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
