Theo Howe will be remembered for his beaming smile as much as for being one of Australia’s most respected jumps trainers.
Always humble and quietly spoken, Howe held a trainer’s licence for nearly 60 years and was 82 when he died in a nursing home on Thursday night.
Renowned for his preparation of jumpers he was also a great conditioner of flat horses with his best galloper dual Group One winner King Phoenix.
Howe became a racehorse trainer in New Zealand in 1952 and established himself as one of the country’s top five trainers at Awapuni before moving to Mornington in January 1968.
A year later he won the Grand National Hurdle with Brother Bart and the Grand National Steeplechase with Summer Flight.
In 1971 he saddled Ramlegh to win the Australian Hurdle and the following year the talented jumper also won the Grand National Steeplechase.
Lord Montini was an outstanding horse for Howe and held course records for two miles (3200m) and 2-1/4 miles (3600m) at Flemington at the same time.
His biggest wins were the 1971 Hiskens Steeplechase and the Cup Day Hurdle at Flemington.
Lord Montini’s full-brother Vernet, also trained by Howe, won the 1974 Hiskens, the 1975 Great Eastern Steeplechase carrying 72.5kg, and the South Australian Grand National Steeplechase.
Howe’s last good horse was Yrangie who won the 1992 and 1993 Crisp Steeplechases as well as the Henry Bolte and Macdonald Steeplechases. He also finished second in the 1993 Grand National Steeplechase.
Howe was a popular trainer and his owners included state premier Sir Henry Bolte, VRC chairman Sir Rupert Steele and Sir Reginald Ansett.
His main owner was Wally Broderick, owner of the Bart Cummings’s first Melbourne Cup winner Light Fingers in 1965, and together they had more than 50 winners.
Howe’s son Barry said his father was of the “old school trainers” and got good results.
“He always had a smile his face and always had a good horse whether it be a two-year-old, a stayer, a jumper or sprinter,” Howe said.
Howe’s first Group One winner in Australia was Gleaming Waters who scored a major upset at 66-1 in the 1981 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.
Cardinal Courage, winner of 21 races, was also a terrific horse for Howe with wins in the Pakenham and Cranbourne Cups among the highlights.
But his best horse was undoubtedly King Phoenix, who won 12 races including the 1984 Marlboro Cup (now known as the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes) and the 1985 Elders Mile (Toorak Handicap).
King Phoenix also won five other stakes races with his last being the 1986 Group Two Craiglee Stakes (Makybe Diva Stakes).
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