This is the second in a series of articles covering the Interdominion (ID) Trotters Championships conducted over the period 1948 – 2012. These articles will be presented on a track by track basis as opposed to a chronological order with the exception of the first (background and first championship) and last two articles (final championship and statistical analysis).
The solitary Trotters Interdominions series held by both Dunedin’s Forbury Park Trotting Club and Brisbane’s Albion Park, are covered below.
1965 FORBURY PARK – POUPETTE
Forbury’s one and only Interdominion Championship was held over two weeks in late February/early March 1965 on their five furlong (1000m) track. This came about as a result of the Auckland Trotting Club relinquishing its turn to host the championships. While the carnival was a financial success, an attempt to again host it in 1975 when Forbury’s turn it was again was rejected and the carnival reverted to Auckland. Forbury Park has never had the opportunity to again host the Interdominions.
A little history concerning Forbury Park, then one of New Zealand’s eight night trotting venues (today only five). Forbury Park was once Dunedin’s main galloping venue when in 1870 its 111 acres of swamp land was first developed by the Forbury Park Co. After land clearance and drainage, a one mile track was constructed and leased to the Dunedin Jockey Club.Racing previously held at Silverstream came to Forbury Park in March 1870 staying there for the next thirty years with the Dunedin Jockey Club’s last meeting held at Forbury in 1898. On switching to Wingatui, the saddle races for trotters that formed part of their previous programmes were dropped.
Trotting became firmly established at the Tahuna Park Trotting and Racing Club with the first meeting held on 28 May 1892. The trotting club also cateredfor pony races until they became too dangerous on the small half mile Tahuna Park track. The 30 acre Forbury Park complex was purchased for £6,250 in 1909 with racing commencing on the track late in 1909. By 1965, the track surrounded by the suburbs of St Clair and St Kilda boasted a white toped metal chip all-weather track (October 1960) and lighting (January 1961). The swamp land on which the complex was developed impacted on the grandstands erected, The foundations of the old Members stand built in 1919 sunk in the peaty soil and the building had to buttressed. A new stand (remains today) built and opened in time for the 1965 ID’s was supported by 37 eighteen inch reinforced concrete piles driven 55 feet into a bed of hard gravel.
Forbury Park has always been a fast surface as referenced by times recorded over the years such as Highland Fling’s mile TT in 1:58.0 in 1948, just a fifth of a second slower than his 1:57 4/5TT on the larger (six furlong) Addington raceway. Revenue (1910) T2:11 4/5 and Todd Lanzia (1932) T2:11 1/5 both established NZ Trotters mile records at Forbury Park; Emmeline set a Pacers and Pacing Mares mile record of 2:08.6TT during the 1912/13 season while Johnny Globe’s mile and three furlong records of 2:52 2/5 (winning) and 2:50 1/5 (placed) were set at Forbury Park in mid-1950’s. Naturally all times were surpassed in later years with three year old fillies recording sub 1:54.0 in 2017 on the still fast Forbury track.
An interesting comparison of track sizes at which Interdominion championships had been held up to and including 1965 shows : Wayville (SA), 25 chains; Melbourne Showgrounds (VIC), 30 chains; Gloucester Park (WA), 36 chains; Launceston (TAS) and Harold Park (NSW), 40 chains; Forbury Park (NZ), 50 chains; Addington (NZ) and Alexandra Park**, 60 chains.
** Alexandra Park was six furlong grass track until reduced in size to five furlong all-weather track when lights introduced late 1950’s.
While Poupette won the Grand Final, the Forbury Trotters ID will be best remembered for the brilliant performances of champion Australian mare Gramel, winner of her three heats and placed fourth in the final. She had been bought by bookmaker Frank Jones for 375 guineas for his wife Melva at an Adelaide sale. Her inability to race in the body of a field was always going to count against her in staying races such as the 2 mile Grand Final.
Saturday 20 February, 1m 5 furlongs +108 yds : first round of heats
Heat One – GRAMEL, tr/dr Jack Roberts, T3:37 4/5/T2:09.0, 36yds; Fourina (dr James [Jim] Donaldson) 2nd; Poupette (dr Henry [Harry] Cox) 3rd
Gramel gave her rivals a start and a severe beating after reaching the front in her heat at the 2½ furlong mark. Her T2:09.0 mile rate on a rain sodden track affected by steady drizzle was second only to Lordship’s on the night (last mile T2:06 4/5, half in 63 4/5 and quarter in 30 1/5).
Heat Two – UTEENA, tr/DR Owen Quinlan, T3:52 1/5/T2:17.0, Lt; Acquit (dr Jack Carmichael) 2nd; Tronso (dr Craig White) 3rd
Uteena took the lead just after the start which she held for the rest of the journey to win by a half head in a creditable display.
Wednesday 24 February, 1m 3 furlongs : second round of heats
Heat Three – GRAMEL, tr/dr Jack Roberts, T2:57.0/T2:08 4/5,36yds; Snow Globe (dr Dennis Nyhan) 2nd; Grand Charge (dr Kevin Murray) 3rd
Gramel’sthree quarter length T2:57.0 win over 11 furlongs was only two fifths of a second outside Ordeal’s World Record. She had broken shortly after the start losing considerable ground.
Heat Four –FOURINA, tr/dr Jim Donaldson, T3:01 4/5/T2:12 1/5, Lt; CoropMcElwyn (dr George Gath) 2nd; White World (dr Doug Watts) 3rd
Fourina won well on night two after being runner up to Gramel in her opening night heat and again on night three.
Saturday 27 February, 1m 5 furlongs + 108 yds : third round of heats
Heat Five – ASIA MINOR, tr/dr Bill Doyle, T3:44 4/5/T2:12 4/5, Lt;Our Own (dr Derek Jones) 2nd; Snow Globe (dr Dennis Nyhan) 3rd
Asia Minor in coming his last half in 60 seconds prevailed by a head, the margin between the first four finisher’s with CoropMcElwyn fourth. Our Own was purchased during the carnival by Yonkers President Martin Tananbaum and raced in his interests.
Heat Six – GRAMEL, tr/dr Jack Roberts, T3:37 1/5/T2:08 4/5, 36yds; Fourina (dr Jim Donaldson) 2nd; Acquit (dr Jack Carmichael) 3rd
Gramel who was giving the leaders 60yds with 1¼m to run, completed her last mile up to four wide but still trotted it in T2:06.0. After circling round the field she looked beaten at the furlong especially when she broke for a couple of strides 100 yards out before finally winning by three quarters of a length.
Wednesday 3 March, 1965 TROTTERS GRAND FINAL, 2 miles, £3,000 plus trophies valued at £125
POUPETTE (1956 Johnny Globe/Marionette mare, family of BraceletU317), owner Jim McHugh, trainer/dr Harry Cox, Lt, T4:23.2/T2:11.6, ¾l, ½l, 9/7 favourite [T2:06.6, $23,095]
Snow Globe, tr/dr Denis Nyhan, Lt, 2nd
Grand Charge, tr/dr Kevin Murray, Lt, 3rd
(also in finishing order) : Gramel, Scotleigh, Tronso, Our Own, Uteena, Corop McElwyn, Acquit, Asia Minor, White World, Our Eileen, Fourina
Consolation :2 miles, £1,200 plus trophies valued at £75
QUEENS CORD, tr/dr Bob Young, T4:23 4/5/T2:12.0, 12 yds; Astralight (dr Robert [Bob] Nyhan) 2nd; Harbour Light (dr Maurice Holmes) 3rd
After pulling hard Gramel was taken to the front with a mile to run but was unable to hold out all challengers. Winton trained Poupette looked to be out of contention when Uteena put a foot through her wheel after half a mile resulting in a break costing her 48 yards. After this she made up ground along the rails but at the half mile Poupette was still only ninth, eighth turning for home and she did not see daylight until the field had fanned out in the straight finishing brilliantly over the last furlong. Poupette trotted her last mile in T2:07.0, half in T1:03.0 and paid £22/15/6 for the win on returning to scale. Poupette formed part of a Southland Grand Final double with Robin Dundee (Gore trained) completing the only ever dead heat with Jay Ar in the Pacers Grand Final. Johnny Globe provided a notable siring achievement with the quinella in the Trotters Grand Final, Poupette and Snow Globe(Lordship’s stablemate, dragged a punctured tyre most of the way) as well as being sire of fourth placed Gramel and providing nine of the twenty eight winners (stakes of £9,450) over the four nights of the Interdominion carnival (seven races per night). Third place getter Grand Charge was purchased by Mr NT Evans and exported to Australia.
Poupette’s Winton breeder/owner Jim McHugh used her as a hack for rounding up cattle. Aged eight at the time of her ID Grand Final victory, the Johnny Globe mare’s dam Marionette was a useful race marebred by McHugh that was sold to Australia in July1959. She was the dam of four winners, three in Australia plus Poupette from two NZ foals. Marionette is the fourth dam of millionaire and multiple Group One winning pacer Double Identity (Miracle Mile, Victoria Cup, two QLD Pacing Championships). This branch of the Bracelet family has produced pacers in the main (Tact Halsey, Glencoe VC).
Poupette was something of a Forbury Park specialist as she numbered six of her thirteen victories there. Racing from four to ten years of age, Poupette’s first two wins at four were at Invercargill and Wyndham. A five win trotter at five, with wins in the Dunedin and Railway Hcp Trots coming at Forbury Park. Solitary victories’ at six and seven at Addington (Canterbury Park TC Stewards Hcp) and Forbury’s Mornington Hcp Trot respectively. In her ID year at eight, her other win was the Reta Peter Hcp trot at Addington during the NZMTC’s Easter Meeting. In addition to again winning Forbury’s Mornington Hcp Trot at nine (her final victory), she had a fortnight earlier taken out Wellington TC’s (Hutt Park) Worthy Queen Hcp. Retired early in her ten year campaign due to a fall at Forbury Park, Poupette, signed off the winner of thirteen, stakes of £11,547½ and a best mile rate of T2:06.6.
Poupette was the dam of two foals in NZ including five win gelding in Teddington (wins off 60m and 80m behind) who set a NZ three year old and All comers record over 2200m stand for a gelding in 1974 of T2:45.0 (on the grass at Young Quinn Raceway, Wyndham). He was later a good winner in North America, at seven trotting T2:04.4 and earning stakes of $46,896. Poupette was accidently shot in 1972, bringing a tragic end to her career.
Trotters Consolation winner was Ripcord mare Queens Cord owned by Heber Hewson and driven by her Halswell trainer/driver Bob Young.
2001 ALBION PARK – TAKE A MOMENT
Whilst this was Albion Park’s fifth and final Interdominion Championship held to date (2009 held at Gold Coast’s Parklands Raceway following stand damage at Albion Park; Parklands track subsequently closed in 2013), it was the first and only time at which the Trotters ID had been held in conjunction with the Pacers championship in Queensland.
Six NZ domiciled trotters accepted for the championships, they being Last Sunset (prepost favourite), Take A Moment, Mountain Gold, Sundons Way, Special Force and Eastnor Lad. All four heats and the Grand Final/Consolation were run from standing starts and apart from finals night excellent mile rates of T2:02.9 or better were recorded in the heats.
Friday 21 April, 2138m : first round of heats
Heat One – LAST SUNSET, tr Mark Purdon, dr Tony Herlihy MNZM, T2:42.9/T2:2.6, Lt; Queens Rhapsody (dr Robbie Byrnes) 2nd; Lester Scot (dr Chris Lang) 3rd
After an early speed duel with Queens Rhapsody was won, Last Sunset completed an all the way five metre win, with a 58.2 last 800m. Take A Moment after galloping away, battled into sixth place.
Heat Two – MOUNTAIN GOLD, tr Barry Purdon, dr Maurice McKendry, T2.43.4/T2:01.3, 30m; Sundons Way (dr Mark Purdon) 2nd; Avatar (dr Darren Pace) 3rd
After circling the field, at times four, five and six wide and overcoming two instances of interference in the home straight, Mountain Gold manged to get home by the barest of margins, a nose. National Interest had broken when looking the winner which Mountain Gold took full advantage of to just get home from equal backmarker Sundons Way.
Monday 24 April, 2647m : second round of heats
Heat Three – LAST SUNSET, tr Mark Purdon, dr Tony Herlihy MNZM, T3:22.2/T2:02.9, Lt; Eastnor Lad (dr Anthony Butt) 2nd; Djerriwarrh (dr Kerryn Manning) 3rd
A similar scenario to opening night with favourite Last Sunset leading most of the way to record an easy 6.5m victory, again defeating Queens Rhapsody.
Heat Four – TAKE A MOMENT, tr Tim Butt, dr Anthony Butt, T3:21.9/T2:01.9, 20m; Cool Fortune (dr Chris Alford) 2nd; Vander Plus (dr Gary Donaldson) 3rd
Positioned third on the leaders back with a lap to run, Take A Moment in the hands of Anthony Butt finished best to defeat Australian trotters Cool Fortune and Vander Plus with Mountain Gold close up in fourth position.
Friday 28 April, 2001 TROTTERS GRAND FINAL, 3157m, $200,000
TAKE A MOMENT (1995 Armbro Invasion/Nakura, family of Pride Of Lincoln N1), owner Long Drive Syndicate, trainer Tim Butt, driver Anthony Butt, 20m, T4:03.4, T2:03.2, 3.5m, 18.5m, 0.5m, 4/1 [T1:57.2, $1,132,695]
Mountain Gold, tr Barry Purdon, dr Maurice McKendry, 30m, 2nd
Special Force, tr Dave McGowan, dr Colin De Filippi, 30m, 3rd
(also in finishing order) : Djerriwarrh, Lester Scot, Queens Rhapsody, Eastnor Lad, Last Sunset, National Interest, Bold Dee Jay, Cool Fortune, Vander Plus, Alba Foyle
Consolation : 3157m, $19,200
AVATAR, tr Peter Sant, dr Darren Pace, T4:08.2/T2:06.5, Lt; Armbros Pride (dr Kerryn Manning) 2nd; Smart Evander (dr Vaughan Quirke) 3rd
Mark Purdon’s Sundons Way was scratched prior to the final leaving him with just prepost favourite Last Sunset who firmed to 8/11 favourite. Two trainers had two representatives, these being Tim Butt (Take A Moment, Eastnor Lad – dr David Butt) and Chris Lang (his drive National Interest with brother Gavin on Lester Scot). Take A Moment moved at the 1600m taking the lead with 1000m to run in a confident drive by Anthony Butt where he was joined by Mountain Gold. Favourite Last Sunset who had galloped at the start motored around to lead at the 2200m before fading from the home turn finishing eighth. Take A Moment cruised away in the straight to win comfortably by 3.5m from Mountain Gold with 1999 winner Special Force a further 18.5m away third. This win came at just his seventeenth start (eleventh for Tim Butt and Long Drive Syndicate).
Take A Moment is a product of strong trotting bloodlines, the gelded son of Armbro Invasion USA and Jet d’Emeraude EU mare Nakura (NZ), Take A Moment is a member of the leading NZ family of Pride Of Lincoln (N1). Nakura a four year old trotting mare of year bred on through her fillies Juverna (eight foals for eight winners including Quite A Moment T1:55.3, Breeders Crown – 3T, National Trot; Duke Of The Moment T1:59.6); Nows the Moment T2:04.7 (dam of Dr Hook, $453,366, T1:56.2 CPTC Trotting Cup/Ashburton Trotters Miles twice, ID heat; Moment Of Truth T2:02.5) and gelding Another Moment, T2:02.2.
Grand dam Nakaia (1977 Crockett/Morning Haze filly), T2:12.0, was dam of two winners in Nakura (see above) and Naraya, T2:10.1, dam of six foals for one winner in Stig, $841,529, twenty two New Zealand wins, T1:55.2 Trotting free-for-all, Dominion Handicap, National Trot, Rowe Cup/one AUS win, T1:57.2, heat Great Southern Star and Only A Moment, unraced, dam of Dream A Moment, T1:57.5TT.
Take A Moment was bred in the Central Districts by Andrew (AM) Corkran whose nephew Paul joined him in ownership and trained him in Canterbury. After winning four of his first six starts for the Corkran’s as an early five year old, Tim Butt organised the Long Drive syndicate of Bruce Greenhalgh, Barry Cotton, Jack O’Donnell, Merv Rodgers, Peter Barber, Neven Botica, Julie King-Turner, Tom Malcolm and Trevor Woolley to purchase Take A Moment for $120,000.
Take A Moment (1995g Armbro Invasion/Nakura) is one of New Zealand’s greatest ever trotters who raced from 2000 to 2005 (five – ten year old), winning 39 of his 67 starts which included six of sixteen starts in Australia. A millionaire, his major victories included two Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Finals, three consecutive Dominion Handicaps (including dead heat, only other trotter to have won three is former stable mate Lyell Creek) and a Rowe Cup – thirteen Group Ones, seven Group Two’s, five Group Three’s and best mile rates of T1:57.2NZ and T1:57.7AUS. Between 28 October 2002 Ashburton Trotters Mile and 12 December 2003 Bill Collins Mile at Moonee Valley, Take A Moment won 18 races in succession (including three wins in Australia), just short of Lyell Creek’s record of 20 straight for a trotter.
Awards won by Take A Moment included Australasian Grand Circuit Trotting Champion (twice),NZ Trotter of Year (twice), NZ Aged (5yo+) H&G Trotter of Year (twice), NZ Harness Horse of Year, Australian Trotter of Year, NZ stake earning Trotter of Year (three times) and inducted into NZ Trotting and Addington Harness Halls of Fame.Tim Butt trained him for sixty one of his sixty seven Australasian starts (35 victories) and Anthony Butt drove Take A Moment in fifty eight Australasian starts winning on thirty five occasions.
Peter Craig
4 April 2018
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