This is the first in a series of articles covering the Interdominion (ID) Trotters Championships conducted over the period 1948 – 2012. These articles will be presented on a track by track basis as opposed to a chronological order basis with the exception of the first (background and first championship) and last two articles (final championship and statistical analysis).
Three tracks have had ID Trotters in action on a single occasion (Forbury Park, Albion Park and Melton), Globe Derby four occasions, Harold Park six, Addington seven (plus Auckland hosted 2011 ID’s on their behalf), Alexandra Park held ten ID Trotters championships while Moonee Valley were hosts on no less than twelve occasions.The non trotting venues of Tasmania and Gloucester Park (trotting featured in earlier days in Western Australia and again more recently) never featured on the ID Trotters championships roster.
The ID Championships were proposed in June 1935, when John (JP) Stratton the leading figure in Western Australian Trotting and Harry (HF Nicoll), President of the NZ Trotting Conference, convened a meeting in Sydney attended by delegates from every Australian State and NZ. This conference discussed a yearly Inter-Dominion Trotting Championship quickly realising the benefits which would be derived from it. It was decided that such a championship would be held in 1936 and conducted annually thereafter. Pacing championships have been held every year since 1936 with the exception of World War II period (1941 – 1946).
The inaugural ID Trotters Championships was held in conjunction with the Pacers Championships at Auckland’s Alexandra Park in 1948. They continued to be run in forty two of the next sixty five years until the its cessation at the Trotters Championship at Melbourne’s TABCorp Park, Melton in 2012 (held on thirty four occasions in conjunction with Pacers championships and eight times as separate Trotters championships). The Trotters series has since been reinstated commencing with the 2018 Melbourne ID’s. Following the first Trotters Championship in Auckland, there were many years when the trotters were not catered for at Interdominion level. The Trotters Championship was not run in the following years : 1949 – 1950, 1952 – 1954, 1956 – 1964, 1967, 1969 – 1970, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1981 – 1982, 1986 and 2013 – 2017. New Zealand tracks hosted the opening four ID Trotters Championships with Alexandra Park (1948, 1955), Addington (1951) and Forbury Park (1965) before the first Australian based Trotters Championship was run at Harold Park in 1966.
Over the years the Trotters Championship was the poor relation to its pacing counterparts although often in years where the championships were held in conjunction with each other the trotting spectacle provided the more riveting contests. It wasn’t until the 1989 Trotters Championships at Moonee Valley that a split in venue between the ID pacing and trotting championships occurred – this was to feature in ten of the remaining twenty four years of the Trotters ID’s.As for prizemoney which moved from £2,550(including £50 Gold Cup) In 1948 to a maximum of $500,000 in Melbourne in 2000, this compared poorly to the pacing contests whose prizemoney in the same period ranged between £7,500(plus £100 Gold Cup) and $1,500,000 in Hobart in 2006.
The number of rounds of heats prior to the Grand Final also saw the trotters disadvantaged in the majority of years e.g. mainly two rounds of one to three heats plus final and only on seven occasions (all in New Zealand) was a series of three rounds of two heats (one occasion three heats) and final competed for by the trotters. In traditional ID’s, pacers would have a series consisting of three rounds of heats and anything between two, normally three, sometimes four and at 1973 Harold Park championship six heats per round.
This series of articles will cover the Trotters ID’s from 1948 – 2012 only. A report on the 2018 Trotters ID’s will be contained in an article on the 2018 Melbourne Interdominons later this year.
1948 ALEXANDRA PARK – AERIAL SCOTT
The Auckland Trotting Club held a very successful championship at Alexandra Park in February 1948 racing on its then six furlong grass track where for the first time trotters as well as pacers were catered for. This was the commencement of a reasonably permanent place for square gaiters in the Championships until 2012.
A single qualifying heat over one and a quarter miles on opening day and one mile and a half miles on the second day with a Grand Final over two miles for £2,500 plus Gold Cup valued at £50 were programmed for the trotters. The winner of the Grand Final automatically became the Grand Champion.All three days racing was conducted in fine conditions on a fast track. Australia was represented by star South Australian trotter Van White who raced below expectations with the series being a virtual clean sweep for Canterbury horses.
Division (or qualifying race) winners for the trotters were:
Saturday 7 February, 10 furlongs, FANTOM, trainer/driver George Noble, front, T2:42.0/T2:09.6MR (track record); Pardon Me (dr Jack Pringle) 2nd; Margin (dr George Cameron) 3rd
U Scott gelding Fantom was owned by John (JR) McKenzie (later Sir), trained and driven for him by Yaldhurstbased Australian born George Noble achieved an almost end to end win, half in 1:07 3/5 and six furlongs in 1:40.0.Initial Trotters champion Aerial Scott who finished fourth in this qualifying race was driven by Maurice Holmes with regular driver Bob Young handling Sure Lady.
Saturday 14 February, 12 furlongs, AERIAL SCOTT, trainer Jim Young, driver Bob Young, 24yds, T3:16.0/T2:10.7MR (track record); Mine Host (dr George Mitchell) 2nd; Toushay (dr Leo Berkett) 3rd
The winner Aerial Scott was another U Scott gelding and third placed Toushay (Quite Sure gelding) was a dual gaited stablemate of champion pacer Highland Fling. Aerial Scott provided a polished display trotting to yet another track record. Always handy he came away to win handsomely being promoted as a strong favourite for the final.
Saturday 21 February, 1948 TROTTERS GRAND FINAL, 2 miles, £2,500 plus Gold Cup valued at £50
AERIAL SCOTT (1941 U Scott/Air Flow gelding, family of Sally Ann Shuter U35), owner John Spiers, trainer Jim Young, driver Bob Young, 24yds, T4:24.0/T2:12.0 (track record), 2½l, 2l, favourite [T2:09.6, £13,565]
Toushay, tr/dr Leo Berkett, front, 2nd
Willie Winkie, tr/dr Swannee Smith, 12yds, 3rd
(also in finishing order) : Fire Water, Margin, Fantom, Hidden Note, Casabianca, Pardon Me, Mine Host finished fourth/disqualified.
A comfortable winner of the Trotters Final, Aerial Scott’s training and driving combination was that of father and son team of Scotsman Jim (trained at Addington) and Bob Young with his owner being Lower Hutt (Wellington) John Spiers who purchased him for 550 guineas at auction.Mine Host had led to the half mile in 1:09.0, to the mile in 2:16.0 and the mile and a half in 3:23.0 before Leo Berkett took Toushay to the lead. Bob Young’s drive in the Trotters final was described in the papers as “confident and never in doubt” after being placed fourth most of the way, moving to second on the home turn before putting the race beyond doubt. Mine Host was disqualified from fourth for galloping in the straight. The presentation to winning connections including the Gold Cup was made by Allan Matson who complimented the Auckland club on the overall carnival and the excellent performances by Aerial Scott and trainer Jim Young.
Aerial Scott was bred by Roydon Lodge Stud, a result of John McKenzie’s American importations of U Scott and prolific broodmare Airflow (winner of nine, £1,509) by Guy Day, dam of thirteen foals who won eighty races between them. Other than Aerial Scott, they included gelding Slipstream (winner of fourteen), Highland Air (pacing full brother of Aerial Scott, 1957 Auckland Cup, fifteen wins) and near cup class graduates Red Emperor and Flight Commander. Flight Commander (86 winners, dam sire of Adios Court), Highland Air (78) and Red Emperor (53, dam of first NZ Broodmare of Year Gala Girl; dam sire of Arapaho) were all successful sires mainly in Australia.
Aerial Scott, the six year old gelded son of U Scott and third foal of Airflow, was a superb trotter racking up fourteen successes from age three to nine (58 starts: 14 wins, 14 placings, £13,565). First victory came in the NZ Trotting Stakes at his first and only 3yo start for Leo Berkett (won by fifteen lengths).Two wins at four for Lower Hutt trainer Dave Greenhorn were followed by five at five (now with Jim Young) including Rowe Cup off 24 yds at Alexandra Park, Stewards and High Class Trots at Addington.
A further five wins at six were at Addington in NZ Trotting FFA (Champion Trotting FFA), Telegraph and High Class Trots with Alexandra Park victories as reported above in an ID Trotters heat and Trotters Grand Final.His final victory came in his second NZ Trotting FFA (Champion Trotting FFA) at seven, an event he finished fourth in as an 8yo. Aerial Scott was twice leading trotting stake winner (1947 £4,360; 1948, £6,365) with a best mile rating of T2:09.6, retiring at nine as New Zealand’s greatest stakes winning trotter.
Next article : the one time Trotters Championships held at Forbury Park, Dunedin and Albion Park, Brisbane.
Peter Craig
28 March 2018
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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