In last month’s edition, we looked at trotting meetings held on the North Island’s East Coast. During the approximately fifty years that trotting fixtures were run on the East Coast over three periods (1890’s, 1913 – 1933 and 1978 – 1998), a number of local identities took centre stage as owners or horseperson’s that made a mark on the trotting scene. Of particular interest was the East Coast’s involvement (ownership, trainer or driver) in the decade 1920-1930 with three Dominion Hcp (also breeder of 1938 winner) and five Rowe Cup winners.
Tom Roe
Long time leading Hawkes Bay horseman Tom Roe was a breeder, owner, trainer, rider and driver of thoroughbreds, pacers and trotters. He did this for sixty years from 1889 maintaining an impeccable clean sheet throughout this period.
Roe acquired the royally bred Gold Bell (Capitalist/Merry Bell) from Douglas McLean in 1907. Twice placed third in Auckland Cups and winning the ATC Presidents Hcp in 4:39 1/5. He began stallion duties whilst still racing and as a sire he had considerable success with winners including All Bell (Waikato Cup), Gold Jacket (Auckland/Thames Cups twice), Gold Sound (Thames Cup twice), Gold Tinge (Ashburton Cup), Waikaha (Rowe Cup twice) plus those of Roe’s specifically mentioned below. Gold Bell made his mark as a BM sire with his main achievers including Chancellor (GN Derby), Enawah (Sapling Stakes), Peter Smith (Hannon Memorial, sire).
Gold Bell’s major claim to fame was with the “old grey mare” Steel Bell (Gold Bell/Roes mare, 2:15.2, £5,760). Steel Bell began her winning streak first up as a 2yo at the South Wairarapa Trotting Club’s meeting held at Moroa, Greytown (used 1898-1918), winning again at her next start (Wairarapa Cup) and only race as a 3yo at Greytown defeating Rawene (dam of Padlock; NZFFA, Poverty Bay Cup twice, Hawkes Bay Cup, NZ Cup trial, National Hcp). More important fixtures were then targeted at Alexandra Park. During 1913 Auckland Cup carnival, Steel Bell won her only two races of the season, December Hcp (1½m) and Presidents Hcp (2m) bringing her record to four wins over three seasons.
Then began her eight race Auckland Cup sequence which was interspersed with failures in NZ Cups of 1916 and 1917 (her sire Gold Bell also failed in NZ Cups of 1912 and 1913). Her Auckland Cup record was amazing, she first won it in 1914 as a 5yo recording a time of 4:38 2/5, unplaced in 1915 and 1916 before winning again in 1917 from 96 yards setting another race record of 4:33 4/5. In 1918 she placed a close second off 36 yards to Harold Junior, not raced in 1919 (Gold Girl finished third for Roe) or 1920 Cups, unplaced in 1921 and 1922 while in her eighth attempt in 1923 as a 14yo, she beat all but Aussie visitor Blue Mountain King. James Lynch was Steel Bell’s regular driver.
Other Auckland victories were in 1916 Presidents Hcp, 1920 Dominion 1000 (Otahuhu TC) and in 1921 Campbell Hcp, Summer Cup (4:31 1/5) and second in Presidents Hcp to stablemate trotter Gold Boy. Her final race was the 1924 Prince of Wales Hcp where she finished third to Ahuriri and All Bell.
Steel Bell lived until nearly 25 and died in Hawera where Roe worked for two years training for James (JR) Corrigan. He also produced 50 winners in his time there (see Worthy Queen later).
Tom Roe’s outstanding trotter Gold Boy (Gold Bell/Berlin Maid, T2:19.2) won the 1920 Dominion Hcp at Addington and was often the victor over the pacers at Alexandra Park (Presidents Hcp) winning a number of 2m races in 4:30. Roe tended to drive his own trotters.
Gold Girl (2:13.0, Campbell Hcp, Dominion 1000) gave an exhibition trot at Thames Trotting Club’s inaugural meeting at Parawai Racecourse on Saturday 20 March 1920. Goldman was a multiple Cups winner (Hawera/Northland/Waikato) for Roe plus taking out Adams Memorial and Electric Hcps at Alexandra Park. Sweet Memory was another of his many successes winning races until aged 21 years.
Worthy Queen was sold by James Corrigan to Hastings owner T Agnew as a yearling before leasing her back. Initially prepared by Corrigan’s son Alex and veteran Hawkes Bay horseman Tom Roe, she won several races for them before being sent south to Jack Shaw. In Shaw’s care, Worthy Queen was at the time the speediest trotter seen in NZ up to 1½m. Her T2:03.6 TT mile record, set during 1934 Easter carnival at Addington, stood for twenty eight years before Dianthus Girl broke it in 1962 – T2:03.4.
Roe was granted an exemption by the NZ Trotting Association to drive trotters only when the age ban on drivers commenced on 1 August 1944. The Auckland Trotting Club made a presentation to him when he finally gave up race day driving.
Bill (W) Orange
Hawkes Bay horseman Billy Orange reined Scotia (owner J Parsons) to success in the 1908 Auckland and 1910 Otahuhu Cups, again successful in 1912 Otahuhu Cup driving E Stockley’s Haldane to victory. Further Auckland wins came with Whispering Willie (1917) in Auckland Summer Cup before piloting his own mare Nora Creina to victory in 1918 edition of Summer Cup and 1919 Auckland Cup. He also drove a trio of early Rowe Cup winners in Grattan Abbey (1920) which he owned, Aeriel Bingen (1922, owner J Pettie) and Mutu (1923, owner AW Jones).
At a five race meeting at Alexandra Park in 1911, Orange won four consecutive races before gaining the fifth when the original winner was disqualified for interference.
Robert (RC) Fisken
The Gisborne based owner gave the East Coast consecutive Dominion Hcp winners in 1921 when driving Wild Lad (Wildmoor/Miss Vera by Rothschild) to a race record 4:37 3/5 – Tom Roe’s Gold Boy winning in 1920. Wild Lad won a Poverty Bay Cup against the pacers at Park Racecourse, Gisborne. Fisken produced his good mare Ena Bell (Gold Bell/Princess Ena) to take out the Recovery Hcp (1922 Sprinters Hcp) at the 1921 NZ Cup meeting prevailing over outstanding mare Trix Pointer (NZ Cup/FFA) who in placing third gave away five seconds start when setting a new national mile record of 2:08 3/5. Trix Pointer was dam of dual gaited Wrackler (NZ Cup/Dominion Hcp), the only mare to have won NZ Cup and produced winner of and her foal Raclaim left Dominion Hcp winner Acclaimation, Rowe Cup winner Rewa Scott, 3rd dam of NZ Cup winner Humphrey and ID Trot GF winner Geffin.
Peterwah (T2:11.9, exported from USA, Etawah/Janeva by Peter The Great) won 1926 Dominion Hcp for Fisken going on to win twelve races in NZ with ten of these over 2m including a World Record 4:23 2/5 at Addington in 1928. Peterwah was the sire of trotters Pilot Peter who won the 1938 Dominion Hcp; full brothers Great Way (Sires Produce Trot, Avon/Stewards Hcp Trots CPTC), Captain Bolt (Avon/Association Hcp Trots) and Lee Berry (Otago Hcp Trot); Wahnooka from Ena Bell (Middleton Trot twice, Sockburn Hcp Trot, Armstrong Memorial), all bred by Robert Fisken. Peterwah was also sire of pacers Chancellor (GN Derby) and Enawah (Sapling Strakes). He was BM sire of Don’t Enquire (Dullard Cup), Double Peter (3 Otahuhu Cups).
JH Lloyd
Breeder JH Lloyd of Hastings raced 1929 (dr Jack Kennerley) and 1930 (dr JA Gerrard) Rowe Cup winner Raima (T2:17.0, £2,600). He was by Nelson Bingen from Ngaraima, herself a ‘trap mare’.
John Piper
The Gisborne owner won the 1913 Auckland Cup with Victorian bred Jewel Chimes (Ranfurly Hcp twice), in race record time of 4:39¾, trained/driven by Don Nyhan. Piper bred a number of useful horses from Jewel Chimes (18 winners) including Prize Pearl who was sold to Bill Hosking, founder of Franklin Trotting Club. Prize Pearl won a number of races including Ranfurly Hcp, Telegraph Hcp, 2:13 1/5 for mile, Adams Memorial and Liverpool Hcp for Hosking. Sold to Canterbury horseman James Bryce, he injured a fetlock and never raced again. Jewel Chimes also sired Jewel Wood (Nelson/Taranaki/Hawkes Bay Cups) and Krina (Nelson Cup) and was BM sire of Krina’s foals Sprayman (2:07.7, $25,440, Sapling/Welcome Stakes, Louisson/Ranfurly Hcps, ID Ht, 3rd ID Final, 2nd NZ Derby) and Rerekohua (Railway Hcp Trot). A grey gelding, Sprayman was purchased by Noel Simpson after his Sapling Stakes win. His dam Krina was third dam of Bellajilly (NZ Derby) and Vanadium (Easter Cup).
In the latest period of racing on the East Coast in 1980 – 1990’s Horsemen of note in the region during this period included Ricky Allen whose trotter Rua Kenana made open class winning eight of his first thirty starts for Allen and his three partners (Hutt Park 4, Alexandra Park 3, Addington 1) with a second in the Rosso Antico Stakes at three.
Rua Kenana was then sold to Peter Blanchard and Tim Schumacher for a reported six figure sum. He won his first two starts at Addington for them including NZ Trotting Championship beating Yankee Loch before bringing his winning sequence to five with wins at Cambridge and Alexandra Park (12 wins in total as 4yo). He finished sixth in Rowe Cup at four and was 4yo Trotter of Year. His only other run of note was a second in Waikato Flying Mile at five (60: 12 – 8 – 1, T2:04.3, $100,158).
Allen, a Junior All Black and Hawkes Bay rugby representative, made 70 appearances for the Magpies between 1977 – 1983. He now trains from Katiki Beach, near Palmerston (career record : 29 training/3 driving successes).
Wyn Nation, Waipukurau trained 46 winners (19 driving successes) during a fifteen year career, his main successes being trotters Summer Pride, winner of six (4 Manawatu, 2 Wellington wins; placed Hastings) and Forest Reign, winner of seven for Nation (Manawatu, Hawera, Hutt Park 3, Ashburton, Alexandra Park) plus two at Alexandra Park for Michelle Wallis (dr) and Bernie Hackett (tr).
Peter Craig
25 October 2016
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
