NZ racing mourns Martin Dennis
One of New Zealand racing’s most famous families has lost another member, with the recent passing of Martin Dennis, aged 82.
Martin was the youngest member of the Dennis Brothers quartet, with the family facing a particularly tough last six months, with the passing of brother Tony in September.
The brothers have been a pillar of South Island thoroughbred racing for more than 60 years, with a plethora of elite equine athletes coming off their Woodlands property.
Dennis’ nephew, respected Southland trainer Robert Dennis, the son of the late Tony Dennis, said Martin had a wealth of knowledge on pedigrees and form, with the partnership relying on his expert analysis for their mares’ mating selection.
“He was an integral part of their operation,” Robert said. “His strength in the partnership was the breeding and the pedigree side in the later years. Earlier on he was more involved in the training side.
“He was extremely knowledgeable about pedigrees and crosses, and he analysed all the stallions and mares, and he had his own rating system.
“For me personally, when buying horses, I would call on him to get his opinion on what he thought of pedigrees.”
The brothers are well known for their horses carrying the prefix ‘The’, which was made famous by several top-flight performers, spanning more than 60 years.
Among their leading flagbearers was the Gr.1 Penfold Chardon Mile (now TAB Classic) winner The Twinkle, while The Dimple and The Fantasy were the stakes winners of a combined 34 races.
The breeding side of their operation included the three-time top-flight winner and Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) runner-up The Phantom, and his brother The Phantom Chance triumphed in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), while The Jewel won the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and trained on to claim the Gr.1 Waikato International Stakes (2000m).
In more recent times The Oaks Stud resident sire The Chosen One was another elite-level winner who also placed in the Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m).
