Well known Southland vet and breeder remembered

Well respected Southland veterinarian and standardbred breeder Peter Williams passed away recently aged 81.

In an interview with Peter nine years ago he shared with me some aspects of his involvement in harness racing.

As a young man Peter trained as a vet as part of the first ever Veterinary class at Massey University and graduated in 1967.

He then headed south and went to work for Paddy Dunne and Hugh Warnock in Invercargill.

“I worked for Paddy for a year and then two other veterinarians Gary Chisholm and Stewart Cameron came down. In 1969 while on holiday Paddy broke his neck while swimming at Nelson so he leased the practice to the three of us for four years. At the end of the four years the other guys wanted to go, so I took over at Waikiwi,” Peter told me in 2016.

In the late sixties and early seventies there were a lot of horse studs in Southland including Ascot Stud, Chelandry Stud and Hampton Stud and it was through his work that he acquired his first mare Just Lucky (Hal Tryax).

“I got her because they couldn’t get her in foal.”

Williams sent her to Majestic Chance and the resulting foal was Lucky Chance which Henry Skinner trained to win seven races, including the 1978 Greymouth Cup.

“Jan (his wife and co-owner) and I had a six month old son at that stage and we took Lucky Chance all the way to Greymouth through the Haast. Not many people go that way. We couldn’t stay at the Haast Hotel because there was nowhere to put the horse. But there were some whitebait camps down the way and we found a place to stay that had a paddock for the horse. If Henry Skinner could have seen the paddock he would have shot me.”

At stud Just Lucky also left Robstar (two wins), Vendetta (4), and Beretta (2), but the star of her progeny was Jan’s Chance which was sold as a raffle and won twenty three races including the Group One Queensland Oaks for Australian trainer Keith Addison.

When Vendetta trained and driven by Henry Skinner won at Wyndham in March1981, she was Peter’s first winner.

One of Just Lucky’s last foals Lucky Boy was Peter’s first feature race winner when he won the Listed 1983 DB Superstar Series Final.

After winning five races for Alan Devery, Lucky Boy was sold to America.

“Bob McArdle just walked in here for lunch one day, pulled a cheque out of his pocket and said that was for Lucky Boy. That was it. I’ve never seen a cheque as big – not for a horse. It was big money back then and it got us two thirds of a house in Queenstown.”

That house is appropriately named Lucky Boy Lodge.

The trotting side of Peter’s breeding story also began in the 1970s when he bred Princess Way (Keystone Way). At stud she left Arbitrator (3), Gregory Peter (6), Arlington (3) and Sundon’s Way (15).

But Princess Way’s daughter Whizz Way was to be his best trotting broodmare.

After winning four races for Maurice Skinner, Williams matched Whizz Way with Sundon in 2005 and the resulting foal Idid It Myway was to be his best trotter.

Idid It Myway had high speed and commenced his career with Invercargill trainer Jeff Williams winning six races before Colin and Julie DeFilippi won a further six with him. He finished his career winning for Paul Nairn.

Over the fifty years as a vet Williams operated on thousands of horses of both codes, but one story stands out.

“We did a tie back wind operation on one horse and a split pastern on it’s close relation and they deadheated at Wyndham one day.”

Those horses Forest Pass and Miss Priscilla were out of full sisters.

Williams owned on his own account or in partnership 86 winners and his last was Outamyway at Addington in November 2023.

His biggest winners were Idid It Myway (13), Outamyway (9), Any Old Way (7) and Rocket Ship (6).

Peter Williams will be remembered for his dedication and expertise in the veterinary field and as a passionate breeder and owner.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink