Great Harness horses 1960-1980
NICOTINE PRINCE
In recent months I have written about the outstanding 1966 crop of foals that included such champions as Welcome Advice, James Darren, Monara, Alecane, Globe Score, Bay Foyle, Canu Bay etc. It seems almost imposssible to believe that just 2 years later ANOTHER crop of outstanding horses could be foaled in the same year, but 1968 did just that!
Some of the great horses to emerge from that year were Hondo Grattan 58 wins including 2 Inter Dominions, King Frost 62 wins, Bold Biami 36 wins, Adios Victor 30 wins, Jason King 24 wins plus Annastere, Lucky Variety, Local Ayr etc. However tonight I will tell the story of another of this marvellous crop, the sensational Victorian youngster, Nicotine Prince.
Nicotine Prince was beautifully bred by Smokey Hanover from Hindu Princess. Bred by L.G. Freeman of Victoria, Hindu Princess had 9 foals, but Nicotine Prince was, by far, her best.
He had his first start as a 2yo at Wangaratta on 2-10-70, running 5th. Over the next 4 weeks he raced at Shepparton and Kilmore (twice) running 6th, 8th and 8th. It was a very ordinary start for a horse who was destined for greatness as a juvenile pacer. He broke through for his first win at the Showgrounds on 5-12-70 in a 2yo event, started at 5-1 and rated 2-10 4/5 beating Cheeky Bravado and Wee Cent. He followed that with another win, this time at Ballarat, 5 weeks later, and 5 weeks later he won his 3rd race in a row when he came off 24 yards at Ballarat again to beat Agitator. He followed that with a 3rd at the Showgrounds and on the 20-3-71 he DNF in a race won by Jason King. Back to Ballarat, a track he seemed to like, for a close 2nd, off 36 yards, to Agitator and on the 10-4-71 he lined up in a heat of the Youthful Stakes at the Showgrounds. Showing that there was definite potential in his blood he won the race in track record time rating 2-6 4/5, sensational time for a 2yo on that track in a standing start event. In the final a week later he ran 4th to Gay Star. Two weeks later he had his first start at HP.
Off 24 yards, he was beaten just a 1/2 head by a pretty good performer in Local Ayr. It would be 5 months before he was beaten in a race again! On 7-5-71 he won a heat of the NSW Sapling Stakes easily from the very good Bold Biami, and the following week won the final from Local Ayr and Slingalong. A month later, still at HP, he easily won a heat of the 2yo Challenge Stakes from Royal Topaz and Local Ayr and a week later absolutely blitzed the field in the final, beating Local Ayr by 15 metres with King Frost 3rd. His time was a new Australasian record rate of 2-0 2/5. Two weeks later he won the Qld. Sapling Stakes from Bold Biami and Gay Power. It was his 5th win in a row and his last start as a 2yo. As a 2yo he had 18 starts for 9 wins and 3 placings.
Resuming 2 months later in a 3yo event at Cranbourne, he continued his winning way with a 25 metre win over Meadow Valley after starting at 1-8! Seventeen days later he won again at Cranbourne, and on 28-9-71 he started off 24 yards in a 3yo event at Warragul and beat Spice Of Life. It was his 8th consecutive win. Eight days later he won at Terang and 3 days later ran a race record winning at the Showgrounds. On 11-10-71 he won at Healesville off 24 yards, his 11th consecutive win. Two days later he ran 3rd at Shepparton but 4 days later, off 12 yards in a 3yo event at the Showgrounds, returned to the winning list beating Captain Miller easily. The following week he won again at the same track and on 30-10-71, still at the Showgrounds, won a 3yo event off 36 yards.
At his next start he ran an uncharacteristic race finishing 9th to Simpsonic and at his next start was 2nd, off 48 yards, to Cheeky Bravado. His connections then did something many thought was asking a bit much of this 3yo, they competed against the very best all aged open class pacers in the A.G.Hunter Cup carnival! In the first heat he ran 8th to Globe Score and in the second heats finished 3rd behind Alecane and Bold David. He failed to qualify for the final on 8-1-72, so contested the Consolation and finished 5th behind Stormy Lodge. A month later, racing against ‘his own kind’ he beat Durdidworrah, but then they put him up against the top class pacers again, this time in the heats of the Anniversary Cup. In his first heat on 19-2-72 he ran 2nd, narrowly beaten by Brand New, but in the second set of heats he ran last behind Bold David. Failing to qualify for the final, once again, he contested the Consolation, but DNF behind the outstanding S.A. mare, My Gal Sal.
Back to his own age group on 4-3-72 in the heats of the Vic. Derby, he ran 4th to Jason King. Failing to contest the final, he travelled to HP and won a heat of the NSW Derby, beating Bold Biami and Royal Topaz and in the final the following week was beaten a nose by Bold Biami with Adios Victor a head away 3rd. The next week he contested the R.C.Simpson Sprint and, once again, was beaten a nose by Bold Biami. Given a 2 month ‘breather’, he contested an open class FFA at HP, but could only run 5th behind the ugly, but outstanding, Kiwi pacer, Manaroa, who won in track record time. Back to his own age group again he contested the Southern Cross Stakes on 19-5-72, running 2nd in the heat to Simpsonic but the following week won the final easily in race record time, from King Frost and Simpsonic. At his final 3yo race he contested the Kilmore Derby on 5-6-72, beating Simpsonic and Adios Victor. His 3yo season saw 27 starts for 13 wins and 7 placings.
Resuming as a 4yo three months later he won the Cranbourne Cup first up from the 12 yard mark and then travelled to Sydney for the HP Spring Cup carnival. On 6-10-72 he was beaten a nose by Bay Foyle in a Spring Cup heat and the following week, in the second set of heats, ran 3rd behind Just Too Good. In the final he finished 3rd behind Bold Biami and Just Too Good. A week later he contested the Australasian 4yo Championship, winning his heat in record time from King Frost and the following week won the final beating Adios Victor and Local Ayr. The following week, in a special 4yo Invitation Challenge, he finished 4th to Adios Victor. Then he made a quick trip to Melbourne on 16-12-72, running 2nd in the Lord Mayor’s Cup, before returning to Sydney. He was given a 3 month spell and resumed on 30-3-73, winning at HP from 12 yards and the following week contested the 4yo Futurity but found the Inter Dominion champion, Hondo Grattan, just too good, finishing 2nd beaten 4 metres. He then contested the Lord Mayor’s Cup carnival finishing 4th in the 1st heat to Bill’s Boy, 2nd in the second heat to Dillon Light, and in the final was beaten just a 1/2 head by the flying Hondo Grattan with Welcome Advice 3rd.
He then travelled to Kilmore for a flying mile but could only finish 7th behind Royal Gaze, but 4 days later won an Invitation at the Showgrounds beating Welcome Advice and Globe Score. Two days later he won a Cranbourne FFA beating the very talented Monara and 4 days later won another FFA, this time at Bendigo, beating Welcome Advice by 10 metres. He followed this with 3rd to Globe Score at the Showgrounds before winning another FFA, this time at Nyah, beating the evergreen Greenwald and Royal Gaze. He raced again at Nyah 4 days later, running 2nd off 36 yards to the very talented Spike (off the front) and 3 weeks later was beaten a 1/2 head by Amlin in a Cranbourne FFA. He followed that with a 5th to Glamour Chief, a 2nd to Verona and a 3rd to Prince Murat at Kilmore. That was his last start for the season. As a 4yo Nicotine Prince had 24 starts for 8 wins and 12 placings.
He resumed as a 5yo at HP on 28-9-73 and won first up beating Royal Calypso and Apollo Eleven. A week later he ran 2nd in a heat of the Spring Cup behind King Frost, 4th in the next heat to Opera House and 9th in the final to Bold Jason. Back down to Melbourne for a 4th in an Invitation to Welcome Advice before he made a flying visit to S.A. Winning first up there in a FFA he beat the very controversial Harwood Brigade and My Gal Sal, and the following week, off 12 yards, won the S.A.T.C. Cup from local heroine My Gal Sal. Back to Melbourne finishing 2nd to Prince Murat and then last behind Paleface Adios in a FFA. On 5-1-74 he contested the A.G.Hunter Cup but finished last again, this time to Monara. He followed that with a 5th, from 24 yards, to Royal Gaze in the Shepparton Cup before travelling back to HP.
On 5-7-74 he won a FFA but could only run 4th, from 18 yards, the following week. He followed that with a 9th, also from 18 yards, to Legality. That was his last race for the season. As a 5yo he had 14 starts for just 3 wins and 2 placings.
He resumed on 22-10-74, running 5th in the Cranbourne Cup and 6 days later had his last start finishing unplaced in the Kilmore Cup won by Nevada Smoke. He was then retired to stud. At stud he had reasonable success producing 51 individual winners.
During his career Nicotine Prince had 85 starts for 34 wins and 24 placings always against the very best pacers, even as a 3yo! He was a brilliant juvenile pacer who never quite reproduced his earlier form as he got older. Maybe his 45 starts as a 2 and 3yo, sometimes against the best aged pacers in the country, took it’s toll, who knows? What we do know, however, was that he was always competitive and more than held his own against some of the best juvenile pacers we ever saw. If he had been foaled in a different era he could have been labelled a champion, but against so many other ‘champion’ young pacers he was just another VERY good young horse.
By Jim Hogan
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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