Gore Harness Racing Club celebrates 125 years

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

Southland harness racing celebrates a significant milestone this weekend.

The Gore Harness Racing Club will host a special function on Saturday evening before its 12-race 125th Anniversary Grass Meeting on Sunday, starting just before noon. 

Formed in 1900, the Gore Trotting Club was in fact the second club in Eastern Southland after the Gore Park Trotting Club held the province's inaugural trotting meeting in November 1893.

The Gore Trotting Club (later to become the Gore Harness Racing Club) hosted its first meeting in 1901.

"There was one meeting a year, usually in April or May," says local Club committee member, trainer (and historian) Gay McClymont, "and at the early meetings all races were under saddle because the grass track would have been so rough."

"The horses apparently raced up to three times a day - over a mile (1609m), two miles and three miles."

(The first recorded race with horses and sulkies in this country was a few years earlier at Forbury Park in 1885.)

Reports at the time show 400-500 people went to the early meetings at Gore with crowd numbers soaring in ensuing years.

"In the 1930s and 40s they printed 4500 race books so that gives you an idea of just how many people were on course," says McClymont.

"Boxing Day especially at Gore was a huge social event."

Back in the day the locals appeared to enjoy their Annual General Meetings as well.

"The minutes in 1913 show they went through two gallons of whisky and 10 gallons of beer!".

That equates to 11 litres of whisky (or 15 750ml bottles) and 37 litres of beer. It's not known just how many people were at the AGM at the time!  

The most successful horse to be based at Gore was one of this country's greatest mares Robin Dundee. It is no coincidence that her trainer Jack Walsh (pictured above) is the most successful trainer ever to come out of the district. He had 270 wins between 1935 and 1967.

The Kerr family also features prominently on the all-time list with David Kerr (43), his son Davie (181) and his son Maurice (99) all successful trainers along with the likes of Tony Stratford (148), Brian Norman (110), and Les Norman (106).

Robin Dundee had 25 wins during her career including a dead-heat with Jay Ar at the 1965 Interdominion Grand Final at Forbury Park. She was also the first standardbred to better 2 minutes when winning the 1967 Miracle Mile in Sydney in 1:59, won the 1965 Auckland Cup and had three seconds in the New Zealand Cup.

Her battles with the sport's first ever million dollar earner Cardigan Bay were the stuff of legend.

"Cardy" is also claimed by some as a Gore product though he was foaled at Mataura a few kilometres down the road.

Sapling (22 wins including the Northern Derby, NZ Messenger and 1979 Auckland Cup) and 1975 New Zealand Cup winner Lunar Chance (17 wins) were among other Gore-based stars of their time.

These days Gore has four meetings a year on both the grass and grit tracks.

Racing on the all-weather resumed in 2023 after a three year absence while the grass track has been used continuously at the same site since the club's inception.

On Sunday Stratford, Brian Norman, Matt Brinsdon, Ross and Chris Wilson, John Ryan, Chris Gerken and McClymont will be among the Gore-based trainers who will line up horses at their local track.

The day's features will be Race 8, the Kim McDowall Painting Trotting Cup (3.22pm) and Race 10, the Gore Town and Country Club Summer Cup (4.32pm).

There will also be a heat of the Frocks of the Trots. The fashion parade is part of HRNZ's annual Team Teal campaign to raise funds for ovarian cancer research. The final will be held in Christchurch on March 13, with the overall winner getting flights and accommodation to the Mooloolaba Peninsular Resort in Australia.

In keeping with the 125-year anniversary there will also be a teal-themed vintage section.

Two Olympic watches to the value of $500 will be won as well in Race 9, the Olympic Watches at Van De Water Jewellers Mobile Pace (4.01pm) and there will be a $250 Prezzy card for the winner of the popular Heads and Tails game.

The club’s history will be on show with a memorabilia display featuring the 1914 New Zealand Cup trophy.

Kidz Kartz racing will complement the on-track programme and for the kids there is a free bouncy castle, sumo suits and bumper balls plus a lolly scramble.

The 12-race programme will start at 11.55am

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