TROTTING CUP

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27194, 11 November 1953, Page 10

TROTTING CUP

Another Success For Holmes Family BRILLIANT WIN BY ADORIAN Adorian’s brilliant win in the New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington yesterday was another highlight in the saga of the Holmes family, whose name has been for years a by-word with trotting enthusiasts. Adorian, a dark bay son of Springfield Globe and Coquette, is owned, trained, and driven by F. G..Hblmes, a son of Mr Free Holmes, of Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s best-known racing personalities.

Mr Free Holmes won the cup with Trix Pointer in 1919, and two of his sons, Maurice and Allan, have.scored previous successes in this event. It was F. G. Holmes’s first cup success yesterday, although he had won almost every other important contest in the Dominion.

F. G. Holmes has had many previous drives in the New Zealand Cup and considers himself unlucky not to

have had at least one win before yesterday. “In 1921 I was first past the post with Sherwood, which was trained by my father, but they said I had interfered with another runner, and I had to take it from them,” Holmes said last evening. “Another unlucky horse I drove was Volo Senwod, which was boxed in behind Josedale Grattan when the late F. J. Smith mistook the number of rounds in the event. Another year I was driving Graham Direct when another horse put a foot through a wheel of the sulky.” Coquette’s Progeny

Coquette, the dam of Adorian, was from Bonny Logan, which was owned in partnership by Mr Free Holmes and Miss Peggy Norton. Coquette was a very weedy foal, and Mr Free Holmes gave F. G. Holmes his interest in it. F. G. Holmes raced Coquette with considerable success before the mare was put to the stud. He was so impressed with her qualities that he bought Miss Norton’s share in all of Coquette’s foals, and raced them in his own interest.

The first foal was Vigilant, which raced well in New Zealand before being taken to Australia. The next was Morano, which, if he had not pricked a foot on Monday, would have been Adorian’s bracketed mate in the cup yesterday. Adorian was the third foal and Forward the fourth. After foaling Forward, Coquette died. “Adorian ran a great race today,' said F. G. Holmes after the event. “He did not have the best of the running, being on the outside and without a trail all the way. However, I knew all the time that he would win.” When asked about Morano’s injury. Holmes said the stallion had been at his best until Monday evening, but he had apparently pricked a foot in a paddock and became too lame to race. “Morano was running away from

Adorian in his work, and I thoueht he would be the hardest one to beat; but that is just the way it goes,” said Holmes.

D. G. Nyhan’s Comment Commenting on the cup race, D. G. Nyhan, owner, trainer, and driver of Johnny Globe, the second horse, said last evening: “It was bad luck today, but it could have been worse. When Tactics broke at the start and I tried to get past her, Soangetaha was alongside me and going as fast as I was. I couldn’t avoid running into the wheel of Tactics* sulky. “I had a pretty good run after that, but it cost me a bit more ground when Vedette, which I was following later in the race', could not go fast enough to suit me.**

Johnny Globe had worked brilliantly, on his home track during tffe week, said Nyhan. “He ran the last half-mile of -the trial I. gave him in 57 seconds. I told 'the family: ‘We’ll just about come home this year.’ I judged that he’d take about 4min lOsec for the two miles today,” he said.