Cecil Charles Devine (23 March 1915 – 4 July 1990) was a driver of

standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

racehorses Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

in New Zealand. He drove many winners of major races in New Zealand. His greatest achievement was winning the

New Zealand Trotting Cup The New Zealand Cup for standardbred horses, also known as either the New Zealand Trotting Cup or the New Zealand Pacing Cup is a Group One (G1) harness race held annually by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club at Addington Raceway in Chri ...

, New Zealand's premier racing event, three times in a row in 1958, 1959 and 1960 with

False Step False Step was a New Zealand Standardbred racehorse. He is notable in that he won three New Zealand Trotting Cup races, the richest harness race, and sometimes the richest horse race in New Zealand. False Step is one of three horses to win the N ...

. He also drove False Step in the US International Paces at Yonkers and Roosevelt. Throughout his career, Devine was one of the "old school" who referred to the sport as "trotting" rather than the more fashionable name of "harness racing". He first got into the sport in the depression years, saying that he otherwise might have ended up a lawyer.Obituary - C.C. Devine
He was associated with many top horses. He won the

with Lord Module, which he also owned. He won a record six New Zealand Trotting Cups in all with Lord Module, Thunder, and Van Dieman, and with False Step three times. False Step went on to beat the acknowledged American champion of the time,

Adios Butler The horse Adios Butler, also known as "The Butler" (1956–1983), was a North American harness racing champion. Background Sired by the great Standardbred Adios and out of an obscure broodmare named Debby Hanover, Adios Butler was trained by ...

, in the United States. He also won: * 1960

New Zealand Free For All The New Zealand Pacing Free For All is a major New Zealand harness race. It is notable as it is a Group One championship sprint race and has been won by nearly every champion pacer in New Zealand. History of the race Horses which have won the ...

with False Step * 1965

New Zealand Trotting Derby The New Zealand Derby is a classic event in New Zealand for 3 year old harness horses, run at Addington Raceway. History Formerly called the New Brighton Derby Stakes from 1914 to 1925, the race was conducted by the New Brighton Trotting Cub and ...

with Bass Strait * 1979

with Lord Module

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Cecil 1915 births 1990 deaths New Zealand harness racers

See also

References