The passing of Dick Prendergast

Well known harness racing identity Dick Prendergast died recently aged ninety three.

Prendergast was a mentor and good friend to Oamaru trainer Phil Williamson.

Williamson said, “He was a very good stockman first and foremost. He fed his horses well and always had them in good condition. There was never a poor horse there and he was very kind to them.”

Williamson worked for the then Oamaru based Prendergast at the beginning of his career and obtained his driving license while he was at the stable where he worked for four years.

“I was without a job when I left Kerslakes. I definitely got my first big break with Dick and Leona. I kept in regular contact with him and called in a couple of weeks ago. He was an excellent boss and great to work for. The first trials drive I had was one for Dick. Her name was Carly Tryax, and I qualified her as a pacer. She only had one foal and it was Simon Katz who won a Dominion.”

Prendergast also provided Williamson with his first winning drive which was Hajano at Timaru in December 1977.

“Dick had quite a few trotters and I got a hitch for trotters there. It was quite challenging back in those days to get a trotter going.”

Prendergast began his working life as a farmer and shearer near Palmerston. He initially took out an amateur training license before going professional in 1975, having moved to Oamaru.

His father Bill had success with Wildwood Chief trained by Wes Butt, which won the Sapling Stakes and the Winter Cup while his brothers Mick and Tony carved out their own racing careers. Tony enjoyed success in the galloping code, training Mr Aye Bee and Queens Pal. Mr Aye Bee won the Dunedin Cup, the George Adam Handicap and Great Autumn while Queens Pal won the Champagne Stakes and the Southland Guineas.

Mick trained a handful of winners including Holdon Toyaspur which won eight races.

Simon Katz was Prendergast’s best horse. The talented trotter began racing as a three year old and at start six, raced in the New Zealand Trotting Stakes at Addington.

“I told the owners after running fifth in the New Zealand Trotting Stakes that we wouldn’t see the best of him until he was seven or eight, he was so gangly then,” Prendergast told the Press Corp of the day.

Dick trained 277 winners – his first coming at the Cromwell meeting in March 1960 when he drove Tessa to beat Spree, driven by his brother Mick.

“Back in the day that was a good number because southern trainers had three months off for the winter. You didn’t venture into Canterbury very often because it was thought they were too hard to beat,” Williamson said.

Prendergast’s major training wins were with Robbie Hest in the Group One New Zealand Trotting Derby, Whizzing By – New Zealand Trotting Derby and the New Zealand Trotting Stakes, Hickory Stick – Canterbury Park Trotting Cup and Simon Katz Canterbury Park Trotting Cup, Ordeal Cup, New Zealand Trotting FFA and the Dominion Handicap.

When Simon Katz won the 1987 Dominion driven by Anthony Butt, he created history, becoming the first trotter to win the three tight-class trots at the Cup Carnival since the introduction of the New Zealand Trotting Free For All in 1947.

Other good winners for Prendergast were Hickory Stick (5 of 14), the dual gaited The Coaster which won twelve – six in each gait, Worthy Adios (7 of 11), Springfield Yankee (10), Robbie Hest (9), Double Stitch (7 of 9), Light Foyle (9), Whizzing By (8), Craig Andrew (8) and Israel (7).

Kimrock was another good trotter Prendergast developed.

“He was involved in an accident with him and he went into the back of the ambulance at Invercargill.”

Kimrock won three races for Dick before his owner Lionel Walker took over training the squaregaiter winning a further eight races with him.

As a driver Prendergast drove 145 winners. His biggest came in the 1988 New Zealand Trotting Stakes with Robbie Hest.

His colours haven’t been lost to the industry as they’re now used by Williamson’s son Matthew.

“Dick asked if I thought Matt would like to use his colours. I told him that he would be honoured because I drove my first winner in those colours. He did say that he wanted to give the colours to someone who could win some races (laughter).”

Matt Williamson has certainly done that, and this season he’s had his best year training wise, winning thirty nine races.

“He got a lot of pleasure seeing Matt win in those colours in the last year or two. He said he couldn’t wait to turn on the TV and watch his colours go round.”

With his colours on the racetrack, the Prendergast legacy lives on. Rest in peace Dick.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink