Theodore Raymond Howe (T.R. Howe) 19 November 1929 – 5 January 2012 Born on 19th November 1929 in Wanganui on the North Island of New Zealand, Theo started his career in the racing industry as an apprentice jockey when he was 16. Although he was moderately successful as a jockey riding more than 30 winners on both the flat and over jumps, he really only had one thing in his sights and that was to become a trainer. So in 1950, when he had just turned 21, Theo obtained a Trainers Licence and rented three boxes at a stables in Awapuni, near Palmerston North. His first win came about 6 months later in June 1951 and from there he never looked back. Theo was offered an opportunity to train for Wellington business man, Mr Sandy Pope at his property in Longburn near Awapuni and over the next 5 years he made his mark as a trainer with more than 150 winners. In 1958 he was able to move to his own stables, Maquana Lodge in Awapuni where his success continued. Always in the Top 5 Trainers list in New Zealand, his ability to break and prepare horses had become widely recognised and in 1962 he was one of the first pioneers to transport horses by plane to Australia for racing. When in Australia he was based at Flemington but the first ever race he won in Australia was with a 2 year old filly, ‘Ilbint’ at Mornington and he made a promise to himself that if he ever moved to Australia, he would reside nowhere else but Mornington.
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