From Wairarapa Dreams To Randwick Glory: The Williams Family Journey
Three Generations Build Gr.1 Everest Champion
In racing, some stories unfold over months. Others span decades. But the tale of Jimmysstar's journey to the Gr.1 The TAB Everest 2025 has been eighty-five years in the making, a story that begins with a determined woman, her faith in an unfashionable mare, and a dream that would echo through three generations of the Williams family at Little Avondale Stud.
Today, that dream reaches its crescendo as Jimmysstar prepares to line up in the world's richest race on turf, carrying not just the colours of co-owner Ozzie Kheir, but the hopes and heritage of three generations who built their breeding empire on calculated risks, unwavering patience, and an unshakeable belief in their horses.
"What does it mean? It hopefully means A$20 million!" Sam Williams reflects on the Group One hopeful's $20 million spectacle selection. "But look, I'm absolutely as proud as can be that he's been selected to run in this sport's race."
Nancy's Foundation And Calculated Faith
The Williams dynasty began in 1940 with Nancy Teschemaker, who married Wairarapa farmer Alister Williams on one non-negotiable condition that her horses and dogs came with her. This wasn't just a sentiment for beloved animals; it was also the foundation of a breeding philosophy spanning generations.
In 1946, Nancy purchased Sunbride, an unraced English-bred mare by the unfashionable Tai Yang, for 1,250 guineas. When Sunbride's early foals failed and pressure mounted to sell, Nancy's response became the family's founding principle "I refuse to entertain any thought of selling Sunbride. When I go broke and am evicted from Te Parae, Sunbride and I will walk down the road together!"
This wasn't stubbornness; it was strategic patience. Nancy understood bloodlines and believed in giving horses time to prove their worth. Her calculated risk paid off spectacularly when Sunbride's sixth foal, Straight Draw, won the 1957 Melbourne Cup and became the first horse to capture the Metropolitan Handicap, Melbourne Cup and Sydney Cup in the same season.
Buzz Builds The Little Avondale Legacy
Buzz Williams, Sam's father, inherited Nancy's eye for horses and her understanding that breeding excellence required both tradition and innovation. In 1967, he established Little Avondale Stud, moving the whole bloodstock operation from Te Parae to create a purpose-built breeding facility in 1996.
Buzz's breeding philosophy combined respect for proven bloodlines with strategic risk-taking. He understood that building a stud required not just good horses, but good people and proper facilities. "From the onset, from grandmother to my father and myself, we're the third generation. We celebrated 85 years of trading last year, and it has been a family business, our primary source of income. It's not like this is our hobby, the business is the stud, and it always has been."
Sam's Education In Risk And Reward
Sam Williams' education in the family business began at age 10, earning NZ$5 a day at Te Parae stables. This wasn't child labour, it was the beginning of a carefully structured education in understanding value, risk, and the breeding business.
The pivotal moment in Sam's education came at 15, when he led his first yearling through the sales ring. The Noble Bijou colt from Corsage had a reserve of NZ$40,000, but the calculated risk of proper presentation paid off dramatically.
"A very long time ago, but it seems like yesterday, it was with the first yearling I actually ever led through the ring at the Natural Healing Sales. The expectation, or the reserve, was NZ$40,000, so when we got NZ$175,000, my father and my uncle were both over the moon."
This moment crystallised Sam's understanding of the breeding business. "How big that was for the farm," he recounts, and how important it was to the year's income, it makes a big difference. That's when I first actually realised this is really important and really big. "
The emotional journey from that NZ$175,000 sale to having a horse run for millions in the A$20 million The TAB Everest demonstrates the family's progression. "I think what it did was cement in my mind that you've got to respect every dollar you earn, and then you place more value on that money and hard work. When I purchase a share in a stallion, or buy mares, or whatever I'm going to buy, I buy them at a price because you don't just throw away those hard-earned dollars."
Sam's formal education continued at Sir Patrick Hogan's Cambridge Stud, where he learned industry best practices, and at Fayette Park, where a serious injury with stallion Omnicorp taught him crucial lessons about risk management.
"After I had my injury, I learned a really valuable skill that I have always taken forward to my staff at Little Avondale: say no to complacency. My injury was literally from me taking my eye off the horse for a second, and it occurred," Sam reflects.
From Hogan, Sam learned the principle that defines Little Avondale's philosophy, "Your horses are only as good as your staff, and it doesn't matter how good a breeder you are, if you don't have the staff, you won't get the horse."
The Strategic Masterstroke: Acquiring Per Incanto
By 2010, three generations of breeding knowledge culminated in one of the most important strategic decisions in Little Avondale's history. Standing in a Newmarket stable yard with bloodstock agent Bruce Perry, Sam was about to make the calculated risk that would create a champion of the world's richest turf race.
"Bruce Perry and I were there in Newmarket, and we looked at a number of stallions with English agent John Walsh. Per Incanto was one of the last ones we saw."
Sam's instant recognition of Per Incanto's potential demonstrates how three generations of breeding knowledge had prepared him for this moment. "When he came out of the box, as soon as I saw him, I made sure I didn't look back at Bruce Perry because if I did, I knew I'd grin, because I just had that feeling, this is the one. This is the type of horse that will fit what we're after, home, at Little Avondale."
The strategic thinking behind the acquisition shows the family's evolved approach. "He was a very fast son of Street Cry. Street Cry had three young horses in Australia at the time, and they were doing a really good job down there. Whobegotyou was a very smart 3YO ; then there was Predatory Pricer and Shocking. "
Sam's decision-making process demonstrates the confidence built through generations "To this day, I remember that as soon as they led the horse back around to the box, first I looked at Bruce. We both looked at each other and grinned."
Calculated Patience Creates The A$20 Million Hope
Per Incanto's acquisition represented more than buying a stallion; it was the application of three generations of breeding philosophy. His first crop of 105 live foals validated the strategic decision, but it was the patient development of one particular colt that would complete the family's Gr.1 The Everest dream.
Among those early foals was Jimmysstar, bred from Anniesstar in a foal-sharing arrangement with local friends Pete and Chrissie Algie. This community approach reflects the family tradition of building relationships alongside bloodlines.
"Jimmysstar was a really attractive foal, very muscular, great hindquarters, very well balanced. But then he didn't grow out from weanling to yearling stage as well as expected. "
The crucial decision Sam faced with Jimmysstar echoed Nancy's faith in Sunbride, whether to persist with a horse that others might abandon. When X-rays revealed stifle issues, Sam made the calculated risk that defines family tradition.
"We wanted to take him to the yearling sales, but this was one of those horses that needed a little bit more time. When we X-rayed him, his stifle showed some issues.” Sam recalls.
This decision demonstrates how family tradition, breeding philosophy, and calculated risks work together. "Anyhow, we took him through his second summer, and Jimmysstar started to grow and develop. The young couple who broke him in, absolutely loved him, and they said, 'Sam, he can move. He just floats.'"
From Nz$175,000 To A$20 Million: The Emotional Crescendo
The emotional journey from that first NZ$175,000 yearling sale to having the Little Avondale star compete for A$20 million in this Group One feature represents the ultimate validation of three generations of breeding philosophy and calculated risks.
"Jimmysstar is out of a mare called Anniesstar who was bred by Chrissy and Pete Algie, and we've just been fortunate enough that Chrissie and Pete, who live locally, decided that they wanted to do foal shares with their mares with us."
Sam's philosophy about celebrating success reflects lessons learned across generations. "I'll never forget, friends of ours won a Group One in Sydney many years ago," he recalls. "After the race, I said, 'Guys, how come you're not celebrating?' They replied, 'None of our friends are here.' I said to Catriona, 'I never, ever want to do that. You can't race horses by yourself, because when you win or lose, you want to celebrate and talk about it with friends.'"
Per Incanto's recognition with New Zealand's prestigious Centaine Award, joining only Cambridge Stud's Zabeel and Waikato Stud's Champion, Savabeel, for the previous 9 years along with O'Reilly, and Pins validates the strategic decisions made across three generations.
"It was a very proud moment for Little Avondale and the Per Incanto syndicate. I think the effect he's going to have on the New Zealand industry is not going to be a one-season, two-season thing. I think he's going to have a long-lasting effect especially as a broodmare sire and now with his first son at stud, Litte Brose standing alongside him"
As the newly minted Group One, the headline race of the Everest Spring Carnival, approaches on 18 October at Randwick, the third-generation dream will race in The TAB's slot under Ciaron Maher's guidance. He represents the culmination of eighty-five years of calculated risks, from Nancy's faith in an unfashionable mare to Sam's recognition of Per Incanto's potential, from patient development of difficult horses to building a breeding empire on family tradition and strategic thinking.
"Having Jimmy there is a very proud moment. He will not just be representing Little Avondale, but the New Zealand industry" Williams reflects, also understanding that Jimmysstar carries the dreams of three generations who proved that calculated risks, unwavering patience, and family tradition can create champions.
When the gates open at Randwick, the Williams' champion will carry more than silks and saddle. He bears the legacy of Nancy's unwavering faith, Buzz's visionary building, and Sam's strategic patience. From a NZ$5-a-day stable hand to the A$20 million spectacle, the Williams family story proves that in racing, as in life, the greatest victories belong to those who dare to dream across generations and never abandon their vision. Three generations, one dream, one champion.