It is with a heavy heart that I pen this obituary for my good friend and colleague Carl Francis Middleton. Carl fought a battle with melanoma for the past 2¼ years. He finally succumbed on Thursday afternoon 3 September 2015.
Nearly twenty five years ago, Fraggle Rock provided Carl Middleton with his biggest success when winning the 1991 Inter Dominion Trotters Grand Final at Alexandra Park. Described in both print and visual media then as a battler from Mid Canterbury, Middleton achieved much over the years in harness racing. In recent years, he concentrated entirely on the straight out trotter that he loved working with generating considerable success.
Born into a harness racing family, Carl’s involvement with the industry embraced many facets over half a century. His grandfather Carl Nordqvist, a Swedish immigrant and father Gordon were both successful horsemen.
In 1968 Carl went to the United States spending two years at White Devon Stud in New York (owned by Marty Tananbaum) and working for Tananbaum’s trainer Stanley Dancer at Yonkers Raceway during his holidays. He moved onto Sweden spending several months at Solvalla working for well-known Swedish trainer Hakan Wallner.
On returning to New Zealand, Carl established his Millburn Farm training and breeding establishment during which time he met his future wife Heather Lowe at the Nelson trots. From another harness racing family, Heather was a daughter of Arch Lowe and after his death, step daughter of Ted Lowe.
Millburn Farm has over the years consisted of three different properties; the current 115 hectare 
Millburn Farm lies directly across the road from the property first purchased on Carl’s return from America. Except for nine years from the mid 90’s to mid-2005, when located at Winchmore (near Ashburton), his Millburn Farm properties have been at Highbank (near Methven) in the mid Canterbury foothills.
Middleton’s first raceway drive was on Laplander at Hororata’s December 1967 meeting and his first winning drive Laplander at Cheviot’s March 1968 meeting. Taking out his training licence in 1972 on his return to NZ at same time purchasing his initial Highbank property, first training success came with Pompano at New Brighton TC’s December 1973 meeting. He commenced stud master duties that were to form part of his harness racing involvement over the following two decades. Among stallions he stood at Millburn Farm were Truant Hanover, Huirapa, Farm Timer, My Striking Force and Waitaki Hanover.
A great supporter of the “smaller” clubs, Middleton was never afraid to venture over to the West Coast, cross Cook Strait seeking rewards at a favoured track Hutt Park (Wellington – recorded hat trick of consecutive race wins in February 1993) or Manawatu (Palmerston North) and south to Forbury Park where it was unusual for Carl to return home without some financial reward.
Stable hands at Millburn Farm in earlier years, included locals such as Neil Costello (now Sydney based trainer), Dale Forbes, Barry Molly Jnr, Scott Dickson. In the mid-nineties, Carl engaged with the Agri Venture farm cadet scheme to recruit overseas students for up to 12 month periods. This proved very successful with many Scandinavian, Dutch and Canadian youngsters, the majority female, making Millburn Farm home during their NZ stay.
The 1970’s and 1980’s produced few standout performers apart from Acapulco who won six races pacing (Otaki Cup) for Carl in the early to mid-eighties. The 1990’s decade proved a golden period of success for him. The mainstay of his team in this triumphant period was 1991 Inter Dominion Trotting Grand Final winner Fraggle Rock. “Fraggle” was named by Middleton’s children Greg and Robyn after a children’s puppet show. Fraggle was ably supported by the fast trotter Lilly the Pink, together with horses trained for outside owners including ill-fated trotter Outer Reach (Burbeck Harness Bloodstock Ltd – Ron Burrell/Don Raisbeck) and pacer Scottish Hostess (owned by writer). Towards the end of the decade, another well performed trotter in Little Rock completed a very successful decade.
Fraggle Rock (T2:01.2, $301,685, 19 wins) won a number of Group 3 trotting events – NZ Trotting Championship, Cambridge Trotters Flying Mile and three ID heats at Moonee Valley, Alexandra Park and Harold Park. During the Moonee Valley ID’s, Middleton was the recipient of the Vin Knight Trophy, based on the best UDR for ID races, both heats and finals. Starting in five consecutive Inter Dominion Trotters Finals (1990-1994) was a sterling effort by Fraggle (winner 1991, placed second in 1992 and 1994) only matched in later years by Pride Of Petite (1995-1999).
Lilly the Pink (13 wins) also managed an ID Trotters heat win at Harold Park on the same night as stablemate Fraggle Rock. Lilly finished third in the Grand Final behind Diamond Field and Fraggle Rock. Middleton time trialled her at Ashburton where she stopped the clock at T1:57.9, 0.1 second outside Thriller Dee’s then NZ record of T1:57.8TT.
In the 21st century, three of Carl’s trotters stand out. Two he developed before their sale to United States where they became amongst the quickest ever NZ bred trotters. Mighty Dragon is the fastest ever NZ bred trotter establishing a record time of T1:52.0US in 2003 while Westland Sun is the fourth fastest ever NZ bred trotter with a time of T1:52.3US. In Savona (13 wins, T1:55.4 recorded at Menangle), Carl bred/owned/trained and drove what was until Sunny Ruby’s T1:54.7 at this year’s Harness Jewels [My Valerie T1:54.8, 28 April 2015, Menangle] the quickest trotting mare in Australasia. Savona also won a NSW Trotters Championship at Menangle.
A number of trotters developed by Middleton progressed to be good intermediate grade trotters or better including Jazz Legend, Saybia, Millburn Michael, Damian Carlos, Uppsala, Gammel Dansk, Bergen, Pink Diamond, Olivia of Kew, Purple Passion, Lady Segil, Trips On Me, Westwood Sioux, Miss Adelade, Yes Indeed. Another Love. His career stats since 1976/7 season show – driving: 246 wins (158 trotters) plus 3 in Australia and training: 260 wins (172 trotters) plus 3 in Australia.
Carl’s earliest breeding exploits revolved around borrowed mares and stallions he was standing. His first real success came with Winter Gold (7 winners) followed by notable breeding successes including Perilly (7) dam of Fraggle Rock, Lilly The Pink who bred on leaving Another Starlet (first 9 foals all winners), Millburn Segil (5), Millburn Carolyn (8,Diggers Rest 1:50.2US), Pride of Dee (5).
Carl Middleton gave time and knowledge to the industry sitting on the Committees of Methven Trotting Club for nine years and Horseman’s Association for approximately 17 years (1992-2009), also their representative on the NZ Sires Stakes Board.
It has been my special privilege to have known Carl Middleton for just on thirty years. A superb friend, a genuine horseman, particularly adept with a trotter, well respected by his
peers and an example for any budding young horseperson to follow. He will be sorely missed by his small band of loyal owners and by many others in the industry.
Carl Middleton was aged 66 years at the time of his death at Christchurch Hospital. He is survived by his wife Heather, children Robyn and Greg and their partners and grandchildren Piper and Cooper.
Peter Craig
4 September 2015
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