Tony Prendergast has no intention of easing into retirement any time soon.

 

The veteran Canterbury horseman provided a reminder of his skills with a stellar performance at the three-day autumn season at Riccarton Park.

 

Prendergast, who will turn 83 in June, and his wife, Lyn, produced Who Dares Wins to take both the Listed Christchurch Casino Easter Stakes (1600m) and the Group III $100,000 Coca-Cola Canterbury Gold Cup (2000m).

 

“I’ve got no plans to stop,” Tony said. “We will keep going while we can. I can still jump in the [harness] cart and jog a horse for 40 minutes. That keeps you fit.

 

“Training has never been an easy game, and the overheads now have made it harder, though we are fortunate that we own our own property [at West Melton] and have good facilities.

 

“You always have your lean patches, then you win a couple, and away you go again.”

 

Who Dares Wins has been a fine flagbearer for the Prendergast stable. The six-year-old has won eight races and earned $250,000 since joining the stable as a four-year-old maiden.

 

He had been unable to win in the North Island, from 11 attempts, but has blossomed with time and in a new environment.

 

He had been recommended to the Prendergasts by northern trainer Stephen McKee. “We have had a lot of horses from Stephen and he hasn’t sent us down a dud yet,” Tony said. “He has been able to work out the type of horses who suit us.

 

“Who Dares Wins is a big, big horse but he’s a gentle giant. He’s got a lovely temperament and that helps immensely.”

 

The Iffraaj gelding was having his first start for more than three months in the Easter Stakes and was able to successfully backup just a week later, when beating Residential in the Gold Cup.

 

It capped a good start to the year for the stable, which has had nine wins, from 41 runners, since December 28.

 

Tony Prendergast has had several top-class horses – among them Mr Ay Bee, Queen’s Pal and St James - but has never had a big team and southern trainers get relatively few chances to win group races.

 

“It was really satisfying to win the Canterbury Gold Cup, particularly as he had been just beaten by St Emilion in the race last year,” Tony said. “We had had a few problems with the horse last year, but we were able to sort those out.

 

“We have never trained a big team. We have usually had 12-15 horses in work and never more than 20. and every time we have a big win, we really savour them.”

 

Prendergast was brought up at Hyde, in Central Otago, in a family of six boys and has been involved with horses all his life. His father raced standardbreds and a brother, Dick, had considerable success as a harness trainer.

 

Tony worked on farms when he first left school but was also an amateur rider and made a spectacular debut as a thoroughbred owner-trainer in the 1964-65 season.

 

He produced Rutanui, a nine-year-old maiden, to win fresh-up over 1700m at Cromwell, when ridden by Brian Anderton, at a win price of 68 pounds. Rutanui was not allowed to rest on his laurels and won again two days later, over 2000m.

 

Prendergast was managing a property in East Otago at the time and Rutanui had done all his preparation on the farm. “He had never had a gallop but had done heaps of groundwork through mustering and cattle work.

 

“That also convinced me that horses don’t need to do a lot of galloping and I’ve never been a great one for galloping. “

 

Rutanui’s win was also an early indication that Prendergast could prepare a horse to win fresh-up, a skill he illustrated again, almost 55 years later, when Who Dares Wins completed his Riccarton Park double.

 

The early success encouraged Prendergast to further his involvement with racing and he became foreman for renowned Wingatui trainer Hector Anderton, the father of Brian and Hec.

 

Hector Anderton had more winners in the 1950s than any other New Zealand trainer and won three national premierships, two of them in the 1960s. “I spent about four years with Hector and learnt a hell of a lot from him,” Prendergast said.

 

“But when Lyn and I got married, we needed a bit more income and I drove floats for Stan McKay for several years.” McKay was an owner, breeder, trainer and transport operator. “Stan had a big team in those days, and we rode work for Stan and also broke in horses.”

 

Prendergast began to gradually build up his own team at Wingatui and recorded his first win as a professional trainer with Isalei, at Omakau in 1971. There was just one win that season but the stable notched 10 wins for the season four years later.

 

“I also worked the night shift at the Mosgiel woollen mills when I first started training, though not for long. A lot of trainers worked there over the years.”

 

An early flagbearer for the stable was Lomond Queen, a smart filly who was to become better known as the dam of Queen’s Pal. Both horses were raced by Florence Griffin who was a significant stable supporter.

 

“We trained a lot for Florence and she really got us going,” Prendergast said. “Her property was known as Zetland Lodge and we took over the name ourselves, after her property was sold.”

 

Mr Ay Bee was Prendergast’s first standout galloper and was still racing when Queen’s Pal began her career. “Mr Ay Bee is the best we have had – by a country mile. He could do anything.”

 

Mr Ay Bee, who was part-owned by Prendergast, won 19 races, despite having injury problems when still at the height of his powers. He won 14 open races, nearly all under handicap conditions, ranging from 1225m to 2500m and was runner-up in a Brisbane Cup.

 

He won six successive races as a five-year-old and excelled in his autumn campaign. He won fresh-up over 1225m at Beaumont, when ridden by Lyn Prendergast, and within the next fortnight added wins in two feature staying races at Riccarton. He won the George Adams (2000m) nine days after his Beaumont appearance and five days later carried 60kg to win the Great Autumn (2500m).

 

He went to Brisbane that season and beat all bar Grey Affair in the Brisbane Cup. Grey Affair had measured up in top company in Sydney and had also won a Doomben Cup but had slipped down in the weights and was getting 4kg from Mr Ay Bee in the Brisbane Cup.

 

Mr Ay Bee was transferred to Takanini trainer Ray Verner following his Brisbane campaign, to reduce the travelling from Wingatui, and beat an outstanding field in the 1979 Avondale Cup. He carried 56.5kg to beat 19 rivals, among them Shivaree, Blue Denim, March Legend, Mellseur and Arbre Chene.

 

Mr Ay Bee emphasised his class by switching back to 1600m and winning the weight-for-age King’s Plate at Ellerslie 16 days later. That cemented his Auckland Cup claims but a cracked cannon-bone prevented him contesting the Auckland Cup.

 

He was sidelined for 12 months and returned to Tony Prendergast for the remainder of his career.

 

Queen’s Pal won eight races as a three-year-old and had a career record of 14 wins and eight seconds from 41 starts. Eleven of her wins came in black-type races and she ran third, behind Our Flight and Passakiss, in the One Thousand Guineas.

 

St James won 11 races, including five stakes races, and gave his trainers – Lyn joined Tony in a training partnership in 1980 – a thrill when finishing third in the 1989 Hong Kong Cup and was also successful in Brisbane.

 

“St James was a very good horse and what a physique he had,” Tony said. “But he didn’t have an ideal temperament. He was a hard case.”

 

Prendergast is also proud of his record with apprentices, who have included Charlie Brough, Jan Cameron and Kylie Williams.

 

Tony and Lyn’s daughter, Kerry, also rode winners during a brief career as an apprentice and has also had success as a trainer.

 

After establishing themselves at Wingatui, Tony and Lyn shifted to Christchurch in 1983. “We have got 30 acres at West Melton and can basically do it all at home, where it’s so quiet,” Tony said.

 

“The horses can do three-quarter pace on our 1000m sand track and we only go into Riccarton occasionally. Our horses do a lot of trotting and strong pace work.”