Todd Legacy

Bruce Stewart Journalist

When young Canterbury trainer Regan Todd heads south with Treacherous Gall (Captaintreacherous) and Play Philly (Art Major) for the Wyndham Harness Racing Club’s Centennial meeting on Saturday he’ll to heading back to a track that is steeped in family history.

Treacherous Gall

Play Philly

The Todd family have a long association with the Wyndham course. Regan’s great grandfather Ernie Todd was one of the first trainers on the track, training there for close to fifty years. He won a Winton Cup with Chimer (Four Chimes) and a Gore and Winton Cup in the same week with Willow Bank (Worthy Bond). He started his working life as a jockey for the McGlinchey family and drove Quo Vadis (Harold Rothchild) for them to win the first Wyndham Trotting Cup. He later produced Absolutely (Quite Sure) to win a Wyndham Cup as a maiden pacer and won the 1948 Wyndham Juvenile Stakes and two successive races at the Wyndham meeting the following year with Blue Mist (Dillion Hall) who went on to win fourteen races including the 1952 Easter Cup when trained by Claude Fairman.

Regan’s grandfather Ray Todd trained seventy five winners. The first was Blue Emperor, (Red Emperor) in November 1956 at the Wairio Jockey Club’s meeting. His last winner was Sure To Win (Noodlum) at Gore in April 1984.

His best winners: Hannibal Hest (Tuft) which won five races, Adios Adieu, (Dick Adios) the winner of four and Joylyn (Free Flight) also four.

Ray also trained Loyal Trick (Hal Tryax) the dam of champion pacer Young Quinn (59 wins) and Kiwi Direct which left Direct Kiwi, (Knowing Bret) the winner of thirteen races.

Regan’s colours belong to his grandfather and let’s hope when Treacherous Gall or Play Philly lines up on Saturday they can add another story to this great Wyndham family’s legacy.