 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2008
PEOPLE
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Dick Caskey was never afraid to race his horses. A good example was Torle, a smart mare by Able Bye Bye who had 46 starts in the 1978-79 season. She won six races.
Tortuff was another busy campaigner, racing 127 times and gaining her solitary win at Gore when having her 119th start. He won four races with Torpast, and eight with the dual-gaited Armbrowood who raced 162 times.
By far his best, however, was Bambi, a big horse by Forward from Ikawai who won 11 races. In 1971, he beat Merrin and Tony Bear in the Worthy Queen Handicap, and twice he won the West Coast Trotting Stakes - from Mighty Chief and Deodatus, and Able Adios and Fri a year later.
A quiet, retiring person, Caskey died last week in Timaru at the age of 78. He was a keen supporter and willing traveller to meetings throughout the South Island.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 23Jan08
YEAR: 2008
PEOPLE
DENISE BOURNE
Denise Bourne died suddenly on Monday after a short illness, aged 59.
The daughter of former top trainer Alf 'Ginger' Bourne, Denise was a passionate follower of harness racing who was a forthright and a sound thinker.
She drove and trained, but her interests in more recent times were breeding and racing Ernestlordrutherford, which she did in partnership with her husband, Doug Martin. Previous winners for her were Understudy and Underworld, and she had young stock by Falson Seelster, Courage Under Fire, Live Or Die and McArdle at various stages.
"She was really starting to enjoy it. We'd had three foals this season, and she had much to look forward to," Doug said.
Denise is survived by Doug and two sons.
-o0o-
IN MEMORIAM - appeared in HRWeekly 13 Feb08
Thank you for taking the time to provide an obituary for Denise Bourne last week.
Although Denise had only minor success at training and driving, she remained passionate about her involvement as an owner and breeder and was immensely proud of the achievements of her father, the late Alf Bourne.
We are humbled that black armbands were worn for race nine at Forbury Park last Friday and wish to thank all the trainers, drivers and the Trackside Presenter and race commentator for the dignified manner in which they paid tribute to Denise. That the trainer, driver and Ernestlordrutherford himself combined for a tear-jerking win concluded what was obviously an emotional week for our family.
Those who knew Denise will remember her as never being afraid to have her say, and we believe her parting remarks to all participants in the industry would have been along the following lines...celebrate your wins, however minor; put the disappointments behind you, and most importantly, enjoy competing fiercely but with integrity and respect for your competitors and the rules governing the industry.
Doug Martin, Denise's sons Ross and David, brother Maurice Bourne, sister Sandra Radford and their families.
Credit: NRWeekly 7Feb08
YEAR: 2008
PEOPLE
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Alaster McDonald held a lifetime interest in harness racing. He was an administrator at the highest level, a breeder, owner and regular racegoer.
He was steward of the New Brighton Trotting Club as it was then from 1965 to 1985, and a member of the committee from 1972 to 1998 when the club then amalgamated with the Canterbury Park TC and the NZ Metropolitan TC
He was Vice-President of New Brighton from 1981 to 1982, and President from 1984 to 1987. He was a Director of Addington Raceway from 1987 to 1998.
Alaster followed a family tradition at New Brighton; his father Alex was President from 1958 to 1961. He was on the Executive of Harness Racing NZ, and raced gallopers as well as standardbreds.
Survived by his wife Vonnie, Alaster was 78.
Credit: HRWeekly 5Mar2008
YEAR: 2008
INTERDOMINIONS
2008 INTERDOMINION SERIES
The Interdominions of 2008 were held at the Mooney Valley track in Melbourne and for the third year in a row Blacks A Fake won the Pacers Final. The Trotters Final was won by Galleons Sunset
YEAR: 2008
HORSES
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Michelle Wallis's tears said it all.
As Sly Flyin hobbled off the track gingerly after the Nufarm Free-For-All last Friday, his trainer knew the grand old man of NZ pacing had run his last race. But she wasn't crying for opportunities lost, or for the fact old Sly was feeling his old legs. After all, Sly has spent a lifetime feeling his legs. Wallis's anguish was that such a great horse will almost certainly end his career at the back of a field at the start of Auckland racing's biggest week.
That is not the ideal way for a warrior like Sly Flyin to bow out. He should have been winning something great, breakng into the millionaire's club with wonderful things being said about him on TV and written about him in newspapers. Instead, this may have to do. "If he is finished I hate seeing him go out like this," said Wallis. "He was like my best mate."
Sly Flyin deserved better than he ever got. If there is a God of racing, he is a cruel one to put such a giant heart in a body supported by such troubled legs. It is so long ago now, six years to be exact that Sly Flyin should have won a Sires' Stakes and who knows how many Derbys. You can forget that he might have started favourite in a Miracle Mile but for breaking down a few days before. And that it took Elsu at his greatest to deny him an Inter-Dominion. Let alone those amazing Easter Cup efforts, or just how many times he must have paced 3200m in 4.00 but got little to show for it.
If he goes into retirement he does so as one of the greatest pacers of the modern era not to earn $1 million, falling just under $100,000 short. But he will go to the paddock with a special place in the hearts, and minds, of those who knew what he overcame. After all, this is a horse Tony Herlihy rated as one of the best pacers he ever drove. Think about that for a second.
But maybe, just maybe, this was the right way for Sly Flyin to end his career. Trying his heart out, against the best in the business, until something broke. Only this time, it looks like it can't be fixed. Goodbye old man. You have earned your rest.
Footnote: Sly Flyin raced every season from 2 to 9. The most starts he had in a season was 16, at 5. His best season was at 8 when he won $225,446.
For The Record: Starts: 82, wins: 29, placings: 18, stakes: $911,689.
Credit: Michael Guerin writing in HRWeekly 5Mar2008
YEAR: 2008
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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It might be a tad too soon for the 'C word', but the 'F word' certainly got mentioned more than a few times after the running of the Group 3 Nevele R Stakes on the card of the Cheviot HRC meeting at Addington on Sunday. 'Freak', I mean, because the winning performance of Hemisphere was exactly that - freakish! And only time will tell whether she achieves 'Champion' status one day, because it's a little bit harder to be dubbed that, but no-one could doubt that she's already started down the right path.
In a display of pure ground-devouring speed, Hemisphere started her run from near last on the home turn, coasted up to the leaders in second gear and simply breezed on by. The effort was franked by driver John Hay's comments afterwards... "I was surprised how quickly she got around them," he said. "She reached the lead within a couple of bounds, and then knocked off."
Hemisphere is the pride and joy of her 53-year-old Invercargill owner/breeder John Higgins, a neighbour of the filly's trainer Murray Brown. Higgins reckons he's raced "about a hundred" horses over the years, on both sides of the Tasman, and is starting to concede that his latest winner could easily be his best yet.
Hemisphere is an all-Nevele R product, being by Badlands Hanover from the OK Bye mare Trans Tasman, the latter a half-sister to the likes of Caps Off, Glencoe MacDonald and Badlands Bute that Higgens bred after Danny Boyle lent him Te Phyno for a year. "Trans Tasman was mad, and never raced," said Higgins, who has been a life insurance broker for 35 years. "And Hemisphere was striking as a filly, nothing worried her. She was real quiet early, but was always first to the gate and first in line for her feed." That might go some way towards explaining Hemisphere's stature now, because for a 2-year-old she is tall and built like a tank. She's not really quiet anymore either, as hand-in-hand with her size is an apparent fondness for lashing out with those powerful back legs.
Higgins, Hay and Brown are obviously all good mates, and he jokes about the time he came close to selling his star filly. "John was down our way one day, and I asked him if he wanted to take Hemisphere home with him and put her in the Ready-To-Run," Higgins recalled. "And he said 'nah, I can't be bothered - keep her and race her yourself."
Now you get the feeling that even good money couldn't pry the filly from Higgins's grasp, and he humbly thanks a lot of people for the position he finds himself in today..."Maurice Kerr for the way he broke her in; Ray Faithful for the second prep; Murray and his wife Marilyn of course, and 'Archie' Armour for the way he's looked after her in her early trials and workouts - he always thought that she was a Group 1 filly. You don't like to get too carried away, but after what she has done to date it's hard not to get excited," Higgins said. Hemisphere will stay at Hay's in the meantime and then head north for next month's Caduceus Club Classic, followed by the Sires' Stakes Fillies Series and ultimately the Harness Jewels.
It hasn't all been positive for Higgins though, because he recently lost Hemisphere's yearling full-brother at the breaking-in stage when he died of a suspected heart attack. Also the dam of an as-yet-to-be-sighted 4-year-old Caprock mare and the 3-year-old Safely Kept gelding Pontificate who has had one start for a fourth, Trans Tasman was given a year off after her second Badlands Hanover and is in foal to Courage Under Fire.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 12Mar08
YEAR: 2008
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Clive and Rona McKay are enjoying an unprecedented run of success at the moment. Since early last month, the horses they either co-own or race outright have won no less than 13 times, and this was capped when the only two that they had at Addington last Thursday night - Absolute Magic and De Gaulle - both saluted the judge again. Absolute Magic has now won his last four straight, De Gaulle his last two; added to Fiery Falcon's four-race winning streak, Sir Clive who is unbeaten in two starts and Rona Lorraine, we're talking about one hell of a purple patch.
And they're not just any old race wins either...a Group 1, two Group 3s, a fillies Graduette and most recently the (Listed) PGG Wrightson NZ Yearling Sales Series Trotters Final. These winning cheques alone add up to just under $242,000 - not bad coin over six weeks of racing! No-one could justifably begrudge the McKays their success though, because they spend a fortune supporting the industry that the love. For instance, just last month they outlaid a mammoth $220,000 for one of the yearlings they bought at the Sales.
Like most of their horses, this is where they sourced De Gaulle from too, and trainer Michael House says he can't take any credit for it himself. "Clive picked him out, it was all his doing," House said. "And I said 'but he's by Continentalman...', and Clive said 'no, I'm buying it!'. He was taken by his bloodlines - being by a son of Malabar Maple and Continentalvictory, from a mare by Sundon out of Tussle. He said you'll never see that many great horses so close up in a pedigree."
De Gaulle's opening campaign as a 2-year-old was nothing startling, with one runner-up prize being nestled amongst two 'pulled-up' performances, but this season the colt has gone from strength to strength. He was left in front on the first day at Nelson in January and bowled along to score well, and this month we've seen him produce huge finishing bursts to win at Forbury and now Addington.
"That's been the plan with him," House said. "We took him to Nelson for a trip away, and put him in standing start races to get him mannered up. And he hadn't lost a pound since coming home from Forbury. Mr Reliable I call him. Although in saying that, he trained terrible during the week and even made a break when I was working him. You couldn't have had him tonight on that, but it just goes to show how much of a professional he is. He's not a very sound horse, and has lots of little problems all the time, but he'll come right I think."
On De Gaulle's plate for the remainder of the season is the NZ Trotting Derby, the Sires' Stakes and the Harness Jewels, after which he will stay in Auckland and possibly even cross the Tasman. "Clive and Rona are wanting to spread their horses far and wide," House said. "Plus they like taking trips away to go and watch them race as well. So we might lose De Gaulle to the Langs at some stage."
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 19Mar08
YEAR: 2008
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Baileys Dream stamped himself as the horse to beat in Friday night's Easter Cup with his win over the pacemaker Classic Cullen, Awesome Armbro and stablemate Monkey King at Addington five days ago.
Baileys Dream was last on settling in the $50,000 Paul Renwick Kitchen & Joinery Free-For-All, and despite having to sit parked for the last lap the powerful Dream Away gelding showed unrelenting tenacity to score in a sizzling 3:11.6 for the Group 3 2600m mobile.
Gone were the childish tendencies that cost him victory in both his Auckland Cup campaign runs - the real 'Bailey' showed up this time. "That's the best way to drive him...don't do much early, and then mooch around to get on the pace," said trainer Stephen Reid, who was in the sulky for just the second time in Baileys Dream's 52 start career. "With him, it's not about the trip; it's about him being happy, and he definitely was out there tonight."
Baileys Dream seems to thrive on his southern sojourns, as eight of his 10 wins in the last two seasons have been achieved in Canterbury. The 6-year-old has now won 21 in total, netting over $820,000 in stakes.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HR Weekly 27Mar08
YEAR: 2008
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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The six owners of Special Ops have a very simple way of making decisions when it comes to the mare. They vote, and the majority rules.
Recently the Haymakers Syndicate had the opportunity to send Special Ops to America with Ray Sharpe, and because it was the most important conundrum that the close group of friends had ever been faced with, everyone had to be in favour or she'd be staying home. As it turned out the final count was 4-2 for her to go, hence she didn't, so a couple of them might be feeling smug about the Armbro Operative mare's stylish victory in the $35,000 Konami Canterbury Regional Country Cups Championship at Addington on Saturday night.
In the back of everyone's mind was Special Ops's form, which trainer Ross Rennie says was totally opposite to what it appeared like on paper. "She's just been having so much bad luck," Rennie said. "And that's basically why they pulled the plug - because she's been racing so well." If anything Special Ops was slightly over the odds when returning $5.20 on Saturday, because a fortnight earlier she had sat outside Bondy for the last lap and been beaten a nose by the Cup class pacer; you don't do that without having immense ability.
The misfortune Rennie refers to stems right back to the Methven Cup won by Baileys Dream in October, which Special Ops was scratched from at the last minute. "I had her going as good as this back then," Rennie claims. "But then she got a foot abscess two days out from the race, it was like a big bulge around her off-front hoof. She'd had them before, but usually they come right a couple of days later; this time it took ages." At that stage Special Ops was nominated for the NZ Cup, but she missed all of Cup Week and the mares' race on the last night and didn't resume until the Methven Green Mile in December. Even then bad luck stayed with her, as a clod of dirt hit her in the face and she galloped out of contention.
Special Ops's form since has been consistent without much luck in the running, so the fact that things are finally going her way again has been welcomed by Rennie and the syndicate. "I suppose we could have a look at the Easter Cup, I just don't know yet. She's the sort of horse that loves the 3200 though - I wish there was a race over three miles because I know she'd be right there. We'll target the Rangiora Classic at the end of April, and then tip her out for a spell. She'll definitely be going to stud this year."
Rennie says Special Ops is a hard horse to get along with, a trait she inherited from her late mother Middle Legacy, and for that reason he wanted to make a special mention of his right-hand-man John Kemp. "John's been with me for six or seven years, and drives Special Ops in all her trackwork," he said. "He was at the beach with her this week, then again on Thursday when she had a hit-out at Rangiora, and he gave me the big 'thumbs up' for her race tonight. He's a big part of her success," Rennie said.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 27Mar08
YEAR: 2008
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Springbank Richard booked his ticket for the Harness Jewels in Cambridge with a brilliant win at Addington last Saturday night.
It was the second start and second win for the son of Sundon in his 4-year-old season, which, for him, only got going earlier this month. That meant he was in 'catch up' mode for a place on the Jewels leaderboard, but his winning cheque of $27,315 from Saturday's First Sovereign Trust 4YO Trotters Championship has now put him well into the 'safe' zone. And what a victory it was, because Springbank Richard was used twice to get to the parked position and yet he made a star-studded field look second-rate when he forged away on the turn and won comfortably.
"He's so easy to drive," says Nathan Williamson. "It's almost a case of don't be unlucky, and that's it. He was fair bolting on the turn tonight, and I could've put a couple of lengths on them; he tends to wait for the opposition a bit. He's definitely the best horse I've driven."
Prior to his winning resumption at Invercargill three weeks ago, Springbank Richard was last seen romping away with the Victoria Derby way back in July. His late start to 2007/08 is all part of the master plan, one where trainer Phil Williamson is looking much further down the track. "We wanted to give him as light a season as possible, because he's a lean, mean machine," Williamson said. "And as he gets stronger, we hope he'll keep getting better. We've just got to man-manage him from here. I mean, you could get carried away and start in a race like the Rowe Cup - but why would you do that and risk undoing him, whereas if you wait then you can start him in it five years in a row."
As firmly as his feet are on the ground, Williamson can't help but be excited about the horse that's now won his last six outings - and eight from nine since joining the stable. "Horses like this are born, they're not made," he said. "And he could be something special for sure."
Williamson said Springbank Richard will have an easy time before the Jewels now, with at least one more run somewhere on the cards, and then the star 4-year-old could even go north early for a race at Cambridge or Alexandra Park - "for a look around the place. I think the Jewels is going to be very much about the draws," he warned.
Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 27Mar08
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