Sunrise Gold

It's with great pleasure and heaps of pride that I announce that I am once again going to be Head Assistant Trainer at Gary Alexander Racing Stable. I worked there from 1998 to mid 2006, and now I am returning to where my passion lies... Horse Racing.

I am really looking forward to those crisp early mornings again - one of the best moments of the day is sunrise. Johannesburg sunrises and sunsets are some of the best in the world - one of the hidden veins of gold that the city is so famous for. Sunrise is the best moment of the day on a racetrack. Little compares to the ochre hue of steaming horses bathed in first light. And as the sun rises there is a certain tranquility in the rings...

On a sadder note, it is the one year anniversary of the death of Connoisseur. He was a very special horse to me. I broke him in, and he was my first winner for Gary during the very successful 2004 Durban season. He was a bright red bay Jallad gelding, out of a Shoe Danzing mare called Jukao. He was a solid performer, having won 10 races, and placed 30 times. He retired in 2009 and was retained by Jo Gardner, who had owned a share in him during his racing career. He came to stay at the farm where I worked, and joined Tommy Hotspur and another horse as a paddock mate. One windy afternoon in 2010, Tommy watched as his two pals galloped around the paddock. The third horse bucked and caught Connoisseur on the point of his elbow. I rushed to see him and I immediately knew there was a severe fracture, possibly irreparable, considering the location. I was devastated. Broken. I could not believe that such a terrible thing could happen to such a sweet horse, and that I had let his owner down. In the end Professor Roy Gottschalk recommended euthanasia. It was for the best, I know this in my heart. But I still cry for the loss of this magnificent friend. I went to say goodbye to him before he was euthanized - I could feel that his spirit had left, and that he was in immense pain in spite of the massive amounts of pain killers he had been given. But how do you say goodbye? It can only be "Good Journey, until we meet again my dear friend".

I cannot explain the bond that one forms with certain horses. There is a melding of souls in some way. When I watched James Cameron's Avatar, I was so taken by his concept of the Na'vi people bonded with the direhorses. They linked their minds with their antennae, becoming one mind when they are together. Humans can also develop a bond with certain horses during their lifetime. But not with all horses. I have a very close bond with Tommy Hotspur, and I had a similar bond with Connoisseur. In the past I have bonded with 2 others, namely James Jaguar and Ruby Clipper. There is no other relationship that I could liken to this... one day you might experience it too...

Pictures: Top - Connoisseur; Bottom - Early morning trackwork at Turffontein

Change of direction...

So 5 years ago, I decided to move away from horse racing. It wasn't that my passion had died, but that I felt that I needed to taste something different. I've had my sabbatical - and I have decided that I simply have to get back into racing! I have a brand new adventure lined up - and I will share with you as much as I can. But I will reveal all, when the time is right!

On the weekend of the Vodacom Durban July Handicap, I assisted Gary Alexander, and saddled up his Johannesburg runners, as he was attending to the "people's horse", Pierre Jourdan.

PJ, (as he is affectionately known), ran a scintillating 2nd in the July, piloted by the Hong Kong Champion, Dougie "The Demon" Whyte. As brilliant as the run was, I felt a little disappointed that the horse running second - some might say that I am being ungrateful, but it really just isn't the same as a win. But onwards and upwards now... PJ's next big target will no doubt be the Summer Cup, but that is yet to be confimred by the connections.

I am still completely blown away by this unobstrusive fellow, PJ. He is a real gentleman, and yet once he has been saddled, he really does step up to the plate. And his story needs telling over and over.... Having cost only ZAR60 000 at the annual Ready-To-Run sale, he has amassed earnings of over ZAR3 000 000. He is an enigma. And I am a huge fan!!!

(Photo Courtesy of Summmerhill Stud Blog/ JC Photographics)

2) The spark...

As a ten year old, I sat rivetted to the television, watching my first Rothman's July... LIVE! We had emigrated to South Africa from Zimbabwe in December 1984, and seven months later, I was cheering for Gondolier to win the 1985 Rothman's July Handicap. Billy Harvey stood up in irons a few lengths before the finish, and punched the air elated. That was made up my mind - this emotional victory proved to be the spark that ignited my passion, and ultimately my career in the horse racing industry. I resolved to have a runner in the July one day.

I have been "horse mad" since I could walk. And let me tell you, the coverage of horse racing in the printed media, in those days was phenomenal! There were photos of horses printed in the Daily News and Mercury newspapers, nearly every single day. I would tear out the pages of fields, and pour over the names, circling the ones I liked. It wasn't to select winners, but because I had a whole stable full of imaginary horses with these names. I did not understand the form at all, and without a single family member even remotely interested in racing, I had to work it all out for myself. I loved watching the live coverage on Saturday afternoons. I once saw Jean Hemming hit Martin Locke with her handbag during an interview, because he had wished her "good luck" before the big race! It is a racing tradition to only say "good luck" after the race, to the winning connections, but never before!

In the 1980's and 90's, when Rothmans' were still the sponsor of the July Handicap, they used to print big full colour, glossy posters for the race. Each nominated horse was featured, with all it's details, and these posters adorned the walls of every supermarket and corner cafe in the whole country. I started to collect them in 1985, and I still have many of the pictures. I will slowly add them to these posts, where relevant, as I go along. Gondolier caught my eye in the 1985 poster, which was out weeks before the July. I did not care for the betting, but the favourite was a rather flashy chesnut gelding called Wild West. He was the talk of the town, from Chatsworth to Phoenix. But my Gondolier prevailed spectacularly.

On the day that Super Quality won the July in 1997, I was lucky enough to be asked to ride Gondolier in the parade for the big race at Gosforth Park that day. He was an 18 year old entire (stallion) at the time, and had recently retired from an rather unspectacular breeding career. He was exceptionally naughty, even though I had been riding him at home for some time, in the weeks preceding. The course vet, Dr McDonald tranquilised him for me, and although it took the edge off, he was still a handful! I think in the end it proved all too much for him, as he died a couple of months after that - although I cannot recall from what. Even so, we both enjoyed our day at the races... It was a step closer to my childhood dream - here I was riding my favourite July winning racehorse on July Day. Kind of a full circle...

1) In the beginning...

Well I have searched and searched for information on South African Racehorses on the internet, and much to my chagrin, there is a huge void... There are no photos of Wolf Power, for instance, or anecdotal stories on Empress Club. It is simply because these "darlings" of South African horseracing were champions long before the internet!

Now an expert I am NOT... but a passionate fan I AM... So, if I get a story wrong, please help me correct the info. I will be sourcing most of my information and photos, from the various racing publications that I have collected over the years (I knew those dust caddies would have a better use than being a doorstop!). I will credit them whenever I can - I do not intend to plagiarise the information (and please do not hesitate to contact me if I have overstepped the mark - I will rectify it immediately). My intention is to slowly put it on the web, so that everyone can reminisce and remember the "good old days".

I intend to focus on the big names, and funny stories, of South African racing in the 1980's, 1990's and early 2000's...

Please take a wander back down memory lane with me...

ruby