This is the tenth in a major series of articles concerning racetracks of the world starting with those in New Zealand.
MID CANTERBURY :
Mid Canterbury a sub region of New Zealand’s Canterbury region extending inland from the Pacific coast to the Southern Alps (from the Rakaia River to the Rangitata River). It is one of four traditional sub-regions of Canterbury together with South Canterbury, North Canterbury and Christchurch City.
Ashburton –
Ethel McQuilkin’s (MBE, JP) book ”Early Days of Trotting in Ashburton County” and the publication “Ashburton Trotting Club 1890 – 1993” provide detailed accounts of harness racing activity in the Ashburton area from the mid-1860’s.
The first trotting race held in the Ashburton County was reported in the Lyttelton Times of 2 July 1865. The race meeting included a match race and a trotting race won by a neck by aged mare Miss Spicer. By 1878 the Ashburton RC (year founded) and the Winslow RC (New Year’s Day meeting 1 January 1878) both included trotting races on their programmes. In 1880, the Tinwald and Ashburton RC’s ran trotting races and sports meetings at Mt Somers, Staveley, Lauriston, Winslow, Arundel, Rakaia, Chertsey and Carters Terrace also catered for trotting races.
In December 1880, the Ashburton TC raced on a quarter mile track at South St, this continued until the club went into recess (1888-1890). The first general meeting held on 12 July 1890 at the Commercial Hotel witnessed the formation of the current Ashburton TC. The inaugural meeting consisted of six races taking place at the Ashburton Racing Club’s course (Ashburton Raceway) on Thursday 16 October 1890.
The second meeting (23 September 1891) was held on Mr JC Duncan’s private quarter mile track in South St (Duncan had been elected Club President). The third meeting (8 March 1892) was again held on Duncan’s track while the fourth meeting (24 May 1893) took place at the Agricultural Showgrounds (day after annual show; seven races, five in saddle and two in harness) as did the fifth meeting (22 November 1893). The half mile Showgrounds track was then utilised until the final meeting on 2 April 1908.
The Ashburton TC returned to Ashburton Raceway (around 1¼m grass track) for its meeting on 10 December 1908 where it has remained sharing the facility with the Ashburton RC since 1909. The club voted to roof its open stand in 1935, however a fire burnt out the main stand in 1943 with the military responsible for this event. The club received £10,000 compensation but funded £5,000 themselves and managed to encourage the Government to pay out a further £2,500 several years later. In 1967 an irrigation well was sunk and a new infield indicator board installed. In 1987 the tea kiosk, parade ring and shute to the main birdcage were considered for implementation.
The Ashburton TC has raced on several occasions at Addington : outbreak of WWII (1 April 1939, 1 June 1940), 1 October 1977 and during the construction of their all-weather 1497m track on 3 October 1981 (opened at meeting of 5 June 1982). A number of night trotting fixtures have been held at Addington by the club. The club introduced its own mobile start vehicle in the 1980’s following the opening of the all-weather track. The Mid Canterbury Owners, Trainers and Breeders Association held non-tote races and trials meetings over the period 18 May 1982 – 26 March 1992 at Ashburton Raceway.
In 1990 the Ashburton club celebrated its first centennial with a variety of events spread throughout the year including an official dinner as well as hosting the annual NZ Harness Racing Conference in July of that year. The tea kiosk a multi-functional building incorporates an impressive trotting museum. The “new” members grandstand named after Bob Davidson (tireless club stalwart) was opened at the 23 February 1991 meeting. The many upgraded facilities achieved over the period 1975 – 1992 by the club included public and members facilities, all-weather track, realignment of the grass track, mobile start, Ford Falcon truck, construction towards new Members Stand, tea kiosk renovations, tar sealing, six bay shed, false rail, Jetbet system, water tanker and training establishments – total cost being $1.239m.
The Ashburton club has presented a number of feature races over the years starting with the century old NZ Sapling Stakes for 2yo pacers (commenced 12 June 1919), Ashburton Flying Stakes (Group Two open class pacers, commenced 1955), Ashburton Totters Flying Mile (open class trotters, commenced 1989), Hambletonian (3yo trotters commenced 1986) and Ashburton Cup for pacers (1915). No longer run are the Champion Stakes (3yo pacers, Boxing Day 1933 – 1990), All Aged Stakes (1936 – 1954 open class pacers), Queens Birthday Stakes (3yo pacers 1955 – 1989) which replaced Futurity Stakes (1938 – 1954).
The Ashburton TC held the inaugural Harness Jewels in 2007 the single biggest stakes day annually in New Zealand racing, repeating this bi-annually in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 before the South Island hosting rights passed to Addington Raceway.
Trotting races were held on many gallops programmes :
- Ashburton Raceway – Ashburton RC (2 January 1896 – 6 May 1898); Ashburton County RC (20 April 1899 – 11 September 1954) * name changed back to Ashburton RC 1903/4
- Tinwald – Ashburton RC meeting of 2 January 1899
- Riccarton – Ashburton County RC (18/19 September 1925; 25 September 1926; 13 May 1939)
In addition to the meetings held at Ashburton Raceway, other meetings held in the vicinity of Ashburton that included trotting races were :
- Chertsey – Chertsey Races and Sports meeting of 18 April 1892
- Rakaia Domain – South Rakaia races meeting of 27 December 1890; Rakaia Sports/Races (26 December 1891 and 26 December 1892)
- Tinwald Domain – Tinwald RC (1 January 1891 – 1 January 1898), Ashburton RC (12 January 1899)
Methven –
The Methven Racing Club was formed in 1915 and commenced racing on the Mt Harding Racecourse on 9 December 1915. While trotting events were programmed by the Racing Club until its 4 December 1926 meeting, prior to its first totalisator meeting, picnic style gatherings held on the Mt Harding course included those of a Methven Trotting Club between 17 May 1906 and 19 March 1908. The first ever race meeting to be held on the Mt Harding course took place on 1 January 1907 featuring trots, gallops, hurdle races and running races for humans.
The current Methven TC was formed in 1919 holding its first non-tote meeting on the Methven RC’s course on 5 February 1920 with non-totes continuing until 18 Aril 1925. While the Methven RC held annual galloping meetings in its earlier years, through over committing themselves, the Racing Club was disbanded in 1927. An exchange of permits between the Racing and Trotting Conferences allowed the Trotting Club to take over the assets and liabilities of the Racing Club that went out of existence. The Methven TC’s inaugural totalisator meeting held on Saturday 8 October 1927 attracted 280 nominations for eight races.
The Mount Hutt TC held trials meetings (non-tote races) at Mt Harding between 13 November 1975 and 10 November 1991. Regular trials and workouts have been held under the auspices of this organisation for many years.
The original track was of 1600m (grass) duration with a 400m (two furlong) straight. This has been downsized to the current track circumference of 1385m. The club currently has seven meetings annually starting with a spring meeting in September, Methven Cup meeting (Group Three precursor to NZ Cup) and twilight meeting in October, the Green Miles for pacers (NZ grass track record : AG’s Whitesocks 1:55.0**) and trotters (NZ grass track record : Everybody Knows : T1:58.4**) held in early December, late January Summer meeting and final two meetings in the Autumn in April, one of which features the Mt Hutt Trotting Cup.
** likely world grass track records
The Methven Cup has featured many top class horses including :
- Arethusa (filly), the only three year old winner in 1930 in just her fourth start; won three races at two, including the Sapling Stakes making it four in a row winning the Methven Cup
- NZ Cup winners Morello, Arapaho, Flashing Red, Cruz Bromac
- First female driver to drive win Cup winner – Jo Herbert (2000) Chloe Hanover
- Recent winners include open class horses Franco Ledger, Messini, ID winner Smolda, Chase Auckland, Miracle Mile winner Spankem
The club installed electric totalisator facilities in 1952, a new concrete stand in 1956 (cost £22,000) and Jetbet in the early 1980’s. In March 2018, the club’s original 100 year old grandstand had to be demolished due to its not meeting current earthquake standards even though it survived the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes.
The club owns its property (originally 108 acres) freehold, with the course adjacent to the boundary of the Methven township making its land prime property for subdivision. In future years, the town side of the track (back straight) will include a residential subdivision providing some with a clear view of the day’s harness racing. The subdivision is named Equus Park with street names reflecting the best local Methven winning horses of major races. In early 2020’s the first two stages will include sections in the Inky Lord and Tactician lane’s being available. Later NZ Trotting Cup winners Morello and Loyal Nurse together with Inter Dominion trotting winner Fraggle Rock will have their names included in the subdivision.
Hororata –
Whilst not strictly classified as Mid Canterbury, Hororata (situated on the north western edge of Canterbury plains), has been included in Mid Canterbury section as they now hold their annual meeting at Methven’s Mt Harding track.
The club formed on 11 September 1951, held matinee meetings from 26 March 1952 on Hororata Domain (1 mile grass, 1½f straight), non-tote meetings from 8 January 1955 until 6 October 1956 before their inaugural totalisator meeting on 26 April 1958.
Prior to this the Hororata RC (formed 1875, trotting races since 1885) programmed trotting events at the Domain from 9 January 1891 until 8 December 1956 (meetings Riccarton 24 March 1923; 16 December 1933; 14 December 1946 and Waihora Domain. Motukarara 15 December 1945). The Racing Club invited the Trotting Club to assume a half share in its assets with no interest payable for the first three years. The Racing Club is now a ward of the Canterbury JC and races at Riccarton. The Trotting Club continued to race at Hororata Domain until forced to close and move elsewhere with its final meeting 10 March 1984.
In 1985, the Hororata TC commenced racing on the all-weather track at Ashburton until its annual meeting of 4 March 2001; moved to Addington 1 March 2002 – 22 February 2013 and since the annual meeting of 22 February 2014; has returned to its roots of grass track racing on the Mt Harding course at Methven.
“Trotting Under The North–West Arch” by the recently deceased Trevor Beaton records a detailed history of the club.
SOUTH CANTERBURY –
South Canterbury is the name given to the area of the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago region) to the south.
Timaru –
Match races abounded as early as 1864 in the Timaru area (continued through 1880’s) with the first trotting race held at a steeplechase meeting at Saltwater Creek in the late 1860’s. The South Canterbury RC was established in 1875 at what is now known as Phar Lap Raceway, Washdyke situated on the outskirts of Timaru.
Trotting races appeared on the programmes of country race meetings (thoroughbreds) in the 1880’s. The first totalisator trotting race was held at the Timaru Tradesmen’s RC meeting in 1883. The first full scale trotting meeting in South Canterbury was run by the Timaru Trotting Club on 31 October 1889 on the quarter mile cinders running track at Fraser Park, SC Amateur Athletics ground, Otipua Road (also 1 November 1894). The club then held a few meetings at Washdyke (31 October 1890, 27 October 1892 – 18 October 1893) with further meetings at Squires Paddock, Glen-iti, Timaru (31 October 1895 – 29 October 1896).
The first South Canterbury TC meeting at Squires Paddock on 28 October 1897 provided an unsatisfactory days racing which brought trotting in the area into disrepute. Apart from further meetings on 16 December 1901 and 28 October 1902, trotting faded away at this time. Clubs opened but only for a year or so in Temuka, Washdyke and Geraldine, with trotting mainly surviving with trotting races being part of racing clubs programmes e.g. South Canterbury JC (1 January 1891).
The second South Canterbury TC was formed 2 October 1908 holding non-tote meetings on a flagged off six furlong track at Washdyke then from 1909 to 1914 trotting races were held at thoroughbred meetings. The South Canterbury TC was granted an initial totalisator licence for a meeting on 8 July 1915. From the 8 March 1917 meeting the club ran its meetings as the Timaru TC which has remained the case ever since, racing on the track now known as Phar Lap Raceway.
Throughout this time, trotting races were held at thoroughbred meetings by :
- South Canterbury JC (25 April 1895 – 1 July 1950)
- South Canterbury Hunt Club (20 July 1916 – 24 July 1954)
- Combined Hunt Clubs of Christchurch and South Canterbury meeting of 28 July 1945
The original six furlong grass track incorporated the straight of the galloping course but by 1929 a trotting track had been installed inside the main galloping and training tracks with chutes later added for the mile and mile and three quarter races. Since the meeting of 9 January 1971, a six furlong (now 1217m) all-weather track is raced on.
The Timaru club was known for holding many Saddle races at its meetings in earlier years up until 1944. A number of classic races were held again in earlier days such as Timaru Nursery Stakes (2yo’s : 1936-2000); Timaru Challenge Stakes (3yo’s : 1970-1994); NZ Sires Produce Trotting Stales (3yo trotters : 1937-1939; re-established by NZMTC in 1943) while open class pacers and trotters contested feature mile races (1970’s-1980’s) and the Timaru Trotting Cup was a regular for open class pacers in earlier years during the Washdyke/Phar Lap Raceway era.
Notable mile records set on the Timaru track included Walter Moore’s 2yo mile record of 2:10.8 (9 March 1940), Avalon’s Yearling Pacers record of 2:06.8TT (28 July 1977), Bonnies Chance’s mares record of 1:56.2 (27 February 1982) and Master Mood becoming the first two year old to record a sub two minute race winning time in Australasia recording 1:59.5 (7 April 1984).
The Washdyke/Phar lap Raceway has also been used by :
- Washdyke TC (26 July 1894 – 14 March 1895)
- Waitaki TC (24 April 1969; 29 July 1978 – 11 February 1982 [six meetings])
- South Canterbury TC, equilisator/trials meetings (7 March 1981 – 25 June 1988)
Geraldine –
The Geraldine JC conducted official trotting races from at least as early as 29/30 September 1887 on the Orari racecourse (1678m grass). The Jockey Club has been in existence from 1870 when they held galloping/hurdle meetings on farmland at Raukapuka, North East Geraldine until 1881 before transferring to Orari racecourse. The earliest meeting held in the South Canterbury area had been on 1 April 1859 on the Macdonald run, not far from where the Orari course is now. The meeting was arranged by the owners of the Orari and Waimate Station Runs – MacDonald’s (brothers William, Alan and Angus from Orari) and Studholmes (brothers John and Michael from Waimate). The first and main race was a match race between the Macdonald’s Niger and the Studholmes veteran stallion Sir Charles (possibly aged eighteen) won by WK Macdonald’s Niger ridden by Ted Martelli.
The initial Geraldine County TC raced on the Geraldine Domain from 24 May 1894 to 23 April 1896. The current Geraldine TC was formed at a public meeting in the Geraldine Town Hall on 12 December 1946.
The first matinee meeting of the club was held on 12 April 1947 with the inaugural totalisator meeting on 10 June 1960. The Trustees of the Geraldine racecourse granted the club free use of the Orari track. Until it went out of existence the Geraldine RC (3 September 1890 – 19 October 1957) held trotting races on their programme) sharing the upkeep and improvements to the Orari course with the Geraldine TC. The Geraldine RC meeting in September 1940 featured the first race win of the great mare Haughty.
The track was remodelled in 1966 and had to be redone the following year where the bends were raised another five feet to make an even curve around the whole course. The club always held an annual meeting in the early years until 1964 in February and thereafter in late November (week/fortnight after NZ Cup carnival) before gaining a second licence to race in 2013 (February). The Waitaki TC held its annual non-tote meeting on 27 July 1968 on the Orari track.
The Geraldine club was due to hold its last meeting on Orari racecourse in February 2020 with its licence to race transferred to Methven’s Mt Harding course from the 2020/21 season. The club was granted a reprieve allowing it to conduct the 150th anniversary meeting of racing in Geraldine on the Orari track on Saturday 28 November 2020. There are no guarantees that racing will continue at Orari in future seasons.
Waimate –
The Waimate RC began racing on the Waimate racecourse track (1600m grass) as early as 1880. Match races and races involving trotters were held at Makikihi, Waimate and Morven in the earliest days of the district. The Waimate RC held trotting events on its programmes from 17 March 1891 until 1 April 1950; also racing on the Waimate track during this period were the Waimate District Hunt Club (22 July 1926; at Oamaru racecourse 14 July 1951) and a combined meeting of the Waimate RC and Waimate District Hunt Club (27 March 1942), all included trotting races.
Non-tote trotting races were held at Waimate on 18 June 1925 but this club soon disbanded until a Waimate TC reformed in 1946. Just four years later on 9 December 1950 the Waimate TC staged its inaugural meeting on a course made available free by the Racing Club (annual meeting now held in June). In the seventy years since the first meeting Waimate have held its annual meeting at other venues for a number of years – Oamaru (13 December 1975; 8 December 1984 – 21 November 1996; 15 March 2015 – 19 March 2017) and Phar Lap Raceway, Timaru (20 November 997, 18 November 1998, 13 December 2000 – 11 December 2002). From the 2020/21 season onwards Waimate will hold its annual meeting at Oamaru.
The Waitaki TC held its annual meetings in 1963, 1965 – 1967, 1969 – 1970 at Waimate racecourse.
Other tracks utilised in the South Canterbury area in earlier years that included trotting races on their programmes :
- Albury course (left of township) – Albury, 29 kms from Timaru between Timaru and Fairlie (4 April 1892 – 24 May 1895)
- Fairlie Creek – Fairlie RC (30 March 1891 – 19 April 1897)
- Victoria Park, Temuka – Temuka Trotting Club meeting of 17 December 1894
- Mr Scannell’s paddock, north west of Temuka Bridge – Temuka Trotting Club (27 July 1898 – 18 December 1898)
Peter Craig
17 March 2021
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
