This is an interesting story that warrants the telling, it concerns the NZ soldiers trotting meeting approximately seventy five years ago in Trieste, Italy towards the end of the Second World War.
First some background regarding Trieste and the situation that pervaded at the time of the race meeting namely “2nd Division NZ Trotting Club”.
Trieste –
Trieste a city and seaport in north-eastern Italy, toward the end of a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, which lies approximately ten – fifteen Kms (six – nine miles) south and east of the city. Croatia is about thirty kms (nineteen miles) to the south.
At the head of the Gulf of Trieste there is a very long coastline, with free sea access in Barcola and surrounded by grassland, forest and karst areas – topography formed from dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. Characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. Trieste has a population of around 205,000 and capital of the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (metropolitan population of 410,000).
Being one of the oldest parts of the Habsburg Monarchy, belonging to it from 1382 until 1918. In the 19th century the monarchy was one of the Great Powers of Europe and Trieste was its most important seaport. As a prosperous seaport in the Mediterranean region, Trieste became the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague). In the fin de siècle (French term meaning “end of century”) period at the end of the 19th century it emerged as an important hub for literature and music. Undergoing an economic revival during the 1930s, the Free Territory of Trieste became a major site of the struggle between the Eastern and Western blocs after the Second World War.
With its deep-water port Trieste is a maritime gateway for Northern Italy, Germany, Austria and Central Europe, as it was before 1918 and considered the end point of the Maritime Silk Road with its connections via the Suez Canal and Turkey and other overland routes to Africa, China, Japan and many countries in Asia.
Military situation in 1940’s Italy –
Italy annexed the province of Ljubljana and subsequently deported 25,000 Slovenes (7.5% of provinces population) filling up concertation camps at Rab, Gonars, Monigo (Treviso), Renicci d’Anghiari, Chiesanuova, and other Italian locations where altogether 9,000 Slovenes died. From the winter of 1941 following the trisection of Slovenia, the first Slovene Partisans appeared in Trieste province with the resistance movement becoming active in late 1943. The city’s Jewish community was deported to extermination camps, where the majority died.
The city was occupied by Wehrmacht after the Italian armistice in September 1943. Trieste became part of the newly constituted Italian Social Republic but Germany was the de facto ruler and created the Operation Zone of the Adriatic Littoral out of former Italian north-eastern regions, with Trieste as the administrative centre. The administrative entity was headed by Friedrich Rainer. Under German occupation, the only concentration camp with a crematorium on Italian soil was built in a suburb of Trieste, at the Risiera di San Sabba on 4 April 1944. About 5,000 South Slavs, Italian anti-Fascists and Jews died at the Risiera, while thousands more were imprisoned before being transferred to other concentration camps.
Trieste had intense Italian and Yugoslav partisan activity and suffered from over twenty Allied bombing raids in 1944–1945 which targeted the oil refineries, port and marshalling yards but caused considerable collateral damage to the city with 651 deaths among the population. The worst raid took place on 10 June 1944, when a hundred tons of bombs dropped by forty USAAF bombers targeted the oil refineries resulting in the destruction of two hundred and fifty buildings, damage to another seven hundred and four hundred and sixty three casualties.
Yugoslav occupation of Trieste –
On 30 April 1945, the Slovenian and Italian anti-Fascist Osvobodilna fronta (OF) and National Liberation Committee (Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale, or CLN) of Marzari and Savio Fonda, made up of approximately 3,500 volunteers, incited a riot against the Nazi occupiers. On 1 May 1945 Allied members of the Yugoslav Partisans’ 8th Dalmatian Corps took over most of the city, except for the courts and the castle of San Giusto. The German garrisons refused to surrender to anyone other than New Zealanders as the Yugoslavs had a reputation for shooting German and Italian prisoners. The 2nd New Zealand Division under General Freyberg continued to advance towards Trieste along Route 14 around the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea and arrived in the city the following day. The German forces surrendered on the evening of 2 May, but were then turned over to the Yugoslav forces.
The Yugoslavs took full control of the city until 12 June 1945, a period known in Italian history as the “forty days of Trieste”. During this period, hundreds of local Italians and anti-Communist Slovenes were arrested by the Yugoslav authorities with many never seen again. Some were interned in Yugoslav concentration camps (particularly Borovnica, Slovenia), while others were murdered on the Karst Plateau. British Field Marshal Harold Alexander condemned the Yugoslav military occupation, stating that “Marshal Tito’s apparent intention to establish his claims by force of arms . . . [is] all too reminiscent of Hitler, Mussolini and Japan. It is to prevent such actions that we have been fighting this war.”
After an agreement between the Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito and Field Marshal Alexander, the Yugoslav forces withdrew from Trieste, which then came under a joint British-U.S. military administration. The Julian March was divided by the Morgan Line between Anglo-American and Yugoslav military administration until September 1947 when the Paris Peace Treaty established the Free Territory of Trieste.
Trieste trotting track
Today, the Ippodromo Montebello is a 804.5m (half mile) track that opened in Trieste in 1892. It has staged major Italian races (Group Two level) on its course since the late 1940’s on a small track that is situated a few minutes from the city centre. Trotting in the afternoon or under lights provides free entry with seating for nearly three thousand in a two storey grandstand. Dining and drinking facilities are available in two bars or the pizzeria. With fifty betting booths and according to the experts an excellent track making this one of the best equipped racetracks in Italy.
NZ Trotting Meeting in Trieste –
On Saturday 9 June 1945 a full trotting meeting was staged by military personnel at the Montebello Racecourse, Trieste (then similar population size as Auckland in mid-1940s) with around 9,000 in attendance all of whom carried firearms. Montebello was built to accommodate 4,000 spectators so the military meeting crowd meant the course was packed.
Trotting enthusiasts from the 2nd NZ Division ran a non-profit meeting sanctioned by the patron of “2nd Division NZ Trotting Club” Lieutenant General (later Sir) Bernard Fergusson** on 9 June 1945.
** Brigadier Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae, KT, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE (6 May 1911 – 28 November 1980) was a British Army officer, a military historian, the tenth and last British-born Governor-General of New Zealand – in office 9 November 1962 until 20 October 1967.
The idea of holding a trotting meeting in Italy during war time was promoted well before the Allies advanced through Italy. In 1944, the Kiwis made contact with Italian trainers to keep their horses in work (reimbursement was mainly in the form of feed costs). Two weeks before the meeting was held the Kiwis prepared the horses for racing. They were fortunate to arrive in Trieste in May 1945 finding a suitable racecourse, numerous trotters and the necessary facilities to run a race meeting.
As outlined in the military history earlier, it is somewhat amazing that a trotting meeting of any kind could have been held with the prevailing situation between the Allied forces and those of Marshal Tito’s troops. It was not without considerable effort, not least convincing the Italian owners and trainers that their valuable horses would be in capable Kiwi hands. Overcoming language barriers and Italian temperament required much diplomacy from the event’s organisers.
Kiwis capable of handling a trotter met up in the ball room of the castle at Miramare where each morning they would depart for Montebello racecourse to drive work. Each of them was attached to different stables and attended weekly meetings held every Saturday and Sunday, sometimes more often, gaining an appreciation of the starting system, local reinsmens tactics and the horses racing.
The track surface in 1945 was of coarse sand, almost shingle and except on the well banked bends the going was as hard as concrete. Horses were often sore due to this; however the constant racing, lack of oats, steel for shoes etc made work during the week practically unnecessary with this time utilised for “patching up” horses ready for racing. Spreaders were used in a final attempt to aid knee knockers. Many of the horses were left entire with the majority quiet and well mannered.
There was no civilian attendance at the meeting apart from the Italian trainers and officials. Races were run under Italian rules – as is not uncommon in Europe, the stipes box was located in the central of course. A rolling start was a feature at Trieste with fields dispatched by a recording relayed by loud speaker – “Pronto” (ready) horses wheeled and walked back towards the next barrier; “Una” (One) they began turning in the correct direction; “Due” (Two) they gathered speed and “Tre” (Three) they were underway.
Horses were not allowed to pass one immediately in front of them on the inside in the final straight. Where two horse’s from the same stable competed together, the hindmost one was not permitted to come inside his stablemate at any time of the race. Galloping over the finish line led to automatic disqualification while breakers were given a fair degree of latitude provided they did not gain ground while one step pacing brought immediate disqualification with the offender announced over the loud speaker.
Trotting was administered in Trieste by an association of owners, trainers and drivers. This did not appear to be the most satisfactory system whereby active participants administered the sport contrary to our ideals today.
All races were for trotters as was and still is the case throughout Europe where pacers are not tolerated. The stakes were a record for races held in Trieste and there were numerous tote machine windows – thirty for win and place, fifteen for twin (quinella) and nine for doubles (this and next). Bets were placed in multiples of 100 lire although bets as low as ten lire (around sixpence) were permitted, with the only currency accepted being 100 lire or less notes as well as 500/1000 lire only in Allied military currency.
An eight race programme was conducted consisting of two races solely for Kiwi drivers and six combined races for Kiwi and Italian drivers. A total of twenty NZ drivers took part including Ted Paul (later chief NZ handicapper), Chappie Chapman, Jack Stow**, George England, Sam Townley***, Joe Washington, Tom Gunning****, Jack Connell, Claude Baker, Graeme Radford, HE Thomas, C McNeill, AW Williams, AC Francis, W McDonnell.
**Jack Stow – Pukekohe amateur trainer 1972 – 1988 : trained eight winners, seven trotting wins included Wardale three wins, one each at Alexandra Park, Hutt Park, Pukekohe, dr Les Purdon and Dandy Jim four wins at Stratford, Alexandra Park, Wanganui (twice) with Jack Stow driving them to victory, his only race winning drives; Jay Cee, pacer driven by Steven Reid as a junior driver to win at Alexandra Park in April 1987
*** Sam Townley – Tinwald was never a full time horseman according to Kevin Townley
Much of the Townley family outline provided by Kevin Townley, son of Doody :
- Townley (Bob) was a successful trainer/driver 100 odd years ago up until 1940’s. His five sons all drove in races to varying degrees :
- RW (Sonny), was a leading Southland trainer and Auckland Cup winning trainer of Ned Worthy (1940 Jubilee Auckland Cup). As a driver he won races with Harold Logan and U Scott
- Alex, always Southland based, trained and drove a good number of winners
- George, who didn’t do horses after fighting in the war in the Pacific
- Kevin’s father, David (Doody) who won virtually everything both as a trainer and driver throughout Australasia : over seven hundred driving successes, twenty one Group One equivalent wins, trained and/or drove winners of two : Auckland Cups, ID Pacers and Trotters Grand Finals, NZ Derbies, GN Derbies, NZFFA’s, NZ Trotting FFA’s; NZ/Easter/Rowe Cups, Dominion Hcp, Dullard Cup; seven Champion Stakes; four Sapling and Welcome Stakes. Major winners included Stella Frost, Robin Dundee, True Averil, Hano Direct, Jacobite, Rupee, Tactile, Sun Chief, Waitaki Hanover
- Sam Townley : using HRNZ stats (Infohorse 1957/9 onwards) and Year Books in earlier years which only list winners of a specified number of races making it difficult to tabulate all victories, it can be revealed that Sam Townley’s record included 1946/7 season, five driving wins; 1948/9, six training, 5 driving; 1949/50, five training; 1950/1 – three training and in both 1964/5 and 1965/6, one training success
****Tom Gunning – applying similar criteria as for Sam Townley reveals that Tom Gunning was definitely the most successful horseman both pre and post WWII that competed at the Trieste meeting. Gunning’s record included 1940/1, eighteen training (seventh equal NZ Premiership)/fourteen driving (twelfth); 1941/2, 13 training (fifth equal)/eleven driving (ninth equal); 1942/3, ten raining (ninth equal)/nine driving (ninth); 1946/7 six training/seven driving; 1947/8, nineteen training (fourth)/thirteen driving (twelfth equal); 1948/9, twenty training (fifth)/fifteen driving (seventh equal); 1949/50, fifteen training/twelve driving; 1950/1 five training/driving [Ada Scott provided nine of those wins in the 1947/8 – 1950/1 period including an ID heat on the second day of 1951 Christchurch ID’s/fourth first day heat]; 1953/4, seven training/driving. Infohorse records Gunning training thirty nine and driving thirty two winners between 1957/8 and 1961/2 season – included Some Lad, Riccarton Stakes; Allanah Marie; General John – Waikato Cup; Smoke Cloud, GN Stakes, later ID heat Melbourne Showgrounds, US International Pace for owner Noel J Simpson, $172,263, 2:00.0US, thirteen wins at Harold Park
The main race was the Trieste Hcp won by Corporal Jack (Arthur John) Stow driving Trionfatore with the runner up Carlino driven by Walter (Wattie) Scott of Christchurch, the brother and long-time assistant to Karl Scott, editor of NZ Trotting Calendar. The other race for Kiwi drivers was won by George England driving Macaone while MD (Chappie) Chapman won one of the combined Kiwi/Italian driver’s races. Winners were presented with a specially minted silver medallion.
With more than 8000 in attendance, betting by race four was greater than ever before recorded at an Italian meeting. In total 8,243,000 lire, equivalent to £20,608 (previous record £10,750) was bet. A final profit of over 320,000 lire (£800) was forwarded to General Kissenberger in England for the soldiers repatriation fund.
While the Italians wanted another meeting held, Marshal Tito’s presence in Trieste meant this was not achievable. Thus a special one off event held in the middle of war torn Italy came to a conclusion.
Other points concerning Italian trotting of 1940’s –
The Italian trotting circuit in normal times was split between Trieste, Bologna, Milan and Rome with the Milan course offering the best track and facilities. Milan (San Siro racecourse) also boasts one of the finest and most beautiful thoroughbred tracks in Europe.
The mile rates achieved by the Trieste trotters of the mid 1940’s apart from the slower classes ranged between 2:14 and 2:24. An eight year old Arno, T1:20.6EU (Hazleton/Mazie Volo) recorded a 2:08 4/5ths mile rate which was a quality performance taking into account the conditions prevailing. He was the winner of two Group Two features in Italy – 1940 Elwood Medium – 3 at Breda and 1941 GP d’Europa – 4 at San Siro.
Trotting bloodlines – were not unlike Australasia consisting of American imports known in NZ/Australia and influential throughout Europe as well. Leading sires in Italy included Prince Hall (The Laurel Hall, sire of Dillon Hall; Hambletonian/Kentucky Futurity winner Walter Dear, later European champion – eight Group Ones on continent and leading sire for five consecutive years in Germany); Schnapps (Mr McElwyn); Traveller (Guy Axworthy, sire of Frank Worthy, Real Guy etc), Spencer McElwyn (Spencer); De Sota (Peter Volo) and Day Star all imported from USA.
Due to the restrictions on American imports in the period 1940 through 1955 (foreign exchange issues), a number of Italian stallions were imported into Australasia –
LORETO (The Laurel Hall/Maid McElwyn, exported to Italy), winner of Italian Derby who produced fifty seven pacing and twenty nine trotting winners in Australia/NZ; dam sire of Hondo Grattan, Maori Miss (dam of Maori’s Idol), Terraton
MEDORO (Prince Hall/Alma Lee), T1:22.2EU (T2:12.3), half-brother to world’s fastest trotting mare Rosalind (T1:56¾). Medoro in 1950 was the first imported stallion that Noel Simpson purchased siring ninety eight pacing and thirty one trotting winners throughout Australasia; notably dam sire of Als Holiday, Mountain Pride, Robyn Evander, for Gibbons family of Kumeu – Paula, Paula Scott, Paulette
FLORIDORO (The Laurel Hall/Alma Hall), T2:08.3EU, Italian Derby winner exported to Australia siring sixty one pacing (Dusty Miller) but only nine trotting winners over four seasons in Noel Simpson’s ownership
GOOD REPORT (De Sota/Esperia, a sister of Rosalind), raced in Italy as Perosso, T1:18.6EU; sired thirty two trotting and twenty eight pacing winners in Australia; sire of Annual Report, dam sire of El Cordobies; leading BM sire of trotters in Australia
PILADE (Prince Hall/Naomi Guy), T2:12.2; sire of Tamboritha; dam sire of Tony Bear and Adios Bear
References :
Salute To Trotting (premium edition), Ron Bisman
Pillars of Harness Horsedom, Karl Scott
Silks and Sulkies, Max Agnew
HRNZ Infohorse and Year Books
Peter Craig
25 November 2020
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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