Sir Patrick Hogan, of the world famous Cambridge Stud, has died. The 83-year-old was considered one of the world's finest horse breeders and studmasters.

Born 23 October 1939, the son of an Irish immigrant, Sir Patrick had dropped out of school by the time he was 15 to work on the family's Waikato farm.

He became involved in the horse breeding industry in the 1960s, with his father and brother, at the Fencourt Stud. The enterprise was struck with misfortune when five of the horses died in a year.

In the early 1970s the brothers decided to go their separate ways, Sir Patrick borrowing money to buy land that eventually grew into the Cambridge Stud.

In 1975, against all advice and with borrowed money, he bought a brutish Irish stallion, sight unseen but with potential in its pedigree, and made his reputation and fortune.

Sir Tristram didn't amount to much on the racetrack, but he sired a record number of winners. Affectionately known as 'Paddy', the stallion held a special place in Sir Patrick's heart and transformed him from a battler to a multi-millionaire.

Sir Tristram died in 1997 aged 26, his place as leading stallion filled by his son, the equally-famous Zabeel.

Sir Patrick was a very competitive man and approached horse trading as a big-talking marketer. He was the first to offer guarantees on his horses - and once had to pay out on a $1 million yearling.

By 2007, Cambridge Stud had been the leading vendor at the national yearling Sales for 26 years and its owner had been named New Zealand Breeder of the Year several times.

He was knighted in 1999 for his services to thoroughbred breeding and racing, and in 2005 he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame - the first horse breeder to be so honoured.

The following year, the New Zealand racing industry made him its inaugural inductee into its Hall of Fame.

In January 2015 Sir Patrick was at the Karaka yearling sales, where he paraded the last of the offspring from one of New Zealand's most successful stallions, Zabeel.

Text RNZ 

Image NZB