‘Quinn’ wins 50 years ago

The Interdominion Pacing Championships are held in a variety of Australasian cities. They were first held in Perth in 1936 and next month the series will be run at Albion Park in Brisbane.

Bruce Stewart continues to look back at some the early champions of the iconic series.

When Young Quinn won the 1975 Interdominions his $33,125 winning stake made him the first standardbred in Australasia to win more than $100,000 in the single season.

The Southland owned pacer went through the heats unbeaten and provided his twenty seven year old driver John Langdon with the dream result. Langdon only got the drive after his boss and regular driver Charlie Hunter was sidelined after a smash in a lower grade race on the second night of the Auckland carnival.

In the final the field was full of star quality – Honda Grattan, Vanadium, Why Bill, Royal Gaze, Final Decision Master Dean, Just Too Good, Speedy Guest, Irish Kiwi, Kotare Legend and Hi Foyle.

Langdon nursed Young Quinn through the early part of the race with Why Bill setting the pace. With a lap to go Young Quinn only had the stragglers behind him and with 800 metres to run Kotare Legend checked Final Decision who rolled back into Young Quinn.

“By the two furlongs I was within range and knew I would win,” Langdon told the press after the win.

At the end of the $61,000 final Young Quinn had a length and a quarter to spare on Hi Foyle with half a head back to Speedy Guest, making it a kiwi trifecta.

The 2700 metres was run in 3-27.4 with Young Quinn running his last mile in 2-01.0 and last 800 in 57.4 seconds.

It was a memorable night for Langdon as he also took out the $20,000 Trotters Grand Final driving the Hunter trained Castleton’s Pride.

Langdon went on to carve out his own career in the sport, winning 439 races as a trainer on his own account and 34 with Hunter.

As a driver Langdon won 694 races including the 1990 New Zealand Cup with Neroship.

This year the first heat of the Interdominion Series will be held on Saturday 5^th July, the second on Saturday 12^th July and the Grand Final will run on Saturday 19^th July.

Harnesslink’s Tony Milanese will have same night coverage of all three nights.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink