Royalty in the form of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh’s fortnight long (6 – 18 February 1963) visit included Hutt Park’s Royal meeting held on Monday 11 February 1963.
The Wellington Trotting Club’s official programme for the Royal meeting contains many interesting pieces concerning local, national and worldwide harness racing which will be referenced throughout.
An expose o harness racing’s early beginnings linking it back to r-the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and earlier still to Turkish Asia Minor, its beginnings in North America, differences between the two gaits (pacing and trotting) and the spread of races between the gaits in New Zealand were provided in the meetings race book.
The official race programme also contained a brief outline of the history of the Wellington TC in its various guises from inception through until 1962. Some additional commentary is provided following the extract from the race programme.
The inaugural Wellington Trotting club meeting was held at the approximately half mile Island Bay Parade track on 24 May 1892 and subsequently until 23 October 1892. Meetings moved to the Miramar Park track in Kilbirnie between 24 January 1893 and 1 June 1898.
The l=half mile grass track re=aced on at Petone functioned over two periods : 1898 – 1900 and 1905 – 1915, racing as the Hutt Valley Trotting Club. In the intervening years of 1902 – 1906, trotting was conducted on the property of Francis J McGovern, on McGovern’s Beautiful Gardens, Trentham under the auspices of the Upper Hutt Trotting Club.
Following the second period of racing at Petone, the Wellington Trotting Club moved to its longer term premises of Hutt Park with its first meeting held on 21 January 1916. The clay track instigated in 1929 was six furlongs in circumference while the change to an all-weather four and a half furlong (900m) oval plus racing under lights took place on Saturday 27 February 1960 before an estimated crowd of 16.500. The two night 1966 Wellington Cup meeting (26 February/1 March), saw the first use of the mobile gate in the capital city.
Significantly, the Second World War use of Hutt Park by the military meant meetings were transferred to Trentham (thoroughbred) racecourse between 13 September 1942 and 23 February 1946 meetings. The Hutt Park venue was used at various times by the Masterton, Wairarapa and Otago/Kapiti Coast clubs and on the odd occasion by Wanganui (1965), Nelson (1931) and HAWKES Bay (1933) clubs.
Racing continued at Hutt Park until it held its fin al meeting on Sunday 3 February 202, having again raced at Trentham racecourse over the period 198 – 2000. Hutt Park e=was then transformed into a major sports park for football and touch rugby. A sports administration hub (the Pelorus Sports House) housing regional and national sporting bodies and an indoor sports facility with 10 indoor netball/football and cricket courts, a children’s indoor play space and a café.
The Wellington club struck a showery day at first but managed to provide a fast track for their February 1963 Royal meeting at Hutt Park. How one would have liked to attend a meeting such as the card programmed by the Wellington Trotting Club. It might have been a little difficult seeing that I lived in Auckland and had just commenced my third full year of primary school at the time!! The brilliance of horses and horsemen engaged in the eight race card can best be illustrated form the following analysis :
Horses – both past (pre 11 February 1963) and future (post 11 February 1963) performances included :
Race One – Uteena (1965 ID Trotters heat)
Race Three – Garcon D’Or (1:57.4US, Ashburton Flying Stakes)
Race Four – Massacre (1961 ID Pacing Grand Final inner), Cairnbrae (1964 NZ Cup), Junior Royal (open class performer)
Race Five – Jay Ar (joint 1965 ID Pacing Grand Final winner dead heating with Robin Dundee), Master Alan (Easter Cup), Oreti (Methven Cup, USA Governors Cup), Samantha (two Wellington Cups), Smokeaway (Dunedin Cup), Gentry (open class, sire of Margaret Shannon)
Race Seven – Poupette (1965 ID Trotters Grand Final winner), Control (NZ mile record T2:02.4TT), Pohutukawa (two Rowe Cups), Spinster Scott (Dominion hcp), Our Own (3yo Trotting Stakes), Our Eileen (open class trotter), When (NZ Trotting FFA, BROODMARE GEM)
Race Eight – Avante (open class performer), Gay Reel (Wellington Cup, CAN Milton Stakes), Urrall (Kaikoura Cup), Junior Roya dual acceptor (see earlier)
In short, three Interdominion champions, NZ Cup winner, dual Rowe Cup winner, Dominion Hcp winner, winners of three Wellington Cups just for starters.
Horsemen – what a glamour list of trainers and drivers (many legends) who came from all over the country to compete with their horses before the Royal party. They are shown below in provincial/regional groupings, reflective of the nationwide interest that this meeting engendered for horsemen and horse owners alike,
Mid-Canterbury : Methven – Percy Watson, Clarrie May; Tinwald – Hector Donaldson, Jim Donaldson; Ashburton – Ted Lowe
Canterbury : Halswell – Bob Young; Templeton – H=Jack Carmichael, Derek Jones, Wes Butt, Felix Newfield, Cecil Devine,; Yaldhurst – George Noble (training for Wellington based owner [Sir] Roy McKenzie, Noel Berkett; Rolleston – Owen Quinlan; New Brighton – George Cameron; Belfast – Ces Donald; West Melton – Jack Litten; Leeston – Bill Doyle; Culverden – George (Nelson) Dalzell
North Otago : Oamaru – Frank Oliver
Southland : Winton – Harry Cox
Auckland/Counties : Pukekohe – Hugh (Sandy) Purdon, Manurewa – Ken Morrison; Papatoetoe – Peter Stewart; Waikuku – Butt Hair
Waikato : Cambridge – Robert Mitchell
Manawatu : Palmerston North – Iva Schwamm (now Rolleston, still training/driving today)
Wellington : Trentham – Jack Hunter
In addition, horsemen can=me from Mosgiel, Waikari, Ashhurst and Te Awamutu to be represented at this meeting.
Meeting Results :
Race One, Sandringham Hcp Trot, 1½m, £700 : winner KOLA, Lt, 3:20 1/5, tr/dr Robert Mitchell, Cambridge
One of the outsiders of the field, Kola got up in the final few strides to defeat the pace making Bruce Again to record a major upset
Race Two, Balmoral Hcp, 2m, £900 : winner INGLEMEAD, Lt, 4:25.0, tr Percy Watson, Methven, dr Bob Young
Inglemead outstayed warm favourite Flying Blue after driver Bob Young took her to the lead at the end of the first half mile. The slow early pace was of great assistance when making this move which enabled Inglemead to win untested.
Race Three, Windsor Hcp, 1½m, 3/4yo’s, £800 : winner :GARCON D’OR, 12yds, 3:11 3/5, tr/dr George Noble, Yaldhurst
Garcon D’Or set a new three year old rack record defeating Jay Ar’s previous record set two seasons earlier by 3.5 seconds. Both horses were products of Roydon Lodge and owned by committee member [Sir] Roy McKenzie. A very warm favourite Garcon D’Or paid £1 11s to win and £1 for a place. In recording his third consecutive win, Garcon D’Or had to contend with a strong pace set by Maggie Spangler but he had the race won at the furlong peg.
Race Four, Buckingham Hcp, 1½m, £1,200 : winner CAIRNBRAEM 12 yds, 3:12 4/5, tr/dr Ces Donald, Belfast
Cairnbrae’s fifth consecutive victory came after he had made a slow beginning in the Buckingham Hcp.
Race Five, Queen Elizabeth Hcp, 1½m, £3,000
Winner : FALSEHOOD, 18 yds, 3:09 1/5/2:06 1/5MR (equalled track record), tr Ces Donald, Belfast, dr Doug Watts
Second : Urrall, dr Ted Lowe
Third : Gildirect, dr Ces Donald
Fourth : Samantha, dr Doug Mangos (owner/trainer Sir Roy McKenzie)
Note – first and third horses were stablemates bracketed together in this field
The £3,000, 1½m Queen Elizabeth Hcp was won by publican Jim Steel’s Falsehood off 18 yds, trained by Ces Donald and driven by Doug Watts. Urrall, Gildirect and Samantha filled the minor placings, two lengths and a neck in arrears. This was Falsehood’s eighth seasonal win where he took charge after five furlongs and dominated his rivals. The overall time of 3:09 1/5 equalled Samantha’s track record. The beaten division included Jay Ar, Master Alan, Oreti and Gentry.
Race Six, Britannia Hcp, 1¼m, £900 : winner SIRRAH, Lt, 2:44 1/5, tr Felix Newfield, Templeton, dr Jack Carmichael
Run in the rain, Sirrah’s fifth victory for the season was well under control two furlongs from the finish.
Race Seven, Duke of Edinburgh Hcp Trot, 2m, £1,500 :
Winner : WHEN, 30yds, 4:25 2/5/2:12 3/5MR, tr/dr Bill Doyle, Leeston
Second : Our Own, dr Derek Jones
Third : Mighty Brigade, dr Charlie Hunter
Fourth : Wairau King, dr Robert Mitchell
The two mile Duke of Edinburgh invitational trot was taken out by Bill Doyle’s crack trotter When (30 yds) in 4:25 2/5/2:12 3/, from Derek Jones on Our Own and Charlie Hunter on Mighty Brigade. She was recording her fifth win of the season for master trotting horseman Bill Doyle. The exhibition provided by top trotters When and Our Own over the final seven furlongs ensured this was the most thrilling race on the days card. When had to draw upon all her brilliance to narrowly defeat Our Own. Like Jay Ar in the feature pace, another future Forbury Park Interdominion champion was among the also rans in Poupette as was future NZ Trotting mile record holder Control (T2:02.4TT, 3 March 1964 Manawatu Raceway).
Race Eight, Commonwealth Hcp, 1¼m, £1,100 : winner GARRY LOGAN, Lt, 2:39.0, tr Felix Newfield, Templeton, dr Maurice Holmes
Garry Logan set all the pace and despite being headed briefly inside the last half furlong came again to win the final event on the programme, the Commonwealth hcp.
A range of trophies were resented to winners of the major races on the card –
While drivers trophies were contested on a points basis (first to fourth) at all seasonal meetings.
Finally, the Royal programme of Monday 11 February 1963 contained a listing of Hutt Park and New Zealand records.
Since penning an article titled “A Regal Presence” in April 2016 (to view previous article, enter attached link) which looked at all Royal race meeting visits over a fifty year period in New Zealand (1927 – 1977, I have obtained access to a number of documents relevant to two of these Royal race meeting attendances.
https://baringbloodstock.com.au/a-regal-presence/
The future King George VI and Queen Mother (ten Duke and Duchess of York) attended a Royal meeting conducted by the New Brighton Trotting Club at Addington on Tuesday 15 March 1927. Race book cover pages and souvenir enclosures appear below :
The souvenir cover from the Duke of York is to AJ (Andrew) Rattray, Secretary at New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club (NZMTC) from 1899 to his death in 1941.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh first attended a harness racing meeting in New Zealand on Thursday 23 January 1954 at Addington (NZMTC)
Note – race card covers are for NZMTC, Addington and Wellington Racing Club, Trentham galloping meeting held on Thursday 14 January 1954 while Royal Metropolitan Cup is an extract only of the field, winner Van Dieman off 36 yards.
Peter Craig
27 February 2019
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
