Group 1-winning New Zealand trainer Robert Priscott has died.
The Waikato horseman was close friends with The Oaks Stud general manager Rick Williams, who said he will be a big loss to the industry.
“It is a terrific loss,” Williams said. “He had been ill for some time unfortunately with a very acute form of Parkinson’s. His last year has been very tough on the family.
“He was a champion bloke and a champion trainer. We travelled the world together and had a lot of fun together.”
“Robert never had more than 30 horses, but he had some good ones, and Red Tempo was one of his early good horses.”
Red Tempo was victorious in the Group 2 Great Northern Guineas (1600m) and Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) in New Zealand before continuing his career in Australia where he won the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m).
“He was the old style of trainer and was outstanding at what he did,” Williams said.
“In so many ways he was underrated, but he was understated too, and that is the way he liked it.”
