Photo: Supplied
A stalwart of the thoroughbred industry and a much-admired personality, Jo (Josephine) Wilding passed away recently in Christchurch.
Jo was the breeder of four Derby winners including the Champion Three-Year-Old Zonda(Zabeel- Gone With The Wind) and his half-brother Man of Honour (by Noble Bijou), So Casual and Analie. As well she bred three other group one winners the Champion Two-Year-Old Joker’s Wild(Black Minnaloushe -Miss Rory), Wall Street (Montjeu- Villa Wanda), and Surprize Surprize (Prized- Impossible Dream). Along with many other minor stakes winners.
She was twice nominated for Breeder of the Year and was an active and involved member of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association for over 50 years.
Born Josephine Smith in Christchurch in 1928 she had a brother Geoff and a sister Barbie and was educated at Rangi Ruru Girls’ School.
Her lifelong passion for horses was evident from an early age, as she often rode her pony to compete at A&P shows around Banks Peninsula, Little River, Kirwee, and Christchurch.
In 1952 she married Frank Wilding whose family had Te Mania Angus Stud at Conway Flat in North Canterbury. Together they set about making a home raising a family of five; sons Michael and Tim, and daughters Geniveve, Ginna and Robbie, while developing the farm into an internationally acclaimed Angus breeding operation.
Jo received her first broodmare as a wedding present from her uncle, who was a breeding enthusiast. As well as breeding horses to sell and race she also had hunters, point to point horses and jumpers as befitting any North Canterbury farmer with an equine interest. Jo was known to do all the stock work at Te Mania on horseback.
In the late 1960’s along with her sister-in-law Julie Wilding and well-known South Island race caller Dave Clarkson she purchased a Beau Diable mare Nalei in foal to Sovereign Edition, and Te Mania Bloodstock was formed. Nalei was to become the dam of Analie the winner of five group one races in Australia becoming the highest stakes-winning mare in Australian history at that time.
Analie was sold at the 1971 National Yearling Sales at Trentham. In those days to get the yearlings to the Trentham Sales Jo would have to walk the yearlings to the train station at Conway Flat and put the yearlings onto a carriage to Lyttleton. From there they would do an overnight ferry trip to Wellington.
One of Jo’s daughters Robbie Yortt recalls seeing a photo of her mother letting one of her yearlings have a pick of grass on a verge at Wellington while waiting for the truck to turn up to take her North to Trentham. In latter years Robbie also shared in the ownership of mares and racehorses with her mother.
“We were all taught to ride, but only the girls carried on. Genevive(Gee Davision) and I both spent a lot of time with Mum at the races and yearling sales” Robbie said when reminiscing about her mother.
“I was with her when we went to Sydney and purchased Villa Wanda dam of Wall Street and Miss Rory dam of Jokers Wild. Mum had a very good eye, and she was very strong on her opinion on what she what wanted to purchase.
“I have retired from breeding horses, but I am still involved in one or two racehorses! Mum got us all hooked.”
After the National sale moved to Karaka Te Mania Thoroughbreds continued to travel their yearlings north to sell, with Genevive and her husband Kit Davison who were based in the Waikato providing a helping hand. In fact, it was Kit who convinced Jo to race Zonda after the Zabeel colt was passed in at the sales in 1996.
Te Mania Thoroughbreds continued to sell at Karaka for further 20 years, although by the turn of the century the family had convinced Jo it wasn’t cool to be preparing and parading yearlings in her seventies, and Des and Jan Hawkins of Wentwood Grange became part of Jo’s history.
According to Des, Jo was one of their first clients when they established Wentwood in the early 2000’s.
“Robbie and Gee were the first line of defence but ultimately Jo made all the decisions.
“What an absolute gem of a family, Jo was an absolute old school lady, a genuine horsewoman who was straight up, but she was lots of fun,” he recalled.
“Anyone listening to our many telephone conversations would have had a little chuckle, I’m sure. Both of us being pretty deaf and with my strange accent it made for lots of ‘I beg your pardon could you repeat that, this line is terrible,’ along with a fair bit of guesswork about what was actually said!
“The first mare we looked after was Proteaceae, a bit like her owner, tough as teak with a bit of a limp. Proteaceae travelled from Parnassus to us every year foaled down and once she was in foal she went back to Jo for her to get the foal ready for the sales.
“Quietly more mares were added to the annual north/south migration. I remember one foaling in particular was a really bad one and we lost the foal, but Jo together with Robbie and Gee didn’t jump up and down as some owners are known to do, no, they baked us a cake as they were more concerned about all the drama that we had gone through trying to save the foal, just legends!
“One very memorable moment with Jo came quite a few years ago we were visiting the top of the South Island with my brother and sister-in-law quietly having breakfast in the hotel when this voice came across the room loud and clear boomed ‘Desmond Hawkins what are you doing here, who’s looking after my horses?’ My brother never forgot it and still talks about it every time he comes over from Wales.”
Jo was in her 98th year and lived a rich, fulfilled life, touching many people along the way. She was always willing to share her knowledge with others in the industry, and Te Mania’s hospitality at home and at the sales was renowned.
Jo is survived by her daughters, Genevive, Ginna and Robbie, and sons Tim and Michael, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A celebration of Jo's life will be held in her garden at Rafa on the Conway Flat, in North Canterbury, on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 11.30am.
