By Tayler Strong
Keith and Bevan Grice mark 70 years of breeding standardbreds with Dark Horse and Red Hot Poker in the $150,000 Ruby for 4-year-old trotters at the Harness Jewels on their home track at Ashburton on Saturday.
The brothers, aged 91 (Keith) and 86 (Bevan) lease out their horses with Dark Horse trained by Nathan Williamson at Ryal Bush (Southland) for the Griffins syndicate and Red Hot Poker owned and trained at Claremont (South Canterbury) by Graeme Telfer, who races the gelding with his wife, Caryl.
Dark Horse and Red Hot Poker were reared on the farms of Keith and Bevan. Keith has lived on the same property all his life. Both trotters are seventh generation descendants from the mare Agent, who launched the brothers into breeding horses in 1947.
“Agent was given to us by our cousin (Len Grice).” recalled Keith. “We were keen on her as she was a sister to Java, a good trotter. I can still remember Java winning his first start at Ashburton (December 26, 1946)”
Agent (Nelson Derby- Mavis Wood) did not begin racing until she was seven in 1940 and won two races as a pacer at a Manawatu meeting at that age when owned and trained at Tinwald (on the outskirts of Ashburton) by Ben Grice, an uncle of the brothers. Ben Grice had Haughty racing at the same time and she won the NZ Cup in 1942 and 43. Agent finished racing after one start as an 8yr-old. She was 15 when she had her first recorded foal in the Stud Book. She left two foals, a colt, Sayonara (by Pacing Power) and a filly by Desmond’s Pride, named Shiann.
Sayonara won a race for pacers at the Rangiora – Cheviot Trotting Club meeting at Rangiora in 1952 in the ownership of the Grice brothers and trained by Keith. Shiann won five as a trotter in Southland when leased to Wyndham trainer Stan Kirby, the last from an 84yd (77m) handicap over two miles at Gore
She returned to the brothers for breeding and she is the ancestress of Dark Horse, Red Hot Poker and other good trotting winners.
Dark Horse is by Bacardi Lindy out of Juliana, a sister to Jasmyne, the dam of Red Hot Poker (by The Pres).
Juliana and Jasmyne are sisters to Dependable, Ima Gold Digger, Jo Anne and Shirley Temple, all progeny of Sundon and Janetta’s Pride.
Ima Gold Digger won the 2009 New Zealand and Northern Trotting Derbies, Sires’ Stakes Championship and 2010 NZ Trotting FFA for the Georgeson family before he was sold to the United States. He ran third to Pocaro and Dream Machine in the 2009 Harness Jewels. The Georgesons also raced Dependable and Jo Anne.
Dependable won the NZ Trotting Stakes and Rosso Antico Stakes in Auckland at three and the 2002 Canterbury Park Cup. Jo Ann was the first 2yr-old trotter to better 2.00 for a mile in the southern hemisphere when she recorded 1.58.5 in a non-totalisator race at Ashburton in 2001. She won a heat and final of the Tatlow Stakes at Moonee Valley at that age.
Shirley Temple won the 2007 NZ Trotting Derby.
Ima Gold Digger won 15 races in NZ and 24 in North America where he took a record of 1.54.4. Dependable won 14 in NZ and six in the US.
Asked the best horse he has bred Keith replied: “Palestine (Scottish Hanover – Coo Doo) is probably the best. He won 18. Barbara Del, Cyclone Lad and Derby are other good ones. I will know more after Saturday.”
The Grice-bred horses have often risen to the occasion at Ashburton. Derby won the 1983 Ashburton Flying Stakes during nine successive wins when trained by Richard Brosnan at Kerrytown (South Canterbury); Ima Gold Digger won the 2010 Ashburton Trotters Mile from the stable of Michelle Wallis and Cyclone Lad had the first of his nine wins at Ashburton trained and driven by Derek Jones.
Keith (with his wife Betty) and Bevan are set to attend the meeting on Saturday.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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