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rdytdy

When They Raced On Really Heavy Tracks

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3 hours ago, Ohokaman said:

There were some great old horses back then, most mentioned here. Always followed Peter Louis' horses - Harry's Pal, John's Pal and co.

Some great mudders like Gus, Car Park Flyer, Cattle King, Skoota and Conan....tough old buggers most of them.

Eddie Low , son-in-law Greg and son Vaughan are working a young horse from Conan's family now,  at Riccarton.

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1956 the year this photo was taken saw a remarkable effort by Peter Willonyx at the July meeting. On the first day he won the Whyte Handicap by four lengths carrying 9.12. On the third day he won the Onslow Handicap by three lengths carrying the staggering weight of 10.8 on an 8.0 minimum. Jock Harris rode him both times for Takanini trainer Boy Pope.

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Just informed by Michael Sheridan that on the last day of that Trentham July 1956 meeting the crowd was 6,700. The track was so testing that some horses collapsed with exhaustion. Six fell in one flat race and two in another.

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8 hours ago, poundforpound said:

Go check Ahjay again at that meeting

I remember him having a lay down in the mud, about 100 yards from the post.

The poor bastard was exhausted and he just fell over.

Leo that was in the Members Handicap on 10/7/74 when he was ridden by Pat Haitiana.

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On 6/7/2018 at 11:48 AM, Blue said:

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.

 

The odd winter meeting at trentham with straw layed on the ground in the birdcage.

The good jumpers that Eric Temperton trained did not mind the conditions.Charger springs to mind for his deeds over the jumps and on the flat..

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Charger raced in the 70s. I recall him winning the Parliamentary Handicap with David Peake riding. He didn't win either of the big ones, Wellington Hurdles or Steeplechase at Trentham but won a few big ones elsewhere. Gubes will no doubt look up the turf register and let us know. Manawatu Hurdles and the Sydenham Hurdles he won.    

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5 minutes ago, tasman man 11 said:

I seem to remember MC winner Baghdad Note winning at a July meeting.

Another Wingatui grey Kumai enjoyed the mud too...Ive never seen a horse with such big hooves !

 

Kumai won ten races at Trentham plus in July 1969 he was inside as guest of honour at the opening of Burnham Lodge (great memories of fun times there).

That was a busy week for him as he dropped his rider his the Wellington Steeples on the first day, won the Matai Steeple on the second and won the Riddiford Steeple on the last day as an 11yo carrying 10st 7lb. He won five on the flat at Trentham, three Winter Oats and two Paliamentary Handicaps. 

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poundforpound don't think any jock other than mike gillies rode him over fences.i won the marton and Woodville gold cup on him and at wellington,in a row ,tempo asked if I would ride him in his first hurdle race at his next start in the grand national,he also asked bp Thompson as he didn't think we would say yes,so he put mike on him,hit every fence and ran 4th

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2 hours ago, rdytdy said:

Charger raced in the 70s. I recall him winning the Parliamentary Handicap with David Peake riding. He didn't win either of the big ones, Wellington Hurdles or Steeplechase at Trentham but won a few big ones elsewhere. Gubes will no doubt look up the turf register and let us know. Manawatu Hurdles and the Sydenham Hurdles he won.    

Ted sorry I don’t have the information about Charger’s jumping career because I have a gap in my Turf Registers. At 2 he ran 7 times for one third. At 3 he won 5 from 21 including the Parliamentary a top effort for a 3yo. Second was Heckle’s Choice a good wet tracker ridden by Viv Tinsley and third Richard The First ridden by Bob Skelton. At 4 he won 2 from 10 and at 5 he won 3 from 8. I think he might have started jumping at 6.

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On 6/6/2018 at 11:32 PM, gubellini said:

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.

Chief Defence that brings memories of quite a character Clem Fabish with his winter gallopers viz Master Defence, Lady Defence.

One day they would race at Trentham then two days later appear up north e.g. Avondale or Ellerslie. Rode in his truck one day from Marton or Feilding and after stopping at several pubs and his lady friends I reckon I could have walked quicker. He had this theory that with all the travelling and horses putting weight from one leg to the other it actually helped them. Maybe that was the forerunner to the treadmill??

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Was hitch hiking once and Baggy Hillis picked me up. Took me from Hunterville to Taupo. 

In between there was like a ten hour watering stop at the Gretna Hotel. And when we left there were half a dozen lamb/mutton/hoggets/unknowns in the back. 

Drove off the desert road and we got a flat tyre. Boy what a great trip that was. Love to do it again. 

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On ‎06‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 3:16 PM, rdytdy said:
 
This photo is in Tony Hilton's Book The Wellington Club - A Centennial History.  
July 1956.
 
 

.
  
 
 
Image may contain: one or more people, people standing, outdoor and nature

 

 

Noted racing historian Michael Sheridan sent me a copy of a clipping from the Dominion newspaper on the Monday following this race day. It reads:

WINTER MEETING CLOSES IN FOULEST CONDITIONS IN LIVING MEMORY

"Conditions for the concluding day of the Wellington racing Club's winter meeting at Trentham on Saturday were the worst in living memory. There was no break whatever in drenching rain which a strong southerly drove continuously across the racecourse and the swamp into which the racetrack had deteriorated was loaded with treachery.

Horses and riders went down like ninepins. Six fell in one flat race and two in another and most of the falls in the jumping events, in two of which more than half the starters failed to complete the course, were due more to the insecurity of the foothold than to jumping errors.

After the sixth race in which six horses fell the judicial committee instructed the stipendiary steward to advise all jockeys to exercise care, particularly regarding horses that were tiring. The younger riders in particular were told to hold their mounts together if they felt them tiring and to keep them on their feet.

The excitement of progress scores from the rugby test did not allay the anxiety that everyone felt for the safety of the riders and there was a feeling of relief after each race was run. It was a travesty of racing which nobody would ever like to repeat. The programme could well have been left to another day or abandoned altogether."

The paper also had photos of the finishes:

Golden Fox won the Talavera Hurdles ridden by R J Schuster

Richard Chappel won the Novice Handicap ridden by R J Skelton

Peepin Thru won the Eric Riddiford Steeplechase ridden by V H Simpson

Intuitive won the Winter Oats ridden by T H Barnsley

Moghul Emperor won the Winter Hurdles ridden by N S Manning

Raumati won the Crofton Handicap ridden by B J Langford

Peter Willonyx won the Onslow Handicap ridden by J W Harris

Sovereign's Escort won the Kia Ora Handicap ridden by J W Harris

 

 

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I remember Gatcombe's Pride back in '86, running at Trentham:

5Jul 1400m carries 55kg and wins by 3L

9Jul 1600m carries 58kg and wins by 8L

12Jul 1570m carries 62kg and wins by 12L !

 

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51 minutes ago, Catalano said:

I remember Gatcombe's Pride back in '86, running at Trentham:

5Jul 1400m carries 55kg and wins by 3L

9Jul 1600m carries 58kg and wins by 8L

12Jul 1570m carries 62kg and wins by 12L !

 

Indeed, he loved the mud that fellow. Trained by Don Grubb.   

And tough as. Won on debut at Wanganui on June 2nd over 1360m on a slow track by five lengths.

Ten days later he wins at Awapuni by three lengths over 1600m on a heavy track and followed by those three wins you refer to thereby winning his first five starts.

Eleven days after those Trentham runs he was beaten a half head at Hawera over 1600m on a slow track but bounced back a month later winning over 1200m on a heavy track at Foxton before winning again a week later at Wanganui over 1320m on a slow track. So in his first 8 starts he had seven wins and a close second. He then ran three unplaced races on dead tracks and was put aside until the following year when he won first up at Trentham on a slow track.

It wasn't a bad first prep was it.  

   

 

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