Vale Hec Anderton

[Wandering Eyes]

Hec Anderton, one of New Zealand racing’s most respected horsemen, has died at the age of 84. He passed away at the Otago Community Hospice in Dunedin last week, surrounded by his wife Pat and their children, Michael, Paul, Debbie Kennedy, Janine Carroll and Tania Batt.

His death came poignantly just hours after Descaro, a horse he bred and raced in partnership, won at Wingatui. The gelding is trained by his brother Brian and nephew Shane, underlining the Anderton family’s deep-rooted place in southern racing.
Born Hector Thomas Anderton, he was immersed in racing from childhood. He signed on as a probationer apprentice at 12 and rode his first winner, Irish Wings, at Beaumont in 1956 at the age of 15. Among his best rides was the 1958 Churchill Stakes at Riccarton on Fountainhead, and in 1960 he captured three races on Ravelston across the Riverton Easter meeting, a rare treble that stood out in his career as a jockey.

He began training in partnership with his father Hector in the early 1960s before branching out on his own at Wingatui, where he would prepare some 350 winners. His first star was Crown Agent, who won 12 races in the 1970s, but his finest came later with Mellseur, winner of the 1980 Gr.1 Penfold’s Chardon Mile (now the Thorndon Mile), along with a string of feature races. In partnership with his son Steven, he trained The Jewel, who won the 2002 Gr.1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas and Gr.1 International Stakes, as well as Sand Sweeper, a multiple stakes winner including the 2005 Gr.2 Canterbury Gold Cup.
Anderton also made his mark in jumps racing. He won the 1974 Great Western Steeplechase with Jack Tat and the prestigious 1986 Nescafe Steeplechase at Ellerslie with Rock Crystal, then the country’s richest jumping race. Rock Crystal returned to win a second Great Western in 1988, a testament to Anderton’s horsemanship.

His breeding interests brought further success. He co-bred De Montfort, winner of the 1999 Dunedin Cup with daughter Debbie in the saddle, and Lofty’s Gift, who captured the same race in 2025. His horses also enjoyed success in Australia, where he won races at Flemington, Caulfield, and Moonee Valley, including listed victories with Native Monarch.

Anderton was equally admired as a mentor. He guided many apprentices, including his daughter Debbie Kennedy, leading rider Jason Laking, and Jarrod Todd, who has since ridden more than 700 winners in Australia’s Northern Territory. Though he retired in 2008, he returned to help his daughter-in-law Claire following the tragic death of his son Steve in 2015, showing his enduring commitment to family and the sport.

From his first winner as a teenager to his final day, Hec Anderton’s life was interwoven with racing. A jockey, trainer, breeder, and mentor, he leaves behind a legacy that shaped southern racing for more than six decades. He is survived by Pat, their children, and an extended family whose involvement in the sport ensures that his name will live on.

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