This is the fourteenth 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 with the exception of the first (background and first championship) and last two articles (final championship and statistical analysis).
1991 AUCKLAND – FRAGGLE ROCK
This year’s Golden Jubilee Interdominions (fiftieth running of Pacers championships) incorporated the World Trotting Conference; two rounds of biennial World Drivers Championships (WDC winner was New Zealand representative Maurice McKendry) and Harness Racing 91 exposition at Auckland’s Pan Pacific Hotel. In addition, the Pacers division contained two North American horses, expat Kiwi Kelvin Harrison brought over Dare You To (USA) who won a heat and made the Grand Final field together with Night Colt (CAN) for Marcel Bouvier. The whole fortnight was wrapped around a World Carnival of Harness Racing.
Roy Purdon MBE combined with older son Barry Purdon to provide the quinella in the Pacers Grand Final with younger son/brother Mark Purdon driving winner Mark Hanover to a narrow victory over Christopher Vance driven by son in law/brother in law Tony Herlihy. Both horses were in the same ownership (Robert Reid, Lorna Reid Syndicate, Janice Reid) with the exception of Roy Purdon MBE who had a share in Mark Hanover.
This particular Interdominion will remain forever the most memorable of the many I have attended. A week before the Trotters Grand Final (opening night of heats) my first horse two year pacing filly Scottish Hostess (Butler BG/Scottish Belmer) at just her third start won the International Classic Series Fillies consolation (National Bloodstock sponsored), trained and driven by Carl Middleton. A week later Carl made it a double for the carnival by driving Fraggle Rock to victory in Auckland’s sixth Trotters Grand Final and the twenty first overall (a further twenty one would be held through until 2012).
Saturday 1 March, 2200mM : first round of heats
Australia was represented by trotters Glenfield Girl and Lenin.
Heat One – DAVID MOSS, tr John Cox, dr Robert Cameron, T2:46.6/T2:01.8; William Dee (dr John Langdon) 2nd; Lenin (dr Ray Mathews) 3rd
David Moss began his domination (together with Sundon) of the trotters heats by winning the opening nights first heat by 1¾l from William Dee with half a length to Lenin and a head to Lyns Choice. Away slowly but surely Robert Cameron settled David Moss midfield before taking the lead off pacemaker Lyns Choice with 900m to run. William Dee trailed David Moss before challenging at the 500m. Lenin finished on late from well back to nudge Lyns Choice out of third placing. Fraggle Rock placed a muddling ninth finishing on wide out in his opening night heat. David Moss’s trainer John Cox’s father Harry trained and drove 1965 Forbury Trotters Grand Final winner Poupette to victory.
Heat Two – SUNDON, tr Fred Fletcher, dr Peter Jones, T2:46.3/T2:01.6; Joe Junior (dr Barry Purdon) 2nd; Tobago (dr Henry Skinner) 3rd
Drawing the outside position on the second row over a sprint distance proved no handicap to Sundon who dominated proceedings as had David Moss earlier. Taking control from 900m out, Sundon beat home Joe Junior by a half-length with Tobago 3½l back with a further 2¼l to Guardian Angel, best of the rest. Favourite Glenfield Girl set a cracking pace before weakening after being pressured. Sundon’s time of T2:46.3/T2:01.6, last 800m in 59.2 established a new NZ record, beating that of Idle Scott (finished sixth) by 0.1 second.
Wednesday 6 March, 2700mM : second round of heats
The second night was more of the same with an impressive repeat dose by trotter heats winners David Moss and Sundon.
Heat Three – DAVID MOSS, tr John Cox, dr Robert Cameron, T3:26.8/T2:03.2; Fraggle Rock (dr Carl Middleton); Yankee Loch (dr Jimmy Curtin)
Again David Moss was slow away but in front with 1400m to run. Fraggle Rock had to perform to his best standards to guarantee himself a start in the final and this he did by finishing resolutely behind David Moss who set a new NZ Record for 2700m of T3:26.8 with a final half in 59.5. From barrier thirteen Fraggle Rock ended up 1½l in arrears of David Moss whose time bettered French Accent’s previous record of T3:27.3 set in March 1989. It was not to last long as it was improved upon by a further 2.6 seconds in the Trotters Grand Final three nights later. Yankee Loch, the 1989 Champion was a neck behind Fraggle Rock but due to breaking and finishing thirteenth of fourteen on the first night was only named an emergency for the Grand Final. Idle Scott was four lengths away in fourth place with Lenin who finished ninth the sole Australian representative to make the Grand Final (Glenfield Girl missed out).
Heat Four – SUNDON, tr Fred Fletcher, dr Peter Jones, T3:28.6/T2:04.3; William Dee (dr John Langdon) 2nd; Top A Peel (dr Stephen Doody) 3rd
Sundon’s performance was eye catching beating home William Dee by 1½l who raced behind him most of the way. Sundon had raced without parked out cover throughout hanging badly on the turns, all of which made no difference to the end result. Top A Peel ran on from midfield for his third a head from William Dee with Tobago a half-length back in fourth after Gee Du Jour had been relegated to fifth for having caused Tobago to break up early in the race.
The final points scores were : David Moss, Sundon 30; William Dee 26; Joe Junior, Tobago 25; Ge Du Jour, Guardian Angel, Idle Scott 20; Fraggle Rock, Top A Peel 19; Lenin 18; Lyns Choice 17; Family Pride 16; Evander Rose, Game Paul, Yankee Loch 14. The fourteen point scorers were made emergencies and with Family Pride a late scratching on vet’s advice, twelve trotters went to the post to contest the Trotters Grand Final.
Saturday 9 March, 1991 TROTTERS GRAND FINAL, 2700mM, $150,000
The Trotters Grand Final took place on a brilliantly fine evening before a crowd of 8,000.
FRAGGLE ROCK (1985 Game Pride/Perilly gelding, family of Jessie B N9), owner/trainer/driver Carl Middleton, T3:24.2/T2:01.6, NZ record, 1½l, 1¾l, ¾l, 9/9 favourite [T2:01.2, $301,685]
Tobago, tr Patrick O’Reilly jnr, dr Henry Skinner, 2nd
Guardian Angel, tr Paul Hadfield, dr Mike De Filippi, 3rd
(also in finishing order) : Gee Du Jour, Idle Scott, Top A Peel, William Dee, Joe Junior, David Moss, Sundon, Lenin, Lyns Choice
Consolation : 2700mM, $15,000
HICKORY STICK, tr Ian (Stewie) Sutherland, dr Henry Skinner, T3:29.7/T2:04.3; Le Duc (dr Peter Jones) 2nd; Game Paul (dr Richard Brosnan) 3rd
Making the final with a total of 19 points all Middleton sought was a reasonable barrier draw to make up for the awkward second row draws received in the two heats. This was achieved when Fraggle Rock drew the inside marble of barrier one for the final. The dual heat winners David Moss and Sundon were warmly favoured to quinella the final with Fraggle Rock being sent out a $35.85 chance on the tote.
Fraggle Rock settled three back on the rails behind Tobago as Australian trotter Lenin sped to the front. Nearing the home turn Tobago had been pushed forward to the lead by Henry Skinner and led well into the straight. Fraggle Rock closed quickly and stormed through inside Tobago to win going away by an ever widening 1½ lengths. Middleton managed to drop his whip at the top of straight when calling upon Fraggle Rock for the ultimate effort but as it turned out good hands were all that was needed to complete the job.
Fraggle Rock’s time of T3:24.2 comprehensively extinguished David Moss’s 2700mM record by 2.6 seconds that had been set in the second round of heats and stood in the record books for nearly fifteen before Delft took ownership of the record. It took I Can Doosit a further five years to break Delft’s male record, subsequently broken and currently held by Stig at 3:21.3, National Trot, December 2012 (mare Quite A Moment holds the current all-comers record of T3:19.9 set in December 2016 National Trot). Fraggle Rock’s victory placed Middleton in the unique position of having bred, owned, trained, driven and shod an Inter Dominion Trotting Grand Final champion.
One lingering memory of this final, was having to push a path through the crowd from the top deck of the Centennial Stand to the presentation area for Heather Middleton so she could be united with Carl and Fraggle Rock for the victory celebrations.
The Trotters Consolation was also by an outsider Hickory Stick at odds of 22/1 for Stewie Sutherland and Henry Skinner, having three quarters of a length to spare from Le Duc with Game Paul a half head back. On Pacers Grand Final night, the Trotters FFA was taken out by Game Paul in the hands of Richard Brosnan, defeating William Dee by three quarters of a length with Yankee Loch third two and a half lengths away, a head in front of Tobago. Fraggle Rock finished in twelfth position.
Fraggle Rock was a late foal born on 13th January 1986 (1985 foaling), sired by Game Pride, the leading trotting stallion throughout the eighties and early nineties in NZ. Fraggle Rock’s dam Perilly traces back to the noted family of Jessie B (N9), the ancestress of the Lowe family’s NZ Cup winners in Lucky Jack (twice) and Cairnbrae, along with Inter Dominion winners pacer Village Kid and trotter Special Pride.
Perilly was acquired by Middleton from Ted Lowe in 1980 as Ted didn’t like trotters and Perilly showed no inclination to pace. Initial signs on the track were not good but Middleton managed to record four trotting wins from 32 starts with Perilly before she blew both tendons. Together with six placings, Perilly amassed $8,510 and included in her wins were victories over trotting champions Basil Dean, Scotch Tar and Tussle. Perilly, was pacing bred being by Noodlum from Udine, although breeding purists would realize that Noodlum had plenty of trotting blood in his pedigree, siring top trotters in Lenin and Tyron Scottie and being dam sire of the great Lyell Creek.
Fraggle Rock began racing as a three year old during the 1988/89 season with two starts at Greymouth and during a lengthy campaign he recorded one victory at Addington. His four year old career in the 1989/90 season proved much more fruitful winning eight races, his successes coming at Timaru, Oamaru, Hutt Park, Greymouth, middle and final nights of the January 1990 Forbury Park Festival meeting, Invercargill and Addington. In recording his sixth win for the season over 3200m at Forbury off 30m he graduated to the open class trotting ranks in a race sponsored by the writer and later in this season, he competed in his first of five Inter Dominions carnivals at Addington. Finishing sixth on both opening nights, Fraggle Rock made the final where as a relatively inexperienced trotter at the top level, he finished eleventh to Real Force.
Starting out his five year old career at Addington in early September, Middleton could little imagine how Fraggle Rock’s season would unfold especially as he was unable to obtain starts with Fraggle Rock on any of the days of the NZ Cup carnival. In November 1990, Middleton sent Fraggle Rock to then Pukekohe based former South Island trainer Richard Brosnan with a view to racing at Alexandra Park during the Christmas carnival, as it turned out as a prelude to the 1991 Auckland Inter Dominions. Placed on three occasions from eight starts, Fraggle’s best performance came in the G2 National Trot when he finished third just behind Piece de Resistance and William Dee.
That was enough for Middleton to set Fraggle Rock for the 1991 Auckland Inter Dominions. Two starts in Canterbury followed before the two day float trip and Cook Strait ferry crossing from Highbank to Auckland. His Interdominions exploits are outlined above.
The balance of Fraggle Rock’s five-year-old career consisted of a third in the Dunedin Trotting Cup, a further win at Auckland on the middle night of the Rowe Cup carnival and a fifth placing in the 1991 Rowe Cup. All up, the season’s toils had netted $115,300 from 23 starts, two wins, two seconds and three thirds.
Fraggle Rock’s career at six years started slowly with his best performances being a third in the G2 Challenge Stakes (to Idle Scott) and a fourth in the G2 NZ Trotting FFA during Cup week but the ultimate aim was the defence of his Inter Dominion title across the ditch at Moonee Valley. In Melbourne stabled at Ken Tippett‘s Melton property and on opening night Fraggle Rock took out his heat in a track record equalling time of T2.01.2 for the 2380 metres. Following up with a strong third to the local Maori’s Glory on the second night and in the Grand Final, he ran on gamely to finish second to William Dee. Middleton was the recipient of the Vin Knight Trophy during the ID carnival, the trophy being based on the best UDR for ID races, both heats and finals. On his return to NZ, Fraggle Rock took out the G3 NZ Trotting Championship on Easter Saturday in impressive fashion and again missed out on the Rowe Cup with a fifth place finish.
A slow starter again as a seven year old Fraggle Rock displayed he could still mix it with the best with a fourth in the Dominion Handicap, followed by success at Addington in early December. A northern Christmas trip proved successful when at Cambridge handled by Richard Brosnan (Middleton was driving stable mate Lilly the Pink), Fraggle Rock won the Trotters Flying Mile in a 2:02.9 rate. Taken to Wellington in late February 1993 prior to the Auckland Inter Dominion, Fraggle Rock was in good form finishing late for third on opening night to Game Paul before recording a win on the second night, establishing a new track record of T3:46.2/T2:05.5 for 2900 metres.
On opening night of the 1993 Inter Dominion Series Fraggle Rock led throughout to outlast Gee Du Jour in T2:48.4/T2:03.3 for the 2200 metres. On a slushy track on the second night, Fraggle Rock again led until ultimate winner Night Allowance took over with Fraggle Rock finishing a credible second. Grand Final night dawned with a nasty barrier draw of nine and things didn’t improve when Fraggle Rock was badly interfered with down the back straight the final time when about to mount his challenge and galloped.
The 1993/94 season as an eight-year-old commenced well with a win from the back mark of 35 metres at Forbury Park in October and his second in the Canterbury Park Trotting Cup early in the New Year of 1994 was his best effort before departing with Lily the Pink for the 1994 Inter Dominions in Sydney. A fourth in the Sonney Teal Trotters Cup as a lead up race, his opening night seventh was followed up with a front running victory on the second night at Harold Park.
Whilst not quite in Blacks A Fake’s league, this qualified Fraggle Rock for his fifth consecutive Inter Dominion Trotters Final (1990-1994, finishing first in 1991, placed second in 1992 and 1994), a sterling effort by any trotter. This record has only been bettered in later years by Pride Of Petite (1993, five consecutive finals 1995-1999), equalled in later years with five finals by Diamond Field and Special Force and on the pacing front, until Blackie’s six consecutive finals, only Caduceus with five (not consecutive) had achieved what Fraggle Rock managed on the trotting scene.
The Middleton’s attended a function hosted by the Bankstown TC during the 1994 Harold Park Sydney Inter Dominions and when MC Kevin Thomson got around to introducing Fraggle Rock, the mention of the trotter being a five time finalist was enough to inspire the whole audience to stand and applaud.
Meeting Diamond Field in the final, Fraggle Rock turned in a very credible performance for second, beaten 3.5 metres in the hands of Anthony Butt (Middleton drove Lilly The Pink into third). An encouraging start to his nine-year-old career with three placed efforts in three starts, was undone when injury intervened and he was off the scene until appearing unsuccessfully twice as an 11-year-old at which point the lengthy and productive race career of Fraggle Rock was signed off by Middleton. His overall career record showed 127 starts in NZ for seventeen wins, eleven seconds and fourteen thirds, T2:01.6, $247,210; in Australia, eight starts, two wins, two seconds and a third, T2:01.2, $54,475; a total of nineteen wins and twenty eight placings, $301,685, best mile rate of T2:01.2.
Following his retirement, Fraggle Rock made one final racetrack appearance. This was at the 1999 Interdominions held at Alexandra Park, Auckland. Leading out the Trotters Grand Final field before working a final 400m down the Alexandra Park straight. Driven by Richard Brosnan as Middleton had Little Rock in the grand final, the then 13yo Fraggle Rock showed his customary dash and finished full of zip at the conclusion of his final outing.
Peter Craig
11 July 2018
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
