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...
