Bill gets hall of fame spot for service

Champion Te Awamutu trainer, the late Bill Sanders, has been inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall Of Fame at a gala awards dinner in Auckland.

In partnership with his son Graeme for more than a decade, Bill Sanders became only the second trainer (after Rex Cochrane) to train 1000 winners in New Zealand.

At the time of his retirement from training in 1985, he had prepared 1003 winners.

Turning professional in 1960, he took his son into partnership a decade later and the combination dominated the 1970s racing scene in New Zealand - winning five successive premierships from the 1972/73 season and training 493 winners in the decade.

Bill Sanders' philosophy in training horses was 'feed 'em hard, work 'em hard, race 'em hard' and this was vindicated by his results.

He and his son produced a stream of top-class racehorses and he was known as a perfectionist.

Bill Sanders was known as the chemist, simply because that's what he was in Te Awamutu.

He broke the mould of the traditional top horse trainer that came up through tough times in hard-bitten stables.

He was an academic with an incredible knowledge on so many levels. Another mould he broke was how to train them. He worked his horses hard - harder than most believed possible - and those that could cope with the boot camp were impossible to beat for fitness on race day.

He called them 'professional racehorses' and that's what they became, if they did not, they were moved on.

At his peak, Sanders had five training establishments under his guidance.

Despite having little background with horses, he ignored his catalogue at the yearling sales and bought almost exclusively on type, often for a price-tag equal to a round of drinks.

Yet the list of top-liners through his stable was staggering.

March Legend, Barellan, Rochdale, Fairview Lad, Quick Answer, Lu Filou, Choucuana, Amie, Mayo Mellay, Bound To Honour, Loughanure and Shaitan were just some of the talent that made us all aware that Bill Sanders was not only one of the greats, he did things his own way.

He also saddled up some top jumpers including versatile flat horse/jumper Execute and champion steeplechaser Spray Doone.

In 1978 Sanders was presented with an MBE for his services to the racing industry by then Governor General Sir Keith Holyoake.

He was also involved in racing administration and served on the committee of the Waipa Racing Club.