Makaku keeps the Fleming family trotting tradition alive

It was one of those Cambridge Raceway finishes that looked like it belonged to a horse who had been there before. Sitting in the one–one, travelling sweetly, Makaku (Majestic Son) eased out at the top of the lane and sprinted best in the hands of James Stormont for trainer Arna Donnelly, registering his fourth career win from just 17 starts.

For his breeder and co-owner Kevin Fleming of Opunake, it was another win for a family line that has been part of his life since boyhood — and one that carries the fingerprints of his late father, Laurie, all over it.

“Dad went to Doug Grantham’s clearing sale in Clevedon and bought Masquerade (Fallacy). She went to Sir Delrae, and that’s how we ended up with Rosie O’Grady.”

Rosie was the sort of mare that made you proud to have your name in the racebook. She raced with distinction across the country, and her travels even took her to Sydney for the Interdominions.

“Dad would go to Wellington for those three-day carnivals and he’d always come home with a cheque. He loved racing there. He took Rosie to Sydney for the Interdominions and we were unlucky — Maurice McKendry drove her — she would have been ideal for a small track like Harold Park. She came home and not long after set a New Zealand record in Christchurch after travelling back from Sydney.”

Those were different days for trotting mares.

“Not many of them back then would have won $100,000. All credit to Dad — he did the shoeing, transported the horse himself, drove her and trained her. With the exception of the odd drive from Jack Smolenski and Colin Butler, he did it all. She was unlucky too. I think she had a pedal bone issue, but she was still a fantastic mare.”

Rosie’s daughter Gee Whizz II kept the line alive, leaving Lindt (Sundon). Lindt has left Laurie’s Legacy, an eight-time winner, and her full brother Makaku.

“We had a bit of fun with Lindt too. It’s nice to see it carry on. Dad probably should have sent her to Sundon and kept sending her back there — who knows what else we might have got — but that’s racing.”

The family has branched out in other directions too. Kevin recalls Walkviathedolorosa(Malbar Maple), a mare who didn’t quite deliver on the track but still played her part in the breeding barn.

“She was disappointing herself, but Gerald Cayford bred from her and she’s left some handy horses — Winning Bones, Granny Rose, Five O’Clock Gerry. Winning Bones won 10 and about $110,000. Handy horses, but nothing quite like Rosie O’Grady. Who knows — we might get back to something as good one day.”

Makaku began his career with Amber Hoffman and Andrew Suddaby at Waikouaiti, winning his first two starts from the Suddabys’ beach training base.

“Amber and Andrew did a fantastic job with him down there. I just thought that by sending him up to Cambridge, where they race every week and there’s no travel, he would benefit. And that’s the way it’s worked out.”

The Cambridge relocation has been a masterstroke. The first three of his wins came with cosy runs and soft strikes up the passing lane, but last night’s effort was different.

“This one was more of a test. He took a while to square up, but once Jimmy gave him his head, he balanced beautifully. He really showed he’s got potential. And it’s nice to have James on him as well — there’s a bit of history there with Dad and James’s father. They had a great relationship back in the day, so it was special.”

Even the name Makaku comes with a family connection.

“Mākahu is a little place out the back of Stratford where my grandmother was born. There’s nothing there now except a school — very isolated — but it’s part of our family history. Those little backcountry towns have all but disappeared, and that’s one of them.”

With four wins already and plenty of racing ahead, Fleming is optimistic without getting carried away.

“Four wins from seventeen is a pretty good return. If he can improve on what he’s done so far, he’ll be a nice horse. Hopefully there’s still more to come.”

For a breeder who has watched this family line go from clearing sale to Interdominion campaigns, from record-setting mares to beach-trained winners, Makaku’s victory is more than a race result — it’s the continuation of a story that began in Clevedon and winds through generations of Flemings, their horses, and the little Taranaki settlement that gave the gelding his name.