Tributes paid to Benjamin

A service will be held in memory of racing identity David Benjamin at Te Awa Lifecare in Cambridge early next month.

Benjamin, described as being a promoter ahead of his time, died aged 79 last Friday.

He established Fayette Park Stud at Okoroire in the late 1980s, eventually selling it because of health issues

He was credited with playing a pivotal role in establishing the hospitality area at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.

“He was before his time in many ways. He was very good with marketing and promotion, and always led a pretty good ship,” Ray Knight, who worked with him at Matamata’s Field House Stud said.

“He started the tents and hospitality areas at the national sales when they were originally at Trentham. It started out as feeding the staff lunch and it developed into what it has become today.

“I don’t know if David had seen it in the States, he may have because he spent a lot of time in the States. Part of his legacy [in sales hospitality] is what we are seeing throughout Australasia now.”

Knight said Benjamin was also a great promoter of stallions, most notably with Grosvenor, who he syndicated.

“He was very good at promoting his stallions. He was very much into his promotions and was very good with the clients,” he said.

David Benjamin

“I took over as manager of Field House when it was sold, and we topped the averages the first year they had it at Karaka. Grosvenor was top of the pops at the time and even though David had sold the farm, he was still the manager of the Grosvenor syndicate and had an ongoing presence in that.

“He did some amazing promotions. We did a promotion for his first crop of yearlings – ‘Grosvenor, the ultimate stallion’, which included the ‘ultimate car’ which was a Rolls-Royce, and the ‘ultimate woman’ who was Miss Universe at the time, Lorraine Downes. It got a lot of publicity.”

“He has been struggling with his health for some time. It was a bit sad in recent years that his health was as it was, but he kept in touch with everyone and what was going on.”

Knight said Benjamin was ably supported by his wife Masey.

“Masey… was very integral in everything that went on,” he said. “She is a very good horsewoman in her own right, as is their family.” – Loveracing News Desk

More Recent Sports

On a fast track ….

St Peter’s Cambridge’s head girl for 2025 is a young woman of many talents. Madeleine Waddell shattered New Zealand under-17 and under-18 women’s 400m running records at the World Athletics Under-20 championships in Peru in…

Celebrating our champions

Waipā Olympians and Paralympians who trained tirelessly, sacrificed so much and showed extraordinary courage, grit and determination were honoured in Cambridge last week. Not all of the athletes could make it – the nature of…

It’s a top racquet

Cambridge Racquets Club has so much to celebrate, members decided to make an afternoon out of it. The club recently won club of the year in two sports – tennis and squash. Plus, club manager…

Trans-Tasman rower exchange

Rowers from St Peter’s School in Cambridge spent a week in Australia last week and are now hosting their Australian compatriots in readiness for a Lake Karāpiro regatta this weekend. The 28 senior rowers stayed…