History - Establishment and Administration

RACING, HORSE

by John Anthony Poulsen, Stipendiary Steward, New Zealand Racing Conference, Auckland.

History - Establishment and Administration

It could be expected that, in a colony settled by predominantly British people, horse racing in some form or other would soon begin. Horses were a valuable necessity in the colonies. The first horses to be landed in New Zealand were probably those brought from Australia by the Rev. Samuel Marsden to Rangihoua in the Bay of Islands on 23 December 1814 from the ship Active. They were from New South Wales, the gift of Governor Macquarie to the Maoris. Horses from New South Wales were to have an important place in the establishment of thoroughbred breeding in New Zealand. There are few records of the very early importations. Horses came with the military garrisons and it is recorded that the first horses arrived in Wellington on 2 March 1840. The first acknowledged thoroughbred horse, Figaro, landed in Wellington. He was bred by T. Icely, of Cooming, New South Wales, a celebrated breeder of the time.

Horse racing was quickly introduced to the early settlements. It was a feature of the first anniversary celebrations in Wellington, Auckland, Nelson, Otago, and Canterbury. Race meetings soon became important social and sporting events. The first were, perhaps, held around 1840 by the military garrison at Auckland. The soldiers ran meetings at Auckland and Onehunga using their own troop horses, the officers acting as officials. On 5 January 1841 the citizens of Auckland and Manukau held a meeting at Epsom, the principal event being the Auckland Town Plate by subscription of 3 sovereigns each. The stewards were listed as Lieutenant Smart (28th Regiment), Dr Gaumise (80th Regiment), and W. Young, Esq., the last named having been chairman of a meeting of interested citizens the previous November when it was resolved that the Auckland races take place at Epsom racecourse. From 1842 to 1849 the races at Auckland were controlled by “The Committee”, comprising mainly officers of the Militia. Interest in these early meetings was heightened by owners very often riding their own horses. Edward William Stafford, one of the early Premiers, was among those who did this.

The first anniversary of the settlement of Wellington in January 1841 included a hurdle race on the third day of the celebrations. It was won by Henry Petre riding his own horse, Calmuc Tartar. A jockey club was formed for the meeting but it lapsed after a few years. The first formal meeting was held at Petone beach on 20 October 1842, when the imported horse Figaro beat Calmuc Tartar in a 10-guinea sweepstake run in heats over a mile and a half. Racing later took place at Hutt Park and Burnham Water (the site of a former Miramar lagoon). The latter was probably the first racecourse in New Zealand and had a grandstand.

A hurdle race was run on the first anniversary of Nelson “through fern and flax, up hill and down hill”. Nelson first placed racing on a sound footing. There was a good course, with thoroughbreds imported for racing and breeding, and horses trained and brought out to race in something like “condition”. The course was at Stoke, 4 miles from Nelson. It was first used on 3 February 1845.

There was a meeting in Wanganui on 28 December 1848 and there, too, the officers of the Militia had a hand in starting the sport. The first races in Dunedin were held on 23 March 1849 as part of the Anniversary Day celebrations, with the eccentric Dr Manning a prominent owner. Following the gold discoveries in the province, Otago was, for a time, the strongest racing centre in New Zealand. The celebrations on the first anniversary of the Canterbury settlement on 16 December 1851 included four horse races over a course in Hagley Park facing the road running from the Riccarton Hotel to the Fendalton Bridge. The course was still in its native tussock. There was also early racing on the West Coast and in Taranaki; but not in Hawke's Bay (a district later to play an important part in New Zealand racing) until 1 January 1857.

Foundation and Administration of Racing Conference

The early race meetings in the colony were controlled by local committees elected for the meeting only, generally at a public meeting of interested citizens. Those elected made the arrangements, drew up the rules, and appointed the officials. In the larger towns the establishment of a racing club generally followed. These local clubs had their own locally varying rules, but based in common on those of the English Jockey Club. Until the late 1860s each club was a separate identity, with little coordination because of the difficulties of travel and communication. Consequently, disqualifications imposed by one club would not apply at another. The first attempts to introduce some form of unified control were made by the metropolitan clubs, a rather grandiose title for the times. It is not clear how certain clubs came to be so designated and to assume a limited control over the racing within their districts. But the metropolitan clubs of the 1860s and early 1870s did correspond with the main towns of the provincial districts. It is possible that there was some direction given from the Colonial Secretary at Wellington, since at that time permits for race meetings were issued by his office, and programmes in each district were approved by the Resident Magistrate. In early minute books there are instances of the Resident Magistrate referring programmes back to the metropolitan club because they had not first had that body's approval. So probably the sheer need for a responsible body to give guidance on those matters and to settle disputes forced the metropolitan clubs to act as a miniature jockey club.

After racing had been established for 30 years, the metropolitan clubs realised the need for some governing body to obtain uniform rules of racing and a uniform scale of weights. The first recorded move was made by the Canterbury Jockey Club in 1875 and, on 11 November 1876, during the course of the Canterbury Jockey Club race meetings, a meeting of delegates resolved “That it was desirable to establish a New Zealand Jockey Club, to frame rules and make a scale of weights to be used by all clubs running under the rules”. There was obviously some dissatisfaction at the time, for in 1877 the Canterbury Jockey Club resolved to recognise only the Dunedin, Wellington, Auckland, and Hawke's Bay Clubs. This made Wanganui and Taranaki hostile.

The first truly constructive move came from the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club which, on 12 July 1883, decided to set up a subcommittee, consisting of Captain W. R. Russell (later to be the first president of the Racing Conference), R. U. Burke, and C. B. Winter (the mover of the proposal), “to consider the establishment of a New Zealand Racing Association, and the drafting of Rules for same, and that the matter be submitted to the clubs already mentioned and the Taranaki and Wanganui Jockey Clubs, which were to be the Metropolitan Clubs for the proposed Districts the colony would be divided into”. The proposal also suggested the monthly publication of a racing calendar, the registration of colours, and a turf register.

The New Zealand Racing Conference finally developed very much as the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club had proposed, but a general move was not made for 13 years, when the Canterbury Jockey Club in 1882 organised a further meeting of delegates to revise the rules. Representatives of the Canterbury and Dunedin Clubs met for a similar purpose in July 1886. The minutes of these meetings have disappeared. More significant progress was made the following year. Many clubs realised the potential of a steady income from the totalisator to supplement their funds. But the issue of permits to too many clubs, some virtually individuals running proprietary meetings, was being widely criticised. There were countless abuses. In January 1887 A. J. Parsons, of the Wanganui Jockey Club, expressed concern at totalisator abuses and asked a Wellington conference of delegates from all the metropolitan clubs to consider the matter. At the suggestion of the Auckland Racing Club, this historic meeting was held at Napier on 15 and 16 March 1887, when Messrs W. Percival (Auckland), C. J. Penfold (Canterbury), Hon. G. McLean (Dunedin), C. B. Winter (Hawke's Bay), R. H. Nolan (Taranaki), Dr R. C. Earle (Wanganui), and H. M. Lyon (Wellington) met under the chairmanship of the Hon. G. McLean.

The only record of this meeting is a letter addressed by the chairman to the Colonial Secretary. The letter declared that the purpose of the meeting was to help racing as a whole, pointed out certain advantages to the country in using the totalisator confined within its lawful limits, and suggested ways of controlling the totalisator and of encouraging the breeding industry. The Colonial Secretary's reply pointed out to the chairman that legislation would be necessary to give metropolitan clubs a defined and legal status under the Gaming and Lotteries Act before the suggestions could be acted on. The Colonial Secretary proposed that the delegates' recommendations could best be carried out by formulating them in a Bill, which might then be introduced into either House of the Legislature by some member interested in racing. No Bill has ever been introduced; the authority of the Racing Conference is still not enforced by Statute.

From 1887 to 1891 metropolitan club representatives met every year and sometimes twice a year, with some meetings being attended by representatives of the Greymouth, Nelson, and Marlborough clubs. Many of the early meetings were held in Parliament Buildings, and several of those early delegates were members of either the House of Representatives or the Legislative Council. The Hon. G. McLean, M.L.C., chaired the first meeting and, except for the Hon. J. D. Ormond, the Hon. W. R. Russell (who became a member of the House of Representatives) chaired all the other early meetings. F. D. Luckie, of Hawke's Bay, became the conference secretary. The Hon. E. Mitchelson, the Hon. O. Samuel, Dr Earle, Freeman R. Jackson, R. H. Nolan, Francis Henry Dillon Bell, and, above all, Sir George Clifford, were prominent in helping the Racing Conference to gain its high standing as quickly as it did.

Attempts to Form a Jockey Club

The first 25 years of the Racing Conference brought many difficulties, as there were strongly opposing views about the form the governing body should take. The formation of a New Zealand Jockey Club was strongly favoured and, at a meeting on 13 July 1891, Clifford moved for the establishment of such a club to come into existence on 1 January 1892. The motion was carried against strong opposition from the Dunedin and Taranaki clubs which were successful in having consideration of the draft rules deferred and, by continued opposition, forced the eventual with drawal of the motion in 1893. At the same time the Hon. J. D. Ormond moved for country clubs to be given representation on the conference. Final approval of this came at a meeting in Wellington on 8 July 1893. Rules and regulations for conferences of New Zealand jockey clubs were drawn up, setting out the representation and voting powers of the metropolitan and the district clubs. This meeting truly set the future legislative pattern for racing. The proposed New Zealand Jockey Club had been conceived as a body with no parochial interests, and as a final court of appeal on racing matters. But the Dunedin and Taranaki clubs had the support of many of the country clubs in their opposition to what they feared would be an autocratic body. It was rather ironical that the last move to form a New Zealand Jockey Club in 1911 came from a country club. In November 1896 Sir George Clifford was elected chairman and, in 1897, W. H. E. Wanklyn became secretary. This was a period when the Racing Conference extended its influence and expanded its administrative functions. By 1900 the control of racing by conference was firmly established and in that year it was given the great honour of being recognised by the English Jockey Club.

In 1897 R. H. Nolan succeeded in having adopted his scheme for appeals against decisions of metropolitan clubs' committees being heard by three appeal judges appointed by the president. This system was acclaimed at the time and has stood the test of the present day. The first appeal was heard in 1898, the judges being Dr Earle, Geo. Hunter, and Nolan.

In 1899 it had been decided that country clubs be allowed two representatives on metropolitan committees. The registration of all racing clubs was enforced in 1900. A most important step for owners was the institution of accident fees in 1903. An accident fund for trainers, jockeys, and stablehands was established to relieve owners of their liability under the statutory provisions of the employers' liability and like Acts. The jockeys' and trainers' provident funds controlled by each metropolitan committee continued, but on a gradually changing basis.

Control of Meetings

In the early part of this century malpractices led to strong criticism of the control of race meetings. Sir George Clifford left people in little doubt that most of the trouble arose through the nefarious practices of bookmakers. The conference had recommended the appointment of judicial committees by each club as early as 1902. Later it sanctioned the appointment of advisory or stipendiary stewards by metropolitan committees, but this did not prove satisfactory. There was persistent public agitation for the appointment of stipendiary stewards by conference itself. A Stipendiary Committee was appointed in 1909 to carry the scheme affirmed at the annual meeting; but difficulties of cost and the opposition of country clubs delayed approval of the appointment of such officials until 1912. This was a triumph for the long fight by the Taranaki clubs for such appointments. The first appointees were J. McMahon, A. W. Gordon, and D. W. Gibson, and the first meeting they attended was the Auckland summer meeting of 1912–13. The Stipendiary Stewards' Committee was the forerunner of the present Executive Committee of conference. The original committee comprised the president (Sir George Clifford), Hon. W. H. Herries, M.P., W. E. Bidwill, H. Friedlander, E. R. Guiness, P. Miller, and R. H. Nolan. Only the president and Miller were not representatives of country clubs. The representation of the country clubs both on the Racing Conference and on the metropolitan committees had been a contentious matter for some years. A special Constitution Committee was set up in 1911 to investigate the question. Its report at the 1912 meeting of delegates resulted in the metropolitan committees being replaced by district committees on which the metropolitan clubs had five representatives and the country clubs an equal number. The new committees began in 1913. The stipendiary stewards gradually improved the control of racing and this met with general approval. They were, however, disturbed by the continued presence of undesirable elements on the racecourses. As early as 1914, racecourse detectives had been employed on a daily basis by district committees and clubs to remove undesirables from courses. The Stipendiary Stewards' Committee recommended that the Racing Conference employ permanent racecourse detectives, but this was stubbornly opposed by a minority of clubs and was not finally approved until 1921.

When the First World War broke out, the Racing Conference was pressed first to stop all racing, and then to reduce the number of race days. Following the lead given in England, racing continued, but in 1917 a special committee agreed with the Government to reduce race days by a third. The racing clubs were soon active contributors to the various war funds, and a number of courses were taken over for military purposes, notably Wellington (Trentham), Wairarapa, and Manawatu.

In 1921 the appointment of racecourse inspectors was agreed to, the first appointments being A. Ward, R. G. Black, F. Cullen, and J. Torrance. All were ex-police officers. Through the work of the racecourse inspectors (who cooperate closely with the Police), the racecourses in New Zealand are kept remarkably free of undesirables and prohibited persons. The independent licensing of trainers and jockeys by each metropolitan district committee also ended in 1921, when a Licensing Committee was appointed and all licences issued by the Racing Conference. The Southland Metropolitan Committee was created in 1925, all clubs in the Southland Province being separated from the Otago district.

From 1898 the affairs of the Racing Conference had been administered from Christchurch. With the growth of racing after the First World War it was decided that the headquarters should be more central. In 1930 they were moved to Wellington. The constitution of the conference was altered in 1928 when the Executive Committee was formed. This first consisted of the president, vice-president, and six representatives, but in 1929 this was changed to include one representative of each metropolitan district. The Licensing Committee and the Dates Committee were abolished in 1933 and their duties taken over by the Executive Committee.

Racing fell off during the depression of the 1930s. The Racing Conference was faced with many difficulties because of the plight of some of the smaller country clubs. Some became defunct and their permits were taken up by other clubs. Race days were again reduced during the Second World War and many racecourses were taken over by the military. The restricted racing and lack of transport raised many problems, as the number of horses in training was not reduced, nor was there any loss of interest in race meetings. These were often held under great difficulties because of the military occupation of the courses being raced on. In the later years of the war the Executive Committee sanctioned race meetings to raise patriotic funds.

Post-war Trends

The growth of racing in the post-war years was even more marked than in the early 1920s. Race permits were not restored immediately the war finished but over the two years following. The conference pressed for more permits, but these were not granted until after the report of the 1946 Royal Commission on Gaming and Racing had been considered by Parliament and the Gaming Amendment Act passed in 1949.

The conference considerably advanced steps in the interests of racing and the national bloodstock breeding industry when it set up its “dope detection” scheme in 1953. Racing expanded quickly in the Auckland Province (especially in the Waikato district) with the great increase of population there. This led to the formation of the Waikato Metropolitan District in 1949 by the division of the Auckland Metropolitan District, then by far the largest and strongest in New Zealand. There have been no changes in the metropolitan districts since. In 1962 the conference for the first time had its own building, in Farish Street, Wellington.

The Racing Conference has had remarkably few changes in its highest offices. Only eight men have been president. Captain (later Sir William) W. R. Russell, the first president, held office from 1889 to 1896, although Sir George Clifford acted as chairman of the 1895 and 1896 meetings. Sir George Clifford held office from 1896 until his death in 1930. W. E. Bidwill acted as chairman in 1928. O. S. Watkins was appointed president in 1930 after acting in 1929 and carried on until 1933. J. S. McLeod was elected in 1934 until he was succeeded by A. S. Elworthy in 1939. H. R. Chalmers became president in 1942 and retired in 1955, the second longest holder of the office. W. Claude Motion, vice-president for 14 years, served one year in office before he retired and G. H. Grigg was appointed. There have been only four secretaries. F. D. Luckie, secretary of the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club, acted from 1889 to 1897, when W. H. E. Wanklyn of the Canterbury Jockey Club was appointed and continued until he retired in 1917. H. R. Sellers succeeded and, on his death in 1939, A. M. McBeath, the present secretary, began his term of office.

General and District Administration

Thus racing in New Zealand is now controlled by the New Zealand Racing Conference, which, consistent with its origin, is an association of the clubs registered under its rules. The Racing Conference does not run race meetings, as it is a purely legislative and administrative body. The year-to-year administration is done by an Executive Committee elected annually and comprising the president and vice-president, ex-officio, and one representative of each of the 10 metropolitan racing districts of New Zealand. Delegates of racing clubs meet annually in Wellington in July, when legislative matters are dealt with by way of remits from the Executive Committee, district committees, or clubs. The Racing Conference registers all horses, issues all licences, administers the General Trust Fund (Accident Fund), and publishes the New Zealand Stud Book and the New Zealand Racing Calendar. The secretary is the principal executive officer, and a staff of stipendiary stewards and racecourse inspectors attend all race meetings.

In each metropolitan racing district a district committee generally supervises the racing in its district whether the meetings are run by totalisator, non-totalisator, or sports clubs. Each district committee comprises one representative of each district totalisator club and an equal number of representatives of the senior club, which is known as the metropolitan club. Each district committee must approve all programmes in its district and consider all applications for dates and licences before they are submitted with recommendations to the Racing Conference. It also hears all appeals against the decisions of racing club judicial committees and reviews all penalties imposed by the latter.

Local Administration

There are 71 racing clubs and 17 hunt clubs authorised to use the totalisator and a total of 259 days allocated to racing. All racing clubs are non-proprietary, and the committee and the stewards of each are elected from the club members. Each racing club runs its own affairs and its own race meeting. On race day, the committee or the stewards (or sometimes both according to the club's constitution) control the meeting, and all judicial matters are dealt with by a judicial committee appointed by the club. This committee must investigate all matters submitted to it by a stipendiary steward or racecourse inspector, neither of whom has any judicial powers. Most racing clubs own their own racecourses. Hunt clubs do not, and they are not individually represented on a district committee.

Formation of Racing Clubs

Auckland Racing Club

Many of the early racing clubs had a rather chequered existence and soon disappeared. Typical is the New Ulster Jockey Club, formed in Auckland on 17 May 1849. The new club took over from the committee which had controlled the Auckland races from 1842 to 1849. When the Province of New Ulster was abolished in 1852, the club became known as the Auckland Jockey Club. A second club, the Auckland Turf Club, was formed on 21 August 1873, but held one meeting only. Members of the two clubs met on 9 January 1874 and decided to amalgamate. The new club was to be known as the Auckland Racing Club.

The Auckland Racing Club held its first meeting in 1874 on its present course at Ellerslie, which had been used for racing since 1857. The property was formerly part of the farm of Robert Graham, a keen supporter of racing, and was known as Graham's Gardens. On 19 May 1872 some 90 acres were bought by the Auckland Jockey Club. The course is thus older than the club which now owns it. Later, more land was bought. The club now owns 180 acres. The course gardens attract thousands of visitors each year and, since 1960, the official stand (an imposing structure of modern design some 300 ft long and 90 ft high) has proved an added attraction. There are 16 race days a year at Ellerslie, one day being for the Pakuranga Hunt Club's meeting. The Auckland Cup, run over 2 miles, is the main race at the summer meeting. It was established in 1874 and is now the richest race in New Zealand. In 1955 the stake rose to £12,500, but is usually. £11,000. The Auckland Racing Club has always given the best stakes possible to the classic and weight-for-age races on its programme. The Great Northern Derby was first run in 1875 and the Great Northern Guineas in 1888. The Great Northern Oaks were added in 1906 and the Great Northern St. Leger in 1916. The Great Northern Steeplechase, in which the contestants run over the famous “hill” three times, is the main attraction of the winter meeting. It was first run in 1885. The Great Northern Hurdles, run at the same meeting, did not begin until 1892. The feat of El Gallo accomplishing this double in 1915 and 1916 is one of the outstanding events in the history of jumping races in New Zealand. The Easter Handicap, the main race at the club's Easter meeting, has become the richest mile race in New Zealand. Ellerslie racegoers will always associate the race with the gelding Sleepy Fox, which won it four times in succession. The Auckland Racing Club was possibly the first racing club in the world to film its races and was the first in New Zealand to introduce the photo-finish camera.

Canterbury Jockey Club

The Canterbury Jockey Club has had the oldest continuous existence of any club in the country, and for nearly half a century was dominant in New Zealand racing. In Christchurch, on 4 November 1854, following the market dinner which took place every Saturday at the Golden Fleece Hotel in Colombo Street, J. R. Cracroft Wilson presided at a public meeting, when it was decided to form a jockey club. This was done on 2 December and the Governor was asked to set aside as a public reserve an area in the neighbourhood of Trig. Point No. 2, about 6 miles from Christchurch. The club held its first meeting at what is now the Riccarton racecourse in 1855. The main race was the Canterbury Cup of £50–2-mile heats – won by Tamerlane. In 1860 the Canterbury Derby began through J. W. Mallock, who offered £50 if the club would give a like amount. At this meeting what was possibly the first two-year-old race in New Zealand was run. The Canterbury Derby was later renamed the New Zealand Derby. The first Champion Race meeting in Canterbury took place under the club's auspices in 1865. The Champion Race, run over 3 miles, weight-for-age, with £1,000 added money and a sweepstake of 50 sovereigns, drew a field of 10, and was won by Lance's Ladybird. She had been bought from H. Redwood after winning the first Champion Race in Dunedin the previous year. In 1866 the added money in the Canterbury Cup was raised to £1,000 and the net value of the stake was £1,450. It was won by Harris's Belle of the Isle. He won the race the next year with Stormbird, when the added money was still the same. Stakes were reduced the next year. In 1873 the club decided to hold two meetings a year and alter the course to, as near as possible, a mile and a half, its distance today.

The club increased public patronage in 1877 when it opened a private branch railway to the course from the main south line. In 1881 the telegraph was used on the course for the first time. The growth of the club was illustrated that year by the opening of its new stand, which was a reduced model of that at Randwick, and seated 600 with standing room for 400 more. It is interesting to note that, at the club's first annual meeting, a proposal for a stand costing £46 had been turned down, and no stand was built until 1864. From the time the totalisator was introduced in 1880 the club made steady progress and its meetings attracted the best horses in New Zealand. In 1883 the first New Zealand Cup was run. The stake was £1,000, and it was won by Tasman, owned by D. O'Brien, later to gain fame as the first owner of Carbine. The race was formerly run as the Canterbury Jockey Club Handicap, first run in 1865. Of other historic races the Champagne Stakes and the Great Autumn Handicap were first run in 1874, the Welcome Stakes in 1879, the Middle Park Plate in 1884, and the New Zealand Oaks in 1887.

Although Riccarton is the venue of the Grand National Steeplechase, the Canterbury Jockey Club did not establish the race. The first Grand National Steeplechases were controlled by the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase Club, formed in 1874, and for a time its rules governed most steeplechase and hurdle races in New Zealand. The first Grand National Steeplechase was run near Waimate in 1875. The rules provided that the race should not be held at the same place in successive years. Thus for some years the race was run alternately in South Canterbury or North Otago and North Canterbury. In 1884 this rule was rescinded and Christchurch became the venue. In 1888 it was arranged that the Canterbury Jockey Club should run its meetings, and since then the Grand National Steeplechase has been run at Riccarton. Cutts, the famous fence in the course, was so named because it is near the entrance to Cutts's stables, Chokebore Lodge, opposite the racecourse entrance. These stables were taken over by Cutts in 1868 and occupied by the family for almost a century. Their name will live as long as the famous race which, though not the most valuable, is still the premier test of a steeplechaser in New Zealand.

Wellington Racing Club

Though racing was introduced early to Wellington, the Wellington club is by no means the oldest in New Zealand. The early racing was held at Hutt Park (which was proclaimed a racecourse reserve in 1854) and at Burnham Water, a former Miramar lagoon which had been drained, leaving 200 acres of flat land. In the 1860s a Wellington Jockey Club existed, but was not very active. Promoted by P. A. Chavaumes, a two-day meeting was held at Hutt Park in 1867 and, on the second day, a Wellington Cup was run. A second meeting was held in 1868 and a third in 1873, which was attended by 5,000 people. With an assured future, a new Wellington Jockey Club was formed under the presidency of the Provincial Superintendent, W. Fitzherbert. The new club had a two-day meeting in March 1874. Another set down for December had to be postponed until the following March. The name of the club was altered to the Wellington Racing Club in 1879. The next year the totalisator was used at Hutt Park for the first time. A dispute which developed with the Island Bay Racing Club over which was to be the metropolitan club, was referred to the Wanganui Jockey Club for settlement. Finally the Wellington Racing Club leased the Burnham Water racecourse. The Hutt Hack Racing Club also held races at Hutt Park, but by 1887 the Wellington Racing Club was firmly established as the metropolitan club and the development of Hutt Park proceeded. Arguments over the shortcomings of Hutt Park as the racecourse for the capital city came to a head in 1903 when the Railways Department refused to improve the transport to the course – which was not of easy access. Accordingly, A. E. Whyte, appointed secretary in 1903, conceived the idea of building a new course at Trentham. A scheme of splendid vision was propounded at a meeting of the committee in August 1904, and the President, J. B. Harcourt, confirmed that money enough was available. The 230 acres of land cost an estimated £9,000, construction of the course £22,000, and buildings £22,000. Trentham was built and the first meeting was held on 20 January 1906. It was appropriate that at the first meeting Ropa won the Wellington Cup in 2 min 33 sec, then a New Zealand record for a mile and a half. The three great stands were built between 1922 and 1924. Trentham thus had excellent appointments to match its splendid track. It is placed to attract the best from both Islands. Country-wide interest in the course is indicated by the large amount of off-course betting on Trentham meetings.

The Wellington Cup was first run in 1874, when the winner was the three-year-old Castaway. The distance was 2 miles until 1889; from 1890 to 1941 a mile and a half, and thence again to 2 miles. The race has been notable for some outstanding performances by three-year-olds. After Castaway (8 st.) came Korari (6 st. 10 lb) in 1876. In 1890 Cynisca (7 st. 1 lb) gained the first of his three successive wins. Renown (8 st. 10 lb) won in 1901 and the outstanding fillies Gladsome (8 st. 5 lb) and Nightfall (8 st. 2 Ib) in 1904 and 1905 respectively. Gladsome was subsequently disqualified for being ridden by an unlicensed apprentice. Then followed Rapine (7 st. 12 lb) in 1923, Defaulter (8 st. 11 lb) in 1939, and Kindergarten (8 st. 6 lb) in 1941. Beaumaris (8 st. 0 lb) has been the only three-year-old successful at 2 miles. The success of Advance (“The Black Demon”) among the older horses with 10 st. 4 lb in 1903 stands out over the shorter distance, and that of the 1961 winner, Great Sensation (9 st. 2 lb) over 2 miles in the Australasian record time of 3 min 17.2 sec. He won again with 9 st. 6 lb in 1962, and again in 1963. Wellington's classic and stakes races were established later than those of Auckland or Canterbury. The Wellington Stakes was first run in 1897, the Wellesley Stakes in 1898, the North Island Challenge Stakes and the New Zealand St. Leger in 1899, the Wellington Guineas in 1940, and the Desert Gold Stakes and the Gloaming Stakes in 1947.

Dunedin Jockey Club

The greatest difficulty faced in establishing racing in Dunedin was finding a suitable and convenient course. From 1862 to 1868 the Otago Jockey Club (a body that hardly qualified for the title) ran the racing, including the first New Zealand Champion Race, at Silverstream in 1863. This race offered the first £1,000 stake in New Zealand racing, and it was added to a sweepstake of 100 sovereigns. It was run over three miles at weight-for-age and was won by H. Redwood's four-year-old mare, Ladybird, from Mormon, regarded as the best horse in Australia.

The Dunedin Jockey Club was formed in 1869 after the Otago Jockey Club became defunct. It raced for one season at Silverstream. About 1869 it gained a lease of Forbury Park, Dunedin, and formed a course there. Racing began in 1871 and continued until 1898. In 1887 the club bought Wingatui, near Mosgiel, and transferred there in 1899. A Dunedin Cup was run by the Otago Jockey Club in 1867 and 1868. The present race dates from 1874 when H. Redwood's Lurline was the winner, ridden by R. J. Mason, who later became most successful as the trainer for G. G. Stead. The Champagne Stakes, established in 1878, has Carbine, as well as other distinguished horses, in its list of winners. Likewise the James Hazlett Gold Cup in which Limerick, Nightmarch, Silver Ring, Royal Chief, Defaulter, and Kindergarten are among those successful. In the early 1880s the New Zealand and the Dunedin Cups each carried a stake of £1,000 and were the medium of heavy wagering. At that time Otago had more clubs and more racing days than any other province.

Wanganui Jockey Club

The Wanganui Jockey Club contributed a great deal to early racing. The present club was reconstituted in 1874, although racing had carried on continuously in Wanganui since 1848. From 1879 to 1887 the club ran a Wanganui Derby and, in 1876, a Grand National Steeplechase (a title soon dropped). The Wanganui Cup was established in 1875 and the Wanganui Guineas in 1898. Early members of the club, notably A. J. Parsons, Drs Earle and Connelly, and Freeman R. Jackson (club secretary), played a big part in the establishment of the New Zealand Racing Conference; another member, A. Higgie, persistently advocated that the Racing Conference publish the New Zealand Stud Book.

Hawke's Bay Jockey Club

A Hawke's Bay Jockey Club existed in 1866. The present club dates from November 1874, when it was re-established at a meeting at the Napier Provincial Council Chambers. The first race meeting was held in 1875, but the club did not make Hastings its permanent centre until 1878. The club's first president, W. R. Russell, and its first secretary, F. D. Luckie, held the same offices on the establishment of the New Zealand Racing Conference. The architect of much of the early racing legislation was J. D. Ormond, who represented the club as a delegate for many years. The Hawke's Bay Cup began in 1875 and the Hawke's Bay Guineas in 1880. The club has strongly supported steeplechasing. The Hawke's Bay Steeplechase was established in 1879. Among the winners of this race was Moifaa, which S. H. Gollan took to England to win the Liverpool Grand National. (Gollan had already won the Hawke's Bay Steeplechase with Norton, which he rode himself.)

The Totalisator

The totalisator was responsible for the New Zealand Racing Conference coming into being, and this body has always urged that all betting be through the totalisator alone. The first crude totalisators began operating about 1879 or 1880. Deductions were as high as 12 per cent, and occasionally an operator was guilty of sharp practices. Despite its inefficiency, the totalisator must have greatly interfered with the business of the on-course bookmakers, or they must have foreseen a strong future competitor, for there were various attempts to ban the totalisator, the Churches and other anti-gambling factions joining the bookmakers in their attack. But the clubs quickly saw the advantages of the new machine. The first statutory restrictions on its use came with the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1881. Permits for its use were then issued by the Colonial Secretary, who could issue as many as he liked. The metropolitan clubs soon saw that too many were being issued and were perturbed at the criticism of racing because of this abuse. The first meeting of delegates of the metropolitan racing clubs concerned itself almost solely with this problem and strongly requested that the Colonial Secretary restrict the issue of permits. Both in 1892 and in 1893 the conference again unsuccessfully asked the Government to restrict permits. The Opposition attacked the Government on this matter and succeeded in 1896 in carrying by a fair majority the second reading of the Bill to abolish the totalisator. The Bill did not, however, reach a third reading.

Over the next 10 years many clubs gradually excluded bookmakers from their courses, although bookmaking was not unlawful. Opinions on the exclusion of bookmakers were divided. In 1903 a petition to Parliament against the proposal to abolish the totalisator contained over 32,000 signatures and, in 1907, petitions tabled in the House of Representatives showed 36,311 signatures in favour of the totalisator and 36,471 against it. In 1904 Sir George Clifford was highly critical of a small number of clubs that had seen fit to license bookmakers on their courses. In 1907 Sir Joseph Ward introduced his highly contentious Gaming and Lotteries Act, which legalised bookmaking on racecourses and required all clubs authorised to use the totalisator to license fit persons as bookmakers. Totalisator dividends had to be paid to the nearest 6d., and the number of totalisator permits was reduced by one-sixth from 1 September 1908. The licensing system was disastrous and scandalous. The country was invaded by men of criminal tendencies. The racing authorities refused to distinguish among applicants for licences because they did not see why the invidious duty of selection should fall to them. Finally Mr Justice Chapman strongly criticised the legislation from the Supreme Court bench. The results of the Act, and the apparently widespread condemnation which they had evoked, led to an amendment in 1910. Bookmakers were excluded from racecourses and they made their last appearance at the now abolished Takapuna racecourse in Auckland in 1911.

But though one evil was abolished, another started. The illegal bookmaker came into his own, because of defects in the Act. The doubles totalisator was abolished, leaving the illegal bookmaker with a monopoly of this popular form of betting. He thrived because the telephone and the telegraph could not be used to put money on the totalisator and because dividends could not be published, with the result that the turnover of illegal bookmakers was estimated at £24,000,000 by 1946. Though some of this money doubtless found its way back to the totalisator, racing clubs and the Government lost a huge revenue.

Hunt Clubs

Hunt clubs, to be distinguished from the various hunts which had existed in New Zealand from very early times, first came under the jurisdiction of the New Zealand Racing Conference in November 1892, when the Wanganui Jockey Club's suggested rules for the regulation of hunt club race meetings were added to the Rules of Racing. At that time hunt clubs could use the totalisator at meetings held on racecourses. The new rules stated that the totalisator might be used only if all surplus money was spent on legitimate hunt activities. A New Zealand Hunt Club's Association was formed in 1900, and all clubs had to be registered. Thus began a closer association with the Racing Conference. The hunt clubs suffered financially when the number of totalisator permits was reduced at the turn of the century. Racing clubs gave only spasmodic help and their generosity varied. In 1911 the Racing Conference appointed a committee to consider whether (and how) hunts should be supported, and in 1912 approved a system of voluntary subscriptions from racing clubs. The Hunt Clubs' Association pressed for totalisator permits for hunt clubs and, eventually, eight were granted under the Gaming Amendment Act of 1914. A Royal Commission found it so hard to decide which of the 18 applicants should receive the permits that it finally decided on a system of 16 clubs participating in two groups in alternate seasons. This compromise lasted until a further eight permits were granted in 1920. Two more permits were granted after the 1946 Royal Commission report.

The New Zealand Stud Book

The first New Zealand Stud Book was compiled by Charles Elliot in 1862 and was printed and published at the offices of the Nelson Examiner. The cost was met by 54 subscribers who were listed in the book. It contained the pedigrees of 145 mares and 58 covering stallions and listed two stallions and two fillies imported after the book had gone to press. It also listed stallions imported into Australia which had progeny appearing in Volume 1, as well as celebrated horses. Volume 2 appeared in 1866, listing 147 mares and 44 covering stallions, with a further 24 mares and five stallions in an appendix. In spite of great difficulties, Elliot continued to publish his stud book, though he had often to ask for financial aid from the metropolitan clubs. The first six volumes were printed in Nelson, and Volumes 7 and 8 by the Lyttelton Times in Christchurch. Volumes 9 and 10 were printed in Wanganui, the latter by Willis and Elliot. In 1896 the Racing Conference had recommended that metropolitan clubs support the publication of Volume 10 and authorised the president to spend up to 300 on this. This was a change from 1893 when a proposal for such a publication had been rejected because the 300 cost was thought too much for the conference to bear. There was, however, strong pressure for the Racing Conference to publish a stud book, even though in 1895 a subcommittee had recommended compulsory registration of all thoroughbred stock in the Australian Stud Book. (This proposal was strongly criticised, especially in Auckland.) When W. H. E. Wanklyn was appointed secretary, his recommendation to publish a complete New Zealand Stud Book was approved by the conference in 1899. The first volume appeared in 1900 and included most of the entries in Volumes 1 to 10 of Elliot's stud books. The book made money and a second volume followed in 1903, to be continued each three years until 1930 and, thereafter, each four years.

All breeders must send returns of mares and stallions at stud during any season, and foaling and covering returns each season. The fire branding of all foals was made compulsory from 1962 and the register of brands is kept by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association. The latest volume of the New Zealand Stud Book contains the names of 5,358 mares and 298 covering stallions. The cost of publication is met by a levy on all clubs. More recently breeders have been contributing to the cost by way of stud book and annual entry fees.

Royal Commissions

Racing in New Zealand has been built up by the honorary and devoted work of its enthusiasts, and legislation has contributed little to its development. Various governments have, however, appointed Royal Commissions to investigate alleged grievances. The first Royal Commission was appointed in 1911 and represented solely racing and trotting interests. It was directed to recommend how the number of days racing could best be reduced by 43, and trotting by 11, as the Gaming Amendment Act of 1910 required. In 1915 G. Hunter and T. H. Davey were appointed another two-man commission representing racing and trotting interests. They were required to recommend the distribution of 31 extra totalisator permits allowed by the Gaming Amendment Act 1914. This was a much travelled commission.

In November 1920 the Government appointed a five-man Racing Commission to determine which racing and trotting clubs should be given totalisator licences from 1 August 1921. This Commission studied exhaustively all aspects of racing and inspected nearly all the racecourses in the country. It heard those who opposed an increase in totalisator licences. It wrote a most comprehensive report and made many important recommendations about racecourses, appointments, and the amalgamation of clubs. Many of its recommendations, though sound, were never enforced.

The fourth Royal Commission, appointed in 1946, was by far the most important for racing and trotting. It studied every aspect of racing and gaming and wrote a report of far-reaching consequences for everybody connected with racing. Not only did it recommend the removal of most (if not all) the pointless restrictions imposed by the Act of 1910, but it also came out heavily on the side of the offcourse-betting scheme propounded by the Racing and Trotting Conferences, and in favour of the restoration of the doubles totalisator. But, like its predecessors, it has not had all its recommendations accepted by Parliament.

National Sales

Horses sent to Australia to race were the first New Zealand bloodstock sold overseas. In 1859 Henry Redwood sold ZoU (winner of the second Champion Race) and Zingara to Judge Cheeke, of Sydney, for 1,000. Chevalier (a son of Flora McIvor) and Lurline were sold the same year. After the progeny of Traducer proved their worth more sales followed. Sir Modred, winner of the New Zealand Derby in 1880 and the best horse of his time, was sold to the United States in 1885, followed a few years later by his brother Cheviot, and another Derby winner, G. G. Stead's Maxim, by Musket. The dispersal sales of the Sylvia Park and the Wellington Park Studs, and Stead's stud and racing team, attracted many buyers from Australia. But interest in the sales of yearlings was spasmodic. An annual sale was started in the South Island and several breeders held annual private sales in the North. After a trip overseas in 1924, followed by discussions with breeders, C. E. Robertson, of Wright Stephenson Ltd., established the National Yearling Sales at which Ken Austin (later a prominent breeder) was the first auctioneer. The sales were held, as they still are, at Trentham in January during the Wellington Racing Club's summer meeting. The catalogue comprised 71 lots, of which 48 were sold for a total of 16,000 guineas, an average of 341 guineas. The best later performers sold were Concentrate, Second Wind, and Prodice. The sales were given a great fillip when the Limond colt Honour, which had sold for a record figure of 2,300 guineas at the second sales, won the Breeders' Plate at Randwick in 1928 and the New Zealand Derby in 1929. Though Australia has always been the main overseas market, yearlings have been bought by South African, South American, Indian, Malayan, Japanese, and United States buyers, the latter taking an increasing interest in the sales.

Sales have grown remarkably. It is noteworthy that nearly all the big breeding establishments in New Zealand breed for the sales. The yearlings sold have an outstanding record in classic and high-class races and, since the Second World War, have had more successes in Australia than ever. Phar Lap, sold for 160 guineas, was undoubtedly the greatest bargain to pass through the Trentham ring. The following table shows how sales have grown since they began:

Year Lots Number Sold Highest Price (guineas) Average Price (guinease) Aggregate (guineas)
1927 71 48 1,025 341 16,000
1930 72 50 2,400 415 20,750
1935 116 86 2,100 240 20,722 ½
1939 210 148 1,450 241 25,697 ½
1942 221 141 1,050 187 26,322
1944 248 163 2,000 418 68,090
1945 274 194 3,000 469 90,965
1946 372 270 4,750 563 ½ 152,140
1947 464 301 4,000 604 181,795
1948 519 294 3,500 452 ½ 133,017 ½
1949 478 277 3,600 498 137,925
1950 520 308 2,800 496 152,890
1951 457 282 3,250 551 152,420
1952 445 244 4,000 529 129,135
1953 336 225 5,000 575 129,545
1954 364 260 2,800 607 157,885
1955 424 284 4,500 625 177,524
1956 388 241 3,000 598 ½ 144,205
1957 425 285 3,300 618 176,140
1958 381 275 4,000 765 ¾ 210,560
1959 437 263 3,400 617 ½ 162,410
1960 353 275 5,000 841 ½ 231,470
1961 395 283 7,000 708 200,304 ¾
1962 404 255 4,000 742 189,095
1963 417 264 6,000 722 ½ 190,725
1964 431 315 7,000 1,021 337,706 ¼

Off-Course Betting

The Gaming Amendment Act of 1920 made bookmaking illegal and drove it underground to flourish so that after the war it had a bigger turnover than all the totalisators together. It was not true bookmaking. The bookmakers paid out totalisator odds with limits; consequently, a bettor had in many cases to be satisfied with smaller and often very cramped odds. This gave rise to a certain amount of dissatisfaction, but there was little the public could do about it if they wished to bet off course. Racing officials had long contended that the bookmakers had a bad influence on racing. The Racing and Trotting Conferences made detailed submissions to the 1946 Royal Commission in support of an off-course betting scheme which advocated off-course betting through the totalisator, by means of totalisator agencies throughout the country.

The report of the Royal Commission was strongly in favour of the conference's scheme. The Government decided to hold a referendum on the issue and, on 9 March 1949, with 623,625 votes cast (approximately 56 per cent of the electoral roll), 424,219 were in favour and 199,406 against. A Totalisator Agency Board was then set up under a Gaming Amendment Act (15 December 1949) to operate the scheme, which was approved by the Minister of Internal Affairs on 20 September 1950. A revised scheme was approved in July 1956 and further amendments followed in December 1957. A Board of six members (later eight) administered the scheme. It comprised the presidents of the Racing and Trotting Conferences and an equal number of members from each. It is a corporate body having some special powers under the Act.

The Act prevents the setting up of purely betting shops and makes certain nothing is done to encourage betting. Advertising is restricted to no more than a prescribed notice that the Board intends to open a branch or agency; any staff member or agent is debarred from touting for betting; and all persons prohibited from attending racecourses are also prohibited from entering the Board's branches or agencies. Money to set the scheme up became a subject for argument, as many were strongly opposed to the use of Government funds. Finally, the Gaming Amendment Act of 1950 allowed the Board to receive 7½ per cent of all off-course-betting turnover accepted and placed on the totalisator. This is the same proportion as clubs receive on on-course turnover. Establishment and capital finance was provided by a levy of one-half per cent on totalisator-betting turnover for five years from 1 November 1950. The levy is now paid to racing and trotting clubs solely to maintain and replace public amenities and to improve racecourses.

The Board set up its headquarters in Wellington and, as it had had no experience of systematic off-course betting, went carefully about establishing branches and totalisator agencies. Many details had to be worked out with the Post Office, as the scheme would stand or fall on the efficiency of its telephone system. Experimental branches were opened at Dannevirke and Feilding on 28 March 1951. They were the size (5,000 people) that was considered the minimum for the economic operation of a branch. More branches and agencies were soon opened. At the end of the second year the Board had 21 branches in all the main cities and almost all towns of 5,000 or over. Other places were served by offices with individual agents. Four agents under the control of the two experimental branches began operating in May 1951 and, by the end of the second year, there were 126 agencies. In 1964 the Board had 25 branches and 285 agencies.

(Year to 31 March)
£
1951 118,095
1952 2,661,923
1953 10,460,385
1954 13,983,166
1955 16,357,761
1956 17,594,402
1957 18,285,385
1958 19,007,063
1959 18,333,509
1960 19,964,416
1961 21,658,350
1962 21,412,617
1963 22,237,137
1964 24,054,254

The preceding table shows the great growth of off-course investments on racing clubs' meetings.

Successes in Australia

The larger prizes offering in Australia and the strong betting rings in Sydney and Melbourne were a tremendous lure to early New Zealand owners and trainers. It seems that Nelson sent the first horses to Sydney in 1858 — Strop, Miss Rowe, H. Redwood's Zoe, Zingara, Io, and Waimea, Chevalier, and G. Duppa'sWildrake, Phoebe, and Camden. At Homebush Chevalier and Strop won every race they started in. When the first Champion Race was run in Melbourne Zoe ran second to Flying Buck, with Miss Rowe fourth and Strop fifth. Zoe won the second Champion Race at Sydney, with Wildrake second. Strop finished fourth, but collapsed and died in the enclosure. Zoe went on to win a third Champion Race at Ipswich in Queensland. For 10 years there were few New Zealand horses raced in Australia, and few successes, because the Australian best were superior horses. But when the stock of Traducer started to race, there were more successes.

Melbourne Cup

In 1870 Redwood sent Manuka (The Peer – Waimea) over to Melbourne in charge of Edward Cutts to be prepared for the Melbourne Cup. Peeress went too, and won the Royal Park Stakes at Flemington. But Manuka failed to run as he did not stand training. He went to the stud in Australia. In 1879 Lancelot Walker and G. G. Stead sent Le Toup over for the Melbourne Cup. He was heavily backed but was pulled up in the race after his saddle slipped. The winner was a stablemate, Darriwell, the acknowledged inferior of Le Toup. Later at the meeting Le Toup won the Victorian Racing Club Handicap, but in weight-for-age races he was beaten by Chester.

Martini-Henry was the first New Zealand bred horse to win the Melbourne Cup (1883) and, two years later, the stayer Trenton was beaten only by a head by Sheet Anchor. (He was owned by G. G. Stead and was backed to win £80,000.) In 1890 Carbine carried 10 St. 5 lb and won in record time from the largest ever field of 39 runners. Apologue had a surprising win in 1907, and in 1916 the fine stayer Sasanof (by Martian) won. The brilliant Nightmarch won in 1929. Phar Lap won in 1930. He carried 9 st. 12 lb and started the shortest price favourite in the history of the race. The next New Zealand-bred winner, Wotan, started at 100 to 1 and made a race record. The eight-year-old gelding Catalogue won in 1938, somewhat surprisingly, as he had formerly been a miler. New Zealand horses have succeeded more often since the Second World War. Hiraji won in 1947 and Foxzami in 1949. Dalray carried 9 st. 8 lb to win in 1952, but was not quite as brilliant as Rising Fast which, after winning the Caulfield Cup with 8 st. 10 lb, won with 9st. 5 lb in 1954. In 1955 Rising Fast again won the Caulfield Cup carrying 9 st. 10 lb and made a brave bid to win his second Melbourne Cup with 10 st. 2 lb, but was beaten by another New Zealand runner, the seven-year-old Toparoa, carrying only 7 st. 8 lb. Successes by Straight Draw in 1957 and Macdougall in 1959 preceded New Zealand's dominance in the finish of the Centenary Melbourne Cup in 1960 when heads separated Hi-Jinx, Howsie, and Illumquh. Even Stevens won in 1962 to become the fifth horse to complete the Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double.

Caulfield Cup

New Zealand horses have often won the Caulfield Cup, especially since the Second World War. Following 1953 they have almost dominated the race. Gaine Carrington, a half-brother to the Melbourne Cup winner Wotan, was the first New Zealand-bred winner (1933), with Beaulivre (1940), St. Warden (a division in 1940), Grey Boots (1950), and then My Hero (1953), who began the run of successes by Rising Fast (1954 and 1955), Redcraze (1956), Tulloch (1957), Sir Blink (1958), Illumquh (1960), Summer Fair (1961), and Even Stevens (1962).

Sydney Cup

New Zealand horses have nothing like the same record in the Sydney Cup. The first and most famous winner was Carbine, successful in 1889 as a three-year-old with 9 st. 0 lb, and in 1890 with 9 st. 9 lb. Mosaic was the next winner in 1939 and 1940. Gold Scheme won in 1954 and Straight Draw in 1958.

Metropolitan Handicap

New Zealand horses have had much success in the Metropolitan Handicap. The first winner (1884) was the Traducer horse, Sir Modred. Maniopoto and Solution, both by Soult, won in 1905 and 1906 respectively, followed by Pershore (1920) and the fine Martian gelding, Star Stranger (1926), Waikare (1934), Sir Regent (1937), Royal Chief (1938), Beau Vite (1940), Nightbeam (1944), Count Cyrano (1949), Dalray (1952), Commodore (1954), Redcraze (1956), Straight Draw (1957), Monte Carlo (1958), Macdougall (1959), and The Dip (1962).

Classics

Although stayers have been most successful in Australia, New Zealand three-year-olds have also made their name in the Australian classics. Martini-Henry's success in the V.R.C. Derby in 1883 was the first, followed by Nordenfeldt (1885), Carnage (1895), Phar Lap (1929), Theio (1934), Tulloch (1957), Sir Blink (1958), and Travel Boy (1959). In the Australian Jockey Club Derby, Nordenfeldt had the first win, and there was no other until the brilliant Noctuiform won in 1905. Kilboy in 1916 and Cupidon (1921) were the next, although the New Zealand owner, G. D. Greenwood, won with Biplane (1917) and Gloaming (1918), both, however, bred in Australia. Ballymena won in 1923, and Phar Lap in 1929, followed by Ammon Ra (1931), Theio (1934), Homer (dead heat in 1935), Monte Carlo (1956), Tulloch (1957), Summer Fair (1961), and Summer Prince (1962).

Weight-for-age Races

There have been several outstanding horses in weight-for-age races, but no one team has ever equalled the performance of the G. G. Stead – R. J. Mason combination in 1905, when, with four horses Noctuiform, Sungold, Nightfall, and Isolt, they won eight races at the spring meeting at Randwick. L. H. Hewitt rode Noctuiform to win the A.J.C. Derby, with Sungold second. The latter won the New Stakes and the Grantham Stakes on the later days of the meeting. Isolt won the Spring Maiden and Wycombe Stakes and the Members' Handicap, and Nightfall won the Squatters' Handicap and Randwick Plate. New Zealand horses won the whole of the second day's programme at this meeting.

Successful Horses

From 1918 until 1928 R. J. Mason had outstanding successes with the horses of G. D. Greenwood. The Australian-bred Gloaming was the best of these and, in eight seasons, won £43,100 for 57 wins from 67 starts. He was unplaced only once when he fell at a start. Gloaming ended the supremacy of T. H. Lowry's mare Desert Gold, which still holds the record of 19 successive wins in New Zealand and Australia. H. A. Knight and his trainer F. D. Jones took Limerick, a half-brother by Limond to their A.J.C. Derby winner Ballymena, to Australia in the spring of 1926. Beaten in both Derbies, Limerick won the A.J.C. St. Leger in the autumn and went on as a four-year-old to dominate the weight-for-age races.

Nightmarch might have been one of the greatest stake winners in Australasia had he not had the misfortune to race in Australia at the same time as Phar Lap. Although he beat the latter in the Melbourne Cup in 1929, Phar Lap was incomparable. From 1929 to 1931 Phar Lap dominated the Australian scene, so much so that Nightmarch and others were unjustly regarded as lesser lights. After Phar Lap's departure, New Zealand horses continued to play a prominent but not a dominant part in the big races. Veilmond won the V.R.C. and A.J.C. St. Legers in 1931 and, at four and five, was successful in several weight-for-age races. Gaine Carrington, a son of Hunting Song, ran successfully in 1933–34. Limarch won the A.J.C. St. Leger in 1934. In 1935 the brilliant Gold Rod appeared and, as a two-year-old, won the A.J.C. Breeders' Plate and the V.R.C. and A.J.C. Sires Produce Stakes. As a three-year-old he won the A.J.C. St. Leger, at four, the Epsom Handicap, and at five, the Doncaster Handicap. The brilliant staying mare Cuddle also won the Doncaster Handicap in 1936, no mean performance for a mare that had won a New Zealand Cup and two Auckland Cups previously.

From 1938 to 1943 New Zealand was represented by five good horses: Royal Chief, Defaulter, Beau Vite, Beaulivre, and High Caste. Defaulter won a comparatively modest sum in stakes, even though he met every good horse of his time except Ajax and was never beaten at weight-for-age amongst strong opponents. Unsoundness restricted his career. Beau Vite and High Caste proved very tough and brilliant horses and earned higher stakes.

Since the war New Zealand has been represented in Australia by many classic, weight-for-age, and handicap performers. The rise in stake values has resulted in Phar Lap's stake-winning record in Australia or New Zealand being surpassed. The first three horses to do so (Rising Fast, Redcraze, and Tulloch) were all New Zealand bred. The first two were also New Zealand owned, as was Prince Cortauld, the winner of over £50,000 without being successful in a classic or Caulfield or Melbourne Cup. Like Tulloch, he never raced in New Zealand. These four horses all earned much more than Dalray, the first of the post-war champions, yet, after his Melbourne Cup win with 9 st. 8 Ib, he was regarded as one of the best horses since Phar Lap. Somerset Fair, Syntax, El Khobar, and Monte Carlo also have distinguished records.

The winnings of the main New Zealand horses to have raced in Australia and New Zealand, or in Australia alone, since 1914 are:

Horse Number of Wins Stake Earnings
£
Desert Gold 36 23,133
Limerick 28 ½ 38,729
Nightmarch 24 32,116
Phar Lap 37 70,121*
Ammon Ra 18 25,831
Veilmond 19 21,616
Gold Rod 16 18,920
Royal Chief 23 18,697 ½
Defaulter 22 11,315
Bean Vite 31 27,770
Beaulivre 20 17,075
High Caste 32 35,678
Grey Boots 14 30,920
Dalray 14 39,678 ½
Somerset Fair 28 35,876
Prince Cortauld 35 51,050
Rising Fast 34 66,765
Redcraze 32 71,481
Straight Draw 11 ½ 37,628
Fair Chance 17 33,612
Sir Blink 10 31,860
Tulloch 36 110,363 ½
Macdougall 11 38,479

*Also given as £66,738.

†Including three dead heats.

‡Only winners of over £30,000 are listed after 1945.

Successes in India, Britain, and the United States

Between the wars several good performers, notably Karapoti, Cillas, and Martara, were sold to India and raced successfully there, but the market died when racing virtually ceased.

At the turn of the century, the 1897 New Zealand Derby winner Multiform was sent to England, but he failed to strike form and his owner, G. G. Stead, exchanged him for Siege Gun, which also did not match his New Zealand form. Multiform returned to the stud in New Zealand and sired Noctuiform, which was also sent to England after his brilliant three-year-old career. He had won the New Zealand Cup, New Zealand Derby, and the Canterbury Cup at the New Zealand Cup meeting in 1905.

In 1958 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was given Bali Ha'i by the owner, Sir Ernest Davis, after the gelding had won the St. James Cup at a special Royal meeting at Trentham. Bali Ha'i travelled to England and, though delayed by injury, raced in 1959 and won the Coombe Stakes at Sandown and the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Ascot. He also ran third in the Cesarewitch.

After Phar Lap's success in the Agua Caliente Handicap in 1932, Pillow Fight and Tea Trader were sent to the United States, where they raced with moderate success. Since the Second World War several horses have been sold there and raced successfully, among them Classowa, Annand, Wandering Ways, Braganza, and Cadiz, the last named being by far the most successful. Knave, Monte Carlo, and Prince Cortauld were sent from Australia. El Khobar, winner of the Doomben Ten Thousand in Australia, was raced successfully in the United States by his owner.

Great Horses

Carbine

Carbine and Phar Lap share the greatest international reputation won by any horses bred or raced in New Zealand. Carbine, indeed, introduced New Zealand horses to the world. Breeders had been aware of the success of the sons of Musket in New Zealand and Australia, but Carbine's Melbourne Cup win in 1890 made his name known much wider afield. Despite the greatness of Phar Lap, he remains perhaps the best known of all New Zealand bred horses.

Carbine was bred in 1885 at the famed Sylvia Park Stud on the outskirts of Auckland by Musket from the imported Mersey. He was sold at the stud's annual sale of yearlings for 620 guineas to Dan O'Brien, then of Riccarton, where Carbine was trained in New Zealand. Carbine was unbeaten in five races as a two-year-old. His wins included the Canterbury Jockey Club's Middle Park Plate and Champagne Stakes and the Dunedin Jockey Club's Champagne Stakes. As a three-year-old he was taken to Australia, but to the chagrin of his connections his record was spoiled when he was beaten by Ensign in the V.R.C. Derby. It was generally believed that his rider, R. Derrett, was caught napping. Carbine was later sold at auction for 3,000 guineas to D. S. Wallace. At the end of his three-year-old career Carbine had wins which included the Champion Stakes, All Aged Stakes, Cumberland Plate, A.J.C. Plate, and the Sydney Cup. In the last race Carbine showed his true greatness by carrying 9 st., which was 12 lb above weight-for-age.

Carbine had a wonderful record as a four-year-old, but failed in his principal mission, the Melbourne Cup. With 10 st. and the added handicap of a cracked heel, he was beaten by a length by the six-year-old Bravo, carrying 8 st. 7 lb. On recovering from his disability Carbine went from strength to strength, winning his second Sydney Cup with 9 st. 9 lb and being invincible in the distance weight-for-age events. His greatest performance came as a five-year-old, when, in winning the Melbourne Cup with 10 st. 5 lb (still the weight-carrying record for the race), he beat the largest field of all time (39) in the then race-record time of 3 min. 28 ¼ sec. When he retired from racing Carbine had a record of 43 starts for 33 wins, six seconds, three thirds, and once unplaced, for stake winnings of £29,626.

At the stud in Australia Carbine sired Wallace, a V.R.C. Derby winner that turned out a fine sire, and the A.J.C. Derby winners Charge and Amberite. At the dispersal of Wallace's stud Carbine was sold for 13,500 guineas to the Duke of Portland and went to England to join the celebrated St. Simon at the Welbeck Abbey Stud. On his arrival he was fully booked for three seasons at a fee of 200 guineas. In England Carbine sired a great horse in Spearmint, winner of the Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. His grandson Spion Kop and great-grandson Felstead also won the Derby. But it was in Australia that his sire line was the most successful.

Carbine (or “Old Jack” as he was always affectionately called in Australia) was a most vigorous horse. He lived to 27 years of age.

Phar Lap

When Phar Lap was described as “the racing phenomenon of the century” the critic was only reflecting the opinion of thousands of Australian admirers who knew him as the “Red Terror”. Phar Lap (unlike Carbine) never raced in New Zealand. He was bred by A. F. Roberts at his Seadown Stud at Washdyke, near Timaru. By Night Raid, an imported horse which had raced in Australia, he was from Entreaty, a mare descending from the imported mare Miss Kate, the ancestress of several good horses. Phar Lap was one of Night Raid's second crop in New Zealand, Nightmarch, his best racing rival being one of the first. As a yearling Phar Lap was leggy and undistinguished, but his pedigree had attracted the attention of a former New Zealander, Harry Telford, then training in Australia. Harry Telford had persuaded a client, D. J. Davis, to allow him to buy the colt and receive a lease for three years. He was bought for 160 guineas at the 1928 yearling sales, held then in the Wellington Racing Club's birdcage at Trentham, by the Trentham trainer Hugh Telford, who acted for his brother.

Phar Lap as a two-year-old won only one race late in the season. He first made his name when he ran in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick early in his three-year-old career. His powerful finishing run got him within half a length of the winner Mollison, a good performer. Then Phar Lap won the Rosehill Guineas, A.J.C. Derby, Craven Plate, and the V.R.C. Derby in succession. In the Melbourne Cup Phar Lap was beaten into third place by two other New Zealand horses, Nightmarch and Paquito. Phar Lap pulled hard in the race and his rider (the veteran R. Lewis) was criticised for his riding, but the year older Nightmarch was a stayer of such calibre that it is doubtful whether the criticism was justified. Phar Lap was supreme in the autumn. He won the V.R.C. and A.J.C. St. Legers, and the King's Cup at Adelaide. His greatest performance was in the A.J.C. Plate run over 2¼ miles at Randwick. He beat Nightmarch by 10 lengths and established an Australasian record of 3 min. 49 ¼ sec. He ran the first 1 ¼ miles in 2 min. 3 sec., 11 furlongs in 2 min. 16 ¼ sec., and the 1 miles in 2 min. 29 ½ sec.

As a four-year-old, after a head defeat by Amounis at his first start of the season, Phar Lap had an unbroken sequence of wins before he started as the shortest-priced favourite ever in the Melbourne Cup. He won this race easily carrying 9 st. 12 lb, the highest weight carried successfully by a four-year-old. In the following February he raced in the name of Messrs Davis and Telford, the lease to the latter having expired and being followed by a partnership. Phar Lap carried on in the autumn to establish a sequence of 14 successive wins before he was surprisingly beaten by a neck in the C. M. Lloyd Stakes by another New Zealander, Waterline. He reappeared as a five-year-old and won seven successive races before he made his unsuccessful attempt to carry 10 st. 10 lb in the Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap had then won 36 races and £56,440 in stakes, making him the greatest stake winner in Australasia.

After the Melbourne Cup Phar Lap returned to New Zealand to rest before he left for America to contest the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico, then the richest race in America. Phar Lap carried 9 st. 3 lb (conceding his opponents from 9 to 39 lb) and trounced the best field available. He ran 2 min. 2 ? sec. to set a new track record for a mile and a quarter. After his success the critics did not doubt that Phar Lap was in world class. His stake winnings then amounted to £70,121 and he ranked the sixth greatest stake winner in the world for many years.

Phar Lap died on 6 April 1932, only 17 days after his win. His trainer, Tommy Woodcock, who had brought Phar Lap from Australia, found the gelding in agony early in the morning at his stable at Menlow Park. Phar Lap had contracted severe colic and died a few hours later. He was one of the biggest horses of all time. He stood 17.1 hands, being 3 in. taller than the massive High Caste and 5 in. taller than Carbine. A few days before the Agua Caliente Handicap his weight was recorded at 1,148 lb, some 59 lb below High Caste. During his career Phar Lap set new standards for champions and he has become the measure of all later champions. Jim Pike, who generally rode him in Australia, has said, “First of all let me say there was only one Phar Lap. He was a phenomenon, a treat to ride, and a kind and generous fellow throughout the race”. The name Phar Lap derives from Cingalese and refers to lightning or something which moves quickly across the heavens. No horse did more to live up to such a name.

Kindergarten

Many think that Kindergarten was the best horse ever to have raced in New Zealand. He was unfortunate in his career in not racing in more favourable times and by going amiss after contesting only one race on his only visit to Australia. Kindergarten was bred and raced by E. N. Fitzgerald, of Gisborne. His sire, Kincardine, was a good performer in England, but at the stud proved of such low fertility that he was sold for export for 18 guineas. Kincardine improved in New Zealand and, when mated to the Valkyrian mare Valadore (which had once been sold for £30), sired Kindergarten. As a two-year-old Kindergarten ran six times and won three times, but gave no sign of his future greatness. As a three-year-old he made amazing improvement. After three minor placings he was undefeated for the rest of the season and won 10 races including the Great Northern Derby, Wellington Cup, Awapuni Gold Cup, North Island Challenge Stakes, New Zealand St. Leger, and Great Northern St. Leger. His most spectacular victory was, however, in the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie, which he won with 9 st. 11 lb, a tremendous weight for a three-year-old in an open mile handicap. As a four-year-old Kindergarten went to Australia and ran third to High Caste and Freckles in the Warwick Stakes. After the race he went amiss and, rather than risk a complete breakdown, he was returned to New Zealand. After a spell he reappeared in the autumn and won the North Island Challenge Stakes. Kindergarten then showed his real class by winning his second Easter Handicap with 10 st. 3 lb and running the mile in 1 min. 35 3/5 sec.

As a five-year-old Kindergarten was beaten in a sprint handicap at his first appearance. He then went on to win five successive races and record the greatest performance of his career in the Auckland Cup. He carried 10 st. 2 lb and trounced a good field by five lengths, running the 2 miles in the then race-record time of 3 min. 22 sec. As a six-year-old Kindergarten was unbeaten in three weight-for-age races and he was successful twice at seven years. When finally retired Kindergarten had won 25 races and £16,005 in stakes – a good sum, considering he raced during the Second World War. Like most good horses he could move superbly and had powers of acceleration that were exceptional, even among good horses. Though he did not have Phar Lap's physique, he was a splendid weight carrier. He was assessed as top weight in the Melbourne Cup three times: 9 st. 13 lb in 1942, 10 st. 6 lb in 1943, and 10 st. in 1944. He was, unfortunately, a double rig.

Desert Gold

The late T. H. Lowry's brilliant mare Desert Gold is the measure for all champion mares. She won 36 races and £23,133 in stakes. Some of her feats are unsurpassed. From the time Desert Gold appeared as a two-year-old in 1914 there was never any doubt about her class. That season she won the Great Northern Foal Stakes and Royal Stakes, the Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes, and the North Island Challenge Stakes, but she was beaten in the Great Northern Champagne Stakes by Arran. In her last start as a two-year-old, Desert Gold won the Hawke's Bay Stakes. This began an amazing sequence of 19 successive wins, a feat since equalled only by the Australian colt Ajax. As a three-year-old, Desert Gold won 14 races. She remained unbeaten until she was defeated by the two-year-old Kilflinn in the North Island Challenge Stakes in 1917. Her three-year-old successes included the Hawke's Bay Guineas, New Zealand Derby and Oaks, Great Northern Derby, Oaks, and St. Leger. She did not contest the New Zealand St. Leger.

When she went to Australia Desert Gold met and defeated the best Australian horses at weight-for-age and, when the First World War ended, she had a magnificent record. But she had to bow out to Gloaming. They first clashed in the Taranaki Stakes in 1919, when Desert Gold was a six-year-old, and Gloaming three. Desert Gold won by half a length. The pair later met four times and each time Gloaming won. He was one of the few horses that matched her over a mile. When she retired from racing Desert Gold returned to the Okawa Stud, where she had been bred. It was too much to expect her to produce her equal, but her daughters and grand-daughters produced many winners, among them the brilliant Gold Rod.

Gloaming

Although Gloaming was bred in Australia, he was very much a part of the New Zealand racing scene during his long and distinguished career. He was very aptly named, being by The Welkin from Light. He was sold cheaply as a yearling by the Victorian breeder, E. E. D. Clarke, to G. D. Greenwood, who, with the noted R. J. Mason training his horses at Riccarton, had already had considerable success. Gloaming did not race as a two-year-old. In the spring of his three-year-old career he made his first appearance in Sydney, when he won the Chelmsford Stakes in 1918. After winning the Australian Jockey Club Derby he returned to Riccarton and won the New Zealand Derby, and made world history when a win in the Great Northern Derby gave him his third Derby success. Gloaming continued to race until 1925 when he was nine. He contested 67 races for 57 wins and nine seconds. He was only once unplaced, when he fell at the start in the North Island Challenge Stakes. During his career Gloaming was restricted to weight-for-age and special weight events and he did not race beyond middle distances. This policy was criticised at the time, but it undoubtedly enabled him to race for a long period.

Although he dominated the shorter weight-for-age races in New Zealand and Australia for so many seasons, his victories were not always hollow and he had some memorable contests. In New Zealand there was great interest in his meetings with Desert Gold, who won only their first clash. Gloaming had many more memorable races, particularly in 1922 when he met another brilliant Australian in Beauford. Their four clashes were regarded as epics of the turf and the enthusiasm they stirred on both sides of the Tasman has seldom been equalled. In their first meeting in the Chelmsford Stakes (9 furlongs), Beauford won by three-quarters of a length. In the Hill Stakes (1 mile) Gloaming beat Beauford by a length and a quarter. At the spring meeting at Randwick, Beauford was successful again in the Spring Stakes of one mile and a half, but only by a neck. The finale came in the Craven Plate (one mile and a quarter) when Beauford attempted to lead all the way, but Gloaming gathered up his rival at the distance and went on to a three-lengths win. Some say that this was Gloaming's finest race. Gloaming retired with one of the greatest records in all turf history. He set up a fresh record in stake earnings.

by John Anthony Poulsen, Stipendiary Steward, New Zealand Racing Conference, Auckland.

RACING, HORSE 23-Apr-09 John Anthony Poulsen, Stipendiary Steward, New Zealand Racing Conference, Auckland.