Memorial race to honour Tony Veivers

By Andrew Smith

A memorial race will be held in honour of Queensland harness racing industry figure Tony Veivers, who recently passed away in Brisbane, aged 61.

The larger-than-life owner and breeder sadly lost his battle with bowel cancer in late December 2024, after being diagnosed in February 2020.

Veivers was involved in breeding and racing for over 40 years, with two-time Group 1 winner Not As Promised one of his greatest successes.

Among those Group 1 wins was the 2023 Victoria Trotters Derby Final, with Not As Promised the first Queensland-trained trotter to qualify for the race that had been running since 1914.

Nathan Dawson was in the sulky for the win on Not As Promised that day in Maryborough, as well as the November 2023 victory in the Group 1 Hygain Breeders Crown Series 25 Final for 3YO colts and geldings in Melton.

The leading reinsman drove several times for Veivers and remembered him as a larrikin who always carried a positive attitude towards life despite his diagnosis.

“The friendship came when I started off driving his horses and we had the same sense of humor and became really good mates and that lasted a long time,” Dawson recalled.

“The first time I drove for him was a horse called Spud - I won a Group 3 Trotters race on it in 2018 and then any other horses he had, he requested I drive.

“We got on really well and we used to muck around a lot and I think that was one thing that made us pretty close.”

Dawson paid tribute to his late mate just five days after his passing by saluting as he crossed the finish line during a race at Albion.

Fittingly, the reinsman was on board Not As Promised for the January 4 victory.

“It was just something I really wanted to do for him - obviously he spent a lot of time and money in the horse and he was really wanting to watch it go around,” Dawson said.

“But unfortunately he wasn’t able to, and it was just a little nod for him just to send him off.”

Dawson will forever be thankful to Veivers for the opportunities to test his skills in Group 1s outside of Queensland.

“I don’t really get those type of opportunities with the better horses and it was good to go down and compete in the big races and then win them for him,” Dawson said.

“It was good he was able to go down to watch me go around, even though he was a bit crook and wanted to be there.

“I think he would be remembered as full of life - he always a positive attitude towards life and I think that’s what got him so far along with his battle against cancer.”

Veivers also enjoyed success with 2024 Blacks A Fake third place-getter Hector NZ.

He was also well-known for his charity work, with regular donations to Thailand orphanage Rescue Mission For Children, along with the Queensland Police Legacy and Leukaemia Foundation, among others.

The race to be run in his honour will be held during the 2025 Queensland Constellations, with the Tony Veivers Memorial Mobile Trotting Feature to feature on Saturday, June 14.

He is survived by daughter Sarah.

Racing Queensland extends its condolences to the Veivers family.