RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
rdytdy

When They Raced On Really Heavy Tracks

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Brilliant. Wonder what the peno reading was? Those were the days when men were men. Nowadays one is not quite sure . 

Went to Trentham a few times in the 60s when it was like that. No one arched up. Not sure if there was any track bias tho. Didn't care. Won more regularly then than now so I was happy. 

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11 minutes ago, poundforpound said:

Do you have records going back to about 1974-5 ?

For most of the major races there including the hurdles and steeples but in relation to the Whyte only as far back as 1979.

Gubes has the NZ Turf Registers so he will be able to look up what time Ahjay ran there. 

1974 must have been very heavy. Nabua won the Parliamentary in 2:41:25 

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You are correct and a real star at the Winter meeting in the 80s was Greek Meer. I was only writing about him a few days ago. refer below.  

 In 1984 he won the Whyte Handicap (1600m) on the first day, finished 2nd in the Parliamentary Hcp (2200m) on the second day and won the Winter Oats (2200m) on the last day. Peter Fearon rode him in all three. In 1985 he ran 2nd the Whyte on the first and won both the Parliamentary and the Winter Oats on the other days. Paul Taylor rode him the first two days and Bill Skelton the last day. He had also won the Whyte Hcp in 1983. Great little mudlark.

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Cambridge Fair won the Whyte in consecutive years, often racing first and third days. I think Frederick won the Wgtn Hurdles and the Parlimentary at the same meeting as well.

P4P, I doubt that Ahjay won in the deep winter conditions at Trentham, but he did like the track.

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8 minutes ago, John Clydesdale said:

Cambridge Fair won the Whyte in consecutive years, often racing first and third days. I think Frederick won the Wgtn Hurdles and the Parlimentary at the same meeting as well.

P4P, I doubt that Ahjay won in the deep winter conditions at Trentham, but he did like the track.

John, Frederick never won a Wellington Hurdles but Hunting Chief won the Parliamentary and Wellington Hurdles in July 1978.  

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3 hours ago, rdytdy said:

John, Frederick never won a Wellington Hurdles but Hunting Chief won the Parliamentary and Wellington Hurdles in July 1978.  

Stand corrected Ted, but I recall that he won the Parliamentary, but thought he won a jumps as well. Was he trained by Maureen Masden at Levin or Otaki perhaps. The Rose Mellay lady.

 Remember Hunting Chief, they were tough ole runners in those days. Cambridge Fair just loved Trentham in the Winter.

Those impressions of the 70’s and the runners of that era are etched in the brain. I have two families I breed from related to I’l Tempo, one branch is relatively hopeless and the other successful. He was a “proper horse” to me in those days, as the English would say. 

But watched many a hoss all over the world, don’t think I have seen better than Winx at 2000m. The likes we will not see again for some time.

cheers

 

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6 hours ago, poundforpound said:

I’ve ridden in a couple of miles at Wellington when they run about 2 minutes for the trip.

Check when Ahjay won what was in those days a big mile there, the Whyte ? I think I rode a horse that ran second in that mudfest.

I’m pretty sure that another day at the same carnival he got so tired he just fell over in the straight, with Pat Haitana on him.

The 1974 Whyte Handicap was won by Ahjay in a time of 1.54.5 for the 1600m (first season for metrics??) Pat Haitana was indeed the jockey. Sourced this info from Michael Sheridan's book A Century of Racing

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poundforpound on the second day of the May 1974 meeting Chief Defence ridden by Ken Reggett won a 1600m race in 1.59.75. On the third day Bellmana and Bob Skelton won a 1600m race in exactly the same time 1.59.75.

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Ahjay Trentham Record

9/7/69 First Juvenile Handicap RJ Skelton

4/7/70 Unplaced Whyte Handicap GF Hughes

23/1/71 Unplaced Telegraph Handicap JF Harris

30/1/71 Unplaced George Adams Handicap AK Robinson

6/7/74 First Whyte Handicap PR Haitana

10/7/74 Fell Members Handicap PR Haitana

21/9/74 Unplaced Captain Cook Stakes PR Haitana

5/7/75  Fourth Stewards Handicap RJ Skelton

9/7/75 Unplaced Members Handicap RJ Skelton

12/7/75 Unplaced Winter Oats LM Robinson.

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Toughest horse was Nerula won the White, Parliamentary and Winter Handicap on the winter carnival around about '64 then he went up to Otaki ? on the way home and won another. His breeding was Cimtore - Mere Fort and he was a big black entire.

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The thread title is When They Raced On Really Heavy Tracks. 

What a great pic from (I'm guessing) 50-odd years ago. Probably at the end of a three day meeting when a lot of horses lined up on all three days. We didn't even have classified 'really heavy' tracks back then, they were hard & fast, easy, soft or heavy. You paid your money and took your chances. Nowadays it appears a horse will go ok in the middle of a track but won't handle the going a metre wider. Utter B/S. I heard an Aussie meeting yesterday where a trainer scratched two runners when the track was upgraded one degree.

 

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Nerula your namesake won the Whyte Handicap on the 8/7/61. Ridden by Kaye Tinsley he won by two lengths from Otara and Alan Jones with Fairassan and Bill Skelton third. On the 12/7/61 he won the Parliamentary ridden again by Kaye Tinsley. He won by a nose from Golden Cabana and Brian Dodds with Action Packed and Bob Jury third. On the 15/7/61 he won the Winter Oats ridden by Noel McCutcheon. He won by five lengths from Port Wine and Stuart Robertson with Beau Kura and Ron Taylor third. He didn’t race again until the 1961-2 Season.

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Memories , memories . Loving reading the above posts , never missed a raceday at Trentham thru the seventies , even midweek in July when i was still at college . Would get buses then trains if me or mate couldn't convince a parent to take us over from Titahi Bay . Three days of absolute bog racing most of the time with 9 race cards and mostly full fields with heaps of jumping races . You couldn,t move in the public stand , if it was raining you would struggle to get a seat or keep it if you went to bet or toilet . When i talk  to younger racing enthusiasts (jocks , track riders or young stable staff and trainers ) about what racing used to be like and about how Trentham in July used to be 3 days and horses would race all 3 days and win they honestly think i'm bullshitting . Remember plenty of great wet trackers racing there   , Greek Meer definatly was one but one of my all time fav's was Rising Damp . But i'm getting all misty eyed now , oh the great old days , we will never see the likes again .

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40 minutes ago, nomates said:

Memories , memories . Loving reading the above posts , never missed a raceday at Trentham thru the seventies , even midweek in July when i was still at college . Would get buses then trains if me or mate couldn't convince a parent to take us over from Titahi Bay . Three days of absolute bog racing most of the time with 9 race cards and mostly full fields with heaps of jumping races . You couldn,t move in the public stand , if it was raining you would struggle to get a seat or keep it if you went to bet or toilet . When i talk  to younger racing enthusiasts (jocks , track riders or young stable staff and trainers ) about what racing used to be like and about how Trentham in July used to be 3 days and horses would race all 3 days and win they honestly think i'm bullshitting . Remember plenty of great wet trackers racing there   , Greek Meer definatly was one but one of my all time fav's was Rising Damp . But i'm getting all misty eyed now , oh the great old days , we will never see the likes again .

Was Tommy Hepinstall with you NM....?? ;)

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Ohokaman , no Tommy a bit older than me , got to know of Tommy a few years later thru football , Tommy used to coach football and a few of us used to go watch the his teams play at Endevour park ,Whitby and Kura St in Titahi Bay  as much to listen to his half time rants in the dressing room as much as the football , especially if it had been a poor first half , we would be outside wetting ourselves , he was legendary , made Fergie seem tame . Used to have a chat at races or levin jumpouts in later years . He worked it out quick where nz racing was going hence the move . Back on Trentham in winter always remember South Islanders being very competitive .

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5 hours ago, scooby3051 said:

I rode a winner one day for Brian Forbes called Dee Bee...i thought we were never going to finish... they would pull the pin if that happened these days... ;)

You're not wrong Scooby. 1.35.39 for 1400m. Yep that's heavy

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50 minutes ago, nomates said:

Ohokaman , no Tommy a bit older than me , got to know of Tommy a few years later thru football , Tommy used to coach football and a few of us used to go watch the his teams play at Endevour park ,Whitby and Kura St in Titahi Bay  as much to listen to his half time rants in the dressing room as much as the football , especially if it had been a poor first half , we would be outside wetting ourselves , he was legendary , made Fergie seem tame . Used to have a chat at races or levin jumpouts in later years . He worked it out quick where nz racing was going hence the move . Back on Trentham in winter always remember South Islanders being very competitive .

Played against him a few times Kapiti v Mana College and in Rep games. Has done very well for himself since then....;)

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