By Mac Henry and Tayler Strong
There could be no more appropriate winner at Gore on Saturday than Envious in the Farewell Colin Baynes Pace, a race remembering one of the icons of New Zealand harness racing who passed away on Monday.
Born in 1921, Colin Baynes was brought up on a dairy farm, drove a six-horse team at age 15, had a passion for rugby, horses and harness racing, and made a success of all three.
During war time, he signed up for the Otago Mounted Rifles, was posted to Italy, spent three Christmases overseas, and was in Trieste when hostilities ceased.
On arriving home, he went farming at Ferndale in eastern Southland and the opportunity to own and train horses himself presented itself. Baynes is remembered as a very good stockman who fattened lambs where no one else could.
His first horse was Geisha Girl but he didn’t have a high opinion of her and had her speyed in case he was ever tempted to breed from her. His first winner was No Doubt at Tapanui.
Forever the innovator, Baynes was always looking for an edge.
When he had the two year old trotting record holder Halberg at Ferndale, he would groom the track then take a tape measure out to measure the length of his stride to aid the shoeing strategy.
Jogging at that time never involved more than one in the sulky, one tied each side and two led by the driver. Baynes developed the multiple horse unit using a power pole on an axle, and a tractor.
He drove in the first mobile start race in New Zealand, and used a gate mounted on the back of a land rover to give his horses practice.
In the 1960s, Baynes started a stud at Ferndale which he moved to Otama in 1966. Young Charles, Sly Yankee and Sir Dalrae were his best stallions. He researched bloodlines and purchased four mares, Glamour Girl, Mighty Imp, Brahmaputra and Ferndale Star.
They became the cornerstones of his future.
At the peak of the stud’s success, more than 40 percent of New Zealand’s major race time records were held by horses conceived at his stud.
Young Charles was leased from Canterbury and sent down every spring. When nephew Des worked for Baynes, he was offered a free service instead of a pay rise.
Des borrowed the broodmare Loyal Trick from his father Bud, and Young Quinn was the result. Game Paul was among a host of good horses developed by Baynes and his training partner for 24 years, Robin Swain.
Baynes had some 150 wins on his own account and 154 wins with Swain when he retired from the partnership in 2013.
Roman Gladiator (2004 New South Wales Derby), Country Ways (2001 NZ Flying Stakes), Debbie’s Boy (1989 New Brighton Cup), Clancy, Sapper (Southern Supremacy Stakes), Rocking Berry (10 wins) and Dear Sir were among pacers to win for the partnership.
Baynes developed Gentle Miss in the late 1970s before sending her to Sydney where she won in good company.
Moonshiner was a good winner he sold to Australia and Sly Brewer did well in the United States after nine wins in New Zealand.
Baynes bred Tax Credit, winner of the 1988 NZ Free-For-All when leased out.
The stable was relocated from Otama to Knapdale in 1987. At a time when professionals weren’t allowed to hold administrative positions, Baynes chose not to be paid.
He spent 17 years on the Conference, attended a number of international conferences and helped shape some key developments: all weather racetracks; removal of running rails; passing lanes; artificial insemination; mobile starts; and the end to stipendiary stewards being both prosecutor and judge.
Baynes trained for more than 50 years, the last 23 in partnership with Robin Swain.
In 1989, he was named Southland Harness Racing’s Personality of the year and at the New Zealand Awards in 2007 he was honoured for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Harness Racing’.
Baynes and his late wife Nellie had a family of three girls and two boys and the youngest of them, Kenny, is the part owner of Envious, a big chance in the Farewell Colin Baynes Pace.
He races the three year old with his companion Jo Calder and, trained by Tony Stratford and driven by Dexter Dunn, the filly won on debut at Invercargill in January.
After the win, Stratford considered taking her to Alexandra Park for the Young Gun series but illness intervened and she was eventually put aside.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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