Dave O'Sullivan. PHOTO: TRISH DUNELL
O'Sullivan, who was 91, trained nearly 2000 winners during his career and won 12 New Zealand trainers’ premierships — 11 in partnership with his son Paul.
A member of the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame, O'Sullivan started his career in the racing industry as a jockey and rode 125 winners including the 1953 Railway Stakes, a group 1 sprint he was to win six times as a trainer.
O'Sullivan became a licensed trainer in 1961 and trained many champions, most notably the mighty mare Horlicks.
He described her win in the 1989 Japan Cup in then world record time as his greatest achievement in racing.
