A legendary trainer and top driver in his own right, Ces (CS) Donald was the first trainer in New Zealand racing history (standardbred or thoroughbred) to train one thousand winners. When his career ended after a half century of training (1922 – 1973), his final winning tally stood at 1,026 (plus several in Australia) which still ranks him well inside the top ten on the all-time trainers list led by the Purdon’s – Barry, Roy and Mark being the only trainers of over 2,000 winners in NZ, with a gap back to Robert Dunn next with close to 1,500 winners currently.
Ces Donald brought up his one thousandth training win milestone when Forest King won the Cressey Stakes at the Canterbury Park meeting on 12 February 1972. Jack Carmichael drove the last three winners on programme; (Microdot, Precocious – trainer/driver; Forest King, tr Ces Donald)
It needs to be noted that Donald trained in eras when the number of meetings held annually were lucky to top fifty (1930’s – depression years, 1940’s – WWII), plus an occasional race at a galloping meeting and race cards usually consisted of eight or less races. Toward the end of his career this had increased to over one hundred meetings per annum with nine races on each card. Since the 1970’s the number of meetings have increased substantially.
Ces Donald was posthumously named Trainer of the Century (20th), an award presented to his wife Rona on the same evening that Maurice Holmes (Driver of the Century) and David Clarkson (Commentator of the Century) were also honoured by the Hall of Fame Society, certainly meriting his place in such exalted company.
As well as training the winners of 1,026 races, Ces Donald annexed the Trainers premiership on nine occasions only bettered since by members of the Purdon family. His premiership winning seasons were :
1929/30 (45), 1930/31 (43), 1932/32 (36), 1937/38 (39), 1938/39 (44), 1940/41 (34), 1941/42 (17), 1960/61 (48), 1962/63 (27) : 323 of his 1,026 winners.
Topping the Drivers premiership in 1929/30 with 36 victories, the same year winning his first Trainers Premiership. Major career successes included NZ Cups (Marlene, Cairnbrae), Auckland Cups (Marlene, Carmel, Dandy Briar), Dominion Hcps (Tan John, Writer), GN Derby (King Hal), NZ Derby (Air Marshall), Rowe Cup (Kempton), NZFFA (Chief Command) and numerous provincial cup successes – Hawera (Jaunty), Rangiora (Carver Doon), Timaru (Dieppe, Chaman), Ashburton (Falsehood, Indecision), Dunedin (Lindbergh), National (Zany).
Ces Donald’s NZ Cup record shows two wins as a trainer (Marlene 1940, Cairnbrae 1964) from 34 starters over the period 1926 – 1965. As a driver, from 21 drives he piloted the one winner in Cairnbrae for owner Ted Lowe. Brother Ron drove Marlene to success (Spry, third) while Jack Potts and Lindbergh in the 1930’s competed in the most NZ Cups for Donald being three.
A tough, uncompromising individual, Ces Donald liked to win and ensure the money was on when he did. In the days before the TAB, bookmakers feared his approach to wager on his own horses.
Cecil Sydney Donald was born in 1900 in the Heathcote Valley, near the Port Hills of Christchurch. His parents Joseph and Florence Donald had emigrated from the Guernsey Islands in the English Channel. Taking out his trainers licence in April 1922 he developed many fine horses from his spacious and immaculate thirty acre property at Belfast situated between the Styx River bridge and the Pentland subdivision, north of Christchurch. The land where his track was situated was very fertile but prone to becoming puggy and hard on horses legs when wet. This accounted for many of Donald’s horses having unsoundness issues. Ces Donald’s colours were a black jacket, rose pink crossed sashes, tangerine facings and tangerine cap.
In the 1930’s as well as training, Donald ran New Zealand’s largest trotting stud standing three North American stallions – Jack Potts, Lusty Volo and Calumet Axworth together with a broodmare band of close to ninety. In addition, he stood thoroughbred sire Airway and later Jack Potts’ son Gamble prior to selling prominent owner/breeder and association member RWT (Ron) Stewart who stood him at Lysterfield, Victoria, Australia in early 1950’s.
In the late 1930’s Donald purchased a rundown sheep and cattle station at Bullock Hill near Okuku, North Canterbury which he transformed into a profitable operation; supervised a well-equipped dairy farm; later years ran a pig farm and overall at his peak controlled over 3,000 acres of farm land in the area regularly selling hundreds of cattle at the Addington sale yards up until the time of his death. This was all in addition to running his 30 acre training operation at Belfast.
A decade by decade summary of his achievements follows :
1920’s :
1922/23 : Donald’s first training and driving success was recorded with the trotter Mangoutu in the Seaview Hcp (36 yds) at New Brighton TC’s summer meeting in December 1922. Taken over by Donald as a ten year old the Galindo mare owned by Mrs D Archer, had won twice in five seasons but not for 18 months.
1923/24 : Mangoutu won the Forbury Park Dominion Hcp from 72 yds behind (one of five further successes with Donald) with other winners in his second season being Harbour Light (Greymouth/Westport Cups, Liverpool Hcp at Addington, purchased by Donald after being tried by others) and Locanda Bell.
1924/25 : Harbour Light (Forbury Hcp), Gleaming and Holly Bell were winners. Donald received a twelve month holiday from driving when falling foul of officials (and the crowd) at a January Forbury Park summer meeting due to the form reversal of Wharepiana. The Hal Zolock mare had won at Ashburton by five lengths, failed badly on the first day of FPTC meeting before winning easily on the second day leading to her disqualification and Donald’s suspension.
1925/26 : back driving in February 1926, Donald’s first win came with Henry Logan at Timaru in March. Mangoutu won twice at Addington as did another trotter Audominion (four victories in total, two each for Drum Withers and Donald as drivers).
1926/27 : the arrival of Jack Potts** (Walter Direct/Margaret Steiner stallion) from another stable into Donald’s was significant. Eventually, winning ten races, placed in NZ and Auckland Cups before blazing a trail through the breeding barns with a nine year straight stretch as Premiership leading sire (1937/8 – 1945/6 inclusive), producing many fine winners, 271 in total of 1,212 races worth $909,473. Later he topped the broodmare sire list for six seasons (either stakes or winners based) leaving 330 winners. The same season Author Dillon mare Auditress arrived from another stable. The eventual breeding of these two horses led to Donald’s first NZ Cup winner Marlene in 1940.
Other winners this season included Willie Logan, Charles Dixie and Bingen Lad, one of the better saddle pacers.
Jack Potts** : siring record – Inter-Dominion champions Pot Luck (1938), Emulous (1948); NZ Cup Lucky Jack (1937, 1939), Marlene (1940); NZFFA Pacing Power; NZ Derby Gamble, Twos Loose, Pacing Power, Air Marshall; GN Derby Sir Julian, Horsepower; Auckland Cup Marlene, Betty Boop; Sapling Stakes Frisco Lady, Twos Loose, On Approval, Pacing Power, Sir Julien etc while his daughters left Lady Belmer, Patchwork, Rupee, Tactician, Thelma Globe, Thunder, Van Dieman and Young Charles. Jack Potts stood for £7 in the Depression years and only 25 guineas even when leading sire towards the end of his siring career.
1927/28 : this season Donald’s stable produced twenty winners. Quality won four including the first race at the inaugural Methven TC meeting at Mt Harding track on 8 October 1927 (Westward Hcp, 1½m, 95 sovs and gold watch, 2l, 3:45.9, owned by J O’Grady), Bingen Lad (two) and trotter Kempton (three including Rowe Cup, Auckland paper reported largest sum ever taken off tote by one individual bet was on Kempton), Horotane, another trotter in John Mauritius (Sockburn Hcp during NZ Cup meeting off 84yds) and naturally Jack Potts – winner of Auckland TC (ATC) Presidents Hcp off 60 yds, seconds in Auckland Cup beaten a nose by Ahuriri (won two NZ Cups) and Champion Hcp during AK Cup carnival at Christmas 1927. Jack Potts was also successful as a sire and in the show ring.
1928/29 : increasing his winning tally to twenty two, Donald’s winning team included sons of Author Dillon in Lindbergh who won four as a leading 3yo, fourteen overall (heat of NZ Cup, Ashburton/Dunedin Cups, Christchurch/Canterbury Hcps) and Sir Author, winner of seven overall (ATC Summer Cup); trotter Great Way dead heated for first with Great Nelson in NZ Sires Produce Stakes – 3T at Forbury Park going onto win nine races in total, three features at Addington; Kempton (NZMTC August Stewards Hcp Trot).
1929/30 : Donald’s first red letter season where he annexed both the Drivers (36) and Trainers (45) Premierships for the first time, winning nine trainers premierships, seven of them over the next decade. Records began to be compiled from 1915/16 season and the best to date had been : drivers – Eugene McDermott in 1920/21 (34); trainers – Scotty Bryce’s thirty four in 1916/17, his second premiership of seven consecutive between 1915/16 and 1921/22. Therefore Donald had in 1929/30 the most successful season ever to that time as both a driver and trainer.
Contributing to his success were horses the calibre of Royal Silk later to win from other stables an Auckland Cup, NZ Gold Cup, NZ Cup Trial and finish second in the NZ Cup; Carmel, won many for Donald including 1930 Auckland Cup defeating Harold Logan; Bessie Logan, winner of successive Greymouth TC’s Jubilee Hcp (preliminary for NZ Cup candidates run on Labour Day Monday) in late October 1929 and 1930; Sir Guy, winner of eleven races over four seasons including an Easter Hcp, all of whom were newcomers to the stable along with incumbents to win races – Lindbergh, Great Way, Baron Bingen, Brook Pointer, Dilnon, Morning Sun, Grand Canyon (won nine races over four seasons), Nellie Hugo, Pearl Logan, Real Light, St George, Sir Author, Sunny Bob, Tonic, Ulm, Writer.
1930’s :
Two stories applicable to the 1930’s concerning Donald are worth relating. First, he was one of a number both before and after that could be considered a dual gaited trainer, not only of pacers and trotters but rather of standardbreds and thoroughbreds.
He trained the odd galloper, one being Crash that he owned together with others who was a sprint record holder at Riccarton for aged horses having won the Halswell Hcp (hacks) over six furlongs on Sat 18 February 1933 in a time of 1:09 4/5. The sixth favourite in the 100 sovereigns event (80 sovs to winner), he was ridden by JW Jennings, carrying 7st 9¾lbs. Crash was considered a moderate hack but obviously could run as indicated by the fact that an Australasian 3yo record over the same distance was set by Silver Scorn in the Middle Park Plate (2/3yo’s) of 1:09 2/5 two races earlier. By the mid-1930’s Donald had Crash racing over hurdles and steeplechase fences.
In the 1930’s, Donald along with Bill Tomkinson (for son Jim), Jimmy Bryce (for daughter Rona) and ‘Dil’ Edwards won leading races at both Addington and Riccarton from his Yaldhurst stable. Jack Shaw was another having champion trotting mare Worthy Queen (T2:03.6TT) in the 1930’s and champion galloper Beaumaris in the 1950’s (Members room at Riccarton named after Beaumaris). Claude Fairman assisted with Shaw’s gallopers while training famous pacing mare Blue Mist (winner in NZ/AUS, three ID heats).
The second story concerns Donald and air travel, something still foreign to the majority of folk back in the early 1930’s. Donald drove at Alexandra Park, Auckland on 31 December 1930 with his horse Carmel dead heating with Free Advice in the ATC Presidents Hcp before the following day driving Stand By (rather appropriate) to victory at Addington making him the first driver to have driven in successive days at NZ’s two major tracks. How did he manage to achieve this??
The reason he wanted to be back at Addington was to drive his good pacer Lindbergh (again most appropriate) in the main race of the day. To achieve this by the conventional means – overnight train from Auckland to Wellington and the ferry to Christchurch that night – made this impossible. Instead Donald left Alexandra Park at 5.30pm catching the overnight Limited Express from Auckland to Wellington at 7pm. With his travelling companion Fred Kidd, he arranged with the guard to wake them so they could leave the train at Feilding about 6am.
Pilot Captain McGregor, had flown to Feilding from Christchurch the previous day with Donald and Kidd boarding the plane around 7.30am for their flight to Christchurch. Donald was on course at Addington before 11am, in time to drive his trotter Stand By to win the first race (Introductory Hcp off 24yds) and later in the day finish fourth with Lindbergh in the CPTC Canterbury Hcp. Stand By again won the first race (Progressive Hcp) the following day. Donald had undertaken this “novel” transportation mode as “I have a lot of horses here and they need my attention.” The modern day equivalent would be driving on Show Day (Friday afternoon) at Addington during the NZ Cup carnival and departing the course quickly for a rapid flight to Auckland to drive in the evening at Alexandra Park. By 1937 Donald did indeed have a lot of horses, 161 to be exact in work when ten would have been a large stable at the time.
1930/31 : improved his national Trainer premiership record to 43 victories for second Trainers premiership; second in Drivers premiership with 29 wins; winners included Writer in the Dominion Hcp Trot with stablemate Kempton making up the quinella; Australian bred trotter Tonic won the Sockburn Hcp at NZ Cup meeting; Lindbergh (Ashburton Cup); Bessie Logan Greymouth TC Jubilee Hcp and trotter Stand By (twice).
1931/32 : again leading trainer for the third successive year with 36 wins, Donald’s winning team included Lindbergh (NZ Cup heat), Grand Canyon (Australasian Hcp), Stand By, Ambition, Avernus and Ron.
1932/33 : Pluto won the Queen Mary Hcp at NZMTC’s National meeting off 60yds in August; Lindbergh (Easter Hcp); Sir Guy, Avernus, Ron, Stand By (Spreydon Hcp), 1932 Greymouth Cup winner Sandown and ex- northerner First Flight who won the Canterbury Park TC King George Hcp late in the season for Donald.
1933/34 : Apart from pacers Lindbergh (Dunedin Cup) and Sir Guy (Easter Hcp), high class trotters were to the fore for Donald this season. Specifically, five year old Wahnooka, an arrival from another stable won five from his last ten starts, going onto win thirteen in total. A notorious knee knocker who looked a promising pacer before Donald discovered his trotting ability won his races shod as a pacer. A Canadian bred trotting gelding in Mr Penalty won two races (New Brighton Hcp) in a short stay with Donald together with Blondie, an attractive cream coloured pacer who won five over this and the next season.
1934/35 : very good pacer Plutus made his debut winning run for Donald as 3yo at the March Manawatu meeting, winning consistently over the next seven seasons, totalling seventeen victories in all. In later seasons he would salute the judge in an Ashburton Cup (1936) , Ollivier Hcp (1938), ID heat at Addington (1938), NZFFA (1940) and a couple of other Addington FFA’s. Plutus also won a saddle race and placed fourth in the NZ Cup.
1935/36 : winners this season included Superior Rank who he later stood at stud with limited success, Plutus and Reno (dam of Van Dieman).
1936/37 : a couple of speedy animals arrived at Donald’s stables this season in unreliable trotter Captain Bolt who eventually won eight and defeated champion trotter Sea Gift in a matinee meeting match race and pacer De La Paix who contracted strangles after her fifth win when considered better than subsequent NZ and Auckland Cup winner Marlene at the time. Superior Rank won Wairarapa Cup.
1937/38 : another Trainers premiership (his fourth, 39 wins) together with second in Drivers premiership (30 wins) resulted in a fine season. Winners this season included Plutus (eight, pacers heat of 1938 Christchurch ID’s, only major NZ race not won by Donald), Captain Bolt (five), Ferry Post (five, making ten wins by the conclusion of his 5yo career), Marlene (four), Village Guy (three wins in five weeks including Oamaru Hcp) when sent to him as a seven year old by Ben Grice, before going sore and failing to win again.
1938/39 : topping the Trainers premiership for the fifth occasion with forty four victories, Marlene (three), Wahnooka (RA Armstrong Memorial, Sockburn Hcp), Blaydon in a brilliant short career before unsoundness forced an early retirement won seven in total (two in 1938/39), Clockwork who won twelve in total over seven seasons.
1939/40 : winners included Marlene (three) including an Auckland Cup for Ces Donald her owner/trainer/driver, Ferry Post (Oamaru Presidents Hcp), Accountant (five out of total of ten wins), trotter Tan John, Blaydon. Donald won the Owners premiership with stake earnings of £3,220.
Peter Craig
16 October 2019
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
