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Harness Racing Obituaries. HRNZ passes condolences to friends and family.
Noline Ferguson
A trailblazer for women in harness racing, Noline Ferguson, sadly passed away recently in Ashburton at age 91.
She and was a true pioneer for female drivers in New Zealand.
Ferguson was the wife of the late Jim Ferguson, the couple were married for 58 year prior to his passing in 2006.
The couple originally were based in Southland but moved to Tinwald in Canterbury to take advantage of the more frequent racing opportunities following their successes in the south. And their base on the main road in Tinwald meant their southern hospitality was always available for those in the industry passing through.
Ferguson herself was part of the first penalty bearing race for female drivers only, which was held at Addington in November of 1971. The female drivers raced on a one day licence for this meeting.
Other drivers to feature in that event included Barbara May, Lyn Smith, Denise Nyhan, Elizabeth McGrath, Carol Deuart, Una Anso, Allison Murfitt, Vi Mercep and Robyn Negus.
Ferguson continued to be a regular feature in the sulky and drove up until 1982.
Although Jim held the training licence, Noline was very much part of the training partnership.
The Fergusons produced top performers such as Whoppee, Rustic Lad, Bachelor Tom, and Maida Million. The latter one of the early top performers for the couple who set the training career in motion for the couple.
Other multiple win horses include Speed To Burn, Nooky Bear, Noodlums Fella, True Fortune and Commander Grattan.
Harness Racing New Zealand Chairman, Ken Spicer, knew Noline his whole life and reflected on the huge impact she had made on the industry.
“She was a true pioneer of the sport. An accomplished horsewoman who was always happy to offer advice to the young people in the industry,” Spicer said.
“Noline was a hardworking and capable horsewoman who was also very forthright. She was only too happy to share her experience and knowledge with others.”
“Her influence on harness racing will be remembered and respected for years to come.”
Keith Dawson
Keith Leslie Dawson – aged 85 – at Pukekohe 30 March 2018.
Keith Dawson passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning at Palms Rest Home Hospital.
He and his brother Alan bred and raced the grand old trotter Perigo in his earlier days with some success. Perigo had a career record of 143 starts, 19 wins and $141,000 in earnings. He raced from age four to fifteen.
Keith and Alan had Perigo for his first 13 wins, before the horse was claimed and continued to race on until fifteen years old.
The horse was a special one to Keith according to his brother, Alan.
“We went to visit Perigo after he finished racing and was rehomed with Riding for the Disabled. Keith always said he wanted his horses to be rehomed after racing as they gave him so much pleasure during their racing career. It was the right thing to do he felt,” said Alan.
Perigo’s dam, Colleen’s Choice, was also close to Keith’s heart even if her temperament didn’t always endear those near to her.
“She was a grumpy thing at times, she quite often tried to take a bite out of us. But Keith loved her,” said Alan.
Remarkably Perigo was the only foal the mare left.
Despite the family not having any links to harness racing, Keith found a love for the sport early in life and was able to convince his brother to get involved too through his passion for the sport.
Keith raced horses with multiple trainers over the years, including Geoff Small, Steven Argue, Betty Newcombe and Peter Young to name a few.
Keith was well known for his passion for harness racing and was a regular at the Franklin Park Trotting Track. His enthusiasm and love of harness racing will be fondly remembered.
Les Donald
Canterbury breeder and owner Les Donald passed away on Thursday March 22 at BUPA Parkstone Care Home in Christchurch, age 65.
As a breeder Donald produced winners such as Dreamlover (14 wins), Aldebaran Dream (7 wins), Ho Chi Minh (7 wins), Dreamweaver (4 wins), Pocket The Shilling (4 wins), Cully’s Extreme (2 wins), Denn Nee Nose Best (2 wins), US Heritage (1 win) and Sonny Liston (1 win).
He also bred Janine Jaccka – dam of former Dominion winner Jaccka Justy.
Donald was a former Advanced Amateur driver and held his licence from 2009 to 2016, he also held a trainers licence in 2011 and 2012.
A marketing consultant in his day job, Donald was part of the early amateur driving movement well before tote racing was introduced, competing in non-tote events on race days.
He was successful in the 2010 Canterbury Amateur Driving Championship held at Motukarara and Rangiora, and competed in the national championship that year.
Donald was a loved and loving father of Carina. Loved son of Betty and Laurence (both deceased). Loved brother of Lyn. Friend and former husband of Barbara, and well known and respected by the amateur driving community.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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