GREAT HARNESS HORSES 1960-1980
THE BATHURST BULLDOG, HONDO GRATTAN
There have been many very good horses written about by me in recent times, but few, if any, reached the heights of popularity with the Harold Park crowd attained by Hondo Grattan. If ever there was a legend in his own lifetime then Hondo was it!
His story starts in 1966 when Tony Turnbull attended a dispersal sale of horses belonging to Jim (J.C.) Caffyn. Two of Turnbull’s long term clients, brothers Bill and Bob Webb, asked him to find them a brood mare. Turnbull took a liking to a 12yo mare called Lola Grattan. He liked her breeding, being from the Italian sire, Loreto, out of the dual gaited Frances Grattan, who took a time of 2-16 as a pacer and 2-18 3/5 as a trotter. Frances Grattan was bred by A.W.Cox of Winton, NZ, and was reportedly in foal to Don Ngaree (who I wrote about in the Sparkling Pearl story), but failed to produce a foal. Turnbull was aware that the sire of Frances Grattan was a leading sire of broodmares in NZ, which no doubt influenced his decision.
The first bid made was 50 guineas and when Turnbull bid 60 guineas ($126) she was his. Her first foal, from Group Nine, was called Lazy Two, and he won a few races for the Webb’s. When she was due to go to stud again the next year Turnbull suggested Hondo Hanover which he, and his older brother Joe, were standing at their Loyal stud for the first year. They had acquired this stallion after Turnbull made it known he was looking for a stallion and was told about Hondo Hanover who was on his way to Australia. Turnbull’s only stipulation was that he wanted a stallion by Adios (didn’t EVERYBODY back then!) and he was in luck with Hondo Hanover.
Lola Grattan dropped her Hondo Hanover foal on 6-9-68 and it was later named Hondo Grattan. Broken in by Turnbull, he showed promise right from the beginning and before he had his first 2yo start Tony informed the Webb brothers that they had a budding champion. In gratitude for the work that he had done in acquiring the mare, selecting the stallion and breaking in the colt, they gave Turnbull a one third share in ‘little’ Hondo. And so the legend began.
Hondo Grattan had his first start in a 2yo event at Penrith on 24-5-71, started at 3-1, and led all the way beating Tuapeka’s Star by 7 yards and rating 2-10 1/5. He then ran 3rd in a 2yo event at HP, 2nd in a heat of the 2yo Challenge Stakes, 6th in the final, had a DNF at his next start and ran 5th at his last 2yo start. As a 2yo he had 6 starts for just 1 win but Turnbull’s faith in the little horse never waivered.
Given a short 5 week break he resumed as a 3yo at Menangle on 7-9-71, winning easily and two weeks laterwon again, this time at Fairfield. A week later he easily won a race at Lithgow and raced there again on 6-10-71, setting a new record and winning by 20 metres. Three nights later he won at Bathurst and on the 22-10-71 had his first 3yo start at HP. He came into this event unbeaten as a 3yo with 5 wins in a row, started at 2-5 and won by 15 metres. Win number seven came 8 days later at Bathurst in a heat of the Dress Circle Pace, where he easily beat the very good mare, Rachael McDonald. He clocked up his 8th consecutive win in the final, winning by 18 metres. He then went back to HP off 12 yards in a 3yo event but was badly checked at the start and flashed home to be beaten a long neck. He then won ANOTHER 8 in a row! The first of these was on 3-12-71 at HP in a heat of the NSW Sires Produce Stakes where he easily beat Shannondoi and the following week he won the final rating a record 2-3 beating Royal Topaz. In this race he led the outside runners but still won easily.
In the first week of 1972 he won the W.D.T.A. Cup at Bathurst by 16 metres and a month later won the Hawkesbury Hurricane Mile just as easily. Nine days later he started off 36 yards at Bathurst and won the race by a further 36 yards and a week later won a FFA at his home track. He then travelled to Canowindra for the Western Districts Derby where he beat King Frost and at his next start won a heat of the NSW Derby beating Adios Victor and equalled the race record. In the final he drew the six gate and was badly placed for the entire race and finished a very close 6th to Bold Biami. A week later he finished 4th to that same horse in the R.C.Simpson Sprint. On 7-4-72 he won the Country 3yo Championship in record time. He broke at the start then made up his ground and went around the field to eventually finish in the 1×1. Sprinting quickly at the 2 furlong mark, he easily beat King Frost by 10 metres and Bold Biami a further 4 metres back 3rd. He then contested the 3 and 4yo Championship but found his 12 yard handicap too severe, finishing 5th to Lucky Variety. It was his last start for the season. As a 3yo Hondo Grattan had 21 starts for 17 wins and 1 placing. Turnbull’s prediction to the Webb brothers was now coming to pass.
Resuming 6 months later as a 4yo, Hondo won first up from 60 yards behind at Bathurst in record time, and 3 weeks later in a similar event, and off the same mark, was beaten a head, rating 2-4 2/5. He then ran 4th in a Penrith FFA before contesting the Australasian 4yo Championship at HP. In his heat on 10-11-72 he was beaten a half a length by Local Ayr and in the final ran 4th to Nicotine Prince. A week later he finished 5th behind Adios Victor in a 4yo Challenge. Eight days later he raced off 72 yards at Cowra and won in track record time rating 2-4 4/5, very fast time for a standing start event at this country track. He then contested the Lord Mayor’s Cup at the Showgrounds. He got away OK but then was badly interferred with on the first turn. He was then well back most of the way, but flashed home to finish 4th to Adios Victor.
On 2-1-73 he easily won a Lithgow FFA and 3 nights later won at HP in record time. He then contested the Australia Day Cup the following week. In his first heat he raced outside the leader, Dillon Light, for most of the race but still won. With Tony Turnbull suspended, he was driven in the second night of heats by his brother, Joe, finishing 5th. In the final he started a warm 5-4 favourite but could only finish 3rd to Bold Biami. He was then given a 3 week ‘breather’ leading into the 1973 Inter Dominion series. This was the biggest ID series ever with every race on the 8 race program a heat of the pacer’s or trotter’s Championship. In his first heat on a VERY wet track he led all the way to win easily, running his last 600 metres in 44.3 and the last 200 in 29.8, both times being the fastest for the night, and giving nothing else a chance to run him down. Four nights later he repeated that effort. He was outside the leader at the bell but went to the front down the back straight and won unextended. For the final set of heats he jumped straight to the front and lead all the way, coming home his last half mile in 59.5. Interestingly, he was NEVER hit with the whip in any of his 3 heat wins, he won each race with plenty in hand. For the final HP had it’s largest crowd since the 1960 ID final, won by Caduceus, with 31,073 people turning up, mostly to barrack for little Hondo. The TAB had it’s biggest meeting ever with this night being the first time a harness meeting held over a million dollars.
In the race he started at 11-4 from barrier 2 and was slow away for the first time in the series! After settling down well back, Turnbull immediately took him around the field to lead the outside runners. On the home turn for the last time he went to the front but was immediately headed by Royal Ascot, who had sat in the 1×1. Although now second and seemingly beaten, he ‘dug deep’ as only a ‘bulldog’ can do, and came back to beat Royal Ascot by a head. The roar from the crowd almost lifted the roof off the grandstand and Turnbull and Hondo returned to a hero’s reception rarely seen at HP. After the race Turnbull was asked by a journalist what was going through his mind as he was passed by Royal Ascot on the home turn. Quick as a flash Turnbull replied that he was trying to remember how much 2nd prizemoney was worth! The legend had DEFINITELY arrived.
A month later he easily won the 4yo Futurity and then contested the Lord Mayor’s Cup. In the first set of heats he couldn’t run down the brilliant front running Dillon Light but on the second night won his heat well from Just Too Good after giving him 12 yards start and racing outside the leader. The Final on the following Friday night was one of those races that live on in your memory forever.
Ask any fan of Hondo at that time, which was their favourite win. Many will go for his 1973 ID win, and why not, and just as many will probably opt for his 1974 Miracle Mile win over Paleface Adios, which was ALSO a fantastic win, but for mine THIS was his best run EVER, let me tell you why.
From his 12 yard mark he broke at the start and lost a further 20-30 yards, meaning he was giving the rest of the field almost 40 yards start. He then made up his ground slowly and was outside the last horse at the bell. He then began his run 3 wide around the field but was forced 4 wide at the 3 furlong mark. Coming around the home turn he was right off the track, underneath the grandstand, but STILL finding something! Showing all the courage that earnt him the nickname, The Bathurst Bulldog, he refused to ‘lie down’ and won by just half a head from Nicotine Prince and Welcome Advice. It was a truely magnificent victory.
Now consider this, back in those days a horse racing one out from the rails covered 8 3/4 yards more per lap than the horses on the rails. Hondo Grattan was 3 wide for half of the last lap and then 4 and 5 wide, so how much extra distance did he cover in the last lap after making up his lost ground at the start? The other thing to consider was the quality of the field. This was an absolutely top class field, worthy of an ID final, but he was CLEARLY superior to every horse in the race. For mine, THIS was his finest hour. I listened, again, to the radio broadcast of the race from 2KY prior to writing this story. The race broadcaster was Ray Conroy’s ‘apprentice’, Ian Craig. As he called them around the home turn for the last time you could hear the amazement in his voice as he called Hondo Grattan “4 wide and STILL giving something”! When he crossed the line ahead of this crackerjack field Ian Craig’s voice was dripping with emotion as he hailed this superlative effort.
Hondo Grattan had one more start as a 4yo in the Superstars 3 and 4yo Championship, however his 30 yards handicap was impossible to overcome with a horse as good as Mitchell Victory off the front. He finished 4th. As a 4yo Hondo Grattan had 22 starts for 12 wins and 4 placings and was now firmly entrenched as Harold Park’s favourite son! Just as a bonus Hondo Grattan was voted NSW harness horse of the year and his dam, Lola Grattan was the inaugural broodmare of the year. As well little Hondo was the highest Australian money winner for the season with $66,326 banked.
About this time Turnbull was seen driving around Bathurst in a new Valiant with “HG” number plates. No prizes for guessing who paid for the car! It was also about this time that a song was written about him and his deeds and recorded by John Tapp, now host of In The Gig on Sky Channel. It never made the top 40 but almost every one of his fans bought a copy just to have some little memento of this great horse. I still have mine!
Hondo resumed as a 5yo on 24-9-73 with an easy win in a Lithgow FFA beating King Frost and went straight into the Spring Cup carnival at HP. Off 24 yards in the heats and final he ran 2nd on the first night, beaten 2½ metres by Bangaroo Flex and 2nd on the second night to Adios Victor. In the final he finished 3rd behind Bold Jason and Opera House. He then contested a FFA at Cowra but could only finish 3rd behind Harwood Brigade and Just Too Good, indicating the strength of country FFA’s at that time. For his next start he was back at HP off 24 yards in a Quality handicap. This was a top class win as he went around the field to sit outside the leader but still won easily in record time. Eight days later he ran 4th to Welcome Advice in a Junee FFA.
On 23-11-73 he ran 2nd off 24 yards at HP but the following week turned in another of his top class efforts in an Invitation event. This attracted a top class field including Paleface Adios, Welcome Advice, Mitchell Victory and King Frost. A mobile event over 2350 metres, he ran to the front at the 3 furlong mark and defied them to run him down. It was a terrific race and a great win. The following week he and ‘Paleface’ had another terrific battle. Off 18 yards in another top class Invitation, he began brilliantly and went around the field early to lead the outside runners before getting in behind the leader, Paleface Adios. On the home turn he joined Paleface and these two set about having their own private ‘two horse war’ for the length of the straight. Right on the line Hondo stuck his neck out to win by just half a neck with ‘daylight’ to the 3rd horse, King Frost. It was a fabulous race and another great win to Hondo Grattan. It was also a new race record.
Eight nights later Turnbull took him against the clock at his home track, Bathurst, and he set a new track record of 1-59 1/5. Two weeks later he was beaten 2 metres and a 1/2 head behind Monara and Welcome Advice in a Melbourne FFA but 4 nights later he sat outside the leader in a similar event and won well from Amlin and Reichman. Three nights later he contested the A.G. Hunter Cup but could only finish 5th to Monara after racing outside the leader all the way. He then had an easy win in a Blayney FFA before travelling to Perth to defend his Inter Dominion crown.
Off 18 yards in the first set of heats over 2600 metres, he turned in a ‘Cardigan Bay’ run after being 3 wide for the last 1400 metres to win unextended. On the second night he got into trouble and could only finish 8th behind Just Too Good. Needing solid points in the last set of heats to make the final he qualified by the barest possible margin, half a point, when he dead heated for 4th, with Paleface Adios, to JUST make the big race! The I.D. final was a terrible race from a spectators point of view. At barrier rise Just Too Good, the highest qualifier with 35 points, and Yallara raced for the lead when JTG suddenly broke into a gallop, something he normally would never do. He then seemed to cross his legs and crashed to the track on the first turn. Paleface Adios had begun very well from his back mark and was quickly moving up when the fall occurred. Colin Pike had no chance to avoid his brother’s horse and crashed down also with Local Product following him.
Welcome Advice tried to find a way between the fallen horses but came to grief also. Tony Turnbull scouted wide and managed to avoid the trouble and settled 3rd with only 4 horses left with a chance! With a lap to go he eased out and started his run and collared the leader, Bret Armagh, on the home turn but then had to withstand the withering final sprint of Adios Victor, doing so to win by 3 metres in a new Australian record mile rate of 2-3 for the standing start 2600 metres event. Adios Victor was 2nd and Bret Armagh 3rd but subsequently was disqualified after returning a positive sample when drug tested. Royal Gaze was elevated up to 3rd.
With two Inter Dominion wins under his belt there was no doubt that he was Australia’s best horse, but his next start pushed him even further up the dizzy heights of the popularity ladder. Three weeks after his 2nd ID win he contested the Miracle Mile but, surprisingly, was only 2nd favourite at 7-2, the favourite was Australia’s best sprinter, Paleface Adios, fully recovered from his Perth fall. There was tremendous ‘atmosphere’ at HP on the night with the crowd almost totally divided as to who they would follow, as BOTH were local idols and even had their own fan clubs. The members would turn up wearing their Hondo Grattan T-Shirts or their Paleface Adios hats. On this night there were HUGE numbers of patrons wearing the various ‘outfits’ of Hondo or Paleface but my favourite was the Paleface Adios group who had T-Shirts which said “Paleface Adios wins” on the front and “Hondo WHO!” on the back! It was all in good fun and added to the spectacle of the big race.
Paleface Adios, as expected, jumped straight to the front and set a solid pace while Hondo was outside him early before getting in behind him. He got off the fence down the back straight for the last time and joined ‘Jacko’ on the home turn. These two champion pacers then settled down to, once again, fight out their own ‘private’ war. All the way down the straight there was nothing between them but right on the line the ‘little bulldog’ dug deep and, once again, stuck his neck out to win by just a head! The crowd went ‘ballistic’ and Hondo Grattan returned to one of the greatest receptions ever afforded a winner at ‘headquarters’. A week later he ran 2nd to Mitchell Victory before winning a Bathurst FFA on 13-4-74. Two nights later he could only finish 4th to Paleface in a Forbes FFA which was won in track record time.
A month later he ran 4th from 30 yards at HP behind Spike and at his next start finished 3rd in a FFA to the same horse. At his next start he gave Dillon Light 30 yards start and was beaten just a head, before travelling to Queensland for their Winter Carnival.
At his first start in the Sunshine State he contested a FFA at Redcliffe running 2nd, beaten a neck, behind the VERY in-form Spike. Two nights later he started at 1-12 and easily won a Tweed heads FFA before moving on to Albion Park for the AP 10,000 Championship. In his first heat he ran 3rd to Reichman and Paleface Adios and 3 nights later ran 3rd again, this time behind Spike and Reichman. In the final on 13-7-74 he could not give Spike 18 yards start and finished 5th. A week later he won a discretionary event and the following week won from 36 yards, closing his 5yo season and his Queensland trip. As a 5yo Hondo Grattan had 32 starts for 13 wins and 12 placings. He was voted NSW Harness Horse of the year for the second year running and was now the richest money winning horse of all time in Australia with $167,088.
Spelled for 4 months, Hondo Grattan resumed at Bathurst on 16-11-74 winning a FFA first up. He then ran 4th to Just Too Good in the (HP) Pacific Coast Pace, 2nd to King Frost in the T.A.A Drivers Invitation, 2nd to King Frost in a FFA and 4th to Mitchell Victory. He then travelled to Melb. for the A.G. Hunter Cup carnival. On 28-12-74 he ran 2nd to King Frost in a FFA, 4th to Gallagher in another FFA, 3rd in the Hunter Cup behind Royal Gaze and Paleface Adios and then 4th behind Paleface again, this time at Wagga. A week later he won a Dubbo FFA and then travelled to Auckland for the 1975 Inter Dominion carnival.
Arriving in NZ, the first thing that happened was the authorities confiscated his feed, something that happened to Lombo La Fe Fe a few years ago. Without his ‘normal’ feed he failed to race at his best. In the first set of heats he ran 5th to Speedy Guest then 3rd to Young Quinn, and in the final set of heats finished 2nd, beaten a ½ head, by Why Bill who received a 30 yard (25 metres) start. Tony was suspended by the stewards over this drive and he gave Kevin Newman the drive in the final. Young Quinn had been un-stoppable in the heats, winning all three, two in world record time, and he did the same in the final, once again winning in world record time. Hondo finished 6th.
Back to HP in March for the Miracle Mile, he could only finish 4th to Young Quinn who was now on a win streak of 10 consecutive wins and the following week made it 11 straight when he beat little Hondo in the Hurricane Stakes. Hondo Grattan then contested the Lord Mayor’s Cup carnival at HP. On the first night he was 2nd, beaten 3½ yards by Armbro Jodie, who received 30 yards start from him, but a week later won his 2nd heat, from the same back mark, beating Thorunder easily by 10 yards in record time. Two nights later he ‘moonlighted’ at Bathurst, easily winning a FFA before going back to HP for the Cup final. In this race he was well back early from his 30 yard handicap but made his run as they approached the bell lap. Forced 3 wide for the entire last lap, he just never gave up and beat Armbro Jodie in record time. It was another outstanding win and very popular with his adoring fans.
He was then 3rd, off 36 yards, to Apollo Eleven before winning a similar event the following week after leading the outside runners. A week later on 16-5-75 he won another Quality Handicap off 36 yards. He was 3 wide at the bell, hit the front at the top of the straight and won easily from Royal Calypso. It was also a new record for the most number of wins at HP, 22, breaking the old record of 21 wins held by Bay Foyle. The next week in an Invitation from 42 yards behind, he made it 23 HP wins with another easy win, but the following week could only finish 3rd to Paleface Adios after giving THAT horse 12 yards start! On 13-6-75 he won again at HP and set ANOTHER new record, this time being the first horse in Australia to win $200,000. It was his last start for that season and was a fine way to end the 1974-1975 season. As a 6yo Hondo Grattan had 26 starts for 9 wins and 11 placings.
He resumed for his last season of racing on 29-10-75 running 4th in a Bathurst FFA but 3 nights later won a similar event at Cowra in track record time from King Frost. He then won a Blayney FFA in track record time after starting at 1-20 before going back to Bathurst to win another FFA. He then ran 3rd behind his old nemesis, Paleface Adios, in the Pacific Coast Pace before winning another Bathurst FFA. On 12-12-75 he ran 5th to Truant Armagh in the Xmas Sprint at HP and then 3rd in a FFA. Given a 2 month ‘breather’ he resumed at HP on 27-2-76, winning a Quality Handicap off 36 yards in record time but the following week was 3rd, once again behind Paleface Adios. A week later he was 3rd to Paleface in the Miracle Mile before winning the Hurricane Stakes from King Frost the following week. On 27-3-76 he ran 7th in Melb. in the Marathon Stakes and connections decided to give him his last race start at his home track, Bathurst on 17-7-76.
Almost 6,000 people turned up at the Bathurst track for his last start and he started a ‘red hot’ favourite at 1-3. He could only finish 3rd however. Showing that the ‘competitive spirit’ wasn’t just confined to Tony, his brother Jim drove King Frost to victory with Tony’s son Steve coming 2nd with Radiant Group! The race sponsor’s supplied a new gig for the winner of the race, and were so confident that it would be won by Hondo Grattan had it painted in Tony’s colours! Norm Harkham, the owner of King Frost, STILL has the gig sitting in his shed, unused, a memento of the race!
And so the curtain came down on the racing career of one of the finest pacers ever to race at Harold Park. The accolades came in from everywhere and he retired to stud as the highest prizemoney winning horse ever, with $215,432 banked. But he found he had ONE more trip to make to the race track.
The Harold Park officials wanted to honour Hondo, Turnbull and the Webbs and so the 5th of May 1976 was declared Farewell to Hondo Night. A huge crowd turned up for the night and in between 2 of the races little Hondo came onto the track for the last time and was driven around by Turnbull. Then, while the Maori’s Farewell was played over the PA system, Hondo Grattan was ceremonially stripped of all his racing gear and led from the track by Tony. There wasn’t a dry eye in the grandstand.
Hondo Grattan retired with a record that read 120 starts for 58 wins and 35 placings, ALL of it at the highest level. He was a dual Inter Dominion winner, a dual Lord Mayor’s Cup winner, a Miracle Mile winner etc. etc. He had a song recorded about him, had a poem written about him and published in the Trotguide, had his own fan club and was an absolute idol with the HP crowd. He was a TRUE champion in a period of many VERY good horses, but still managed to win almost half of all his race starts.
Hondo Grattan was a very handsome brown horse and was only 14.3 hands tall, but what he lacked in size he MORE then made up for in determination. He really was a little ‘bulldog’ and his nickname, the Bathurst Bulldog, was appropriate, although at HP he was generally referred to, with great affection, as simply ‘little Hondo’.
No story on Hondo Grattan would be complete without touching on his trainer/driver Tony Turnbull as they were as one, the horse made the man and the man made the horse. Tony was born on 21-1-30 at the Lagoon, the youngest of 3 brothers and he drove his first winner at Katoomba on 3-5-47, a horse called Knock Out owned by his mother. As a young man he was an excellent bike rider and long distance runner but, although he was the youngest of his brothers, was the first to turn his hand to harness racing. He has been NSW premier driver 11 times, Australian premier trainer 6 times, was the first person to drive 2000 winners, won an OAM in 1990, has been a Bathurst citizen of the year, has been inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions and was selected by HRNSW as their first Living Legend.
At stud Hondo Grattan sired 50 winners before dying in November 1994. In recent times I have written about many of the ‘class of 1968’ but saved the very best until last, the legendary Hondo Grattan.
By Jim Hogan
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
