The Kaikoura Cup will celebrate its 100th running this year. To mark the occasion Kaikoura Trotting Club historian Phil Gourdie is looking back at the history of the great race.
This is Part 5 – Driver/Trainer records
By Phil Gourdie
The five winningest drivers at Kaikoura are: Blair Orange 35, Colin DeFilippi 34, Maurice Holmes 23, John Dunn 21 and Mark Purdon 19.
Blair drove his first winner at Kaikoura in 2000. He overtook DeFilippi when he landed a treble last year. He also won the Kaikoura Cup with Harnetts Creek in 2004.
DeFilippi drove his first winner at Kaikoura behind Captain Flak on 3/11/1975. He drove Michele Bromac to win Kaikoura Cup No 62 on 2/11/1987 and Master Musician, Kaikoura Cup No 67 five years later.
Maurice Holmes gained his first win at Kaikoura behind Bingen Wilkes on 22/2/1930. His last win came behind Egyptian Acres on 29/10/1973. He drove Kaikoura Cup No 39 Fury River on 2/11/1964 and Cup No 37 Soanfra on 29/10/1962.
John Dunn gained his first Kaikoura winner behind Franco Caesar on 3/11/2008. John has driven four Kaikoura Cup winners, Cup No 91, Franco Nelson on 31/10/2016 and cups Nos 94, 95 and 96 behind Classie Brigade on in 2019-21.
Mark Purdon drove his first winner at Kaikoura behind Il Vicolo on 30/10/1995. Mark has driven 19 winners at Kaikoura, five of the 19 have been Kaikoura Cups – Cup No 70, Il Vicolo 30/30/1995, Cup No 71 IL Vicolo 4/11/1996, Cup No 75 Bogan Fella 30/10/2000, Cup No 88 Fly Like an Eagle 4/11/2013 and Cup No 92 Lazarus 30/10/2017.
The top trainers are: Mark Purdon 39, Robert Dunn 23 and Frank Monk 11.
Purdon has trained or shared in the training of 39 winners at Kaikoura since his first winner on 30/10/1995. Ten of those wins have been Kaikoura Cups. Mark has driven 5 Kaikoura Cup winners as detailed above and he has shared the other five with Tony Herlihy Cup No 72 Sharp and Telford, Natalie Rasmussen Cup No 87 Sushi Sushi and Cup No 89 Arden Rooney, Tim Williams Cup No 93 Spankem and Olivia Thornley Cup No 98 Akuta.
Dunn has trained 23 winners including five Kaikoura Cups – Cup No 68 Master Musician 1993, Cup No 91 Franco Nelson 2016, Cup Nos 94,95 and and 96 Classie Brigade 2019, 2020, & 2021.
Monk has trained 11 winners including Cup No 14 Arachne on 23/2/1929
Next time, the last of the six part series, will feature the horses to win the Kaikoura – New Zealand Cup double.
