Peter Fenix
The racing community was left in shock at the sudden passing of EC breeding doyen, Peter Fenix. To celebrate his life, we collected tributes from those who knew him best.
About Peter
Peter Fenix was born on 1 Feb 1939. His father was a magistrate of what was then known as ‘Bantu Affairs’, so they moved around a bit, but he grew up in East London and matriculated as the top sportsman at Dale College in King Williamstown. He excelled at sport and cricket in particular and was one of the first young South Africans to be offered a contract to play county cricket in England in 1956. Val picks up the story. “His father had been a POW for many years and was very strict. He didn’t think his son should just float around playing sport and said no, so Peter went to Wits where he delightedly told everyone he ‘majored in sex and cricket.’ At the end of the first year, the Dean said ‘We have no doubt the cricket team will have you, but the university will not!’
“My father was the headmaster at Dale College. I was 6 years younger than Peter, so when he matriculated, I was a little fat sausage in Std 5. We met again a few years later when he was playing cricket for Border and I was nursing in East London. In the old days when sportsmen needed partners for parties, they went to the nurse’s home. A friend was dating one of the cricketers and invited me to go out with them. I said no thanks, but no-one else would go with her, so in the end I agreed. Peter didn’t recognise me initially, but that was it. 12 December 1964. It was a whirlwind thing, we fell madly in love and never stopped.” The couple were married on 7 May 1966.
Accomplished
Asked to describe Peter, Val says, “He was so special I wouldn’t know where to start. He was so talented at sport – he played provincial cricket, polo, hockey, squash – he was just such an all rounder and such a talented young man. He actually played under 19 rugby for Transvaal, but forfeited rugby for cricket because he loved it so. He played till 1974 and was the first Eastern Province cricketer to make 100 against the visiting Aussie team in 1966. Oh yes, he had a history!”
“When we settled, we came to PE. Peter went into financial business and was there ever since. He started off in life insurance. He was the old cliché’d ‘man from the Pru!’ Then he went off on his own and formed his own company. There’s an American organisation called the Million Dollar Round Table. You qualify for that table by the amount of business written and for the last 25-30 years, Peter was a member of the top of the table. He was very successful, but he used to get up at 3am and work until 7pm at night. He was so dedicated to what he did. When he took up polo, he converted a large stable into a polo pit so that he could practice. When he did something, he did it properly.”
“Peter wasn’t the easiest, mind you. He was quite demanding and was a perfectionist, but I was so blessed to have him for 52 years. It’s a lifetime. I was so lucky. He did so much for racing. He served on the provincial committee, the Jockey Club, the TBA Council and the RA and was Chairman of Arlington racecourse. He always involved himself in what he was interested in.”
Horses
Val helped look after the horses, learnt to ride and along with their groom, kept the string fit. They won awards for the best string of ponies a couple of times. After hurting his back, Peter gave up polo and decided to start breeding, achieving incredible success off a very small base. Although they stopped breeding commercially in 1993, they had the distinction – and possible world first – of breeding and owning 5 winners on a single day on 12 October 2001, all trained by Nick Claassen and all ridden by Barend Vorster.
La Fabulous wins the 1996 J&B Met
In 1996 they produced J&B Met winner, La Fabulous, the last winner of the Gilbeys (Bold Thatch) and received the 1996 ARCSA Award for Outstanding Breeder. “Peter put his heart into everything he did,” says Val simply. La Fabulous, along with some of the Fenix’s other top horses including Sharp Sword, Coastal News and Copper Parade are all retired to their smallholding. “We’re both total animal lovers. Maybe me more than him, but I think he was just as bad,” says Val fondly.
Peter passed away at 8am on Wednesday, 11 January 2017, just a few weeks shy of his 78th birthday following complications from heart surgery. He is survived by his wife Val and four children, Basil, Jean, Claire and Catherine. He also leaves behind 11 grandchildren and narrowly missed out on meeting great-grandchild no 8. Val explains that although Peter was born Anglican, in those days, divorce meant excommunication from the Church and Peter did not want a funeral. Instead the family will have a private cremation and then a wake to celebrate his life at Villa Felice at noon on Tuesday, 17 January . “We have a wonderful gardner who is a Bishop in his church. He worked for us for 40 years and will address us at the cremation and say a prayer. Peter loved the Transkei and spoke the language exceptionally well. I think it’s something he’d enjoy.”
Tributes
Tributes have streamed in from all corners of the racing, breeding and welfare communities. The ECHCU said “Director Peter Fenix, left us yesterday for the final time. Supporter, donor, adviser – in good times and bad – horseman, gentleman, and somebody who we are going to miss mightily.” Joey Ramsden added “We lost a dear friend this week in Peter Fenix, a great stalwart of the racing industry and a gentleman in every way. Peter will be sorely missed.” Vaughan Marshall, trainer of their 1996 J&B Met winner, La Fabulous said, “Peter was a wonderful client and a very special friend to me and my late wife.” Peter was famously particular about jockey engagements and Vaughan chuckles at the recollection, “He wasn’t always easy to train for, but he was a lovely guy and we got on very well. He was a wonderful man with a big heart. It’s a real loss.”
Forthright
Peter Choice – client and friend
Choice Carriers boss and close friend Peter Choice perhaps remembered him best. “Peter was my financial adviser and assisted me big time with my business, but we were also friends. I remember phoning him when I had my first truck. It was 1 a.m. and I was moving a horse from Sue Winters at Avalon Stud and the horse got hurt loading. Sue said, ‘Just make sure you phone this man.’ I phoned, Peter answered and said ‘thank you for phoning and letting me know and for your honesty. We’ll be part of your business if you keep that up’. I never forgot that. That’s the sort of man he was. He had incredible morals and honesty and integrity which I really admired and I’ve tried to instil a lot of that into my business. Things happen with horses and things will go wrong – you’ve just got to be honest and tell people what happened and not dodge the subject.”
“Peter was exactly the same when he wanted someone to train for him. He never wanted a trainer to tell him it was a great run when it was a shit run – he wanted to be told it was a shit run. He was very direct and said exactly what he thought and I liked that about him. It didn’t matter where he was or who he was with, he spoke his mind and had no regrets, but he was never an unfair man.”
“He expected service and he gave service – that’s how his business grew. He said when you give service, then you can expect to be paid for it. Don’t rip people off – people are prepared to pay for quality, but you must be prepared to back your service.”
“He was never a person to take big risks – even with investing money. He’d never invest at the top end with the high risk and high returns, he’d prefer to invest in the middle market for stability, but he was never frightened to support something he liked. It was the same with horses. His success came when he bred what he thought would work with each horse individually, even if it meant using what might be considered an unfashionable sire. It made no difference to him whether something was commercially fashionable or not, as long as it was bred properly.”
Loyal
“Peter was one of the few individual shareholders in Captain Al. Over the years, he was offered a lot of money for his share, but said ‘What am I going to do with that money? I bought a share and I like the horse.’ Money wasn’t the biggest thing for him, he was passionate and he was incredibly loyal and when he gave loyalty, he expected it in return. He supported one of our big name stallions when he was still just starting out and bred one of his first stakes winners. When the horse became successful, the stud fee jumped phenomenally and they wouldn’t take his mare. Peter was incredibly upset and if memory serves, never went back again.” “As much as Val was dedicated to him, he also was to her. He had his own opinions on things, but Val was not the sort of woman who just sat there – if she had an opinion, she would say it to him. They had a wonderful relationship. He was a genuine, genuine man. It didn’t matter what time of the day or night you rang, he’d answer the phone. When he came to see you on business, he would dress in a suit and tie. He was proper like that and I think it helped him command the respect he did. I don’t think I ever saw him at the races without a tie on and nearly 9 times out of 10 he’d be wearing a jacket. He was just a very nice guy.”
There is never an adequate way to commit a life to a single page – particularly one as colourful and accomplished as Peter’s, but I recently read about as good an attempt as I think I’ll ever see. When Ken Howard passed early last year, George Clooney wrote, “Today his obituary read that he was six foot six, but he was so much taller than that.” I don’t know what height Peter was, but I’m pretty sure he was taller than that.
