GREAT HARNESS HORSES 1960-1980
KING FROST
King Frost was bred by Norm Harkham and Bill Clark and was broken in by Harkham. He told me he was an easy horse to break in and he knew, even at that early stage, that he had a ‘good one’. When he began racing as a 2yo Harkham was sure that his original assessment was right.
King Frost had his first start on 10-4-71 in a 2yo event at Bathurst, finishing 4th to Slingalong. Two weeks laterhe had his 2nd race start, winning at Forbes and a month later he won again, this time off 12 yards in a 2yo event at Menangle. He started at 6-1 and ran a new race record rating 2-8 3/5 beating Swift Sarah by 5 yards with Royal Topaz another 5 yards back in 3rd place. On 11-6-71 he had his first HP start finishing 7th to Dy Mon Tee and a week later was 2nd in a heat of the 2yo Challenge Stakes. In the final he finished 3rd behind Nicotine Prince and Local Ayr. His six 2yo starts produced 2 wins and 2 placings.
Given 4 months off, he resumed as a 3yo on 30-10-71, winning first up at his ‘home’ track, Bathurst. This was a very promising start to his 3yo season as he beat the good country horse, Doral’s Princess, by 15 yards. A week later he won off 12 yards at Fairfield and the following week made it a treble, winning off 24 yards at Lithgow by 20 yards from Andy Kash. Four nights later he made it 4 straight by winning his first HP event, a 3yo race in which he started 1-2 favourite and won by 6 yards from Americana. Two weeks later he ran 5th in a heat of the Sires Produce Stakes behind Royal Topaz and in the final, on 17-12-71, finished 3rd behind a horse who he would face many times over the next few years, Hondo Grattan.
On 5-1-72 he won a heat of the W.D.T.A. Championship at Bathurst, but 3 nights later could only finish 2nd behind the brilliant Bold Biami, beaten 16 yards. A week later he easily won a restricted class event at Bathurst and 4 nights later ran 3rd in a heat of the Bathurst 900. In the final he finished 7th behind Golden Honour who also beat him in his heat. Next up was the Western Districts Derby at Canowindra where he finished 2nd to Hondo Grattan, and the next week was back to HP for the heats of the NSW Derby. In his heat he finished 2nd to Royal Calypso but in the final found Bold Biami much too good, finishing 8th. The following week he ran 5th in the R.C. Simpson Sprint behind Bold Biami and then he was 2nd behind ‘little’ Hondo in the Country 3yo Championship.
He then ran 2nd at Penrith off 12 yards, 3rd at HP off 12 yards, 6th in a heat of the 3 & 4yo Championship and 2nd at Forbes, before coming back to HP for the Southern Cross Stakes. In his heat on 19-5-72 he ran 2nd, beaten half a head by Royal Calypso and in the final was 2nd again, this time to Nicotine Prince. It was his last start for the season. As a 3yo King Frost had 22 starts for 6 wins and 11 placings.
Given a 5 month spell, King Frost resumed on 28-10-72 at Bathurst in a heat of the Dress Circle Pace, winning first up. He then ran three 2nds in a row, in the final at Penrith, in a 4yo race at HP and in a heat of the Australasian 4yo Championship, beaten a neck by Nicotine Prince. In the final he ran 5th to the same horse. He then went to Dubbo and won a heat of the Viscount Grand Prix, then ran 3rd in a HP 4yo event and 3rd in the Grand Prix final behind Dillon Light. The following week he won at HP and on 27-1-73 won the Viscount 1000 at Bathurst. He followed that with a 2nd to Just Too Good in a FFA and then won his next 5 in a row. The first of these was at Cowra off 24 yards, followed 11 days later by a win at Hawkesbury in the Hurricane Mile. Three nights later he won a FFA at Bathurst and then he won two in a row at HP.
On 6-4-73 he ran 4th behind Hondo Grattan in the 4yo Futurity then 7th to Local Ayr and 3rd to Welcome Advice in heats of the Lord Mayor’s Cup. Back to Bathurst where he won a 2.23 class race (C5) and on 27-4-73 he won a Consolation of the Lord Mayor’s Cup. The following week he ran 5th to Mitchell Victory in the 3 & 4yo Championship and the following week won a Penrith FFA. On 21-5-73 he had his last start for the season winning a Fairfield FFA in record time. As a 4yo King Frost had 24 starts for 13 wins and 7 placings. His 13 wins was the most by any horse in NSW for that season.
Given 4 months spell, he resumed in a Lithgow FFA running 2nd to Hondo Grattan. The following week he won a Eugowra FFA and then travelled to HP for the Spring Cup carnival. On the first night he won his heat from Nicotine Prince and on the 2nd night won again. In this race he came home his last half in 58.6 and his last 600 metres in 42.6, the fastest time ever clocked for that 3 furlongs. The previous best was 42.7 set by Lucky Creed back in 1970. In the final he could only finish 5th to Bold Jason. He then ran 4th to Harwood Brigade in a FFA, 5th to Hondo Grattan, 3rd to him again, 2nd to Opera House and 3rd to Harwood Brigade in another FFA. On 29-12-73 he won a Parkes FFA and 5 nights later won at HP as a lead up to the Australia Day Cup carnival.
In his first heat he was 2nd to Just Too Good and on the second night was 2nd to Paleface Adios, but in the final on 1-2-74 he won beating Paleface Adios and Tarcoola Frost. He then won a Cowra FFA, a Parkes FFA and another at Dubbo before running 2nd at Bathurst. On 8-3-74 he gave Reichman 12 yards start and ran 2nd to him and the following week ran 5th to Hondo Grattan in the Miracle Mile. He then contested the Lord Mayor’s Cup carnival running 2nd in the first set of heats but winning on the second night. Before contesting the final he raced at Forbes in an Invitation, running 3rd to Paleface Adios, and 4 nights later ran 3rd to him again in the Lord Mayor’s Cup final. Two weeks later he won at HP off 15 metres and 2 weeks after that ran 5th from the same mark, to Spike. He then won a Canberra FFA and for his final start for the season ran 2nd to Spike in a HP FFA. As a 5yo he had 29 starts for 12 wins and 12 placings.
Resuming 4 months later as a 6yo, King Frost won first up in a Menangle FFA beating Tarcoola Frost and 3 nights later ran 2nd to Mitchell Victory in a HP FFA. He followed that with another 2nd in a FFA, this time behind Just Too Good at Parkes. He then competed in the HP Spring Cup carnival running 2nd in the first heat off 12 yards beaten a head by Don’t Retreat from the front and in the second round of heats ran 2nd, AGAIN beaten a head, this time by Al’s Holiday, also off the front. In the final he ran 5th behind Tarcoola Frost. At his next start, on 2-11-74, he won a Cowra FFA from Just Too Good and then travelled to Melbourne for the Winfield Cup where he finished 3rd to Kingsmead and Just Too Good. He then won a Blayney FFA before racing in the Pacific Coast Pace at HP and running 5th to Just Too Good. The following week he won the TAA Drivers Invitation beating Hondo Grattan. In this race he was slowly away but went around the field to sit outside
the leader before getting into the 1×1 spot. From there he finished too good and beat Hondo Grattan by 5 metres. After his win the 2KY racecaller, Ian Craig, noted that the smallest horse in the race had been driven to victory by the smallest driver in the race, Brian Gath. Eight nights later he beat that horse again in a Bathurst FFA. He was then narrowly beaten in a HP FFA by Mitchell Victory before winning a Melbourne Invitation from Hondo Grattan. This was a terrific win against a top class field which included Paleface Adios, James Eden, Monara, Gallagher and Hondo Grattan. King Frost was last early off the second line then went 3 wide around the field to sit outside the leader, Paleface Adios, then finished too well for him and held off all the other challengers to narrowly win a great race. The following week he ran 2nd to Royal Gaze and 3 nights later ran 6th to the same horse in the A.G.Hunter Cup.
Three weeks later he ran 2nd in a Junee FFA behind James Eden with Adios Victor 3rd and followed that with a nose 2nd to Greendale Boy at HP after giving him 15 metres start. On 7-2-75 he ran 3rd to Adios Victor in a HP FFA and followed that with another 2nd to Greendale Boy after giving him, once again, 15 metres start. He then travelled to Parkes to easily win a FFA and followed that with another FFA win, this time at Fairfield. He then travelled to Melbourne and ran 2nd (again!) in the Marathon Stakes before coming back to Sydney in March for the Lord Mayor’s Cup carnival. In his first heat he ran 2nd to Flying Heel after giving him 10 metres start and in the second set of heats ran 3rd, this time to Hondo Grattan. Three nights later he ran 3rd in a Forbes FFA behind Paleface Adios and then back to HP for the Lord Mayor’s Cup where he finished a very uncharacteristic last!
Eight days later he ran 2nd to Just Too Good in a Dubbo FFA and then ran 4th behind Paleface Adios in the Canberra Flying Mile, a race which ‘Jacko’ almost owned! He was then beaten a head and a neck in a Dubbo FFA before coming out 5 weeks later and winning a Blayney FFA. He then ran 9th, at very short odds, behind Glamour Guy at Forbes. Given a 4 week ‘breather’ he next raced at HP and ran 2nd to the VERY good mare, Roma Hanover, after giving her 15 metres start. Four nights later, off the same mark, he ran 3rd to Major Frost before coming out the following week and winning off 15 metres. At his final start for the season he came off 20 metres but could only finish 8th behind the very talented, Don’t Retreat. In a very busy season as a 6yo, King Frost had 36 starts for 10 wins 13 seconds and 6 thirds.
A week later he came off 20 metres for a 5th to Don’t Retreat and 3 weeks later won off the same mark in record time beating Bold Jason. He followed that with a Menangle FFA win in record time and then went back to HP to win a FFA in very fast time equalling the race record. He had one more start in a FFA, finishing 4th, before contesting the 1975 Spring Cup. On the first night he came off 15 metres and beat Don’t Retreat by 10 metres in record time, and the following week ran 3rd, beaten just 5 metres. In the final he ran 4th to Don’t Retreat. He then travelled to Cowra and ran 2nd to Hondo Grattan in a FFA and 3 weeks later was in Melbourne for the Winfield Cup. This race attracted a top field which included Don’t Retreat, Nevada Smoke, Paleface Adios, Just Too Good and Adios Victor. With Brian Gath driving him the field settled into ‘indian file’ early before Gath got him into the 1×1 spot. From there he won very well by 6 metres from Don’t Retreat
and Nevada Smoke a further 5 metres back third.
Five weeks later he easily won a Cowra FFA and 10 days later won a Menangle FFA in record time from Little William and Roma Hanover. Ten days later he started at 1-10 and ‘bolted’ in a Parkes FFA and ten days after that started at the same price and won a Blayney FFA. He then travelled to S.A. for the 1976 Inter Dominion series. On the first night he finished 3rd, but lost all form after that running 7th and 6th in the next 2 heats and last in a Consolation. Back to Parkes on 13-3-76, he ran 2nd in a FFA and then went to HP to be beaten a neck by Hondo Grattan in the mobile Hurricane Stakes. He followed that with a 4th at Penrith before winning a Parkes FFA.
Then on the 17th April 1976 he contested a very special FFA at Bathurst. It was to be Hondo Grattan’s last race start and everybody hoped, and expected, he would win. There was a new gig as a bonus for the winning trainer and it had already been painted out in Tony Turnbull’s colours, in anticipation of Hondo Grattan going out on a winning note, but it was not to be. Showing that sibling rivalry was alive and thriving in the Turnbull clan, King Frost, driven by Tony Turnbull’s brother, Jim, won the race and Norm Harkham STILL has the gig, unused, sitting in his barn as a memento of the occasion. At his final start for the season he ran 3rd at Dubbo in a FFA. His 7yo season saw 24 starts for 11 wins and 6 placings.
Resuming 5 months later as an 8yo, King Frost was beaten a half a head first up in a Bathurst FFA then ran 2nd again in a Menangle FFA, before winning at Dubbo on 2-10-76. Two weeks later he won again at Cowra and he followed that with another win, this time at Parkes. He then ran 2nd in a HP FFA and 4th in the Pacific Coast Pace before contesting the Australasian Pacing Championship series at HP. He won on the first night beating Paleface Adios, ran 2nd on the second night to Don’t Retreat and finished 7th in the final to Markovina. On 8-12-76 he easily won a Bathurst FFA, equalling the track record and then went to HP and won another FFA. He then ran 2nd in the Bathurst Xmas Cup, 4th in a heat of the Australia Day Cup, 6th in the next heat and 6th in the Consolation. Then followed a 4th, a 5th, a 3rd, a 5th and a 6th before he won a Blayney FFA on 11-4-77 and he followed that with an Orange FFA win 5 days later. It was to be his last victory. He then
ran 3rd at Menangle and 6th at Bankstown, and at his final start was 7th in a HP FFA behind Koala King on 6-5-77.
In his final season of racing King Frost had 26 starts for 8 wins and 7 placings. His full statistics are 167 starts for 62 wins and 64 placings. He retired the winner of 18 races at HP, and his $135,585 won placed him as the 8th highest prizemoney winner up to that time.
King Frost was only a ‘pony’, smaller even than Hondo Grattan who was 14.3 hands, and was very lightly framed, but what he lacked in size and stature he more than made up for in ability and heart. He refused to give in and always gave his best. His 62 wins are testimony to that.
King Frost was also another of the ‘class of 1968’ which included Hondo Grattan, Bold Biami, Nicotine Prince and Adios Victor. These 5 pacers won 220 races between them so it was no mean feat for King Frost to be the highest winner of this group with 62 wins!
By Jim Hogan
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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