Anderton (67), who began training 46 years ago, dropped out of the training partnership with his son, Steven, two years ago and subsequently trained his own horses, including Sand Sweeper and Living Doll.
Sand Sweeper was transferred to John Wheeler in January and Living Doll has been retired.
Steven will continue to operate the stables in Wingatui Road on the property where Anderton and his wife, Pat, live.
Hec has breeding interests with his brother, Brian , including the broodmare De Montfort, whom he trained to win the 1999 Dunedin Cup.
De Montfort was ridden by his daughter, Debbie Kennedy.
Hec also operates Citrus Bloodstock with Eric Parr, of Ashburton.
Anderton wintered a filly by O'Reilly from De Montfort, who will be offered at the yearling sales.
"I will still be poking around the stables. Retirement has given me the time to take up budgie breeding again," he said.
Anderton trained some 350 winners either on his own account or in partnership.
He had 22 wins with his father, Hector, and 98 in eight seasons with Steven.
Hec began training in the 1962-63 season with his father, with whom he served an apprenticeship as a jockey.
He signed up as a probationer at the age of 12.
His brother, Brian, had ridden his first winner at the age of 13, but a rule was introduced, extending the minimum age for an apprentice to take rides to 15.
Hec rode his first winner, Irish Wings, at Beaumont in 1956 at that age.
His major win was the Churchill Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton two years later on Fountainhead.
"I was staying at the boarding house with the staff from the stable of George Greene who trained Fountainhead. The horse only had 7st 3lb (46kg) as a 3yr-old and I phoned Mr Greene to inquire if he had a rider."
Anderton was told to be at Riccarton the next morning at 4am to ride Fountainhead in work.
"Mr Greene asked me how would I hold the horse and I replied that if he didn't put me on he would never know."
Anderton rode Fountainhead in behind in contrast to the usual style of the Gold Nib colt, who won by four lengths to equal the track record of 1.35.2 set by Liban in the Jockey Club Handicap three days earlier.
The Anderton father and son trained 20 winners in their first season in partnership.
Hec dropped out after the combination had won two races the following season.
"It [the partnership] did not really work out," he said.
Hector went on to dead-heat with Ted Winsloe in the trainers' premiership that season with 41 wins.
The two wins in partnership were not included in his tally.
Hec then operated a horse transport business for five years, continuing to help his father.
The purchase of an Avocat General-Mistress Nell yearling colt by Roger Grey, a friend of Hector, prompted the younger Anderton to renew his trainer's licence in a sole capacity.
"I had taken the colt to the Trentham sales for Lance Aynsley, of Gore, and he was passed in," Anderton recalled.
The colt was then entered for the Otago Bloodstock sale at Wingatui five months later.
"I saw him in the Wingatui sale and suggested to Roger Grey that he bid on him. He got him for 310gns.
"Roger informed dad that he had bought a horse on my advice and dad replied that I might as well train him."
Hec began operating out of stables rented from jockey Lex Hare.
The colt was Crown Agent and won 12 races up a mile, mainly on provincial tracks.
His wins included the 1972 Bank Of New South Wales Challenge Cup (one mile) at Hokitika.
Hec bought the Zetland Lodge stable at Wingatui in the late 1960s and he took over horses from the stable of his late uncle Ashley Powell in 1969.
They included Captain's Command, Channel Command and Aldershot.
Captain's Command had won the 1968 Stewards' Handicap at Riccarton when trained by Powell for Dunedin publican Eddy Young.
He was ridden by Brian Anderton.
Channel Command was also raced by Young.
Aldershot was owned by Fred Anscombe and Eric (Curly) Smart.
"It was a big break for me getting those owners Mr Young always bought a horse at the yearling sales and Curly and Fred bred a lot of horses."
Captain's Command won two minor races for Hec before he was retired.
Channel Command was successful on the flat, over hurdles and as a steeplechaser.
Messrs Anscombe and Smart provided Anderton with Mellseur, winner of the 1980 group one Penfold's Chardon Mile (now Thorndon Handicap) at Trentham; 1979 Thames Valley Stakes and 1980 George Adams Handicap at Riccarton.
The Causeur-Queen Mellay mare won 17 races including the South Island Thoroughbred Stakes at Orari twice, the Gore and Waikouaiti Cups.
Hec rates her alongside The Jewel among the best horses he has trained.
The Jewel won the group one New Zealand One Thousand Guineas in 2002, the group one International Stakes at Te Rapa and the Doomben Roses.
She was ridden in the Guineas by stable apprentice Jason Laking.
Hec has a soft spot for the jumping horse.
"I got a huge thrill out of winning my first Great Western."
That was in 1974 with Jak Tat, a newcomer to the stable that season as an 8yr-old and off the winning list for 12 months.
Anderton had his major jumps win in the 1986 Nescafe Steeplechase with Rock Crystal.
The Nescafe (Great Northern) then had a stake of $150,000, the richest race for jumpers in New Zealand.
He took over Rock Crystal after the death of his father.
"Rock Crystal had bowed a tendon the year before and dad had showed me how to patch up a tendon just before he died."
Rock Crystal had gone in the wind and had heart strain after his Nescafe Steeples win but Hec brought him back to win the Western for a second time in 1988.
"He then went in a ligament and he was virtually retired. We worked away quietly to get him ready for the race the next year and he looked a picture.
"Then the club phoned and asked us if we would lead out the field, so we said yes and that ended our plan."
Anderton has had five trips to Australia and won 10 races on eight different tracks there.
He won listed races at Caulfield and Moonee Valley with Native Monarch and won at Flemington with Noble River (hurdles), steeplechase (Owhata Son) and flat (Native Monarch and Ain't No Doubt).
Noble River had won the 1983 Winter Cup at Riccarton at odds of 18 to one with Jim Collett the rider.
Hec had a special affection for the diminutive son of Native Monarch and he was distressed when the gelding fractured a leg in training at Wingatui and had to be put down.
Hec has prepared several horses for different sales and he sold a Noble Bijou-Foxfun filly for $150,000 at the last National yearling sale held at Trentham in 1985.
"John Douglas-Clifford loaned me Foxfun to breed a foal and the sale really put me on my feet."
Sand Sweeper has been a grand performer for Anderton.
He won 10 races in New Zealand including the 2005 Canterbury Gold Cup and Easter Cup. Sand Sweeper has won the Kilmore and Pakenham Cups, a hurdles and the St Steven Steeplechase since transferring to Wheeler.
"It has been a good life although Pat and myself did not have a holiday for 28 years. Horses ruled our life," Hec said.
