Tara Hughes
Sir Colin Meads, one of the most respected men ever to grace an All Black jersey, has passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Along with his numerous rugby exploits Meads, who played 133 games for the All Blacks, was also well-known in recent years for his enthusiastic support of thoroughbred racing through participation as an owner in a large number of prominent gallopers.
Meads and his wife Verna were members of several syndicates put together by Albert Bosma’s Go Racing operation and enjoyed success with handy performers such as Tennessee, Charlestown and Billy Mojo. Their greatest moment came in 2013 when the Stephen Marsh trained two-year-old Ruud Awakening completed a notable double for the Go Racing Almighty Dawn Syndicate in taking out the rich Karaka Million along with the Gr. 1 Diamond Stakes at Ellerslie.
Meads was a regular visitor to the annual New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale series at Karaka and a familiar figure on New Zealand racecourses as he and his wife travelled around the country to support their horses. – NZ Racing Desk