Maurice Francis Tancred Holmes (10 November 1908 – 7 July 1998), commonly known as Morrie Holmes, 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 was associated with many champions and was a leading driver of harness horses in New Zealand. His father Free Holmes was also a driving legend. Owing to his skill, Holmes was known as "the Maestro". As at 1998, he was the most successful reinsman in the history of trotting of New Zealand dating back to the 1860s. He drove 1666 winners and amassed $2,054,555 in stake money over 49 years. His long career lasted from 1925 to 1974, and a career spanning 44 years at the top. On his last night at the

Alexandra Park Raceway Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "pro ...

, he drove four winners from eight starters. As of 2014 Maurice Holmes still holds the record for the most Driving Premiership wins as he won his 18th title in his final year of driving in 1974. He also holds the record for the most wins in the group 1

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 11 outright victories and one dead heat. Holmes also became the first driver to win two Inter Dominion pacing grand finals winning with Pot Luck in 1938 and Vedette in 1951. In the

1975 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1975 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1975 to celeb ...

, Holmes was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to New Zealand trotting.

References

External links

Racing History - Maurice Holmes
1908 births 1998 deaths New Zealand harness racers New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{NewZealand-bio-stub

See also

References

External links