How Hong Kong captain Nick Hewson became a rugby thoroughbred
Kiwi’s connection in horse racing runs deep as does his rugby roots
When Hong Kong captain Nick Hewson starts talking about the likes of Might and Power and Ethereal, it quickly becomes clear his background in thoroughbreds is more than just a bush hobby.
When Might and Power won the Melbourne Cup I was working at Windsor Park Stud [in Cambridge]
From a family of horse lovers, Hewson spent school holidays and any other chance he got during his teenage years working on high-profile racehorse studs in New Zealand.
Born and bred in Taranaki in the North Island – where his parents, Graeme and Gwenda, run a dairy farm and are heavily involved in horses – working on studs became Hewson’s full-time job before he moved to Hong Kong.
The 32-year-old has maintained his keen interest from a distance and still breeds horses to sell in partnership with his parents, as well as dabbling in racehorse ownership.
Hewson has had one winner as an owner, a gelding named Vronskii he describes as “very slow”, but it is his experiences with Melbourne Cup winners Might and Power (1997) and Ethereal (2001) that are most intriguing.
“When Might and Power won the Melbourne Cup I was working at Windsor Park Stud [in Cambridge],” Hewson said.
“There was a buzz around the stud because they had bred and reared him. I have worked hands on with Ethereal. When Ethereal retired she was at Pencarrow Stud [in Waikato] and I did quite a lot with her first foal.”
