Sydney 1998 - Trotters Series

1998 Trotters Series
Harold Park, Sydney

1998 Channel Ten Sports Tonight Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Series $125,000 Heats: 8, 15 May 1998 Final: 22 May 1998
Sydney's last association with the Inter Dominion Trotting Championships was in 1994. In the 1980s in NSW there was a steady decline in both the racing opportunities and the number of trotters then racing, and it seemed only a matter of time before NSW went the way of Western Australia and Queensland with no races for the lateral gait. In the 14 years that followed the coming of the 1980s, the Inter Dominion for trotters in Australia was held at Globe Derby Park (1984) then only at Moonee Valley (1985, 1988, 1989 and 1992). It was not until a decade later in Sydney where a new-look Board of Directors of the NSWHRC with new ideas, put up its hand to host the 1994 Inter Dominion series. The number of trotters then bred in Australia was on the rise, though it was a brief period when top class trotters were few and far between. Because of this, New Zealand dominated the heats and the Grand Final, with the title of champion claimed by Diamond Field from the strong Purdon stables at Auckland, driven by Tony Herlihy. If most of the prizemoney did go across the Tasman, the series had gone over well to encourage the club to seek the 1998 Championship, when the trotters would compete on a superb track with world class facilities that the club had spent millions of dollars on upgrading since that 1994 series. An effective media partnering sponsorship with Channel 10 and its Sports Tonight program, conditions involved two $20,000 heats over 2965 metres on May 8 for 28 qualifiers, with two further heats on May 15 over 2565 metres. The leading 14 horses on points scored after each had contested two heats would then go into the $125,000 Grand Final over the marathon trip of 3370 metres. New Zealand would again be strongly represented, even after the 11th hour loss of three proven performers -- Merinai, Eastern Grant and Chiola Cola. Merinai had never raced in Australia, but the seven-year-old daughter of pacing sire Tuff Choice (by Windshield Wiper) had won 17 of its 18 starts. In only a handful of starts for this latest season she had won the two biggest races for trotters in Kiwi-land -- the Rowe Cup and Dominion Handicap. (Merinai in 1998 would become the first trotter in Australasia to officially be sponsored. A New Zealand horse supplement supplier now pays for all her travel, rugs and sweet feeds, bringing to trotting a new meaning of sponsorship.)		Buster Hanover NZ - 1998 Inter Dominion Trotting Champion

Chiola Cola had sustained a leg injury in the recent $100,000 Rowe Cup in Auckland. Coming at this late stage of its long and successful career, the showy black was immediately retired from racing by trainer Shane Hayes. Eastern Grant had not been racing with its usual zest after picking up a virus. "Sydney is a hell of a long way to go with a horse that's not fit and well, especially when taking on the likes of Buster Hanover NZ and Knight Pistol," said driver Ken Barron on the scratching of the big trotter from the South Island. The star Aussie trotter Wagon Apollo was also scratched days before the series with an injury that had not responded to treatment The top performed Aussie trotter would not race again, being retired to stud.

Sydney's handicapping panel seemed a little more sympathetic than Adelaide's the previous year with the best performed trotters, as just six of the 28 qualifiers were given handicaps. Pride Of Petite USA, chasing her third successive championship, was the lone backmarker off 35 metres. She had been victorious the previous season in Adelaide coming off 40 metres. Handicapped off 30 metres were Knight Pistol and the Kiwi visitor Buster Hanover NZ. There was a gap then to Noopy Kiosk off 15 metres, with Homer Hawk and Sparkling Eyes both on 10 metres.

When several bookmakers framed an early market, there was solid support from numerous astute Victorian punters for National Interest, believing this Chris Lang-trained five-year-old was the one to have beaten the handicappers. Drawn the front, it was an attractive mark for the winner of 23 races -- eight more victories than the pre-race favourite Buster Hanover NZ had won. It was a tall order for 'Buster,' a rather cantankerous horse if anyone stood in front of him, to be giving 30 metres start to National Interest, or so it seemed, the improving National Interest would make things mighty interesting.

NSW would be represented by 10 locally-trained trotters, seven of them earlier purchased in New Zealand. None of the 10 were rated among the main hopes. Australia's most likely fancies would come from among the 11 Victorian representatives. For Sydneysiders keen to latch on to an Aussie performer with a winning chance, Knight Pistol and Noopy Kiosk made great appeal.

Sydneysiders with long memories who could recall those days in the 1960s when Harold Park boasted some outstanding trotters, such as the likes of Hammerhead, Bay Johnny, Intangible Command, Willie Winkie, Krakatoa, Believe Me and Para Rip, found an affinity with Knight Pistol now being a 10-year-old. Each of those noted Sydney trotters had been at their best at Harold Park when 10 years old. Now here was an Aussie-bred and owned trotter who had brought great credit to Australia with its success in Europe a few months earlier. The New South Wales Harness Racing Club assisted Knight Pistol to return from Europe. His presence would add to the clever marketing and appeal of the Series as an Australian ‘world class’ achiever.

For the past 18 months Knight Pistol had overcome various obstacles to achieve his dizzy success. The horse would go into this series having had just two starts after returning from its five months campaign in Europe. This much-travelled trotter had won first-up in Adelaide on April 18, then finished second to Noopy Kiosk in a Moonee Valley Free-For-All on May 2. When the pair had previously met, Knight Pistol had clearly taken the points by giving 'Noopy' a start and a beating. It was hardly the ideal preparation for an Inter Dominion series, especially as this gelding thrived on hard racing. It was generally considered that Knight Pistol would improve as the series progressed.

Noopy Kiosk as a juvenile had seemed awesome. Perhaps it was taking longer than expected for the now five-year-old to show he was more than a match for the older stars, but the boom was still there with plenty of supporters who felt the backmarkers would struggle to give the dark bay stallion a start. Among these was driver Chris Alford. "His last-start win has convinced me he is now a very serious chance in Sydney. Until then I had been so-so about his hopes," he said. "If he can trot as well as he did in that FFA and get a break on the backmarkers, then they'll have a huge job trying to run him down."

Australia's leading reinsman and the son of Noopy Kiosk's trainer, cited the Australasian Trotting Championship at Moonee Valley in February as the best guide to his trotter's chances at Harold Park. "Think back to that race where he was sitting pretty in third place. I am sure he would have gone on and beaten Buster Hanover NZ had my horse not broken in the middle stages. There is no doubt in my mind he has improved since then, and I know he is stronger."

Noopy Kiosk had now won 32 of its 45 career starts, a better winning percentage of any horse going into the series. National Interest as a juvenile had always been in the shadow of 'Noopy,' though had in more recent times he was improving with every start in open age racing and might now be ready to take on the best. He had won 22 of his 49 starts, a handy record when compared to the other leading Aussie hopes -- Sparkling Eyes 14 of 58 and Allawart Ray's 17 wins from 44 starts. Homer Hawk was a talented but risky trotter. On its night it could be most competitive, though trainer-driver John Anderson sometimes was inclined to overdo his aggressive tactics with this six-year-old son of Scene Topper.

New Zealand trotters, with few exceptions, usually did not emerge stars until they were six or seven years old. Pride Of Petite USA was typical of the Kiwi trotters as she had not really come good until seven. She had now won 34 of her 123 starts, with her best form seemingly produced when racing at Moonee Valley. It was thought the reason for this had more to do with her stepping up another gear in the latter part of the summer than some preference for the Melbourne track. Season after season this great mare had struggled in New Zealand to even win a race before Christmas. For the past four years she had been sent to the Melbourne Summer Carnival in January where she had been outstanding coming off backmarks.

A stablemate to the mare considered to have a bright future was Sundon's Way NZ, a four-year-old mare Mark Purdon was hoping would derive considerable benefits from the experience of being campaigned in Sydney. Her record of seven wins from 24 starts suggested she was very much a baby in open class terms, with her best chances at Inter Dominion level likely to be a couple of years away. The Patriot NZ was trained and driven by Dave Gibbons, a most respected name among Kiwi trainers of trotters. Now a six-year-old, its record of nine wins from 54 starts was not to be taken lightly. According to the official racebook, Bonspiel Tui NZ had won just four of her 32 starts. But this was misleading, as this six-year-old mare all the way from Invercargill had come from obscurity in recent months winning nine races so far for the season in the South Island. She had stopped off in Melbourne on the way to Sydney to have two starts at Moonee Valley, breaking in both. She was reported to have had ability when things went her way.

FIRST NIGHT

Bookmakers and most punters seemed to agree that since handicaps were introduced to the Trotters Inter Dominion in Melbourne in 1996, it had not prevented the backmarkers dominating the series when held in Australia. And here in Sydney it was again thought that horses drawn off the front would again be outclassed by the backmarkers, as such seemed the difference in ability between the top few trotters and the majority of those which contested open age racing. Betting on both heats on opening night went down this pathway accordingly.

In the opening heat, the two backmarkers got past their rivals a mile from home, then raced together like working companions would do -- Knight Pistol on the inside and Buster Hanover NZ its outer. Both were allowed to dominate up front to such an extent the penultimate quarter was covered in 32.3 seconds. The serious side of determining the victor began only about 400 metres from home, with the drivers on both trotters increasing the tempo considerably. Unlike its early days when Knight Pistol would race roughly and break for little obvious reason, since joining the Manning stable the gelding had shown none of these traits. However, some 70 or so metres from the line in this first heat, Knight Pistol suddenly put in several rough ones, as though about to blot his copy-book. The sudden loss of momentum probably cost him the race, as on the line it was Buster Hanover NZ ahead by the smallest of margins to take first blood for New Zealand. Dawn Invasion NZ, now raced by leading Adelaide owner David Shammall, was 20 metres away third. So slow had the two backmarkers gone after getting to the front, that this first heat would be almost 10 seconds slower than Heat 2.

Heat One - 2965m: Buster Hanover NZ (Tony Herlihy) 30m 1, Knight Pistol (Kerryn Manning) 30m 2, Dawn Invasion NZ (Ray Goble) fr. MR: 2:11.0

In the second heat, once again Alford was prepared to drive Noopy Kiosk aggressively, forging their way to the front at the 2400-metre mark and remaining unchallenged until at the top of the home straight National Interest peeled of its back and went after the horse Lang and his trotter had constantly chased home in their juvenile days. Noopy Kiosk hung on tenaciously to just hold out National Interest, with Bonspiel Tui NZ making the most of its good rails run to be third, though well behind the first two. Perhaps two times Inter Dominion winner Pride Of Petite USA was the only real disappointment of opening night. She had trailed up three wide in the last lap with her usual strong finishing burst missing. She finished a lack-lustre sixth on what she had shown in previous carnivals.

Only inches separated the first two trotters home in both heats. Outside these four horses, there seemed a huge difference ability-wise to the others, unless Pride Of Petite USA could regain something like her best. Leading Sydney bookmaker John Kennedy ignored the 10-second difference between the two heats at the conclusion to racing that night by tightening Buster Hanover NZ from 5/2 favourite into 9/4, with Noopy Kiosk on the second line at 7/2 with Knight Pistol a 5/1 chance. Pride Of Petite USA and National Interest were the only others in the betting, each at 6/1.

Heat Two - 2965m: Noopy Kiosk (CA Alford) 15m 1, National Interest; (Chris Lang) fr. 2, Bonspiel Tui NZ (Lauren Pearson) fr. 3. MR: 2:06.5

SECOND NIGHT

With several scratchings from the series, there were now only 23 starters in the championship, with 14 of these to go through to the final the following week. Because of this situation, strategic victories over opponents would be the emphasis for the second round of heats. Other than the defending titleholder, each of the other class acts had secured big points. Pride Of Petite USA would get through even if she performed at her opening night level. In past Melbourne summer carnivals she had improved with each start. Perhaps she was not coping with advancing age as well as Knight Pistol, also a 10-year-old. One should never write a champion off, so perhaps Pride Of Petite USA might still show some of that form which had made her the best trotter in Australasia.

As she had done on opening night, Kerryn Manning set Knight Pistol alight early in the third heat to move around the field and take the lead. From that moment on this heat turned into a procession with the Victorian gelding coasting down to the line a clear winner with a mile rate of 2:07.6, while Noopy Kiosk blotted his record by twice breaking in running. It was a trait he did from time to time. Often in the past he had the ability to still get up and win -- but not at this level. Beating two home still enabled the horse to make the final, though many punters lost on the race with Noopy Kiosk having ousted Knight Pistol from favouritism in the betting ring. Fickle Friend just edged out Pride Of Petite USA for second. It was an improved effort from the defending titleholder as she carried a flat tyre for the final 200 metres.

Russell Edwards, owner of Knight Pistol, after this race remarked how there was a time over several years when he had trouble remembering the last occasion the gelding had trotted all the way in a race. "Now I can't remember the last time he galloped on his own accord. He is really performing well in this series, and the stable could not be happier with him going into the final."

Heat Three: Knight Pistol (Kerryn Manning) 30m 1, Fickle Friend (Wayne Innes) fr 2, Pride Of Petite USA (Tony Herlihy) 35m MR: 2:07.6

An old adage often heard around racetracks is that "the more you win, the better is the price." Buster Hanover NZ had deservedly earned his place as the horse to beat in this series. However. in the betting ring for the final heat, most of the action from punters came for National Interest, favoured by drawing the pole in this heat. So strongly fancied was the demand for National Interest that it was backed in to start favourite at 6/4, with 'Buster' easing to 7/4 with some 2/1 offered.

Down the back straight the final time when Herlihy was attempting to improve his position with Buster Hanover NZ, his sulky was contacted by Sundons Way NZ, puncturing the nearside tyre. Only a short distance on as the field came to the final turn, the horse was forced to go wide to avoid the galloping Homer Hawk. At the top of the straight, the New Zealand star was at least 30 or so metres astern of National Interest, with the polemarker showing no signs of weakening. That Buster Hanover NZ having encountered two setbacks in running was able to dig down deep and finish on stoutly to still earn the judge's nod in a tight photo finish, clearly underlined the class and the manners of this seven-year-old son of Sergio Hanover and Broomfield Ann.

Heat Four: Buster Hanover NZ (Tony Herlihy) 30m, 1, National Interest (Chris Lang) fr, 2, Sparkling Eyes (Gavin Lang) 10m, 3. MR: 2:06.3

Final Points: Buster Hanover NZ 36, Knight Pistol 33, National Interest 30, Noopy Kiosk, Sparkling Eyes 24, Pride Of Petite USA 22, Bonspiel Tui NZ, Fickle Friend 20, Victory Lord, Rosanna Hest NZ and Our Rich Choice NZ 19, Springfield Johnny NZ 18, Dawn Invasion NZ, Homer Hawk and Crikey Dick NZ 17, Sundons Way NZ, Allawart Ray 15, Idle Speedster NZ 13, Fitchity NZ 12, Weston Gee NZ 11, Arnie Hest NZ, The Patriot NZ 9.

GRAND FINAL

It is rare for any Inter Dominion Grand Final to have a reinswoman engaged. For this Sydney race there would be four of the fairer sex compete. A press release on the number of female trainers and drivers competing was issued about New South Wales’s efforts on advancing the cause of reinswomen in Australia. It is not generally known now that Pearl Kelly had finished third in a Melbourne premiership in the early 1920s when she had been one of three women who then competed against the men in both Perth and at the old Melbourne track of Richmond.

Convinced that Buster Hanover NZ was definitely the horse to beat in the big race, Sydney's leading bookmaker John Kennedy in the run-up to the Grand Final gambled heavily on the outcome when prepared to take all the money enthusiastic punters plunged on Noopy Kiosk. "I'm in bother if there is a Noopy Kiosk victory," he said, having earlier offered 5/1 about the Victorian. "I really believe Noopy Kiosk is a huge risk in this race, whatever way the event is run. For mine, he races too fiercely when he is back in the field, and even if he did find the lead, I cannot envisage the horse being given too much peace. They will hammer him for sure," he added. Kennedy had Buster Hanover NZ the 9/4 favourite, with Noopy Kiosk and Knight Pistol at 7/2. "Had it not been for having already laid Noopy Kiosk for so much, I would have him at longer odds."

Kennedy said the more he studied the race, the more convinced he was that Buster Hanover NZ was almost a good thing. "He's too big, too strong and too fast. And he's also unflappable as well. When Homer Hawk impeded him on the turn last week, he hardly missed a beat. He just put his head down again and went after National Interest as though he was saying 'I'm going to get you,' and he did. And I think Tony Herlihy was very kind to the horse," added Kennedy.

Many agreed with Kennedy's assessment, or at least that the race was between Buster Hanover NZ, Knight Pistol, Noopy Kiosk and National Interest. The latter had had its chance during the heats and had failed to win, suggesting this marathon would give the backmarkers every chance of running him down. Perhaps the sleeper in the field was Homer Hawk if the breaks should happen to go its way.

National Interest as expected found the early lead with Noopy Kiosk slotting in well just off the pace, while out the back Buster Hanover NZ became trapped three wide, and the favourite would remain so for the first mile. His backers at this stage would have been none too pleased with the way events were unfolding. National Interest continued to set the pace until Homer Hawk came rushing up then John Anderson took over the lead with Homer Hawk.

Working harder than he had expected when wide early saw Herlihy elect to go forward on the favourite, finally working its way into the "death" until Knight Pistol, grinding away like time itself, eventually moved ahead to then give Buster Hanover NZ cover. Homer Hawk was turning in its best effort of the series, and rounding the hometurn the final time was giving a lot of cheek with Knight Pistol moving up on its outside and National Interest a length behind seemingly ready to pounce. But it was Buster Hanover NZ who finished the race off best when pulled to the outside at the top-of-the-straight. The favourite powered home like only an outstanding horse could with two metres to spare over Homer Hawk on the line, with Knight Pistol third, followed by National Interest, Pride Of Petite USA and Noopy Kiosk.

Pride Of Petite USA had loomed up ominously at the 400-metre mark, but unlike her two previous efforts in these Grand Finals, this time she was unable to finish it off, only plugging away instead of finding that sprint she had earlier been noted for. Tony Herlihy indeed looked relieved after the win. "I must admit I thought I may have taken the wrong option when we were caught three wide early. Even though he had cover out there, he was still covering a lot of extra ground. It wasn't until Knight Pistol gave us cover that Buster Hanover NZ began travelling much better." The time for the marathon journey was 4:28.8 -- a mile rate of 2:07.3, with the quarters of the last mile covered in 31.9, 32.7, 32.7 and 29.1.

With the spotlight firmly on Buster Hanover NZ immediately after the race, the winner suddenly turned on a few entertaining antics, rearing and striking out with his front legs. While many in the crowd seemed almost mesmerised by this display from a horse that had just trotted more than two miles. It was nothing new to part-owner Bill Pemberton, who had for several years also trained the horse. Five years earlier when Pemberton left the New Zealand Railways after 32 years service, the then manager at Westfield Station (South Auckland) decided to become more actively involved in his hobby of handling a standardbred or two. The first horse he bought was Buster Hanover NZ. At the time he was offered the choice of buying the young Buster Hanover NZ or its yearling sister Pretty Special. History shows he did select wisely, though at the time this might not have seemed to have been the case.

"He was a real bugger when I got him," recalled a delighted Pemberton immediately after the Inter Dominion victory. "I still remember bringing him home from Patetonga when he was a two-year-old and how he kicked my float to pieces, smashing all the partitions." Pemberton had leased the horse with a $5,000 option to purchase. (This was later exercised when it was discovered the youngster did have considerable potential). When Pemberton first went to work the two-year-old on his small 400-metre training track on his five acres, there was more trouble. "He would dig in his toes and would just not move. We had to lead him and chase him, with one of us leading him, another in the cart, and a third one urging him from behind."

Pemberton must have won his battle with the horse, as Buster Hanover NZ won seven races when he was trainer. He shared the ownership with his wife Judy, their daughter Catherine, and son Matthew. Dr. Catherine Pemberton had trained as a vet, which came in handy when Buster Hanover NZ missed a year off racing after spraining a suspensory ligament in the 1996 Rowe Cup. Even when returning to work in the mid-1997 the horse was still headstrong, so Pemberton handed the trotter over to Mark Purdon to train and Tony Herlihy to drive. It was this combination which has done so well this past year with 'Buster' enjoying a highly successful Melbourne campaign early in 1998.

The horse does have excellent manners during a race, but before or after a race, he can lash out if anyone happens to stand in front of him. "He just does not like attention," said Mark Purdon. "Fortunately he behaves himself once he is racing, so I suppose we can put up with his antics." The big Sydney race for trotters had ended yet another highly successful Australian carnival for Mark and brother Barry Purdon. Of the eight major races at Harold Park during the autumn, the Purdons had won four of them. The other four had also been claimed by visiting horses.

To Australians who had seen Buster Hanover NZ sweep all before it in Melbourne and now at the Sydney Inter Dominion, it was now surely the best trotter in Australasia, even though the Kiwi mare Merinai seemed to have had it over Buster Hanover NZ in their latest clashes. So it was interesting to have Herlihy explain the merits of the two trotters. "Buster Hanover NZ had just not been feeling right when we contested the recent Rowe Cup, as he certainly was not going as well as he had when winning the Australasian Trotting Championship at Moonee Valley in February. To do what he did here in the Grand Final was something special, as it has been the best he has ever gone. I'm sure Merinai would have had to have been at her absolute best to have beaten him in the Grand Final."

Interestingly, both these trotters do have something in common in their breeding. Buster Hanover's dam Broomfield Ann is bred on a 3 x 3 cross to the imported half-brothers Light Brigade and Thunder On, sons of the famed Spinster (3rd dam of the imported Aussie-based trotting sire Speed Supreme.) Merinai's grand-dam Merinda also has a cross of the half-brothers Light Brigade and Thunder On, only in her case it is an incestuous 2 x 2 cross. Spinster was by Spencer from Minnetonka, a sister of Tilly Tonka which also appears in the fourth remove of Sergio Hanover, the sire of Buster Hanover. Farm Timer, the sire of Merinai, was from Meriden, whose grand-dam Lady Scotland was a sister to Light Brigade and Thunder On.

When Buster Hanover NZ and Knight Pistol and others in the Australian contingent clash in Melbourne in the 1999 Australasian Trotters Championship it will surely be one of the real highlights of the season for Aussie fans after Sydney’s great Inter Dominion Trotting Series.