Douglas Charlton (Doug) Watts, was one of New Zealand’s most talented and respected reinsmen. Born in Morrinsville in 1906, the year of the 8.3 San Francisco earthquake, death of Prime Minister Richard (Dick) Seddon and the Christchurch International Exhibition. Arguably one if not the first true professional free-lance driver in New Zealand (most horses in earlier days were driven by their respective owners or trainers).
Watts the son of a lemonade manufacturer, moved to Kerrytown, South Canterbury as a youngster where he went to school with highly successful trainer/driver Richard Brosnan’s father Jack. In his teens he moved back to the North Island to commence his racing career as an apprentice jockey for William H. Dwyer at Wanganui, proving to be very successful at “riding” thoroughbreds before turning his attention to standardbreds.
Making his debut as a jockey not in NZ but across the Tasman at Randwick, Australia in 1923, he rode his first winner in NZ on a filly named Civility on New Year’s Day 1924 at Marton. In his first season (1924/5), second leading apprentice in NZ riding 31½ winners (includes dead heat) finishing only one point behind leading apprentice jockey WH Jones.
The Feilding Jockey Club’s two day Easter meeting on April 11 and 13, 1925, whilst early on in Watts budding career as a jockey was one to remember. The opening day resulted in muddling luck commencing with an unplaced effort on Miss Hupana in the Onga Hack Handicap. In the next race he piloted Alaric into second place, beaten half a length by Imperial Spark. Watts finished third in the next race aboard Lieutenant Bill capping off the days efforts with a winning run on Mr L G Paul’s Attractive who comfortably won the Taonui Hack Handicap.
The second day proved highly lucrative in terms of success, his first ride on Miss Hupana finished second in the Rewa Hack Handicap. Then followed three successive winning rides, first in the Easter Handicap on Alaric, who beat Gaze, B H Morris riding, by a neck. His second win came on Attractive with the runner-up Bonogne again ridden by B H Morris. His hat trick came in the following race the Denbigh Handicap with Koodoo. Runner up was Miss Hupana that Watts had ridden earlier in the day into second place having her second start for the day. With no ride in the next event, he was back in the winner’s circle for the fourth time of the day on Bonena in the Orona Hack Cup. In the day’s final event, Watts was narrowly beaten into second place on Ihapotoa, total winning rides for the day totalled four with five for the two day meeting.
At five foot six, being tall for a jockey and with increasing weight, Watts’s riding career ended after four and a half seasons. During this time he had ridden sixty winners with a big percentage of his rides being winning ones. Significant wins came with Paleta in the Great Northern Guineas, Kaiakaua (Marlborough Cup) and Merry Day (Wellington Hcp).
A temporary career change to that of truck driver followed prior to turning to harness racing. Immediately on obtaining his licence, he was successful with a winning debut in his first ever race-ride on a Standardbred. Item (lessee G. Matthews) winning a saddle trot at the South Wairarapa Trotting Club’s annual meeting at Carterton on Boxing Day 1929. Watts went onto win seven of the first eight saddle trots he competed in, obvious that thoroughbred racing’s loss was certain to be harness racing’s gain.
His ability attracted the attention of legendary horseman W J (Bill) Tomkinson who arranged a job for him with Oamaru trainer Jock Henderson. In March 1930, Watts drove his initial winner Logan’s Pride (tr E Maidment) to victory in the Manawatu Trotting Club Plate, the first of four wins for Watts with the gelding.
Whilst working for trainer Jock Henderson (Oamaru) he was associated with outstanding trotter Todd Lanzia, first driving him to victory in Sussex Hcp at Addington’s Royal meeting (19/1/1935) for the Duke Of Gloucester, starting from 72yds behind, 1½m, T3:18.0. Handling him in a further three wins : Timaru Presidents Hcp (against pacers) beating NZ Derby winner Taxpayer (26 Jan 1935), 12 yds, 2m, T4:34 2/5; NZMTC Avon Hcp (14 Aug 1935), 72yds, 1½m, T3:16 1/5; NZMTC Addington Hcp (16 Aug 1935), 72 yds, T3:17 3/5. In all, Todd Lanzia won thirteen races for a variety of trainers, T2:09.0, £2,447.
Watts’s Dominion Hcp victory handling Norma Bingen in 1936 represented his first major race success. He repeated this Dominion Hcp success with Hidden Note in 1947.
Leaving Oamaru in 1939, Watts moved to Yaldhurst, Christchurch and began his career as a freelance driver. In forty one seasons of driving he never won the drivers premiership, driving close to seven hundred winners which was an outstanding achievement at a time when the number of race meetings were considerably less than in later years. Coming closest to winning the premiership in 1944/5 with eighteen victories as against Fred Smith’s premiership winning total of thirty (third year of four successive years as leading driver; also three earlier seasons, seven all told). Watts however was equal leading reinsman of trotting winners in the 1967/8 season with Peter Wolfenden, each with eleven winning drives. Watts drove on most NZ tracks during his career, Hokitika being one exception.
Watts spent a large amount of his time with Vic Leeming at Prebbleton acting as his first reinsman for a number of years. Leeming trained a number of horses for Watts who seldom held a training licence himself although he owned/raced/drove several good pacers in the 1950’s such as Valour and Historic, also Greenmantle (Lightning Hcp, 1936). On a few occasions he took out a trainers licence to handle short term training responsibilities for friends such as Allan Holmes who was on military service (during the 1942/43 season) winning the NZFFA in Australasian record time (2:35.0 for 1¼m) with Gold Bar after having finished fourth with him in the NZ Cup. Watts spent many hours driving work and on race day for trainers such as Del Edwards, Roy Berry, Dick Humphries, Vic Leeming, Cecil (Ces) Donald and Alex Purdon but without the inclination to train full time. This driving of work for his regular clients gave him a better knowledge of his race day drives, a big advantage when it mattered.
Doug Watts handled four year old Caduceus in the 1955 Pacers Grand Final at Alexandra Park for Jack Litten who also had Our Roger engaged which he drove. Caduceus off six yards set the pace but broke for no reason when in front half a furlong from the finish ending up in fifth place. Watts considered Caduceus was certain to have won but for his uncharacteristic break. It was to be another five years before Caduceus saluted the judge as an Interdominion Grand Final winner (Sydney, 1960). Watts considered Caduceus who he drove to win the 1956 Ashburton Flying Stakes to be the best horse (pacer or trotter) he had ever driven.
In 1963 Watts travelled to the United States to campaign Falsehood at Yonkers Raceway in New York. The gelding caught a virus soon after his arrival in the US and only had one start managing to finish fourth in the Yonkers International Pace despite his illness.
Watts was in the top echelon of New Zealand reinsmen for many years with few major races not captured during a lengthy and illustrious driving career. As well as winning two NZ Cups (Integrity 1946 for trainer Vic Leeming/Our Roger 1955 for trainer Jack Litten), he finished second on four occasions (1938 Lucky Jack, 1944 Integrity, 1959 Gentry, 1962 Falsehood) and third with Tempest in 1937, while his twenty seven NZ Cup drives are only exceeded by Maurice Holmes’s forty and Anthony Butt’s thirty drives. Winning the other two of the big three with victories in the Auckland Cup (Unite, 1956, for trainer Vic Leeming; second in 1958 with Bob Barry’s Derive) and Interdominion Pacing Grand Final (Massacre, 1961, for trainer Duncan Campbell; third in a heat).
Watts had tasted Interdominion success on previous occasions – first with Indianapolis in 1938, one of five representatives for Dunedin owner George Barton. Indianapolis was unplaced in all three heats (1¼m 48 yds and off 60 yds in 1½m and 2m), reserving his best for Grand Final day by taking out the second ID Pacers Consolation, £450, 1m 5 furlongs (60yds) in 3:33.0 for tr J Fraser jnr/dr DC Watts. Winning by a head from Reporter having been off the winning list since his third successive NZ Cup in November 1936.
Later in the 1951 Pacers series at Addington, Watts won a heat with bonny mare Blue Mist (trainer Claude Fairman, Halswell) setting a NZ record for a mile and a half of 3:08.0, winning comfortably by two lengths. Blue Mist finished third in her two mile heat to Aqua Lady and although qualifying for the final, she could only finish seventh for Watts. Earlier Watts had driven Blue Mist to victory at Addington in NZMTC Presidents/Introductory/Harold Logan Hcps and Canterbury Park’s CS Howell Hcp. Later he won the Champion and Ranfurly Hcps with her on the same day during the Auckland TC’s 1951 Christmas meeting; also driving her when she won the 1952 Easter Cup at Addington.
Watts drove Gentry (trainer Peter Stewart) during the 1958 Adelaide series (third and fourth in heats) qualifying for the final but finishing ninth.
Other major driving successes are outlined below :
- Dominion Hcp – Norma Bingen, Hidden Note
- NZFFA – Gold Bar
- NZ Oaks – Stylos
- Easter Cup – Danniels Pride
- Ashburton Flying Stakes – Our Roger, Caduceus
- Hannon Memorial – Integrity, Gay Knight, Falsehood
- Kaikoura Cup – Lady Attack, Martinique
- Welcome Stakes – Sam Tryax
- Canterbury Park Winter Cup – Smokey Express
- Timaru Nursery Stakes – Tam O’Shanter
- Golden Slipper Stakes – Consistent
- Methven 2yo Stakes – Fair Loan
- Orari Challenge Stakes – Co Pilot
- Queens Birthday Stakes – Lochgair
- Geraldine Cup – Chochraine
- Westport Cup – Claremorris
- Greymouth Cup – Jack Sprat, Curiosity
- Reefton Cup – Margaret Hall
- Nelson Cup – Dusky Bay
- Hororata Cup – Adorato
- Cheviot Cup – Felis
- Rangiora Cup – Nadjeha
Doug Watts held one of the longest records in NZ Harness Racing and was the first of three drivers to date to have driven seven winners on the same day. Setting the record in 1954, it stood for forty seven years before being equalled by master reinsmen Tony Herlihy in 2001 and Dexter Dunn in 2015 (World Drivers Champion 2015). At Reefton TC’s annual meeting, Monday 8 February 1954 (postponed from Waitangi Day 6 February), Watts drove consecutive winners of the first seven races on an eight race programme. Race winners were :
Jacinta (a trotter) and Air Raider both twice, owner/trainer Frank Watson, Murchison
Proximity (twice), owner NL Watson, trainer Frank Watson, Murchison
Bourbon Lass, owner A Tucker, trainer Oliver Oakley, Yaldhurst, winner of Reefton Cup
The final race on the card was at a sprint distance and contested by Cup winner Bourbon Lass driven by Doug Watts. She was unable to assist Watts to the perfect day’s record finishing up in fifth place. Watts had gone to the meeting with only one confirmed driving engagement, that of Bourbon Lass in the Reefton Cup. Murchison trainer FP (Frank) Watson asked Watts to find a driver for Jacinta but unable to do so took the drive himself. After winning with her, he then took the drive on Proximity who was normally driven by the owner’s son. His biggest winning dividend on the day was over £4 and his shortest £2.
Frank Watson trained six of Watt’s seven winners, all three racing and winning twice on the same day. Watts’s effort of seven from eight takes the prize for the most outstanding effort of the three drivers to have driven seven in a day.
Jacinta’s (1947f Protector/Cavatina, T2:25.4) only two victories came at Reefton. Her greatest claim to fame was as grand dam of Koala King, ID Pacers Grand Final, three time Winfield Cup, twice Sir Clive Uhr Championship and Hunter Cup victor.
The end of the 1970/71 season came with the compulsory retirement of a formidable foursome of leading horsemen from race driving – Jack Litten, Doug Watts, Bob Young and Bill Doyle. Maurice Holmes was to follow three years later at a time when harness racing authorities required those drivers “65 years young” to relinquish their driving licences.
Doug Watts retired from race driving at the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting on 19 June 1971, the last meeting of that season. He was to end his harness racing career the same way he had started it at Carterton forty one and a half seasons earlier with a final winning drive proving he was still in top form. His final winner came in the feature pace, the Canterbury Park Winter Cup with Smokey Express. Doug Watts retired with a career driving record of 677 (included a dead heat) victories to go with his earlier sixty successes as a jockey = total of 737 wins.
The man for the job, a great “money” driver, cool under pressure and well versed in finding the shortest way home. He was widely recognised as one of NZ’s truly great reinsmen, a true gentleman with great talent but modest with it recognising that much of his success was the result of his association with great horsemen who provided him with good horses to drive.
One for keeping his own counsel, it was reported that he and Vic Leeming were escorted off Addington Raceway one evening after the final race following a loud demonstration by many hundreds of fans complaining about the form reversal of one of their horses. Watts only delayed proceedings further by remaining in the driver’s room for a longer period.
After his retirement Watts was appointed a patrol steward at Addington, a position he held for several years and later a similar appointment at Ashburton. He maintained his keen interest in harness racing right up to his death, in particular assisting younger drivers and attended the Methven Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday December 7, the day before his sudden death.
Doug Watts died in Christchurch on 8 December 1985, aged 79,
Peter Craig
27 August 2019
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
