Well Done Pitty!!

[Reefton]

They tell me the Pitman racing team has just trained it's 2000th winner (last week).  Not all in Michael's own name of course since Diane trained for a while in her name only but regardless an extraordinary performance considering their battling beginnings in the game and by doign it form a South Island base(and regularly taking North Island rejects to Trentham and kicking butt!!.

Congratulations team!

 

 

[Doomed]

5 hours ago, Reefton said:

They tell me the Pitman racing team has just trained it's 2000th winner (last week).  Not all in Michael's own name of course since Diane trained for a while in her name only but regardless an extraordinary performance considering their battling beginnings in the game and by doign it form a South Island base(and regularly taking North Island rejects to Trentham and kicking butt!!.

Congratulations team!

 

 

Interesting you should mention that Reefton. I have been following Si racing for far too long now, but I really don't remember how the Pitmans started, they just suddenly seemed to be there. When did they start and which horses were their early stars?

Edited March 14, 2022 by Doomed

[Reefton]

24 minutes ago, Doomed said:

Interesting you should mention that Reefton. I have been following Si racing for far too long now, but I really don't remember how the Pitmans started, they just suddenly seemed to be there. When did they start and which horses were their early stars?

Back in the seventies really.  The reason I remember was that when the Coast Circuit would come around I was hanging around Omoto as a kid and the non racing horses had to go to Victoria Park(the Trotting venue) to make room for the visitors.  Michael(as an unfashionable trainer at the time) was also relegated to stabling his horses at Victoria Park so I remember him being there.  I think his first winner was a horse called Ben Ahee at Hokitika  which must have been around that time.  I think(I could be wrong) his first top horse was Just Tommy but he also trained Beks which won a Trentham Stakes - when It was a good horse's race - and went on to be the dam of Popsy which won a Derby and herself produced Rock n Pop to win a 2000 Guineas.  He would have to tell you more himself but we all know he has had a hell of a lot of good 'Country Cups' horses and a fair few real good ones as well

[Shad]

Borninthestates tidy country cup horse from memory and I think he raced in Australia to, though not totally sure.

[muzenza365]

Do not know the reason,but a horse named JACK something comes to mind.

Anyway he had a motor car accident, the result being he lost a leg. Now a funny side to that was one day he was leading a horse back to the stables and my wife was following him some 100m away when th horse took fright and knock him over,so my wife[god bless her} run up and asked if he was ok,he replied could you go over and pick my leg up.I believe this still affects her today and could well be the reason for some of her Blonde behaviour today.

If there was if a Para Golf Tournament in NZ i would back him all day to win it,very handy at Golf

[Reefton]

2 hours ago, Shad said:

Borninthestates tidy country cup horse from memory and I think he raced in Australia to, though not totally sure.

He had a lot of those good sorts plus the extra good ones a lot owned by John and Evelyn Carran and Ray Coupland.  El Chico Coup Align(never the same horse after they took him off Pitty) Milo  Savvy Coup of course(plus others)

El Chico was a great story which I hope Pitty and John Carran(another top top bloke) won't mind me telling.  John is a fairly canny farmer from down south and Pitty heard of this two(or maybe four) race winner El Chico for sale.  Won't quote the numbers but it was a five figure sum.  JG told him there was bugger in the what he calls 'the biscuit tin' and said 'offer them $xxxxx' (exactly one half what they were asking).  'They wont take it' said Pitty 'no chance' but sure enough they did.  The horse won another 20+ races and about $600k for them. When they picked him up the stable jockey told them they called him El Cheato.  Pitty didn't do too bad to won anther 20plus including two Stewards with him.

John Carran actually trained himself for years earlier on - probably trained 100 winners and many associated with one KW Morton(Muzenza365 himself).  There are some legendary stories especially about a horse called Napiat who was a very good horse in the early 80's.  JG started out as a cook in a bush gang at Te Anau and ended up with a bunch of farms.  There are also a lot of legends with the trips he used to make to places like the Coast.  He didn't mind driving for a long long time.  Wonderful wonderful bloke(Racing is full of them but not too many seem to get a seat around that table at Petone or Parnell).

15 minutes ago, muzenza365 said:

Do not know the reason,but a horse named JACK something comes to mind.

Anyway he had a motor car accident, the result being he lost a leg. Now a funny side to that was one day he was leading a horse back to the stables and my wife was following him some 100m away when th horse took fright and knock him over,so my wife[god bless her} run up and asked if he was ok,he replied could you go over and pick my leg up.I believe this still affects her today and could well be the reason for some of her Blonde behaviour today.

If there was if a Para Golf Tournament in NZ i would back him all day to win it,very handy at Golf

Jack Frost.(an earlier edition of Jack Frost).  he was a good three year old the same year as a handy three year old of my Uncle's Cappiemore

Edited March 14, 2022 by Reefton

[muzenza365]

Yes John is a top bloke and he brought Napiat, which is Taipan spelt backwards,2 races i remember well were 1 at Invercargill and 1 at Blenheim,the 1 at Invercargill was a 1600m race and the best field you would see,eg Grey Way.Judge O etc,well John had given a horse to G W Roberson,who sadly passed away a couple of days ago,the horse was called Shift Time which was ridden by an Aussie rider called Gary Palmer who i found out after the race how good he was.I had 3 attemts to shove him out of the way down dummie straight, with 3 failures and ran 2nd to him and he told the Trainer he was always going to win and paid over $80,but the Q was were the money came from.

The 2nd race was at Blenheim,John always wanted to win a race at Riccarton at the time,has won many since then,anyway i convinced him to give him a run around at Riccarton and we will have a go at the punt at Blenheim,so he runs 4th at Riccarton and on to Blenheim,John ask how to back him,i told him to put as much as he was comfortable on  to win and take the field in the Ist leg of the double, from memory to took if 20 times and wouldn't you believe it Grand Country won and paid over $60 and Napiat won with a leg in the air.The stipe at time was L Muirhead and he congratulated me and said you didn't have to knock anything down and i said no,but i would have I had too.Now John in those days was wealthy,still is  but when i come to weigh in he was shaking with excitement.I remember well the night,especially when the cleaner had come in at 4am and John told to have the morning off and have a drink with us,she galdly accepted when john said i will pay you double what you would earn.

Any way Pitty and John have had a great partnership,just a bit sad that john has lost his sight and does get the same thrills.

[Reefton]

21 minutes ago, muzenza365 said:

Yes John is a top bloke and he brought Napiat, which is Taipan spelt backwards,2 races i remember well were 1 at Invercargill and 1 at Blenheim,the 1 at Invercargill was a 1600m race and the best field you would see,eg Grey Way.Judge O etc,well John had given a horse to G W Roberson,who sadly passed away a couple of days ago,the horse was called Shift Time which was ridden by an Aussie rider called Gary Palmer who i found out after the race how good he was.I had 3 attemts to shove him out of the way down dummie straight, with 3 failures and ran 2nd to him and he told the Trainer he was always going to win and paid over $80,but the Q was were the money came from.

The 2nd race was at Blenheim,John always wanted to win a race at Riccarton at the time,has won many since then,anyway i convinced him to give him a run around at Riccarton and we will have a go at the punt at Blenheim,so he runs 4th at Riccarton and on to Blenheim,John ask how to back him,i told him to put as much as he was comfortable on  to win and take the field in the Ist leg of the double, from memory to took if 20 times and wouldn't you believe it Grand Country won and paid over $60 and Napiat won with a leg in the air.The stipe at time was L Muirhead and he congratulated me and said you didn't have to knock anything down and i said no,but i would have I had too.Now John in those days was wealthy,still is  but when i come to weigh in he was shaking with excitement.I remember well the night,especially when the cleaner had come in at 4am and John told to have the morning off and have a drink with us,she galdly accepted when john said i will pay you double what you would earn.

Any way Pitty and John have had a great partnership,just a bit sad that john has lost his sight and does get the same thrills.

That's dead right.  Struggles to do what used to be second nature and having lost Evelyn and being unable to drive is a huge handicap.  He used to be an unbelievable man to party.  He nearly killed my Uncle(Kevin Doolan) and his mate Bill Kennedy on the whisky one time on the Coast after Bill had trained four winners at Omoto one day.  Sprung out of bed early next morning and off to Hoki to get on it again while the other two never got out of bed till afternoon.  At that time I had no idea what my Uncle looked like in the morning because he was always out of bed in the dark

Legend JG Carran

Tell us the story about trotting Napiat past the Paparoa Prison Morty

 

 

[muzenza365]

Well i had the horse at G T Courts place and would take him around the roads passed the prison,there was a group of prisoners out on a work party and asked about the horse,i told them it was in at Oamaru and would win, which he did.A few days later i went pass the prison riding a horse and they ran over and said you would have got plenty, which i acknowledged but assured them the money was in the bank, so don't even think about robbing me,they saw the funny side,thank God

[Shad]

Always good to listen to a few stories from yesteryear, Napiat I can remember from a few years back, remember cappiemore, very good type on the flat as well as the jumps, won the greymouth cup from memory, but lost it in the enquiry room, controversial one must say, from memory owner never raced a horse there again, he must have won close to 18 or so wins, out of a mare called mixed herbs, which may have been by Kurdistan, she never left much else, another old fella on the coast had a mare that won one race, story goes she had plenty of ability to, unbeatable at the trials, but sadly race day, showed virtually none of it.The good old days, when turnovers were good, and crowds flocked to the course.

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, Shad said:

Always good to listen to a few stories from yesteryear, Napiat I can remember from a few years back, remember cappiemore, very good type on the flat as well as the jumps, won the greymouth cup from memory, but lost it in the enquiry room, controversial one must say, from memory owner never raced a horse there again, he must have won close to 18 or so wins, out of a mare called mixed herbs, which may have been by Kurdistan, she never left much else, another old fella on the coast had a mare that won one race, story goes she had plenty of ability to, unbeatable at the trials, but sadly race day, showed virtually none of it.The good old days, when turnovers were good, and crowds flocked to the course.

Cappiemore was a handy horse yes and did win 18 races including an open handicap open hurdle and open steeple in the same season which was pretty rare in those times and no doubt even more rare today.  His problem in jumping was he did not like the mud.  And he did win a Greymouth Cup and they did take it off him and his owner(my Uncle) never did go back there despite their begging him to do so.  And correct he was out of Mixed Herbs and she was by Kurdistan but his full sister was half his size and no bloody good.  He was by a stallion called Thoreau who was well bred but didn't amount to terribly much - a few good jumpers  and two or three nice flat horses - Cappiemore Gallant Ace and a mare of Bert Crooks that was smart (maybe Mount Joy).  That Mixed Herbs family produced a lot of spice themed horses Old Thymer being one who won an NZ Cup.

Crowds still flock to the course on the Coast but when you ask for an extra raceday Bernard and co suddenly go deaf.  There were a bloody lot of good Coast horses around in those days 70's and 80's Gaelic Bid Palastone Paratonnerre Peligro Conbrio Cappiemore Perecolini Prince Rapido Machiavelli  Oldtimer plus all the Tom Lalor horses Kowhai Glen, Gotta Go, Binkie, Greek Prince, Kaimoto(later won an Aussie Grand National or two), Firpo, Hi Roona.  Latter on Barts Best of course.  Once the racedays started dropping form ten to eight to six to four to three training here was not worth it

[Freda]

I remember all those horses,  such great days, used to stay at Bill Kennedys when campaigning on the Coast.   Bill and the O'Malleys shared a horse truck, which got a lot of use, based as both trainers were, at Ikamatua.

The old flatdeck Bedford would get backed under the horsebox, which was bolted on to the deck.

I recall going with Bill one day, following the truck driven by one of the O'Malley team,  when Bill said, that bloody box isn't bolted down.  Sure enough, you could see the box lifting as the truck cornered.

Luckily nothing untoward transpired and the horses arrived safely!

Thoreau will always have a special place for me, he was the sire of my first winner as a trainer in my own right,  a tough little gelding called Hooray Henry owned by Penny Hargreaves. 

[Shad]

8 hours ago, Reefton said:

Cappiemore was a handy horse yes and did win 18 races including an open handicap open hurdle and open steeple in the same season which was pretty rare in those times and no doubt even more rare today.  His problem in jumping was he did not like the mud.  And he did win a Greymouth Cup and they did take it off him and his owner(my Uncle) never did go back there despite their begging him to do so.  And correct he was out of Mixed Herbs and she was by Kurdistan but his full sister was half his size and no bloody good.  He was by a stallion called Thoreau who was well bred but didn't amount to terribly much - a few good jumpers  and two or three nice flat horses - Cappiemore Gallant Ace and a mare of Bert Crooks that was smart (maybe Mount Joy).  That Mixed Herbs family produced a lot of spice themed horses Old Thymer being one who won an NZ Cup.

Crowds still flock to the course on the Coast but when you ask for an extra raceday Bernard and co suddenly go deaf.  There were a bloody lot of good Coast horses around in those days 70's and 80's Gaelic Bid Palastone Paratonnerre Peligro Conbrio Cappiemore Perecolini Prince Rapido Machiavelli  Oldtimer plus all the Tom Lalor horses Kowhai Glen, Gotta Go, Binkie, Greek Prince, Kaimoto(later won an Aussie Grand National or two), Firpo, Hi Roona.  Latter on Barts Best of course.  Once the racedays started dropping form ten to eight to six to four to three training here was not worth it

Certainly interesting hearing abit more on the breeding side which always interests me, and the list of very good horses owned and trained on the coast, do remember all of them, just good to have the old memory jogged, perecolini one of my favourites when he raced at riccarton, and always seemed to give his best in some very nice races, peligro may have held a track record at Westport some years ago, think I can recall cappiemore even racing at Wellington one day, may have be a st ledger, not sure,can recall a guy of Moffat riding him at some stage of his career, and in his jumping days would have been getting over the real fences, today they are certainly not the same.

[Doomed]

I can recall a mare named Short Stops racing a lot on the Coast. Was she trained there? I think she may have ended up up North.

[Chief Stipe]

13 minutes ago, Doomed said:

I can recall a mare named Short Stops racing a lot on the Coast. Was she trained there? I think she may have ended up up North.

Yes my memory is a bit vague but I'm pretty sure she was trained by a neighbour of mine in Hokitika.  Rod....his last name escapes me.  Also had a good horse called Godspell.

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

I can recall a mare named Short Stops racing a lot on the Coast. Was she trained there? I think she may have ended up up North.

 

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

Yes my memory is a bit vague but I'm pretty sure she was trained by a neighbour of mine in Hokitika.  Rod....his last name escapes me.  Also had a good horse called Godspell.

Roderick William Collins to be precise(not sure it was Roderick) but he was a hard thing and a bloody good trainer.  Short Stops was by Noble Bijou and a very nice horse.  Rod later trained Country Manners to win nine and also had a mare at Omoto called Egyptian Queen with whom he won several and who went on to be a great Broodmare - Egyptian Raine being one of her progeny that Kenny Rae trained and went on to be a top horse in Aussie.  And he had had Godspell earlier.

Pam will know Rod of course - he died a few years back

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, Shad said:

Certainly interesting hearing abit more on the breeding side which always interests me, and the list of very good horses owned and trained on the coast, do remember all of them, just good to have the old memory jogged, perecolini one of my favourites when he raced at riccarton, and always seemed to give his best in some very nice races, peligro may have held a track record at Westport some years ago, think I can recall cappiemore even racing at Wellington one day, may have be a st ledger, not sure,can recall a guy of Moffat riding him at some stage of his career, and in his jumping days would have been getting over the real fences, today they are certainly not the same.

Correct he did race in a St Leger but pulled his block off in front and faded out.  Jim Moffat rode him and Secured Deposit won the race (Neville Atkins I think).  At that stage my Uncle wanted him to settle in behind(hence the trying to restrain him) but eventually realised you just had to let him do his own thing.  He was a bit of a character horse but provided the track was dry you always got a run for your money especially on big tracks.

That St Leger was the first time I ever flew in an aeroplane when I went from Christchurch to Wellington to watch him run.

[Reefton]

5 hours ago, Freda said:

I remember all those horses,  such great days, used to stay at Bill Kennedys when campaigning on the Coast.   Bill and the O'Malleys shared a horse truck, which got a lot of use, based as both trainers were, at Ikamatua.

The old flatdeck Bedford would get backed under the horsebox, which was bolted on to the deck.

I recall going with Bill one day, following the truck driven by one of the O'Malley team,  when Bill said, that bloody box isn't bolted down.  Sure enough, you could see the box lifting as the truck cornered.

Luckily nothing untoward transpired and the horses arrived safely!

Thoreau will always have a special place for me, he was the sire of my first winner as a trainer in my own right,  a tough little gelding called Hooray Henry owned by Penny Hargreaves. 

Bill had that magnificent training track(now ripped up for cow paddocks).  That is a principal reason so many good horses came out of Ikamatua.  All the O'Malley Hampton and Doolan horses used to gallop there

[Chief Stipe]

23 minutes ago, Reefton said:

 

Roderick William Collins to be precise(not sure it was Roderick) but he was a hard thing and a bloody good trainer.  Short Stops was by Noble Bijou and a very nice horse.  Rod later trained Country Manners to win nine and also had a mare at Omoto called Egyptian Queen with whom he won several and who went on to be a great Broodmare - Egyptian Raine being one of her progeny that Kenny Rae trained and went on to be a top horse in Aussie.  And he had had Godspell earlier.

Pam will know Rod of course - he died a few years back

He was English wasn't he?  He lived two doors down from the first house I lived in as a child in Hokitika in Davie Steet.  Worked for the Council I think.  Had a bloody knack for training horses.  Mind you he spent more time training horses than he did at work and home.  Same era as Cathy Wildbore, Johnny Hurren and the Coleman's.  Hokitika was a busy little training centre!

Rod would have had a winning strike rate right up there with the best.

[Freda]

46 minutes ago, Reefton said:

 

Roderick William Collins to be precise(not sure it was Roderick) but he was a hard thing and a bloody good trainer.  Short Stops was by Noble Bijou and a very nice horse.  Rod later trained Country Manners to win nine and also had a mare at Omoto called Egyptian Queen with whom he won several and who went on to be a great Broodmare - Egyptian Raine being one of her progeny that Kenny Rae trained and went on to be a top horse in Aussie.  And he had had Godspell earlier.

Pam will know Rod of course - he died a few years back

I did indeed.  Good bloke, although he could be a handful!     Mouse used to ride Short Stops.

Country Manners came south as a 30-  something start maiden, and went on to do very well.

[Reefton]

57 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

He was English wasn't he?  He lived two doors down from the first house I lived in as a child in Hokitika in Davie Steet.  Worked for the Council I think.  Had a bloody knack for training horses.  Mind you he spent more time training horses than he did at work and home.  Same era as Cathy Wildbore, Johnny Hurren and the Coleman's.  Hokitika was a busy little training centre!

Rod would have had a winning strike rate right up there with the best.

Yes he was a pretty good operator all right.  I think this name was Rodney Alfred Collins actually not Roderick William.  He was a bloody hard thing I do remember that.  Might have been English not sure but his horses raced in white with a pink sash red armbands and cap.  And I don't think he ever killed himself working either. Preferred to live on his wits did our Rodney.  A tad(but not quite as bad) like the immortal Boomer Bailey(now there was a South Island racing character).  Boomer shook my hand one day and said 'count your fingers'.  A real legend MF Bailey(and another top liner as a trainer too).

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

I did indeed.  Good bloke, although he could be a handful!     Mouse used to ride Short Stops.

Country Manners came south as a 30-  something start maiden, and went on to do very well.

I am pretty sure it was Country Manners who gave me a massive Quinella at Riccarton one day. Paid $20 odd to run second to a Honey Crepe horse. You do tend to remember those things. Think the quinella paid about $700, big money in the late 70s.

[curious]

Remember Egyptian Queen. Think CWJ might have ridden her one day I backed her when she fair bolted in on the coast, Greymouth from memory.

[muzenza365]

A true story about Boomer.

He asked me if i knew anyone in the Warehousing Industry? As it turned out i did,his name was Tubby,a well known racing friend of many.Anyway Boomer asked if he could have a chat with him,did that and we turned up at the warehouse and you wouldn't believe it a truck was reversing back and Boomer asked what is happening here and Tubby replied that it was being returned as they couldn't sell a can of it,to cut to the chase Boomer did a calculation and ended up buying the lot for 2 cents a can and the deal also included delivery to his shop in New Brighton .Boomer had the tins all stacked up and was selling it for 50 cents a can and was doing well with sales,then an elderly lady came up and shock a can by her hearing aid and said"it sounds very water like and Boomer as quick as said that  "If your cat doesn't eat this get rid of the cat,she brought 4 cans, funnily enough it was caller Wonder Cat Food

[Reefton]

2 hours ago, Doomed said:

I am pretty sure it was Country Manners who gave me a massive Quinella at Riccarton one day. Paid $20 odd to run second to a Honey Crepe horse. You do tend to remember those things. Think the quinella paid about $700, big money in the late 70s.

He ran about ten seconds before Rod got him I think but when Rod took over he proceeded to win(I think) nine races with him.  he trained out of Washdyke in those days having moved from Hokitika then later moved back to Greymouth and after that back to Riccarton