Former champion to be honoured

A FAVOURABLE draw has Hezrockinroyalty's connections confident of registering a much-deserved win this weekend.

Racing in strong fashion, Hezrockinroyalty has been among the placegetters during his past five starts, including a third in the recent South Australia Pacing Cup.

Set to return to Globe Derby on Saturday night, the Alan Cronin-trained gelding is engaged in the Minor Derby Free-For-All.

To Cronin's delight, Hezrockinroyalty has drawn to search for the lead from the pole.

"I was hoping for a good draw and that's as good as I could have hoped for," Cronin said. "I think we've got options from there.

"He's got the speed to lead, so it will be interesting to see what happens early on.

"The beautiful thing about him is his consistency and I don't think you could begrudge him a win as he certainly deserves one!"

Citing Lord Zarias as the one to beat from barrier four, Cronin also rates Big Jim Major as a significant threat from gate nine.

Lord Zarias was triumphant in similar company last week, while Big Jim Major is returning from a 12-month absence.

"Lord Zarias has the runs on the board and has to be considered the one to beat," Cronin said. "Big Jim Major hasn't raced for a while, but he's a really nice horse.

"There is good consistency among the rest, so nothing would surprise me in that race."

While it remains to be seen if Hezrockinroyalty can emerge triumphant, the weekend's honouree will have industry pundits taking a trip down memory lane.

An idol of the late 1940s and early ‘50s, Minor Derby achieved the seemingly impossible on a regular basis, particularly after missing the start.

Boasting 45 wins for Frank Smith, Minor Derby’s biggest claim to fame is becoming the first pacer to complete consecutive wins in the South Australia Pacing Cup.

Sure that has been matched by Gammalite and Smoken Up, which have won the event four times, but Minor Derby’s victories were off large handicaps.

Minor Derby won his first off 36 yards in 1950 and his second of an amazing 60 yards in ‘51...that was around the old saucer-like Wayville circuit!

Driven by Frank on both occasions, Minor Derby not only overcame his tough handicaps, but did it after blowing the start.

Renowned for his horrific standing start manners – bear in mind there were no mobile races at the time – Minor Derby always gave his rivals an extra advantage, and on many occasions, a beating.

“He was a lovely quiet horse, but once at the races he had another attitude,” Frank’s son and Minor Derby’s strapper, Alan, said during an archived interview. “It was the story of his life. He never went away without galloping first.

“I remember a time he won off 108 yards (97 metres), plus his usual addition to that after galloping.”

To shed more light on how bad Minor Derby was, Adelaide caller, Arnold Ewens, was in Sydney for the 1952 Inter Dominion to cover the pacer’s campaign.

Broadcasting his call back to South Australia during one of the heats, Ewens declared: “Minor Derby is away well tonight, he is only 50 yards off the second last horse.”

For the record, Minor Derby won the heat and set a Harold Park track record in the process.

Not only did Minor Derby have an amazing ability to overcome huge obstacles, he did it the hard way.

As soon as he settled into stride and caught the field, the tough stayer was sent forward to find the front in one sweeping run.

With a preference for running along, Minor Derby was too risky to hold back once he got going according to Alan.

“Once he paced he was fool-proof and had the ability to beat his rivals from large handicaps, which he constantly added to,” Alan said. “When he finally got going, Dad would set him alight and off he would go.

“It was always best to let him go once he got into action.”

That take no prisoners attitude is actually how Minor Derby secured his SA Cups, which was known as the Christmas Cup until 1958.

Frank formed a formidable partnership with Minor Derby, with the pair combining for 44 of his 45 wins.

“Dad only missed one of his wins and that was when he broke his shoulder,” Alan recalled. “Max Lane drove him on that occasion.”