Trainer collapses during race

Press, 5 December 1979, Page 32

Trainer collapses during race

PA Ashburton The feature race at the Wellington Trotting Club’s [ meeting on Monday night, the Ngaio Handicap, was marred by tragic circumstances. Mr Hughie Donaldson, of Tinwald, the owner-trainer of the eventual upset winner, Santoza, collapsed during the running of the race and died later in Wellington Hospital. Aged 72, Mr Donaldson had a long and successful association with trotting. He was first licensed as an amateur trainer-horseman in the 1945-46 season and took a professional licence eight years later. Although he never trained a large team, Mr Donaldson met with marked success and was particularly adept at “ironing out” wayward horses. The first horse he trained

was a Quite Sure mare. Sure, Lass, but easily the best he had in the early years was, |the grey mare. Quite Con-' trary. Quite Contrary’ won several races and was equally as successful as a broodmare, being the dam of Soft Magic, which has left the good winners, Doctor Voss, Ripper’s Delight and Usa Voss. Other horses to have been trained by Mr Donaldson have included Scotty’s Double, Pylon, Highland Host, La Gloria, Indianna — dam of Individual — Pieta, Kelso Lady and Countess Ada, dam of Gliding Light, Count Arben and Gliding Guy. While Mr Donaldson was a successful trainer of pacers, he made no secret of the fact that he prefered the “challenge” of developing straightout trotters. In recent years he had

mainly had trotters. Stormy: Petrel'. Ninety Days and Cop-| per Tone were good trotters, to have raced from the Don-| aldson stable, but undoubt-j edly his best three have been ; Great Applause, Lessaday and j Santoza. All three graduated to open company, Lessaday and Great Applause being among the top trotters in the country in the 1973-74 season. The former won the 1974 Dunedin Trotting Free-for-all, beating Easton Light, Edis Nova and Bachelor Tom, while Great Applause numbered among his wins the 1974 Canterbury Park Trotting Handicap, beating Le Char. Easton Light and Bachelor Tom. Santoza was also a good winner for Mr Donaldson. The gelding’s win on Monday night was the eighth of his career and advanced his learnings to 516,400.