David Benjamin, a noted marketing innovator in the thoroughbred breeding industry, passed away on Friday.

Benjamin played a pivotal role in establishing the now iconic hospitality area at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, and Ray Knight, who worked with him at Fieldhouse Stud, said he was a brilliant marketer.

“He was before his time in many ways. He was very good with marketing and promotion, and always led a pretty good ship,” Knight said.

“He started the tents and hospitality areas at the national sales when they were originally at Trentham. It started out as feeding the staff lunch and it developed into what it has become today.

“I don’t know if David had seen it in the States, he may have because he spent a lot of time in the States.

“Part of his legacy is what we are seeing throughout Australasia now (in sales hospitality).”

Knight said Benjamin was also a great promoter of stallions, most notably with Grosvenor, who he syndicated.

“He was very good at promoting his stallions. He was very much into his promotions and was very good with the clients,” he said.

“I took over as manager of Fieldhouse when it was sold, and we topped the averages the first year they had it at Karaka. Grosvenor was top of the pops at the time and even though David had sold the farm, he was still the manager of the Grosvenor syndicate and had an ongoing presence in that.

“He did some amazing promotions. We did a promotion for his first crop of yearlings – ‘Grosvenor, the ultimate stallion’, which included the ‘ultimate car’ which was a Rolls-Royce, and the ‘ultimate woman’ who was Miss Universe at the time, Lorraine Downes. It got a lot of publicity.”

Benjamin went on to establish the revered Fayette Park Stud, near Tirau, in the late 1980s, which he ran until health issues led him to sell the property to Gary Harding in 2004.

“It was a lovely property. He was very good with what he built and did, but his health wasn’t that great,” Knight said.

“He has been struggling with his health for some time. It was a bit sad in recent years that his health was as it was, but he kept in touch with everyone and what was going on.”

Throughout his years in the industry, Knight said Benjamin was ably supported by his wife Masey.

“Masey, his wife, was very integral in everything that went on,” he said. “She is a very good horsewoman in her own right, as is their family.”