19 February 2026

, Obituary

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk 

Anthony James Perucich, a successful trainer and driver of some top-liners in the 1970s and 80s, will be farewelled this weekend.

Tony, as he was known, died in Pukekohe on Monday.

He is best known for his association with multiple Group 1-winning trotter Stormy Morn.

Stormy Morn won 32 races and was Trotter of the Year in 1982 and won nine races for Perucich including the 1981/82 Dominion Trot – Rowe Cup double.

Newspaper reports at the time said that Stormy Morn’s owner Peter Moore had originally bought the horse for $150 to be used as a hack by his daughter Diane. He ended up earning over $200,000.

Moore always thought “Reg”, as he called him, was “under-rated” because he didn’t have brilliant speed but “was a head down and get-on-with-the job type.”

Overall Perucich trained 60 winners on his own account, starting with Beau Winter in Oamaru in 1969. He also had nine in partnership with Brian Hughes in 1980 and 81. He  drove 81 winners. His first was a junior driver in 1965 and his last was with Nato at Auckland in 1987.

Nato was a good performer for Perucich. He won seven races from 73 in the 1980s while his star pacer was Trio (Lordship – Queen Ngaio). He won 16 races  including the NZ Premier Stakes at Addington in 1979. He was regularly racing against the likes of Gammalite, Bonnie’s Chance, Armalight and Lord Module. 

In 1982 he was exported to North America and was a winner at The Meadowlands.

Perucich also visited the USA in the 1980s and drove at the Yonkers Raceway in New York.

He was “a great dad”, according to Elizabeth, “but his whole life was horses, he loved talking about them and his recall was incredible.”

“Mention a horse and he knew its breeding, everything,” she says.

Born in Auckland, racing was there right from the start.

His Croatian father was “a bookie”, according to Elizabeth, and Tony initially started out as a jockey, riding a dozen or so winners in 1959-60.

In his early 20s weight and height issues meant that didn’t work out and he gravitated into harness racing. It was a huge turning point in his life. He had a year with Cecil Devine in Canterbury before heading north to join Jack Hughes’ stable at Pukekohe.

He was there for five years before moving south to work for the likes of Freeman Holmes, and Jim Dalgety before going out on his own from his stables in Rangiora.

He returned to Auckland and as well as training and driving horses he also had a stint as studmaster at National Bloodstock.

“He was what you would call a bloodstock agent these days,” Elizabeth says.

“He had a great eye for a horse.”

He also went around schools talking to children about racing and encouraging them to get into the sport.

Tony Perucich was 84. His funeral will be held at Grahams Funerals at Pukekohe at 1pm on Saturday.

 

 

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