13 Inducted to New Zealand Bloodstock Racing Hall of Fame

The New Zealand Bloodstock Racing Hall of Fame saw its second group of horses and people acknowledged for their outstanding contribution to the thoroughbred industry, at the bi-annual Gala Dinner at Ellerslie on Tuesday night.

Established last year with the support of New Zealand Bloodstock as title sponsor, New Zealand's Racing Hall of Fame inducted 7 horses and 6 humans whose performance and contribution was worthy of such coveted recognition.

This year's inductees were:

Horses

MAINBRACE: With a staggering 23 wins, 1 second and 1 third from 25 starts, had Mainbrace not run second in his first three-year-old outing, he would have won 24 on end, breaking the record-breaking sequence of 19 held by Desert Gold and Gloaming. As it was he had to settle for 17 straight wins to end his career.

RISING FAST: Bred in NZ in 1949, Rising Fast was undoubtedly one of the best stayers and middle-distance gallopers that ever graced the Australasian turf.  In 1954 he became the only horse to win the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate in the same season, and retired with a race record of 24 wins, 17 seconds and 2 thirds from 68 starts.

TULLOCH: The 1956 yearling sale graduate, trained by the late Tommy Smith, won 36 of his 53 starts, was only once out of the money and set a then Australasian stake-earning record of 108,293 pounds, a record for 11 years.

BALMERINO: The pioneering world traveller won in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, England, Italy and finished second in France's most prestigious race, the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, bringing his career tally to 22 wins, 11 seconds and 2 thirds from 46 starts.

DESERT GOLD: The brilliant mare Desert Gold won 36 races throughout her career. Her last start as a two-year-old in 1914 started an as yet unbeaten sequence of 19 successive wins.

FOXBRIDGE: Imported in 1935, Foxbridge dominated that breeding era, leading the NZ stallion premiership for an unmatched 11 consecutive seasons from 1941. With few of his progeny to race in Australia, still their earnings at the time of his death set a British Empire record.

SIR TRISTRAM: Shaping breeding history in this part of the world, he sired 130 SW (10.2%) from 1272 foals, including a remarkable 45 Group One winners, starting with Sovereign Red from his first crop, and ending with the last of his three Melbourne Cup winners, Brew. His progeny won over $50 million in Australia & New Zealand and earned him 17 official Australasian sire premierships.

Humans

BILL HAZLETT: Leading NZ owner and former All Black, W.E (Bill) Hazlett from Southland, won more than 1000 races over four decades as an owner , nearly half of which he trained himself.  

HECTOR GRAY: One of New Zealand's most legendary and controversial jockeys, he was the first rider to win 100 races in a season, set a then-record of 921 wins, and won seven premierships from 1910 to 1931. Riding in NZ, Australia, England, Belgium and France, he was a winner in his first ride in each country.

HENRY REDWOOD: The English immigrant widely regarded as responsible for bringing professionalism to horse racing in New Zealand. He also imported a large number of horses to NZ and enjoyed an enviable record of success as an owner throughout the 1800s. 

PETER KELLY: One of the best known voices in racing, Kelly was a world class race caller and auctioneer for more than 30 years.

COLIN JILLINGS: Holding his trainer's licence for 54 years, 'gentleman trainer' Jillings trained 1327 winners in total, 703 of these in the partnership with Richard Yuill. Amongst them, Stipulate, Uncle Remus, McGinty and The Phantom Chance, winner of the W.S.Cox Plate and the New Zealand Derby.

KEN BROWNE: A true legend in the world of jumps racing, he enjoyed a remarkable career that spanned 50 years. In an extraordinary feat he was he first man to own, train and ride the winner of the Great Northern Steeplechase, which he repeated in 1979.  He trained a total of 813 winners (669 in partnership with wife, Ann), of which 482 were over jumps, making the Browne tally nearly double that of the next most prolific trainer of jumping winners (the late Bill Hillis).