major won one of these events in 2:02 2/5, which was a new record for this type of contest; and the following year Johnny Gee lowered the record to 2:01 1/5 in winning the Stewards' Trotting Free-For-All at the Canterbury Park New Year meeting.

Credit: Óldtimer' writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 1Dec71

PEOPLE

JACK WALSH

The death in Gore last week of Jack Walsh, aged 77, had me digging into the archives for a few words I penned on this gentleman in 1967. I hope you enjoy the reminiscience.

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Walsh, who trained the champion mare, Robin Dundee, in the twilight of his career, was the leading Southland driver and trainer on numerous occasions. He rode or drove close on 400 winners and as a trainer, won more than 300 races.

Walsh was born in Nightcaps and his first job was in a grocer's shop there. He was quite content with the job, but, he recalled, "the owner asked me to manage the place, so I left." It was also at Nightcaps in 1917 that Walsh had his first introduction to trotting. A Nightcaps butcher, Mr J H Reed, asked Walsh to ride a pacer called Gladiola, whom he owned and trained. Although he had ridden in gentlemen riders' at galloping meetings, Walsh told him that he had no idea how to sit on a pacing horse in harness and he thought he would be certain to come down.

Mr Reed had greater faith in Walsh, and asked him to ride Gladiola in saddle events at the 1917 Forbury Park winter meeting. Walsh applied to Christchurch for his horseman's licence, but this had not arrived on the morning of the meeting. A hurried phone call to Christchurch confirmed that the licence had been granted and Walsh took the mount on Gladiola. Gladiola was beaten a head by Nihilist, but came out to on the second day to win the two-mile Dunedin Handicap. A 3-year-old filly, she gave away starts of 60 yards and won by two lengths.

From then on Walsh never looked back. He returned to Gore in 1926 and worked with trotting trainer J R McMurray for 12 months. Then as private trainer to Mr F Wallis, he prepared such good winners as Sea Hawk, Ding Dong Bell, Nelson Elwyn and Red Anthony. Later as a public trainer Walsh trained such winners as Kissing Cup, Heather Dillon, Pacemaker, Gildirect, Meg Mundy, Aspasia, Lauder Lady, Dame Sybil, Mooloo, Navigate, Cabra who won the Dominion Handicap, and Ley's Pride.

Walsh's best training tally was 18 wins in the 1956-7 season when he also drove 16 winners. Walsh's services as a horseman, were in keen demand and between 1930 and 1940 he rode or drove 121 winners. Walsh maintained the best horse he rode in saddle was Rocks Ahead, who holds the track record of 2:09 2-5 set at Forbury Park in 1936. Walsh developed Robin Dundee into the best pacing mare in Australia and NZ in the 1960s when she took a record of 1:59 at Harold Park and won more than $100,000.

Credit: Taylor Strong writing in NZ Trotting Calendar 4Aug71

PEOPLE

DRIVERS COMPULSORY RETIREMENT

Harness marketing gurus would describe it now as the quaddie from hell. At the end of the 1970-71 season when Jack Litten, Doug Watts, Bob Young and Bll Doyle "four horsemen of the apocalypse" in their era were invited by the authorities to hand in their driving licences having reached 65 - an invitation it was impossible to decline. For many it was almost the harness equivalent of the Buddy Holly plane crash the "day the music died." Three years later when Maurice Holmes had to follow suit, it was.

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JACK LITTEN -
was almost an "overnight sensation" for the times, having risen from relative obscurity just before the Second World War with horses like Suspanse and Firewater after having to sell his best star Royal Romance, to Vic Alborn just as she struck her best form. He was able to buy her back later to breed from. Within a decade the battler was a leader in his profession.

His famous training and breeding deeds, especially with young horses, was partly formed by his early association with Bella Button, then of Brooklyn Lodge in New Brighton, who while never officially licenced in either code won many races driving her trotters and produced outstanding gallopers at Riccarton in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Something of a phenomenon, Bella was especially skilled with young horses and the Little Rive'r-born Litten learned his lessons well.

Relative to scale, few have matched his achievements with youngsters in the generations since. But he was an all round champion producing Our Roger, a horse with a famously low heart score, to win a NZ Cup - though he would have dearly loved the "Mighty Atom", the champion Caduceus, to have shared that honour which he actually should have won that day.

On his retirement Jack rated Caduceus setting a 2000m record at Addington in 2:31.8 (it stood for a generation) as his biggest thrill though the 1956 Inter-Dominion Final when he took over the driving himself and won before a crowd we will never see at an ID final again must have been magic.

Royal Romance's daughter, Royal Triumph, would later produce Junior Royal. A granddaughter produced Royal Mile who set a 2-year-old Australasian trotting record for Litten at Addington in July of 1954 in a special time trial. A keen student of breeding "JD" also stood the thoroughbred stallion Aristoi, a brother to world champion Sir Ivor (sire of Sir Tristram).

The horse which established him in classic racing was Fallacy who was at 8/1 first up at three at Ashburton in the spring but paid £46 at his second start and then won the Riccarton Stakes and the NZ Derby. Only the 4-year-old Johnny Globe beat him at that Cup Meeting. His unexpected success at stud was notable. His granddam, Escapade had been an outstanding trotter in the 1920's and her dam (Country Belle) won the NZ Cup.

Like many of his era getting trapped in the field with the money on was a cardinal sin, Jack Litten was never a "pretty" driver (Cecil Devine, his nemesis, was much the same, as was Maurice McTigue) but when the pennies were down their horses could do that little bit more. No stylist, Jack used outside drivers more than most, further proof of his astute thinking. Once established "Litt" seemed to have a never ending string of genuinely outstanding horses.

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BOB YOUNG -
was a quiet man who loved gardening; highly respected especially within the game but low key and he peferred it that way. He was especially a master with trotting horses. Unusually Young preceded his father Jimmy in emigrating from Scotland after Roydon Lodge trainer Bobby Dunn offered him a position in the late 1920's. His father arrived a few years later and set up first at Addington and then at the Spreydon terminus with a big team.

Jimmy Young was soon a leading trainer, famous for his colourful use of four letter words. Don Nyhan used to recall the string of well intentioned invective Young considered normal speech after Johnny Globe had gone close to two minutes on grass the message being the driver should have "tried harder".

Rather oddly Bob named Single Task as the best trotter he drove, one of his three Rowe Cup winners. He also drove the first two winners of the Inter-Dominion Trotting Championships. He had his first NZ Cup drive in 1932 and his last in 1967. He was largely a free lancer usually driving second stringers for big stables in major races or for owner-trainers who loved his "there is another day" style. He was hugely popular with punters because of his outstanding strike rate. Avante was the last big name pacer he trained.

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DOUG WATTS-
came from South Canterbury where he went to school with Richard Brosnan's father, Jack. He was first a champion apprentice jockey in Wanganui also riding in Australia as a teenager in 1927.

After he won seven of the first eight saddle trots he competed in, Watts turned to harness driving with Jock Henderson at Oamaru. Few have been better at it. He won the NZ Cup with Our Roger(1955) and an Inter-Dominion final on Massacre(1961) both almost entirely due to the driver rather than the horse. He was largely with Vic Leeming at Prebbleton and rarely held a training licence though he raced fine pacers of his own like Valour and Historic.

Watts was a great "money" driver, cool under pressure and adept at finding the short way home. He is still famous for driving seven winners on an eight race card at Reefton in 1954, a feat never bettered. He recalled he only had one engagement when he arrived at the meeting. His longest dividend was over £4 and his shortest £2, three of his drives winning twice.

Doug was good at keeping his own counsel and once he and Leeming had to be escorted off Addington by the police well after the last when a loud demonstration by hundreds calling for their blood over a form reversal was only inflamed the longer Watts waited it out in the driver's room. Ironically, in later years Watts was an astute patrol steward at the course.

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BILL DOYLE-
is generally regarded as the founder of a famous trotting dynasty but in fact he inherited much from his father, also W J Doyle who was a master of many trades. He stood thoroughbred, trotting and draught stallions at stud, played a major role in the founding of the Ellesmere Trotting Club; ran the Doyleston pub and a catering business, raced, trained and drove top horses and even gave musical recitals at local functions.

He died when his son was just 20 though both Bill Jnr who owned a Grand National Steeplechase winner, and his sister, Laurel, champion show rider and the first woman licenced to train gallopers in the South Island, retained the wider racing interests of their father. Laurel also trained a Melbourne Cup placegetter, Willie Win.

Bill Doyle's feats as a horseman - he was also one of Canterbury's leading stock dealers - and the success of the next generation as horsewomen are well known.

When, which descended from a borrowed foundation broodmare Violet Wrack who left When's dam Passive, was probably his favourite. He campaigned her with success in America and again on her return, rare in those days.
Gold Horizon, pound for pound, may have actually been his best trotter. He was amoung the pioneer patrons of European trotting stallions, a cause he was passionate about though the results were mixed to say the least.

For a part-time trainer Doyle had an enormous string of top horses, his pacers from earlier eras(Betty Boop, Reason Why, In The Mood, Wipe Out etc) often overlooked in favour of the many trotters which came later. He drove Pacing Power into third for trainer Roy Berry(who drove Springfield Globe his own horse) in the 1943 NZ Cup losing a winning chance when checked at the start.

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Losing four driving names of that stature one July 31st was certainly a bad day in harness history.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in HRWeekly 24Jul2013

INTERDOMINIONS

CHRISTCHURCH - STELLA FROST
The trotting world was stunned when five days after the 1971 Final at Addington it was announced that Western Australian Junior's Image had returned a positive swab. Trainer Phil Coulson was barred from trotting for seven years and ordered to pay $1,000 in costs. Stella Frost, runner up to Junior's Image, was promoted to first for a prize of $26,000 compared with $8,000 for second. Manaroa was promoted to second, with Last Flood third.

HORSES

Precocious & Jack Carmichael

PRECOCIOUS

The Precocious story can be taken up at a point where prominent Auckland owner Andy Carmichael and Hawera trainer Doug Grantham in 1963 purchased from veteran Akaroa breeder Jack Ferguson a yearling filly by Johnny Globe from the successful Light Brigade trotting mare Dauphine. The filly was a full sister of Au Fait, who had won the 1961 Dominion Handicap for her Wellington breeder Jack McKay and was subsequently sold to America at a high price.

Mr Carmichael, successful in business through Broadway pies, and over the years a good winning owner with horses like Prince Polka and Chequer Board, decided that Grantham should train their acquistion. Grantham was only too pleased to oblige in this role, but when, as he built up the work schedule for the young filly, she kept putting on condition instead of shedding it, he was at a loss to understand her. A vet solved the problem. The then 2-year-old filly was in foal.

A hasty conference was called, and on checking back the filly's state was traced to a night when an Aksarben colt, appropriately named All Gallant, had got over a fence and in amongst several yearlings on Mr Ferguson's property. Mr Ferguson most apologetically offered to replace the in-foal filly with another, but Andy and Doug decided that whatever will be will be. They gave the filly time off to have her foal - most aptly named the young mother Precocious and the foal Over Fence; put Precocious back into work and produced her for her first racing a a 5-year-old in the 1967-8 season.

That she was as forward at coming forward on the racetrack as she was for Mother Nature, Precocious showed by winning four races and gaining two seconds, a third and three fourths in her first campaign - during which Mr Carmichael bought out Grantham's share (after three wins) and placed her with Bob Mitchell at Cambridge.

At six, Precocious had 10 starts for one win, two thirds and a fourth, and at seven two wins and seven minor placings from 18 attempts in NZ and one win in Melbourne on a brief Australian sojourn at Inter-Dominion time. A costly persistence to tangle early in her races led her connections to think either she was feeling the tracks of she was averse to racing right-handed as they do in many northern tracks.

Meantime, Mr Carmichael, who had paid $20,000 to secure the up-and-coming Chequer Board from Northland owner Dave Jessop, had placed him with successful results with Templeton trainer Jack Carmichael (no relation). The southern horseman, after driving Precocious to the second of her wins as a 7-year-old at Cambridge in January 1970, was invited to take her south to his stable to produce as an 8-year-old. By this time on the fringe of good class, Precocious still persisted with that costly tangle early in her races and her first 22 appearances as an 8-year-old resulted in four seconds, a third and two fourths.

Ironically, it was when Jack Carmichael brought her back to Auckland in May 1971, that Precocious broke through for her first win for his stable - bolting away with an impressive double in the St Andrews and Remuera Handicaps at the Auckland winter meeting. They were her last two starts for the 1970-71 season, and she carried on the good work in the season under review, winning three of her first seven starts before placing fourth in the Worthy Queen Handicap at Addington on NZ Cup day.

Then it was the big one, the $10,200 Dominion Trotting Handicap on Show Day at Addington, November 12 1971. Precocious, on the strength of her lastest good form, was sent out 1-2 in the order of betting. And she didn't let the army of fans she had now established down in any way. Jack Carmichael, bounced the 9-year-old mother out from the limit mark in good style, and with no sign of that earlier chink in her armour she settled in to trot solidly handy on the outer with a good cover. She was going so well that her trainer-driver let her forge through to the front crossing the top with two and a half furlongs to travel.

She was never in danger of defeat, coming in with two lengths and a half to spare from Merrin. Northerner Easton Light was a good third after covering much ground and Marius close up next, best of the others. The winning time of 4:18 2/5 was the seventh-fastest in the 70-year-old history of the race, the record for which is held at 4:15 4/5 by none other than Precocious' sister, Au Fait. But Precocious could obviously have gone a lot faster.

The win brought her earnings to near $25,000 and while she appeared to train off a shade after that she was back in the winners' circle in February, taking the Hagley Trotting Free-for-all at the Canterbury Park meeting at Addington. It was a good season for her, and, as it was only her fourth, there appeared to be no reason why, before she had another look at the matron's paddock, she should not add a lot more lustre to her race record.

Meanwhile Over Fence, who, though speedy and a fairly quick qualifier, proved erratic and was not persevered with as a racing proposition. Shortly after Precocious gained her most important win in the Dominion Handicap, Over Fence made her a grandmother by producing a foal to the imported Tartan Hanover.



Credit: Ron Bisman: DB Trotting Annual 1972