Basil Dean – World Record Holder

Basil Dean (Great Evander) one of this country’s pioneer trotters, forty one years ago set Addington alight with a run for the ages in the New Zealand Trotting Championship.

As a salute to him, on Friday night at Addington the trotters will line up in the VIP Trade Basil Dean Trotters FFA.

Trained at Ashburton by Bob Jamison and driven by Kerry O’Reilly, Basil Dean left the extreme outside of the gate with lightning speed and adopted a handlebar down approach in the 2600 metre feature. The first 400 metres was run in 28.8 and the first mile was cut out in 2-01.2. At that stage his opposition were looking for somewhere to lie down.

It was left to Sir Castleton, Jenner and Game Command to chase the tearaway leader down. With 800 metres to run Basil Dean put in another burner down the back straight. Sir Castleton started to close as the leader began to trot roughly in the straight but could only get within two and a half lengths of Basil Dean with a further four and a quarter lengths back to Jenner.

When the time was posted at 3-15.3 it was not only a New Zealand record but a world record and it also bettered the New Zealand record of 3-15.4 for pacers held jointly by Steel Jaw and Bonnies Chance.

The previous trotting record of 3-19.5 was held by Sir Castleton.

The race was somewhat overshadowed by the crash in the Derby which was replayed countless times on television with no mention to Basil Dean’s fantastic feat.

The record stood for seven years before Last Sunset lowered it to 3-14.4 at Addington in 2001.

To demonstrate how sensational Basil Dean’s time of 3-15.3 was forty years ago, Sundees Son holds the current New Zealand record of 3-10.4.

Basil Dean won twenty four of his sixty five starts in New Zealand, racing as a five to ten year old before heading to America.

His major wins were the 1984 Dominion Handicap, The Canterbury Park Trotting Cup (twice), the National Trot, the Benson and Hedges Inter-Island Trotters Stakes and the Ordeal Cup.

But it’s the 1984 New Zealand Trotting Championship he’s remembered for.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink