Highland Fling

Highland Fling was a New Zealand bred Standardbred racehorse. He is notable in that he won two New Zealand Trotting Cup races, the richest harness race, and sometimes the richest horse race in New Zealand. Highland Fling was a leading performer in the years 1947 and 1948. He won the 1948 New Zealand Trotting Cup with a handicap of 60 yards. Highland Fling was the winner of the last race he contested. He retired with an unequalled record at the time. Highland Fling not only held the world's two-mile record, and the 2:10 race record as a two-year-old. He bettered 2.00 on three occasions, his best being 1:57.8, and he held the world's grass track record of 2:00 for a mile. As a two-year-old Highland Fling won the Great Northern Stakes in Auckland on debut in 1945 and also won the Timaru Nursery Stakes. He was second in the Great Northern Derby in 1946 at age three. As a four-year-old Highland Fling developed bad barrier manners spoiling his chances of winning races and he was transferred to the stables of Leo Berkett who reduced the amount of gear (equipment) that he was wearing. His form improved with Berkett and he won six of his last eleven starts as a four-year-old and he effortlessly won the 1947 New Zealand Trotting Cup by two lengths at age five. In the 1947-48 season Highland Fling also won the Wellington Cup, Otago Free For All and Rattray Handicap and £15,835 for the season which was a record for any horse in New Zealand. In the 1948 Inter Dominion at Alexandra Park he won a heat by 3 lengths on the second day in a time for 3:09.8 which was a New Zealand record for a 1 ½ mile race but he was unplaced in the final won by Emulous.