Colin Maurice Jillings (11 March 1931 – 23 December 2022) was a New Zealand Thoroughbred horse racing trainer from the early 1950s until his retirement in September 2005. He was inducted into the

New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame recognises and honours those whose achievements have enriched the New Zealand thoroughbred horse racing industry. History The Hall of Fame's first group of honorees were inducted in 2006, and inductions are he ...

in 2008.

Early life and career

Jillings was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

on 11 March 1931. He became an apprentice jockey at

Ellerslie Racecourse Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit in the suburb of Ellerslie, with a circumference of just under 1,900 metres. Racing is conducted in a clockwi ...

at the age of 12 in 1943. After riding track work at Ellerslie each morning, he would catch the train to school at St Peter's College. He was a successful apprentice jockey before increasing weight brought a premature end to a promising career.PW Watt, "History", St Peter's College
(Retrieved 28 June 2018) His biggest success as an apprentice was the 1946 Railway Stakes aboard Royal Scot, a race he would later win three times as a trainer.

Training career

When he retired he had amassed a total of 1327 New Zealand winners, 703 of those with long time training partner Richard Yuill.Colin Jillings, New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame
(Retrieved 28 June 2018) When asked to name the best horse he ever trained Jillings had no hesitation in labelling Stipulate, the champion stayer of his era in the early 1960s. The fact that he had no hesitation in labelling Stipulate speaks volumes for the regard Jillings had for the horse given that he also trained the super little horse of the early 1980's – McGinty. Jillings' biggest success came when he trained The Phantom Chance to win the 1993 W. S. Cox Plate. Although operating with a smaller team than most other trainers, Jillings managed to keep producing top horses year after year. He trained the first of four

Auckland Cup The Auckland Cup is an annual race held by the Auckland Racing Club (ARC). It is an Open Handicap for thoroughbred racehorses competed on the flat turf over 3200 metres (two miles) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. The race was ...

winners in 1956 Yeman, followed by Stipulate (1963), Perhaps (1976) and Irish Chance (in partnership with Richard Yuill) in 1999. He also achieved the unique record of training a Derby winner in each of the last 5 decades of the 20th Century: his first Derby winner being

Lawful Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

(1958) followed by Stipulate (1960), Uncle Remus (1977), I'm Henry (1983) and The Phantom Chance (1992).

Notable horses

Notable horses he trained included: * Athenia, winner of the 1978

New Zealand Oaks The New Zealand Oaks is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run at set weights over a distance of 2400 metres ( miles) on the third Saturday of March every year at Trentham Racecourse in Wellington, New Zealand. It was r ...

for his good friend T.J. (Tommy) Smith * Beauzami, winner of the 1963

New Zealand Cup The New Zealand Cup is a thoroughbred horse race run at the Riccarton Park Racecourse in Christchurch. New Zealand Cup week The New Zealand Cup is raced on the final Saturday of Christchurch "Cup week" held each year in the second week of Novem ...

* Diamond Lover, winner of the 1987 Railway Stakes * I'm Henry, winner of the New Zealand Derby, Avondale Guineas, Great Northern Guineas, Wellington Derby and Waikato Guineas in the 1983/84 season * Irish Chance, winner of the 1999

McGinty McGinty is a surname of Irish origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Adam McGinty (born 1971), Australian cricketer * Anne McGinty (born 1945), American flautist, composer and music publisher *Billy McGinty (rugby league), Scottish rug ...

, winner of the Air New Zealand Stakes (twice),

Rawson Stakes The Ranvet Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of 2,000 metres, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in March. Total prize money is A$7 ...

Canterbury Guineas The Randwick Guineas is an Australian Turf Club Group One Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run at set weights over a distance of 1600 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in March as a part of the Sydney Autumn Carnival. ...

Caulfield Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield Racecourse ...

and George Adams Handicap * Old Son, winner of the Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes for himself and his good friend, Pukekohe market gardener, Pabu Daya * Perhaps, winner of the 1976

* Pipe Dream, winner of the 1962 Railway Stakes * Sedecrem, winner of 2004 and 2005

Waikato Sprint The Waikato Sprint currently run as the BCD Group Sprint is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run at Te Rapa Racecourse in Hamilton in early February. It is currently held on the same day as the Group 1 Herbie Dykes Stakes. The list of winner ...

and the 2003 Easter Handicap * Sharivari, winner of the 1971 Railway Stakes * Stipulate, winner of the 1960 New Zealand Derby (Riccarton) and 1963

* Sugaratariat, winner of the Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes * The Phantom Chance, winner of the 1992 New Zealand Derby and the 1993

Turnbull Stakes The Turnbull Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, for horses four years old and older, run under set weights with penalties conditions over a distance of 2,000 metres. The race is held at Flemington Racecourse, Me ...

and

Cox Plate The W. S. Cox Plate is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three years old and over under Weight for age conditions, over a distance of 2040 metres (approximately 1m 2f), that is held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club at Moo ...

* Tycoon Lil, winner of the 1997

New Zealand 1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas is a Group One set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of 1600 metres (1 mile) at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch New Zealand Cup week It is on the final Satu ...

, 1998

. Also 2nd and 3rd behind

Might And Power Might and Power (6 October 1993 – 11 April 2020) was a New Zealand bred, Australian owned and trained Thoroughbred racehorse who was named Australian Horse of the Year in 1998 and 1999. As a four-year-old, Might And Power won the Caulfield a ...

in the 1998

Yalumba Stakes The Might and Power, registered as the Caulfield Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run under weight-for-age conditions, for three-year-olds and upwards, run over a distance of 2,000 metres at Caulfield Racecourse, ...

and

* Uncle Remus, winner of the 1977

New Zealand 2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas is a Group One set-weight Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of 1600 metres at Riccarton Park in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch New Zealand cup week The New Zealand 2000 Guineas is he ...

and New Zealand Derby * Yeman, winner of the 1956

and 1958 Wellington Cup

Jumping

In his earlier years from limited runners, he was also a noted trainer of jumpers, winning: * the 1959 Grand National Hurdles with Armed (owned by himself) * the 1971 Great Northern Hurdles/Steeples double and the 1972 Great Northern Steeplechase, with Brockton (for great friend, Wellington businessman, Doug Tse) * the 1987 Great Northern Steeples with Deductable, in partnership with Richard Yuill (with both sharing the ownership).

Apprentices

Jillings was also a noted mentor of apprentices, the best being his long time stable jockey Bob Vance who was the rider of: * McGinty. * 3 New Zealand Derby winners for Jillings:

Uncle Remus Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. Harris was a journalist in post-Reconstruction era Atlanta, a ...

, I'm Henry and The Phantom Chance. He also won the Derby with

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for Davina Waddell. * The Phantom Chance in the

. Vance won the NZ Jockeys Premiership, as an apprentice (1977/78) and had a successful career riding internationally in Hong Kong and Macau. Other apprentices for Jillings were: * Samantha Spratt: one of NZ's most successful female riders. * Mark Sweeney: 2

wins. * Daniel Southworth: winner of the 1977

and 1976 Railway Stakes.

Retirement and death

Jillings' final race-day runner was Cheval De Troy who finished last behind Makybe Diva in the 2005

The BMW H E Tancred Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older, run over 2,400 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. The prize money for the event is A$1,5 ...

at Rosehill. Jillings died in Auckland on 23 December 2022, at the age of 91.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jillings, Colin 1931 births 2022 deaths New Zealand jockeys New Zealand racehorse trainers New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees People educated at St Peter's College, Auckland Sportspeople from Auckland