The second of a two part article reviewing NZ Cup Week 1981, in this the second part, the Show Day trots and the second/third days at Riccarton.
Wednesday 11 November : CJC’s middle day when many of those in attendance at Addington’s Cup Day turn out to enjoy a day at the gallops. The days feature race was the Canterbury Gold Cup run over 2000m at weight for age (WFA), $23,500. The winner was the well performed mare Orchidra (7m Oncidium/Alexandra), ridden by Bruce Compton.
In recent years, three significant changes have been made to the second days
racing programme at Riccarton with the Stewards Hcp (feature carnival sprint), transferred to second day from third day; major Gp1 race Couplands Mile takes pride of place and the Canterbury Gold Cup now forming part of the Autumn carnival.
Friday 13 November – Show Day. Canterbury Anniversary Day (local public holiday) was a typical Show Day; hot with warm nor‘west breeze which obviously aided the day‘s racing performance‘s with three national records established. The crowd which approximated 25,000 with many children accompanying parents were attending the A&P Show next door and then coming through the gates to Addington Raceway. The major talking point of day and for many years thereafter was the performance of Armalight in winning the NZFFA. The 18th horse to complete the Cup/Free-for-All double, this has now risen to 28 in number to 2015.
The FFA (C9, $25,000) was in fact a superior race to the Cup being run in perfect weather conditions for recording a fast time. Unlike the Cup, Armalight was heavily supported being 1/3 in the betting and paying $3.70. She led for the entire 2000m mobile journey after drawing barrier six in the field of fourteen. At the line she had 3 lengths to spare on Bonnies Chance, runner up again, with half a head to Superior Chance and Gammalite fourth, seven lengths in arrears.
The overall time of 2:23.5/1:55.4MR smashed Robalan’s previous world record set in 1974 by 3.1 seconds (2:26.6). This time was not even challenged until the Premier Mares Championship in 1994 won by Lento in 2:24.8/1:56.4 and was finally beaten by Yulestar who took out the 2002 NZFFA in 2:22.9/1:55.0, twenty one years after Armalights fantastic time. One could equate her effort with that of Adore Me’s 1:47.7 at Menangle in 2015 and now Have Faith In Me’s 1:47.5 earlier this year – breed leading feats.
Armalights quarterly sectionals were : 26.2 (first 400m), 55.6 (first half, quarter 29.4), 1:26.3 (1200m, quarter 30.7), 1:54.2 (1600m, quarter 27.9), 2:23.5/1:55.4 (quarter 29.3). For the era we are describing, thirty five years ago, this was brutal speed throughout, totally unheard of at the time.
Her career record following the 1981 Cup carnival showed : 21 : 14 – 3 -2, $153,115 ($151,885 excluding trophies). The Alan Matson Stakes third, a week after the NZFFA (reviewed later) was her final 5yo start. She was retired due to injury but subsequently was back in work in July 1982. Armalight was named Harness Horse of Year in 1982 (1981/2 season).
The 1982/3 season saw Armalight race on 13 occasions for four wins and eight placings (seconds – fourths), $125,635. The only miss came when seventh in a lead up race to the Auckland Cup. Her stellar season saw her win the Kaikoura Cup; run second in both NZ Cup (favourite) and NZFFA to Bonnies Chance; fourth in Alan Matson Stakes; second in NZ Breeders Stakes, third in New Year (Radio 3ZB) FFA; win the Auckland Cup defeating Hilarious Guest and Hands Down; won two heats, finishing third in another and fourth in 1983 Interdominions Grand Final, concluding her season with a third in North Island Breeders Stakes.
Two unplaced starts at the beginning of the 1983/4 season, finishing seventh in the Ashburton Flying Stakes and eighth in the Kaikoura Cup, Smith retired her just before the 1983 NZ Cup (November 1983), thus retiring the winner of seven Group One races.
Armalight’s broodmare career now spans into a fifth generation (Ohoka Punter). She produced ten foals, seven raced for five winners, none in two minutes or better. Significant progeny produced from the continuation of her branch of the Lady Antrim family appear below – she is dam of :
- Armas Image (Lordship mare), unraced; dam of five foals in NZ (1 winner) and dam of ten foals in Australia (2 winners)
- grand dam of Arma Fake, $127,772 and Scorched Arma – Manawatu Cup, Palmerstonian Classic
- 3rd dam of Ohoka Rebel – Hannon Memorial, Kurow Cup, $189,730 and Wilusi Blues, 26 AUS wins, $166,225, 1:54.0
- 4th dam of Ohoka Punter – 16 NZ/7 AUS wins, near millionaire, $964,016, 1:52.4AUS, GN/VIC Derbies, Flying Stakes, Superstars -4, Shepparton Cup, Blacks A Fake
- Berkleigh Square (Embryo transplant) (Vance Hanover mare), qualified, non winner; dam of three NZ foals (3 winners)
- London Pride 8 NZ/20 AUS wins, 1:51.3US, $606,165, NZYSS NHT
- London Express 8 NZ/24 AUS, 1:50.3US, $347,003, Cardigan Bay Stakes, Shepparton Cup
- Beyond Comparison (Smooth Fella horse), 2 AUS wins from two starts, 2:01.4; sire of 60 winners in Australia including Astrud, NSW Trotters Derby; dam sire of ten winners
- L’Armour (Falcon Seelster mare), 1 win, 2:02.5; dam of 9 foals to date, 5 to race for three winners (all in Australia including one in NZ)
- Arma Legend, 5 NZ wins, 1:59.3, 9 AUS wins (4 Menangle, 1 Albion Park), 1:52.8, $138,638, MacArthur Travel Listed Classic, 2nd Carousel Final
- Ultimate Arma (Holmes Hanover mare), 1 win, 2:01.0; dam of 12 live foals, 7 to race for 6 winners including 4 in AUS, 3 in 2:00.0
- Dead Calm, 9 NZ wins, 1:59.1, 2 AUS (Albion Park) wins, 1:58.3, $106,023, Morrinsville Grass Cup, Northland Cup
- Cindi Arma, 4 wins, 1:56,5
- Arma The One, 2 AUS (Harold Park) wins, dam of 7 live foals for 2 winners, one a trotter and Armalife, 7 wins, 1:58.6, NSW Western District Sapling, SW & Riverina Derby
Colt foals that won for Armalight were Ata Tude Arma (2 wins) and Arma Crusader (2 AUS wins).
Show Days other features included :
NZ Trotting FFA, 2600mM, C6, $7,500, was won by Stormy Morn (7g Westland King/Stormy Time), in a New Zealand record time of 3.21.3/2:04.6, beating No Response’s 3:21.9. This was after sitting parked outside pace making mare Special Pride. He was raced by Peter Moore and co trainer (with Brian Hughes) and driver Tony Perucich.
Cashmere Hcp, 3200m std, C5, $4,300, was won by Hilarious Guest (3f Hilarious Way/New Guest). In a NZR time for a 3yo filly of 4:14.5/2:07.9 (previous best Koarakau 4:16.0) for breeder/owner/trainer Maurice Vermuelen and driver Peter Jones. She led for the last 2400m, last mile in 2:03.8/58.4/29.8. This was just one of four NZ records she set this season as well as becoming fifth NZ/NI Oaks winner, first NZ Derby/Oaks winner and qualified for NZ Cup at three.
Her overall CV included feature wins in Sapling Stakes, NZ Championship – 2, GN/NZ Oaks, NZ Derby, Messenger, NZ Breeders Stakes; 2 and 3yo Pacer of Year, 4yo Mare Pacer of Year; 5yo & older Mare Pacer of Year.
There were two dual winners on NZ Cup and Show Days – Kotare Hunter (4h Kotare Legend, 2nd NZ Cup/Kotare Del), owned by Kotare Downs proprietors Tony & Gay Abell and trotter Israel (5g Crockett/Frances Dick).
The major programming change for Show Day in recent years was the move of the feature trotting race, Group 1 Dominion Hcp from day four Saturday night/later Friday night meeting to Show Day Friday in 2009 (NZ Trotting FFA moved to NZ Cup Day).
Saturday 14 November : CJC’S third and final day, their NZ Galloping Cup Day. My first ever attendance at NZ Galloping Cup over 3200m for a stake of $51,500. Won by Gold Bullion (6g Sovereign Edition/Diatena) who had also won the main staying race on the middle day, trained by Noel Eales and ridden by Garry Phillips.***
Other feature races on the day were :
One Thousand Guineas, 3yo fillies, 1600m, $35,000 won by Noble Heights (3f Sir Tristram/Gold Heights), owned by Vela Brothers and ridden by Garry Phillips who won both days feature events. Noble Heights was 1981/2 Wrightson Filly of Year.
Stewards Hcp, 1200m, $16,000 with Magellan (4g Adios II/Love Life), who won six at Riccarton including Winter Cup, being the only South island based winner of major races over carnival. He was owned by Helen Preston and ridden by David Walsh.
Welcome Stakes, 2yo, 1000m, $5,000 saw Beaufort Lass (2f Beaufort Sea/Uproar), who had also won on opening day prevail. She was trained by Paddy Busuttin and ridden by Jim Cassidy.
*** huge strike rate at Riccarton from mid 1970’s until his retirement in 1990’s when he took up race starting duties for both thoroughbreds and standardbreds in Central Districts (North Island), which he is still performing at the time of writing.
Tuesday 17 November : The third day and first night of NZMTC 1981 Cup carnival (not in attendance) saw a lower key meeting with Quiet Win winning 1 mile Ollivier Stakes (2:00.1) for C7-9 and Tussock NZ Premier Stakes for four year olds.
Saturday 21 November : The fourth day and second night of NZMTC 1981 Cup carnival (not in attendance) several feature races were run :
Dominion Hcp : Stormy Morn followed up his NZ Trotting FFA win with a hard fought victory in the Group 1. The 3200m Oc std was worth $40,000 in 1981. This win took Stormy Morn’s earnings over $140,000 and was Tony Perucich’s biggest and most prestigious win. He had previously won the New Zealand Juvenile Championship and Welcome Stakes with Trio. Later in the 1981/2 season, Stormy Morn was to win National Trot/Rowe Cup at Alexandra Park as well as Australasian Trotters Championship final (plus three heats). By season’s end he had become the first trotter in Australasia to win over $200k in stake earnings, he was named Trotter of Year (1981/2).
Allan Matson Stakes ($15,000), C9, 2600mM : Lord Module’s (7h Lordship/Module) victory crowned a comeback of major proportions by the then errant pacer, trained by Ces Devine and driven by Jack Smolenski. Stone motherless last even 300m from home, six carts off the fence, he emerged 150m out to enable commentator Reon Murtha to exclaim “And here‘s Lord Module, and, oh, he’s just mowing them down“. The crowd erupted when his world record time of 3:15.5/2:00.9 for 2600mM was announced (compare with Locharburn’s 2016 record of 3:06.5/1:55.4). Gammalite finished second and Armalight who led came in a gallant third. Lord Module’s CV included victories in NZ Championship – 2, NZ Cup/NZFFA, Pan Am Mile, ID heats (2); 1:56.2 (Australasian record race mile)/1:54.9TT NZ records; 3yo, 4yo, 5yo & older Pacer of Year; Harness Horse of Year.
Norton (3c Tactile/Kate Quillan; winner of Easter Cup, Pan Am Mile), won the Courier Systems 3yo Stakes Championship over 2600m std, 3:24.8/2:06.7, $10,000 for tr Patrick O’Reilly Snr and one of his sons in Kerry O’Reilly who drove him. The heats of the 3yo Championship had been run on Cup Day/Show Day with the winners being Mister Wood Chips (3c Timely Knight/Local Lustre) and Enterprise (3c Lordship/Universo; winner of Auckland Cup, 2 ID heats, ID Consolation).
As Barbara Streisand sang “Memories”, mine are of my first NZ Cup Week still fresh and vivid. May they and many more Cup Weeks make more memories for a good few years yet.
Peter Craig
10 November 2016
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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