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RACING HISTORY

PEOPLE

DAVID BUTT

It was a race full of mixed emotions for harness racing horseman David Butt at Addington Raceway tonight (Friday) when he drove Ohoka Arizona to win race one at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's meeting.

The North Canterbury trainer/driver completed a chapter in his life securing 1000 driving wins, but it was a solemn David Butt afterwards who's only thoughts were with the owners of Ohoka Arizona, Katie and the late Dave Carville. "It's really nice for Katie tonight and I wasn't really thinking about the 1000 wins at all," Butt said.

At a time when all the connections were clearly reflecting on the loss of Dave Carville, Butt was still able to display the lighter jovial side to his personality when questioned on his achievement, a smile through the pain perhaps. Does semi-retirement beckon? "Im not semi-retired or thinking about it, but Bobs (Butt) sending me that way," he said.


Credit: Steve Dolan writing on harnesslink.com

PEOPLE

ALLAN DUNN

The death occurred last Friday of Allan Dunn, who passed away peacefully at the age of 86 after battling ill health for the last couple of years.

Originally from the West Coast, Allan moved to Christchurch many years ago and bought the Granada Coffee Lounge. Although not knowing much about coffee or even a fan of it himself, Allan nevertheless took his shop to new heights and was even one of the first people in the country to import an Italian espresso machine.

In the early 60s Allan then moved to Wellington where he and his good mate Max Williams bought the Taita Hotel in Lower Hutt, close to Trentham, befriending many high-profile thoroughbred breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys as a result. Allan and Max developed an accommodation complex onsite and their mottos were simple - make their guests' stays comfortable, enjoyable and memorable - and business for them boomed.

"Any time there were races or the yearling sales on, if there wasn't enough room at the Taita then some of them overflowed to the house," remembers Allan's son Robert. "I think at one stage they were selling up to 8000 half-gees of beer a week, which was some sort of record."

It's not surprising then that Allan's first foray into horse ownership was in the 'other' code, with he and Max racing the likes of Shantung and Suttle on lease from Pirongia Stud - which won "about twenty-five races" between then - and they also bred the good winner Pelican Brief.

Allan sold the hotel in 1975 and retired at an early age, shifting his family to Chrischurch and buying the 30 acre property at West Melton where his sons Robert and Geoff and grandsons John and Dexter still operate out of to this day.

Through Max's friendship with the late Alf Bourne the two mates switched codes and raced the Ashburton Cup winner Reffluent, and the numerous other good harness horses that Allan was involved with over the years included the likes of Late Lustre, Bound To Be, Affluent and Rapid Surge. "No champions, just a lot of nice horses who won a good handful of races each," Robert said, adding that his father had the distinction of racing horses successfully in New Zealand, Australia and North America. "He also imported the stallion Tiger Wave, and raced a few handy horses by him that won four of five as well."

Allan never trained or drove in an official capacity himself, but every day up until he took sick a couple of years ago he would be at the stables to help out first thing in the morning, and he'd be one of the last to leave. "He'd work like a tiger, seven days a week; a workaholic," Robert says affectionately. "For much of his life he had a very bad back and knees, but he never moaned about it. He just loved horses - and he'd put you to shame with some of the care he'd show towards them sometimes."

Allan of course was very proud of his sons' and grandsons' success in the sport, and he'd follow their progress closely as well as the developments of other stable employees such as Shaun Thompson and Tim Williams, the latter being Max's grandson.

"He loved his sport and his racing, and he'd be the worst one-eyed Cantabrian of all time," Robert says. "Especially rugby...whether it be the Canterbury team, the All Blacks, Andrew Mehrtens, Richie McCaw or Dan Carter - none of them could ever do a thing wrong in this opinion. Get him started and you'd have to leave the room."

Allan is survived by his wife Kath, their children Robert, Geoff, Kevin, Brian and Margaret, plus seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Credit: HRWeekly 24Nov10

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LEICESTER BROSNAN

Leicester Brosnan died least week, less than a month out from his 84th birthday.

Together with his brother Ken, 87, Brosnan was responsible for breeding numerous harness horses which went on to be successful either at stud or on the racetrack. Almost all of them trace back to their foundation mare Star Lady, by Smooth Fella out of Brenda Lee, who won five races herself but reached even greater heights at stud through her progeny and her many daughters and granddaughters which bred on as well.

The first horse that the Brosnan brothers ever bred was Queen Ngaio, a Light Brigade mare that stemmed from their late father John 'Jack' Brosnan winning a free service to the sire in a raffle.

Before retiring to Rangiora, Leicester lived on the family farm at the nearby township of Fernside all his working life. It was a property which started out at 400 acres but grew to almost double that, the centre of focus being mainly sheep and crop farming.

Although the brothers never raced many horses themselves, Ken's son Alister says his father and uncle got more enjoyment out of seeing the horses they'd bred go on and be successful for others, and that by leasing them it was also a way of keeping costs to a minimum. "They were thrilled when Star Lady won a broodmare award a couple of years ago," Alister said. "She's still here on the farm and in good health," he added about the now 31-year-old mare, "she's in a paddock with a couple of others and is still the boss."

About 18 months ago, Alister and his sisters - Pamela Brosnan, Janet Marsh and Dianna Palmer - together with their father Ken decided to try and continue the dynasty by forming Brosnan Standardbreds. They're breeding from a "mixture" of half a dozen or so mares , and the combined amount of stack and broodmares is well into the 20s.

Credit: HR Weekly: 24Nov10

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Bev & Stan Moore with Fake Chance

STAN MOORE

After the dust and grime of the city, Stan Moore's Rangiora property is a stark contrast. I feel like I am looking at a biscuit tin lid. Birds twitter so loudly from dense green hedges it is almost overwhelming. Walking to lift the latch on his fence - the type where the crescent of metal has to be lifted, a wide gate opened and then the metal returned to its nook - the only sound, aside from the birds, is the noise we make crunching on gravel. Hearing the gate hinge creak, Suzy, a boisterous bundle of white fur, greets us at the door, loudly yapping and running in circles.

Bev Moore is in the kitchen. We had trouble navigating the rural letterbox system and are 20 minutes late. Stan couldn't hang around lollygagging waiting for us to arrive. "Oh, look, Stan's just down with the horses. He's only been gone about quarter of a hour," Bev says, drying her hands on a tea towel. "He said,'I have to go and do those horses'. He is down there, I'm sure of it. Unless he's hiked off on me. We just had our 50th wedding anniversary, so I don't think he will leave me now." She points to a block of stables a short distance away while Suzy jumps about our feet, barking. "Suzy, that's enough of that! She loves meeting people but she's too overpowering."

Suzy escorts us to the gate and runs around in circles barking, only becoming silent once our feet are once more crunching the gravel down towards the stables and still regarding us with baleful eyes.

My brother trains horses. His name's Phillip, but most people in the industry know him as Prop. Stan does and, as racing people are often prone to do almost without thinking, offers me the breeding of horses he thinks Prop had something to do with - their dam (mother), sire(father) and relevant wins. Prop had a lot to do with the notable horse Lyall Creek, and through his association with the Butt family, has had his share of Cup Day excitement. I've seen stables with salubrious fittings, ones equipped with hi-tech swimming pools and showering systems that look like Club Med for horses.
Stan's boxes may be vintage and feature more than their fair share of cooing pigeons and their droppings, but they're immaculately mucked out and the five horses eyeing us while we chat look beautifully cared-for.

Stan and Bev have lived on the property for 44 years, after spending the first six years of married life farming and milking cows. "Not too bad a spot here," Stan says reflectively. "Keep out of the wind and you're all right. It's a cold wind, that easterly."

For the first time, Stan's eyes smile as he proudly introduces his horse Fake Chance, a nine-year-old gelding by Fake Left. "I'm going to give him a jog. I'm going to swing him on behind on the lead. He needs a bit of loosening up after a trip up and back to Kaikoura yesterday. Two and a half hours there, and two and a half hours back, and then a race. It's a big day out. He never got in to the race at all, got submerged at the start, stuck on the second row and never got a run from there on in." Fake Chance, otherwise known as Herbie, as if to illustrate Stan's point, stretched a hind leg like an old man getting out of a chair.

When we visit it is Tuesday, exactly a week before Cup Day, and Stan is unsure if Herbie's going to get a start. To give you an idea of where Herbie sits in the scheme of the NZ Trotting Cup, fixed odds for favourite Monkey King are at $3.50. Herbie's adds are $81. "We're hanging in there for the Cup, there's four of us hanging in. We don't have a start as yet, do we Herbie? There's four horses vying for two spots at the moment. That's how close we are to getting in or getting out."

He doesn't care if he wins the Cup or not, all he wants is to have a horse in the race field. And when I asked him who will get his bet on Cup Day, he replies: "Stunin Cullen." Still, having Herbie in the top race would be a nice birthday present for Stan who turns 74 on November 16. "We tried last year and missed out. We're just not quite up there when those real good ones get the advantage, they're just that little bit slicker. It's the staying side of things where Herbie can figure."

Should Herbie get a start, Stan has no plan of attack for the race. "I'll just keep training the horse and keep him up to it. It's a tough race. I have others in work at the moment. One's qualified and the other one's not. Herbie is it and he's nine years old, he's not going to go forever." Two horses geared up and waiting to go for a jog are tied to a post. One is resting a hind leg, and looks like a woman of certain disposition leaning against a bar.

Stan and Bev bred Herbie themselves. His granddam, Debbie's Chance, won six races. "She's our other good horse." Our conversation is interrupted by two yearlings pawing the gate next to us with their front hooves and Stan strides off, grabbing a small stick wedged into the corrugated iron fence next to the paddock. It is clearly stored there fo this purpose. He waves it in the air above him, and the two cheeky horses inch backwards with their ears pricked.

In preparation for the Cup - a race that lasts mere minutes - Herbie has been in work since winter. Stan gets up before the sparrows each morning to take him for a jog or fast work on the beach, because it's good for his legs. Herbie's that is. "He's been in work since winter time. Normally they don't start quite as early as he did. We took the option we might try and win some money then rather than now. It's harder to win it now and compete against these other horses."

Stan takes Herbie's cover off to reveal a glossy coat. Together we try to get Herbie to pose while photographer Dean Kozanic smilingly makes a comment about never working with children and animals. Stan makes clicking noises with his tongue. Herbie presses his nuzzle into Stan's chest for a pat. Grabbing a lead, Stan decides to take Herbie out of the box so we can get a better shot. Herbie whinnies gently and stretches his hind leg again. He lifts his head up quickly, almost whacking Stan. "Herbert!" Stan says sharply.

Do horses need to load up on carbs before a big race like their human counterparts? To keep him in good nick for racing, Herbie gets "five kilograms of Golden grain mix from Ashburton, chaff, hay, that sort of thing. It's formulated for horses, all you've got to give them so they say; well, according to the packet. Herbie looks well on it."

To date, the race win that has brought Stan the most pride was a hometown one. Earlier this year, Herbie, driven by Mark Purdon, claimed the $50,000 Rangiora Equine Services Rangiora Classic. "The only cup we've won is the Rangiora one. We got a photo of Herbie with the cup on the wall. We wanted to get one of those photos for years but it never happened, now he's up on the wall. It's a nice photo. Monkey King was in the race that day, he finished down the track."

Part of the attraction of harness racing for many is that while you can do everything you possibly can, essentially anything can happen in a race, and luck plays almost as big a part as preparation. Outside chances can romp home and make dreams come true in just a few minutes. Borana did it in 1985. "A sudden downpour can change everything. It's all down to on the day, anything can happen."

Like everyone else, Stan gets dressed up to go to Cup Day, and having a horse in the Cup field is something he's dreamt of, and worked towards, for decades. "I've been doing this for 50 years and to get one in the Cup, never mind winning it, just getting in the Cup field, that's enough for me. If I don't get in, well, too bad. At the end of the day, you can't always get the horse to get there, can ya? Hopefully he can grow another leg on Cup Day and do something with it."

Herbie does the horse equivalent of a sigh and looks at Stan with big brown eyes. No pressure, Herbie, no pressure.

Credit: Vicki Anderson writing in The Press 6Nov2010

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DENIS NYHAN

Your first (Cup) win was behind Lordship in 1962. You were young then. Did any nerves affect you on the big day?

Well, you can't afford to be nervous. There is too much going on. Lordship had worked brilliantly leading up to the Cup and Russell Cooper had just crafted a beautifully built new Bryant cart which we had. It had shorter shafts. We tried it on Lordshipon the Sunday and he was fine. Everthing went well until Cup morning.

And?

We were out doing stud work (with Johnny Globe) on a lovely morning and then it started to bucket down. We just didn't know how he would handle it. That affected the confidence. As I remember it we got a beautiful run in the one-one and he handled th wet well.

He beat the great Cardigan Bay twice at that meeting but he didn't line up against him in 1963.

He galloped in the Free-For-All in 1962 but then still beat Cardy. I mean they were great horses at that time. But on the last day he felt "noddy" warming up for the first time. He developed needle splints and he hardly raced in 1963-64.

He won the Cup again in 1966, a long time apart and he gave the others a 42-yard start. He must have been a good beginner.

He was a marvel, really. In between all that trouble he still won all the best races (45 wins). As an older horse he could get on the toe at the start. One day he broke a crossbar on the cart kicking it. But when they said "go" he was off like a rocket. That day I started him out in the middle of the track, a big help if you were on a handicap because you were on your own and could angle him straight to the rail and make up the ground. I think we actually led for most of the last round that day.

What made him special to drive?

High Speed. Lordy had unbelievable acceleration. He could circle a field of top class horses - and I mean real top class horses like Robin Dundee and company - in a furlong (200m) and it just gave you an extra dimension in the race. He was also a clever horse on his feet. Very manoeuvrable in a field. A dream horse really.

Who did you model your driving style on?

Bob Young was a driver who always appealed to me. He balanced his horses up so well and he always looked in control. But there were a lot of genuinely great horsemen about then. And I learned a lot when I worked for Eddie Cobb in America.

Such as?

There wer those great horsemen operating therethen too, legendary fellas. Delvin Miller, Cobb, Stanley Dancer, John Simpson. Clint Hodgins was my special favourite. He was a big man, tall, always ice cool and alwaysseemed beautifully balanced in a cart so his size didn't seem to matter. They had two real champions then, Adios Butler who was more of a speed horse, and Bye Bye Byrd, more of a stayer. I saw Clint win a big race on Bye Bye Byrd with a great drive one night. I used to think then wouldn't it be great one day to be good enough to drive great horses like that. I never forgot it.

Robalan paced free-legged of course. There were hardly any free-legged pacers then. It must have been a gamble to take the hopples off.

Not really on looking back. At home we used to work Johnny Globe and Lordship free-legged and they were fine. They were just better with hopples on raceday. Robalan was better without them. He was a beautiful pacer actually. He won a lot of races on the smaller tracks, Hutt Park and Forbury. He could use his speed just as much as on the big ones.

He had a lot of tries before he won the Cup. Why was that?

Well,one year another driver spent all his time looking after me instead of trying to win on his own horse, but basically he wasn't really a two mile(3200) horse. Robalan had phenomenal speed over short distances, probably even faster than Lordy. When he won the Stars Travel Miracle Mile he drew the outside and just blew them away pace and ran world records. He could be a bit keen in his races wanting to use his speed, so while he could stay alright in a two mile race he could take a bit out of himself. We never worked him hard at home to keep him relaxed.

Like what?

My wife Denise (a daughter of great trotting trainer, Bill Doyle, for whom Denis drove Wipe Outin two Cups) did a lot of work and travelling with him, but I don't think from memory he ever worked faster than 4:50 for two miles before a Cup.

Only just before he won in 1974 he collapsed dramatically in a trial. What caused that?

We never found out. They went all over him but he just came right on his own, not long before the race. In the actual Cup Trial he was as good as ever.

So what are the secrets to driving a Cup winner. Does the thought of winning affect your tactics?

You don't think of winning. It is a mistake if you do. You go through processes aimed at getting the best result and that's all you can plan for. Even when you've done everything right you still need a bit of luck on your side. Winning is the best outcome but only one. And while it is like driving any other race, in theory it isn't really because of what is at stake.

Processes?

Knowing every other horse, how it races, the driver's style, checking the colours are still the same in the prelim. Working out where the best horses might be, the ones which will give you a run into the race. That is very important, following the right horse, things like that. You also have to stay cool and have disipline, like Clint Hodgins.

Disipline?

Some drivers change their styles in big races. You never saw the top American drivers do that. They adapted to each horse but they drove in their established style. You can get into trouble doing somethingfancy and different. The same spot in the field can be the best place to be and the worst.

You alway carry a watch. How important are sectional times?

Most important of all. A really good horse can feel like he is going easily when in fact he is running terrific sectionals and they can run themselves out in a big staying race without the driver being fully aware of it. You've seen them on Cup Day. You need to check that it is not happening to you. You can't make a decision on a watch but you can checkthat the ones you are making are right

Any unusual things you did?

Funny thing, I always make a point of studyingthe first race of the day. It was a trotting racebut it was over the Cup distance. I liked to see if they were going at high speed and then checking it off against the times. It gave me a feel for what the Cup might be like. The tempo of the race is everything.

It all sounds like hard work. Did you always get the right answers?

Even if youy are doing everything right you can't afford for something to go wrong at vital stages of the race. That is where the luck comes in. You always need some of it.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in The Press 6Nov2010

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Keith & Bevan Grice

GRICE BROTHERS INFLUENCE

Keith and Bevan Grice have been breeding from the family of Captain Peacock for 51 years.

Captain Peacock (Live Or Die-Enchanting) won the NZ Derby in April and is engaged in the 3-Year-Old Emerald at Cambridge on Saturday. The Grices also bred Ima Gold Digger (Sundon-Janetta's Pride), a leading contender for the 4-Year-Old trotters section.

Phil Kennard, a Christchurch part-owner of Captain Peacock, is also in the ownership of Major Mark, a contender for the 2-Year-Old Emerald. Kennard is in the GAPMAD Syndicat who race Captain Peacock in partnership with the brothers Grant Ball, of Christchurch and Darren Ball, of Sydney, and Warren Wyllie and Richard Boon, of Christchurch, from the Ladbrooks stable of Dean Taylor. Mark Jones is the driver of Captain Peacock. Others in the GAPMAD Syndicate are Michael and Gerard Dawson, of Oamaru, Alister Strachan, of Oamaru, Angela Mowbray of Methven and Des Aitcheson, of Oamaru.

Captain Peacock is the first foal of Enchanting who won her first start when trained by Taylor and driven by Jones. That was a race for 3-Year-Olds at Motukarara in December 2003. Grant Ball was in the ownership of Enchanting (Sands A Flyin-Go Anna), who was put to stud after being unplaced in a further five starts. "She was badly conformed," recalled Taylor.

He had become involved with the family when he trained her dam, Go Anna, to win four races in the mid-1990s. Go Anna died in 2003 after leaving four foals. She left another filly, Lancashire Witch (by Tinted Cloud), the winner of three races. Go Anna was by Dancing Master from Kerry Khan, by Noodlum from Lady Barbara, by Lordship from Barbara Del, by Armbro Del from Coo Doo, by Morano from Lady Dimp, a Nelson Derby mare the Grice brothers began breeding from in 1959.

They bought her from their cousin, Len Grice. Their uncle, Jack Grice, owned and trained the 1952 NZ Derby winner, Rupee. Another uncle, Ben, owned and trained Haughty, winner of the NZ Cup in 1942 and 43. Lordship won the NZ Derby in 1961 and Noodlum won the race in 1974.

Coo Doo won the 1971 Welcome Stakes, and other big winners from this equine family include Palestine and Derby, who won nine races in succession in the early 1980s. "Winning the Derby is our finest hour," Keith (84) said. Bevan is 79. "We have always felt that with good stallions and good trainers this family would reach the top. We cannot speak too highly of Dean Taylor," he said. "Breeding horses is our hobby, and we have been at it ince we left school."

Credit: Taylor Strong writing in HRWeekly 2June2010

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HERBIE MOASE

Herbie Moase, who died recently at the age of 97, was part-owner, trainer and driver of the top trotter, Inflammable. His partner in the horse was Frank Bebbington, whose father Reg employed Moase when he was farming and training in Mid-Canterbury.

"He was a naturally good horseman," recalled Frank. "He came back from the war and bought a farm, and I'm sure Peter Wolfenden started off with him. Later on I remember having a few beers with him at his 'local' and by the end of it he'd somehow got Inflammable off me while I kept Royal Armour. They were both top trotters about the same time."

Moase won seven races with the son of Stormyway and Flame, the last of them at Auckland in 1971 over Easton Light, Flagon Wagon and Cavil - the same day Bebbington won at the Cheviot meeting with Baffle Girl.

"Inflammable had the ability to open yard gates. He was stabled at Otaki for a meeting, it might have been Hutt Park, when Herbie heard that eight horses were loose in the town. Inflammable had got out, and went round and opened the others."

Credit: HR Weekly 15 Dec 2010

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NEILL ESCOTT

Neil Escott, Harness Racing New Zealand's Chief Stipendiary Steward, has announced his retirement. This will take effect from January 32, 2011.

Escott began his career with the NZ Trotting Conference in 1973 as a trainee stipendiary steward. He progressed through the stipendiary ranks and was appointed Chief Stipendiary Steward for harness racing in 1999.

In announcing his retirement, Escott said "It has been a pleasure to work in the harness racing industry. Over thirty-seven years I have met and dealt with some wonderful people and thoroughly enjoyed providing a contribution to maintaining the public's confidence in harness racing. I have particularly enjoyed working with the dedicated staff of HRNZ, in particular my fellow stipendiary stewards and racecourse inspectors.

"During my time I have seen considerable change in the structure of harness racing and the judicial systems within. I am confident with HRNZ's judicial staff that the industry will continue to be well served in the future."

Credit: HR Weekly 15 Dec 2010

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Eric Ryan and daughter Maree Price

ERIC RYAN

The funeral of Eric Ryan was held at Addington Raceway last Thursday, and it was clearly obvious from the hundreds of people in attendance that he was a much-loved and very well-respected man who touched many lives during his 84 years.

Eric was a unique character in every sence of the word. In his heyday he stood six foot four and weighed 18 stone, and anyone that ever met him for the first time would be greeted with a typical "gidday there, how are ya?" - his raspy voice sounding like it boomed down for a great height as he thrust forward one of his massive hands to shake yours.

Spend time around Eric and you'd soon learn that his language was 'colourful' to say the least, with some of the words he used on a regular basis being unprintable in a publication like this, but look past that and it was easy to find the heart and soul of a man who was a real 'people person' - one who would bend over backwards to help out a stranger without a second thought.

Born in Little River in the Summer of 1925, Eric was the eldest of seven children and went to live with his grandparents at the age of four. As he grew up, the saying 'Jack of many trades, master of none' was never one that befitted Eric - as he would try his hand at many an occupation over the years, and his attention to detail saw him successful at almost anything.

He was an extremely hard worker, a trait that he displayed right from the word go, and by the time he turned eight he was hand-milking a herd of cows before school and would take the milk to the factory by horse and cart. The jobs he held at various stages of his life are too many to list, but they include: working a draught horse team on a farm after he left school at the age of 14; employment on a cattle farm while he saved to buy his own horse; driving trucks for long periods at a time; shearing; carting timber; shovelling coal, and draining Lake Forsyth.

Eric bought his first farm in Puaha Valley at the age of 21, booking up 100 ewes and eight cows to Pyne Gould Guinness but paying the debt back within a year through nothing else but hard work. He also ran the Little River Butchery Shop for a couple of decades, slaughtering all his own meat, and his family soon acquired a taste for offal because Eric wasn't one to waste anything.

He brought up eight children and four stepchildren over the years, but he never got fully into horses later in life - an interest which grew from attending gymkhanas on Sundays. His first training and driving success came behind Francis John at Hutt Park on his 44th birthday in November 1969, and then saluted again three races later that night when driving John Peel.

There were many successful racehorses to come out of the Eric Ryan barn though, and after moving to Motukarara for 15 years he had a briefer stint living in Greenpark before settling into his last property at Waimate in 1996.

Some of the horses he enjoyed numerous victories with were Atlee, Jerlin's Choice, Vaguely Innocent, Shylock, Avon Spark, Viva Remero, Advanced Fibre, Always Smile, the tough mares Waitara and Sidi Rezegh, Haughty Choice, Big Idea, Royal Delivery, Commanche, Ungava, Leanne's Pride, Wish Me Luck, Up To You and Nuclear Byrd to name but a few - the latter being notable for the fact that at one stage he held the NZ Mile Record for a 4-year-old or older male pacer after winning in 1:54.1 at Winton in December 1997.

He stood stallions at various times when training out of Aran Lodge at Motukarara, the likes of Worthy Del, Kiwi Kid, Red John and Hunting Song, and he also developed a reputation for resurrecting the careers of horses that were considered 'lost causes'. His best results as a breeder came from the mare Synthetic, who left six winners. Eric could talk for hours about the grim and entertaining incidents that made him such a huge personality in harness racing, and the stories were as big as himself. He was a straight shooter though, and said it like he saw it; you always knew where you stood with Eric.

Eric was a foundation member of the Motukarara Trotting Association, served on the committees of the Standardbred Breeders Association, OTB Assn, Akaroa TC and Banks Peninsula TC, and even served a term as President with the latter for a time.

There was many a funny story or fond recollection being relived by those attending his funeral last week, but no account of the life of Eric Ryan could ever do him justice because memories of the great man stretch far and wide and will remain with people forever.

Eric outlived two of his sons, Norm and Graham. He is survived by another son Johnny, daughters Maree, Daphne, Rosalie, Vicki and Colleen, stepson Terry, stepdaughters Sandra, Sharon and Donna, 35 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and even some great-great-grandchildren.

Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 28Apr2010

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DOUG MANGOS

Doug Mangos, who started life in Buller, became a prominent figure in Canterbury and New Zealand harness racing over many years, chiefly through his long association with the famous George Noble stable at Roydon Lodge, Yaldhurst. He talks to David McCarthy.

I suppose with a name like yours you must have spent some time in Lyell. That is where the Mangos name came from?
I was there until I was seven. There are actually about three main branches of the Mangos family in the country, one of them from Timaru and they are distant relations. My parents were storekeepers and moved to Inangahua when I was just a youngster.

Where did the horses start?
There was a fellow at Inanguhua, Plugger(W E) Taylor who had the butcher's shop and had a few horses. I remember Battle Flight was one. I used to do a bit with them, lead them into the birdcage and that sort of stuff. The local publican bought a horse called Elation for one and sixpence about that time and won four races with it. I was 14 when I came over to Christchurch. I wasn't doing a lot at school - I didn't go often enough for that - and in the end they thought I was better off out of it. I went to Roydon Lodge soon after that. (Wife) Eileen had a brother working there and he got me a job.

You stayed a long time?
Nearly 35 years. It was actually the only job I ever had, working for George Noble. I loved every day of it. Wouldn't swap a day.

But you must have thought of going out on your own for bigger rewards?
No, I didn't, at least not seriously. With the travelling we did to Auckland I looked at those trips as three paid holidays a year for a start. No, I was quite happy and George was such a great horseman and boss you never got tired of learning from listening to him. He liked good listeners and I think he thought I was one.

You seem to have finished up all right anyway?
After I left Noble's I used to race a few, usually of my own, and look to sell them. We've done alright over the years. One of the first was a nice trotter called Isa Rangi which we raced with Bill Prendeville. She was pretty good. We beat Ilsa Voss twice. Anyway we agreed her price was $15,000. Then Les Purdon rang up and wanted to buy her. I was a bit cheeky, because I knew Les well, and reckoned we couldn't sell under $25,000. "I don't know about that but I could do $20,000," Les said. Anyway we got the 25 which was a big bonus. We bought this house with what we got from Isa Rangi. It won a few in America.

Was it hard work at Roydon Lodge?
We started at 6 o'clock and got £3 a week. There were 15 horses in full work then but it wasn't as simple as that. The boss used to double heat them all the time so actually it was just like working 30.

Double heat. What was that?
We would work them, not fast, over 2000m, bring them back, take the carts off and rub them down, then later on go out and work another heat brushing home the last bit. It made for a long day.

Was it long before you got a raceday drive?
A couple or three years I suppose. It was good to get a drive. Every one was a week's wages so the competition was keen. I drove Highland Air to win at Forbury Park when he qualified for the New Zealand Cup. I had run a second in a probationary race with Wha' Hae. But my first drive at Addington was on Royal Minstrel which had dead-heated in the New Zealand Derby (with Single Medoro in 1954). He all but fell going into the back straight. It wasn't a great start but we made up for it over the years.

You must have been a very young bloke then when you had your first New Zealand Cup drive?
Yes, on La Mignon the year Lookaway won (1957). She ran third. I think the first three were all by Light Brigade. The boss drove Highland Air (it was the first year of Cup runners for Roy McKenzie after his father's death). There was quite a go after the race.

What can you tell?
We got a nice run and got home well. I was quite pleased with myself. The next thing the chief stipe, Fred Beer, was calling me into the room and there was talk about us being put out.

What was that about?
They reckoned I had checked Roy Butterick on Roy Grattan and Beer gave me a speech. He said to me,"This is a very good race with a big stake that people spend a long time getting ready for. Every horse should have an equal chance of winning this race. I don't think you gave Mr Butterick an equal chance."

How did you get out of that?
I just said,"Well, I don't think Mr Butterick has done too badly out of it". Beer, an arrogant bloke, said pretty sharply,"What do you mean by that Mangos?" So I told him.

Which was?
Soon after the start General Sandy shot away to the front and Lookaway, which could be tricky at the start - Maurice Holmes could be a genius at getting them away - came up but Bob Young on General Sandy wasn't giving it away. Roy Butterick was in the trail and I heard Maurice call to him, "There's £500 for you to pull back". Butterick did and Lookaway got the run of the race. They just walked around and sprinted home and you couldn't have beaten him. The Cup was worth £7500 but £500 was a good payday in those days. I said that nobody was doing anything about that, while I didn't even know what I was supposed to have done.

What did Beer say to that?
"You can go now, Mangos," was all he said.

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The Press 23Jan10

Roydon Lodge had some great horses over the years and you got the chance to drive a lot of them. Which ones do you remember most?
We had some terrific seasons, but we had some bad ones, too. I remember one season we only won one race with 15 horses, which was right out of character. It is hard to remember all the good ones. Sounds silly, but there were a lot of them. Roydon Roux was one I had a bit of luck with in Australia.

Roydon Roux? She was a champion young horse which had a sad end.
I think she won seven as a two-year-old and, at three, she won the Great Northern Derby for me, beating Bachelor Star and Van Glory. It was then that we took her to Autralia. She was out of La Mignon and so was Garcon Roux.

What happened there?
She won the Wraith Memorial Series, which was a big go then in Sydney. She was hot favourite in a leadup, but knuckled over at the start and I had to drive her back. She ran second. When the final came around, the winner of the leadup had drawn in and was the favourite. Before the race, I was taken into the stipes' room. They wanted to know how I was going to drive her.

And?
"The best I can." I said, but they wanteed to know more than that, so I said I would try to get to the lead and, if I couldn't, I would sit outside the leader and I'd beat him anyway. They seemed happy with that. I sat her out and she just bolted in and broke a record. I wasn't too popular on the lap of honour. A few empty cans came my way and they booed. Funny thing was that though she had won all those races, they dodn't count for handicapping and she wasn't actually eligible to run at Harold Park in the classes.

The news was not so good after that?
She broke a pastern bone; just shattered it, running around that little showgrounds track in Melbourne. She couldn't be saved.

Garcon Roux had a big reputation?
The old boss (Noble)thought he was one of the very best. I drove him in a time trial at Bankstown in Sydney and there was a bit of drama. When we started off, there was some bloke crouched under the inside rail taking a photo and the horse balked. He went his furlong(200m) in 16 seconds and ran the mile in 2:01.2. That was some performance.

Jay Ar was one of your favourites, I suppose?
He won a trial at Ashburton one day and even the old boss was amazed at the time. "He couldn't have done that," he kept saying. I can't remember now just what the time was, because the trial was over six furlongs(1200m), which was very unusual, even then. Whatever it was, it was a record.

He dead-heated in an InterDominion Final, of course.
I didn't drive him in that series - the boss did - but I won a lot of races with him, especially in Auckland. He just got beaten in the Auckland Cup by Lordship just before the Interdominion. He was a bit of a nervy horse whe he got out on the track...he wasn't quite as good from a stand because of that. But, gee, he was good. He was in a 3200m free-for-all one day and Garcon D'or had drawn out and we had drawn in. The boss said to me,"You might as well lead till the other one comes around." Jar Ar was off and gone. We haven't seen the other horse yet.

Wasn't there a story over his low heart score?
Taking heart scores had just come in here and a few were very keen on them. The experts seemed to think a horse had to have a high heart score to produce top runs in the best company and Jay Ar was a bit below average. But there's a few stories about those early scores.

Such as?
A lot of the top trainers were sceptical of them. The boss was one of them. Allen McKay came down from Wellington and did the heart scores over quite a few years. When he first came, we were under instructions not to identify the horses, and we mixed them up a bit in the queue. One horse came out at 123 and they were all excited about it. The next time he came, he kept asking when Jay Ar was coming, and when we told him, he couldn't believe his read, which was about 100 then. I think he thought he was the 123 one, originally. Jay Ar won about $100,000 and the horse which was 123 won a small race somewhere in the Central Districts. It was all quite experimental here then and scores could vary a lot. This one showed that judging a horse just on its heart score was a ticket to trouble.

Samantha was another good one you drove?
Yes, I won a Wellington Cup with her - she won two of them - and beat Lordship just. I learnt a big lesson from George over that.

Which was?
Well, I won the race and when I got home everyone was very happy and the boss congratulated me on my drive. A couple of days later, though, I got a call to go up to the house. When I got there, George, who had a special way of telling you things, started talking about the Wellington Cup and how Samantha was the best-gaited horse in the race. It was just as well, he said, otherwise she wouldn't have beaten Lordship.

What was that about?
Well, there was no video or anything in those days. But during the week, in the paper, they published a photo of the finish. I had my left hand high in the air holding the reins and I was weilding the whip with the other one. George wasn't impressed. He didn't think he could go on putting me on top horses if I was going to throw everything at them like that. I knew without him actually saying it that I was getting a good dressing down. I never forgot it. There was no more of that.

You didn't do so much driving later on, but it wasn't because of things like that?
The main reason was that John(George Noble's son) decided to work full time with the horses. In those earlier years, John was a mechanic in town and wasn't able to drive them much of the time. When he came into it, naturally, I was going to miss out, but it didn't persuade me to leave. I was quite happy.

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The Press 6Feb2010

General Frost was a brilliant young horse you drove?
Gee, he was good. He won the first Juvenile Championship in Auckland. It was a great effort because he was hopeless right-handed. We had a problem about what to do going into the race.

What did you do?
The old boss (George Noble) gave me unusual instructions. He said not to drive the horse around final bends no matter where he was. He wanted me to just let him find his own way; that even if he lost a lot of ground he would still be too good. Well, he lost a good bit of ground on the bends all right but he picked them up and dropped them in the straight. Won easy. He had incredible speed, General Frost. It was a shame he went in the wind. They couldn't do anything about it.

You had a lot of big moments at Alexandra Park?
I won my biggest trophy there - the one I value the most. it is the only one I have really kept. I was the leading driver at the 1968 Interdominion Championship at Auckland. I actually tied with Peter Wolfenden and Kevin Newnam(Sydney) so I was in pretty good company. They decided there would be a toss and George stood in for me. I reckoned I had always had a bit of luck with the toss and George did the right thing. It was an odd man out toss. The first two came up heads all round and then one head and two tails. It was quite an honour when you consider the opposition.

Julie Hanover. I think Andrew Cunningham and their wives raced her. Did you handle her much?
I should have won an Auckland Cup with her. A really top mare. She was usually foolproof but that night she missed away. She ran fourth to Allakasam. John (Noble) usually drove he but he was on a holiday. However, I still blamed myself. It was a terrific effort. She raced for Martin Tannenbaum who organised all the international races at Yonkers at the time when she went up to America. She raced well there and left some good stock. Vista Abbey was another one and I won with Arania (New Zealand's first mare to beat two minutes in a race) off 36 yards up in Auckland on day. She was phenomenal when she was right.

You drove quite a few outside horses at that time too. I hadn't realised you handled Holy Hal. He had been a terrific young horse?
He was older when I first came across him. They had brought him up from Southland for the Auckland Cup. They said he could break down at any time and Kenny Balloch wanted to come up and drive him in the cup so,"Would I be happy to drive him in the lead-ups under those conditions?" I knew he was a smart horse and leapt at the chance. They were hard-case blokes those Southlanders.

How?
They came to me after we'd done the final feeds one night and asked if I minded giving him an extra feed before I left. I said,"why, you have given him his tea? Yes, they said but they wanted to give him a bit of his breakfast in case they were late in the morning! I think they were going out for a big night. Anyway, the horse dodn't mind.

He had had problems as I remember it. What was his form like then?
Sensational. He was a moral beaten in the Auckland Cup. I couldn't believe it. He won both nights I drove him and I thought he was a good thing in the cup.

What happened?
They had reintroduced lap times. Every time they came round Holy Hal was not just in front but well clear. He was six lengths in front one round. He still ran third. I could have cried.

Did you get another chance with him?
Yes, and we proved a point. We had a chat about the Cambridge Flying Mile and I was to drive him in that. They didn't like it when he drew out but I told them he would still win. Sure enough, outside draw and all, he bolted in. Many people never realised how good Haly Hal was.

Did your success at Alexandra Park bring many extra drives?
Yes, quite a few. One of the more unusual was Merv Dean whose wife, Audrey, owned Cardigan Bay. Merv ran a billiard saloon. He was a big guy and y the standards of those days a huge punter but a really top bloke with it. He started flying me up to Auckland just to drive one horse and it was a lucrative operation for a while there. One time I drove down here during the day and caught the plane to Auckland to drive one for him. Merv met me at the airport and gave me five hundred and he had the colours for me to put on on the way. The horse won. It was Great Return which won a few down here. He gave me another five hundred after that and paid all the expenses. We had a great strike rate for a while there.

You probably liked a bet youself. Any huge collects?
I learned after a while it was quite hard. A lot of people have learned that. I did put 100 each way on La Mignan as a four year old. She had been working so well and she won. I remember going to Forbury one night with Ohio which George trained. It was pouring early in the night and Jimmy Walsh had a horse in earlier in the nightthat we knew loved it like that and it won. The rain stopped and the track improved so it wouldn't bother Ohio with his problem, and he won.

Ohio. He was a top horse?
He would had been but he was tubed. Horses that couldn't breathe properly then, they opened up a breathing passage through the chest - they called it tubing - and put a stopper in it which they took out for the race. It was not uncommon then though I think he might have been one of the last allowed to race. The trouble was you had to be very careful on the wet grit and sand tracks because of the danger of the tube getting blocked and the poor buggers would run out of breath. The boss tried ever sort of gauze over the tube to make sure it was kept clear but we weren't going to risk any tragedies and he had to be retired because of it.

Credit: David McCarthy writing in The Press 16Jan2010