Chief Stipe Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 As usual one of @Gammalite's blasts from the past reminded me of a big day in racing I attended as a young chap. A Saturday meeting at Methven 23 March 1974. A vision of horses too many to count and vibrant colours of stripes, checks, sash bands, crosses, fleur-de-lis. A boot picnic in the back of Dad's brand new XB Falcon Sedan amongst many boot picnics. Kids playing tag and rugby. The incessant ringing of Tote bells, the semaphore board with the balloon and drivers names some perfectly painted others mere chalk marks. A straight line indicating a scratching of which there were very few on that day. We had travelled over from the West Coast for the day as had my best school mate and his father. We were National supporters and they true red Labourites. But our fathers were good friends (most of the time), business partners and often rivals in the small town of Hokitika. We had a horse racing - High Chaparral (Hi Lo Forbes - Sarona). They had McOscar (Spark Gap - Young Val). Like most things both families competed in both horses had similar ability and ended up winning 6 races. Anyway that isn't the main point of this post. The mention of Trusty Scot and Trevira spiked the memory as it was the era that our family rivalry was at its peak - the mid 70's. So I researched the history of High Chaparral (stable name Alan) looking for Trusty Scot and Trevira. I found that we had beaten Trevira and Micron in the same race at the Met. But then I just happened on this race meeting at Methven. I've had a long repeating nightmare of getting lost at the races. Hard to imagine that happening today. Ever since my first introduction to racing as a young child I've always gone down to the stables on raceday to pat the horses - loved the smell of well cared for leather, the dung, the hay and horse feed and the vibrancy as horses acted up and carts were shifted around. People discussing tactics, money changing hands for bets on the tote. I swear I got lost that day trying to find the stable horses. Horses were tied to trees and fence posts. The visitors had stalls which was a godsend as it was a very hot and sunny day. Climate change was at its peak! Our horse had travelled from Richmond Park near Nelson - my mates horse from just down the road somewhere near a place called the Golden Mile. I know now why I got lost that day and why the memory is so vivid. 250 horses started that day in 12 races!!! Yes TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY starters!!! Yes 20 horses in a race! Methven Trotting Club Results 23 March 1974 Race 1 - a non-tote Maiden Pace over 2600m $800 Stake - 19 starters. Race 2 - Handicap Trot (First Division) - 2600m $1,000 Stake - 21 starters. Race 3 - Handicap Trot (2nd Division) - 21 starters - harder division than the first one! Southern Comfort, Ambro Lady, Waitaki Gamble. Nearly all of the starters in this race went on to win 3 or more races! Race 4 - C0 Pace - (First Division) - 2600m $1,000 Stake - 19 Starters. Won by Just A Glow. Race 5 - C0 Pace - (2nd Division) - 19 Starters - a locked wheels and a fall in this race which added to the excitement. Race 6 - C1 Pace - Handicap - 2600m $1,200 Stake - 19 Starters. Race 7 - Methven 2yr Old Stakes - 2000m $1,500 Stake - 17 Starters!!! Maurie Holmes won driving Sly Kiwi beating In Or Out, Commissioner, Steven Stock, Golden Nurse. Race 8 - J McCloy Memorial Handicap - C5 & Faster - 3,200m $2,600 Stake - 16 Starters. Won by Leicester Tatterson's (a name from the past!) Kotare Legend, Lunar Chance was Second. Noble Charles driven by a toothless Keithy Powell from Westport was a close fourth, High Chaparral went a great race but got caught in traffic (not surprisingly!) and finished 6th. Race 9 - C1 Pace Handicap No2 - 2600m $1,200 Stake - 17 Starters. Race 10 - C2 Pace Handicap - 2600m $1,400 Stake - 18 Starters. Won by Chatterton. McOscar finished 14th driven by the Junior Driver - Michael DeFilippi (one of my mum's cousins). Race 11 - Handicap Trot - C2 & Faster - 3200m $1,400 Stake - 22 Starters!!! A dead heat for third. Took them an age to develop the photo. Race 12 - L L Richards Memorial Handicap - C3 & Faster Pace - 2000m $1,600 Stake. Palestine won driven by Terry May beating Brockworth Ace, Glentohi. Drivers that went round in their good old Bryant Hickory Shaft Sulky's: Maurie Holmes - the Master! Georgie Shand Felix Newfield Jack Smolenski Michael DeFilippi (Jnr) Freeman Holmes Ted Lowe Georgie Adamson Reggie Stockdale Robert Cameron P O'Reilly (SNR!) Derek Jones R Butt M Butt Jack Carmichael L May Alistair Purdon Robert Dunn (JNR - the first) Denis Nyhan I Sutherland J Hampton Keithy Powell Wes Butt Cecil Devine E Skinner Richard "Rails" Brosnan Doody Townley Plus many others! I don't think one driver drove in every race. If I remember correctly the Division races were run straight after each other. In those days there used to be a big paddock in the middle of the course where the second division would circle waiting for the finish of the first division. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 But wait there's more! For the trainspotters. A NZ Trotting Cup winner ran that day but was only second. A NZ Oaks winner ran that day but was only third. A NZ FFA winner. Two Hanon Memorial winners (trick question). Two New Brighton Cup winners. A Kaikoura Cup winner. A Flying Stakes winner. A Methven Cup winner. A Northern Trotting Derby winner was entered but scratched. I'm sure I've missed some and I'm sure that the breeding buffs will find some links back to those that ran that day. If not the horses certainly the Trainers and Drivers!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furlong Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 The 50-60-70s were great days in the sport with large crowds, big fields with divisions etc creating an exciting atmosphere which is lacking these days. Also David Clarkson's calls ending with his "neck and neck, stride for stride" nearing the finish and sometimes the "I wont place it" in a very close finish has never been bettered although Reon Murtha was a close second particularly in his early days. You have brought back many happy memories Chief Stipe with that list of drivers and the horses mentioned. Thank you. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 9 minutes ago, Furlong said: You have brought back many happy memories Chief Stipe with that list of drivers and the horses mentioned. Thank you. No worries. As I said I just happened to stumble across that meeting. I must say that HRNZ have much much more historical data than NZTR (Luurvve Racing!). I remember a similar day at the Hororata Cup where in between races we were all picking "Horse" mushrooms out in the centre field. You can't do that today besides the fact that the Hororata racecourse is no more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHorseman Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Good ol days at Methven, I remember being there in 2003 when G D Shand won the Methven Cup with Eastwood Jaunty, it was so bloody cold that when George Shand came back to the birdcage he had tears running down his face. Just looked up the race again, good to hear Reon calling it. Been there in the snow as well. https://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gws/ws/r/infohorsews/wsd06x?Arg=hrnzg-Ptype&Arg=RaceVideo&Arg=hrnzg-RacehdrID&Arg=84559&Arg=hrnzg-rSite&Arg=TRUE 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 2 minutes ago, TheHorseman said: Good ol days at Methven, I remember being there in 2003 when G D Shand won the Methven Cup with Eastwood Jaunty, it was so bloody cold that when George Shand came back to the birdcage he had tears running down his face. Just looked up the race again, good to hear Reon calling it. Been there in the snow as well. https://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gws/ws/r/infohorsews/wsd06x?Arg=hrnzg-Ptype&Arg=RaceVideo&Arg=hrnzg-RacehdrID&Arg=84559&Arg=hrnzg-rSite&Arg=TRUE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robalan Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Thanks guys, brings back great memories. Great to see the names of those horses, I remember many and also remember backing some of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougie Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 12 minutes ago, Robalan said: Thanks guys, brings back great memories. Great to see the names of those horses, I remember many and also remember backing some of them I've backed a few of them too, Panky's Pacer many times and played golf back then with one of the owners...... Kind of sad really that out of the 15 drivers in that race 14 of them still drive or train except for the winning driver who passed away a few years back... I see Gary Shand has a horse currently racing, does anyone know what happened to Peter Shand?, was a decent driver in his day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Here a question to test the memory, and this is one that's stuck in mine a long time, I had just started taking a interest in the races. 1975 Methven Cup was one by the rank outsider, paid 48 bucks for the win, which in those days would have kept you going for a long time, this horse seemed to like Methven , finished third the year after, now without rushing to jgoogle ot hrnz site, who knows the winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 3 hours ago, Chief Stipe said: But wait there's more! For the trainspotters. A NZ Trotting Cup winner ran that day but was only second. A NZ Oaks winner ran that day but was only third. A NZ FFA winner. Two Hanon Memorial winners (trick question). Two New Brighton Cup winners. A Kaikoura Cup winner. A Flying Stakes winner. A Methven Cup winner. A Northern Trotting Derby winner was entered but scratched. I'm sure I've missed some and I'm sure that the breeding buffs will find some links back to those that ran that day. If not the horses certainly the Trainers and Drivers!!! Lunar Chance In or Out Lunar Chance again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 2 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Lunar Chance In or Out Lunar Chance again That's three of the easy questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 1 minute ago, Rangatira said: Lunar Chance In or Out Lunar Chance again Oops a daisy Palestine x2 Lunar Chance (popular in this) Commissioner Palestine Kotare Legend Dunno if the last 2 are mentioned above but Even Speed did win the Rosso Antico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, Rangatira said: Dunno if the last 2 are mentioned above but Even Speed did win the Rosso Antico Even Speed wasn't entered for that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 2 hours ago, TheHorseman said: Been there in the snow as well. and Buriton Bailey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: Even Speed wasn't entered for that day. Malcolm Gillams horse ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 7 hours ago, mikeynz said: Here a question to test the memory, and this is one that's stuck in mine a long time, I had just started taking a interest in the races. 1975 Methven Cup was one by the rank outsider, paid 48 bucks for the win, which in those days would have kept you going for a long time, this horse seemed to like Methven , finished third the year after, now without rushing to jgoogle ot hrnz site, who knows the winner. Come on people,dont go to hrnz site, 1975 Methven cup, horse by memory always had a blue shadow roll, won 7 races in all before going to US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robalan Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Rolon Waitaki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeynz Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 4 hours ago, Robalan said: Rolon Waitaki Did you know or did you search? There were a lot of Waitaki horses then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robalan Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 It was the blue shadow roll that struck my memory chords Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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