Kindergarten Stakes-The History

Today sees the running of the 64^th New Zealand Kindergarten Stakes at the Young Quinn Raceway. It’s a race steeped in history.

• The inaugural Kindergarten Stakes in 1961 raced for a stake of $1,350. It attracted a field of eleven two year olds. Lordship was the first winner of the juvenile feature.
• Many of the race’s winners have gone on to be among the best standardbreds this country has seen – the likes of Lordship, Tactile, Matai Dreamer, Holy Hal, Young Quinn, Master Mood, Honkin Vision, Akuta and Don’t Stop Dreaming.
• As a trainer Mark Purdon’s name is on the honours board thirteen times. His first winner was in 2002 when So Cool won. In the last eleven years he’s trained nine of the winners.
• The last Southland trained horse to win the race was Le Sol trained by Tony Stratford in 2010.
• The last Wyndham trained pacer to win was Tricky Bachelor for Bud Baynes in 1992.
• Only three fillies have won the race Kildare Kate (1963), Girl Friend (1971) and Bionic Chance (1986).
• The race record of 1-53.3 is held by 2018 winner War Dan Delight.
• This year’s edition will be run for the highest ever stake of $60,000.
• 1968 hosted the largest field when fifteen juveniles lined up with Local Choice winning for trainer Reg Stockdale and driver Kenny Balloch.
• The smallest field was just six when Honkin Vision won for Alan Devery and Henry Skinner in 1989.
• The race was awarded Group Two status in 1980 when Fouroux won, driven by Richard Brosnan.
• Through the 1970s and early 1980s local master trainers Bud Baynes and Alex Milne produced quality juveniles to win the race. Baynes trained winners Girl Friend (1971), Young Quinn (1972) and Lord Manhattan (1982) while Milnes geared up Parlez Vous (1974), Arden Bay (1976), and Matai Dreamer (1978) to take out the race.
• One running of the great race stands out for many. This was the run of Matai Dreamer in 1978. He lost 150 metres at the start. Many thought driver Alex Milne would pull him out of the race. At the end of the opening 1000 metres he was still 80 metres from the leaders but running past the 600 he was starting to get within striking distance. As the crowd started to buzz he swept past leader Kintyre and went on to win by three quarters of a length, running his last mile in 2-04.0 and last 800 metres in 59.2. Horse and driver deservedly received a standing ovation.
• Blair Orange is the race’s most successful reinsman, winning five.
• Between 1976 and 2002 the race was run over 2400 metres. From 2003 the distance changed to a mile and that year produced the only dead heat in it’s history. The first two, Bought In The Pub trained by Ray Faithful and Lennon trained by Mark Purdon couldn’t be separated.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink