Basil Dean - World Record Holder

Tomorrow night at Addington the trotters line up in the Basil Dean FFA.

The race salutes one of this country pioneer trotters, who over four decades ago set Addington alight with a run for the ages in the New Zealand Trotting Championship.

Raced over 2600 metres, his time of 3-15.3 was not only a New Zealand record but a World Record. The time also bettered the New Zealand record of 3-15.4 for pacers held jointly by Steel Jaw and Bonnies Chance.

Driven by Kerry O’Reilly, Basil Dean left the extreme outside of the gate with lightning speed and adopted a handlebars down approach. The first 400 metres was run in 28.8 and 800 in 59.4. The first 2200 metres was run in 2-45.2.

The previous record held by Sir Castleton was 3-19.5 and the new time stood for seven years before Last Sunset lowered it to 3-14.4 at Addington in 2001.

Trained at Ashburton by Bob Jamison, Basil Dean won twenty four of his sixty five starts and raced from age five to ten.

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

It was in the 1984 New Zealand Trotting Championship that he will be remembered for.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink