Two of Southland’s greatest champion pacers, Cardigan Bay and Robin Dundee will be honoured at the Invercargill Harness Racing Club Diamonds Day meeting at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill on Sunday (April 30).
Born in Mataura, Cardigan Bay was the world’s first million dollar standardbred.
Among his achievements were winning the 1963 Interdominion Pacing Final, the 1963 New Zealand Cup off 54 yards and the Auckland Cup off a handicap of 78 yards. He went on to phenomenal success in America before returning to New Zealand where he died in 1988 at the age of 31.
Robin Dundee was a diminutive mare from Southland whose successes included the 1965 Auckland Cup and dead heating the Interdominion Pacing Final at Forbury Park in 1965 with Jay Ar. Cardigan Bay and Robin Dundee shared the same sire, Hal Tryax, and both raced with great success throughout New Zealand, Australia and America.
Much of the memorabilia on display on Sunday is on loan from the Noel Taylor NZ Trotting Hall Of Fame so it is a rare opportunity for Southlanders to view a very special piece of New Zealand harness racing history in the home province of these legends.
There is also a set of hopples and headset worn by Robin Dundee on display thanks to the Hewitt family whose father raced the great mare.
On track, the day will feature top class racing of the current era with the culmination of several of the south’s premier harness racing series with the finals of the Nevele R Stud/Macca Lodge Southland Oaks and the Alabar Southern Supremacy Stakes, both races run over 2700m for a stake of $45,000.
The bMAC Sheetmetal Southern Country Cups Final also over 2700m for a stake of $25,000 is another feature as is the Group 3 Diamond Creek Farm 2yo Classic raced for a stake of $38,000 over 2200m.
Admission to the course is free. There are 11 races scheduled and racing begins at 11.35am.