 | LOCAL HISTORY |
Ernest Rutherford transmits NZ's first radio waves in his basement laboratory at Canterbury university (now the Arts Centre - Rutherford's Den).
The Government bails out the Bank of New Zealand which faces bankruptcy.
Credit: Ch-Ch City Libraries
 | RACING HISTORY LANCASTER PARK TROTTING CLUB |
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| Specification & Alf Keith |
(NOTE:- This is part of an article appearing in Volume 11, Number 4 of the Harness Racing International Magazine entitled Alf Keith - Champion of the Colonies.)
...The crowning glory of Alf (Keith), Specification and indeed for the Australasian breeding and racing industry was Specification's time trial over four miles on 7th July 1894 at Lancaster Park with a 25 sovereign prize and the 10 guinea Mrs E C J Stevens Cup awaiting if the world record of 10 minutes 52 1/2 seconds set by Satellite in America in 1887 could be bettered.
The newspaper reports of the day say it all - "In spite of the fact that the track, on account of heavy rains recently, was slow, Keith's horse Specification managed to cover the distance of four miles in a time trial in 10 min 47 secs or 5 1/2 seconds faster than the existing world record. On pulling up Keith was lifted from the sulky and carried shoulder high to the grandstand where, after a short speech by Mr Connell (sec.), Mrs E J Stevens presented Keith with the Cup she had given. Keith responded to much cheers from the assembled. It is felt that despite the record the track at Lancaster Park is too small for the long striding Specification."
The Otago Witness report was far greater in depth, "The going was very slow, and I do think that the pieces of wood laid from the inside outwards 3 ft benefitted the time. The pieces of wood were no doubt meant to ensure the right distance being covered, but I feel certain that they were responsible for Specification breaking on two occasions. On the whole, however, Specification did not break much and his action all through was much admired by onlookers. During the first part of the journey he was brought along by Tonga, a pony trotter, who was ridden by a small boy at a good cantering pace until she was pretty well "puffed out". Specification was then brought home by a big chestnut horse, ridden by Billy Brown, and over the last two or three curcuits his pace was undoubtedly fast. Had his finishing up gait been maintained all through he would have cut the record more badly than he did. His performance was quite good enough, however, though I am pretty certain that Specification is equally quite good enough to do something better under better conditions of going. He is really a splendid trotter, and a good stayer. Keith received something of an ovation on coming in, being carried into the stand shoulder high, and presented with the Cup given by Mrs Stevens. The breaking of a world's record merited something uncommon, and it may be that Specification's trainer may be the recipient of similar honours in the future."
A month after the time trial Keith sold Specification to studmaster A G Holmes for an undisclosed amount and under his ownership the trotter had just two more starts at the Canterbury Park TC Queens Birthday meeting in 1895 (May 24) before embarking on a successful and influential stud career especially through his daughters, eight of which are listed in Classic Families as foundation mares. The star attraction of that octet was undoubtedly Problem, the ancestress of Maori Miss who has spawned Australasia's greatest modern day black type trotting dynasty...
Credit: John Peck writing in Harness Racing International Magazine July/August 2009
 | CLUB HISTORY NEW BRIGHTON TROTTING CLUB |
First record of the President of the New Brighton Trotting Club, Mr H McIllraith (President 1894-1904). However, from a comment in Bernie Wood's book "The Cup", it appears trotting may have taken place at New Brighton prior to this date. The New Brighton Trotting Club rented its course at New Brighton from Henry Mace, a studmaster at "Brooklyn".