Maurice Holmes - the Maestro

With the running of the Maurice Holmes Vase on Friday, Addington once again salutes Maurice Holmes, the greatest horseman this country has ever produced.

He was first licenced as a fourteen year old and in August 1925 at sixteen Holmes recorded his first win when Bonny Logan won a saddle pace. The article in the local press said “The winner was patiently ridden by young horseman Maurice Holmes whose first win it was. With the good judgement and coolness, he showed he will be heard of later.”

They weren’t wrong.

A few months later he won the 1926 Auckland Cup, his first feature race.

In his forty eight years in the sulky, Holmes drove 1,573 winners and won the New Zealand Drivers Premiership for the first time in just his fifth season.

He went on to win a further sixteen Drivers Premierships, becoming a household name and he was the first driver to win 1,000 races in New Zealand, a feat he achieved in November 1960.

At that point only two successful New Zealand jockeys Jim Ellis and Bill Broughton had reached the 1000 wins milestone.

Holmes drove three New Zealand Cup winners – Wrackler in 1930, Chamfer 1950 and Lookaway 1957. He drove three Dominion Handicaps and three Rowe Cups.

His wins also included two Interdominion Pacing Championship Grand Finals.

However the race in which he enjoyed the most success was the New Zealand Derby where he drove twelve winners between 1928 and 1973.

“Everything I learned I learned from my old Dad. He soon got the message through to me how important it was to save a horse up in a race,” Holmes said.

But in 1973 under the then rules of racing, drivers had to retire at the age of 65 and Holmes after winning his last race at Alexandra Park and the New Zealand Drivers Premiership, was forced to take off his driving cravat for the last time.

Holmes also trained 428 winners, but he’ll be remembered most for his skills as a driver and as an early pioneer in the sport.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink