William Edgar Hazlett (8 November 1905 – 13 April 1978) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player, farmer, racehorse owner and breeder.

Early life and family

Born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, New Zealand on 8 November 1905, Hazlett was the son of Kate Hazlett (née Stephenson), whose father John Stephenson was one of the founders of

Wright Stephenson Wright Stephenson was a stock and station agency founded in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1861. Foundation and development The business was begun in 1861 as Wright, Robertson, & Co. by partners John T. Wright and Robert M. Robertson as a result of ...

, and William Thomas Hazlett, a merchant and landholder. He was educated at

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

. He married Joan Marion Nicoll at Ashburton on 4 November 1931. The couple went on to have three children.

Rugby union

A loose forward, Hazlett represented

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, from 1926 to 1930. He played 26 matches for the All Blacks including eight internationals.

Horse racing

Hazlett was involved in horse racing from an early age, and in later years was far better known through this part of his life than for his rugby exploits. Amongst New Zealand's leading owners for many years, and topping the table six times, he became the first (and so far only) New Zealander to win more than 1,000 races as an owner. He trained many of these himself, being good enough in that field to be twice runner-up in the national trainers' premiership, before relinquishing the reins to Bill Hillis, his private trainer from 1959. Although he won all of New Zealand's top jumping races, his most notable feat was winning the iconic Great Western Steeplechase at Riverton no fewer than 16 times. He also trained the first seven of these winners.

Death

A successful dog trialist, Hazlett collapsed and died while competing near

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

on 13 April 1978. He was buried at Lynwood Cemetery,

Te Anau Te Anau is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Maori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Te Anau is 155 kilometres north of Invercargill an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazlett, William Edgar 1905 births 1978 deaths People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School New Zealand farmers New Zealand racehorse owners and breeders New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Southland rugby union players Rugby union flankers Rugby union players from Invercargill New Zealand racehorse trainers New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees