We love racing. The combination of power and beauty of a thorougbred is what keeps us going. The global language of horses and racing people. It doesn’t matter if it’s bread-and-butter racing in the north of Sweden in freezing mud or a prestige-event in the Middle East.
GAVIN VAN ZYL
Gavin successfully made the transition from a good jockey to a good trainer and has done a great deal to draw new owners into the sport through Team G Racing which allows for small owners to become part of the team and enjoy the privileges and excitement of racehorse ownership.
Together with his sons he operates yards here in KwaZulu-Natal and on the Highveld and both have proven highly successful.
During the month the local operation was the top winning team with seven winners and another five places from 25 runners and those that followed them would have made a R24.10 profit on a R1 win bet on each runner.
The stable contribution to racing is greatly appreciated and worthy of the monthly award.
Well done Gavin.
BRIAN “BUFFALO BILL” BURNARD
A charismatic professional hunter, an owner and breeder of buffalo and a somewhat addicted buyer of thoroughbreds, Brian has, in a few years, increased his stable of horses to “about” 60 and has enjoyed considerable success with a number of graded race victories – including two Grade 1 events – and a fourth place in the Vodacom Durban July.
“Racing is a wonderful sport and becomes like heroin. It is a tough game but you become a glutton for punishment and – it’s like my arm become very light at the sales,” he joked. He has just bought another four horses in Australia and is extremely excited about his group of young horses, some of which “are really showing something.”
From the very beginning he has been with the Gavin van Zyl stable with Gavin’s son Gareth, under the guidance of his father, now completely responsible for training all Brian’s horses.
And where did the “Buffalo Bill” tag come from?
“It was at the first sale I went to, the farm sale at Summerhill Stud where I bought four horses including No Worries. Chatting to Mick Goss at dinner the evening before he learned of my background and the next day at the sale he called me Buffalo Bill and it has just gone on from there.”
Brian enjoyed success with three of his runners during the month – Night Shadow, Pioneer Spirit and Kileigh – and for his outstanding support of racing he is a worthy winner of the monthly award.
Well done Brian.
ANTHONY DELPECH
Anthony is one of the most sought after riders in the country and has produced some stunning winning rides in his career. Although contracted to the Mike de Kock yard for some years he was snapped up by other stables whenever possible.
Now, having relinquished his contractual ties to the De Kock yard – although he will still take some rides for it – he will be in even greater demand and a variety of other rides will be available to him.
His success in the saddle was fully demonstrated during the month with an incredible 12 wins and 19 places from just 37 races at a win-place rate of 83.78% which was outstanding.
Well done Anthony.
TERRY REILLY & SHERWIN JERRIER
It’s a great thing when a plan comes together but even greater when two friends come together in a joint venture that brings success.
Terry and Sherwin, mutual friends for about 10 years, have both loved the sport of racing all their lives and while their friendship was very relaxed when sharing a beer after work, when it came to racing their horses on the track it became a little more competitive.
Fanatical about his racing, Terry has loved the sport all his life and ventured into ownership way back in 1992 with a few trainers before joining the Dennis Bosch stable 15 years ago. About eight years ago Sherman joined the stable and both had their success.
“But our horses kept bumping each other in races and eventually we decided to consolidate and teamed up as partners,” Terry said.
Sherwin’s love of racing stemmed from his school days when accompanying his father to the tote to lay his bets. He fell in love with racing and the excitement around the Vodacom Durban July enhanced the interest.
On a trip to the J&B Met Terry convinced him to invest in his first horse, Peter Piper, and he joined Terry as a patron of the Bosch stable with their horses often competing against each other.
As partners Terry and Sherwin have about 22 horses and have enjoyed almost as many winners including the four they had during January.
From friendly rivals to successful partners – a wonderful racing story.
Well done Terry and Sherwin and may the winners continue.
DENNIS BOSCH
As a jockey Dennis was undoubtedly one of the leading riders in the country, but the dreaded weight problem dominated the latter years of his career forcing his retirement from the saddle.
Switching to training he encountered the difficulties faced by all new conditions in building a stable string with the high quality of the country’s top trainers drawing most of the owners.
But his talents as a horseman have attracted many loyal patrons that have supported him throughout and he did them proud during the month by winning five races with another eight of his runners finishing in the placings.
His dedication to the sport, his charges and his patrons and his fun character that makes owners really enjoy their racing experience, makes his achievement worthy of the monthly award.
Well done Dennis.
WARREN KENNEDY
South Africa has produced numerous jockeys of international standard, many competing successfully on tracks around the world, but there are many others operating most of their careers in the shadows of the superstars, seldom getting the breaks they deserve.
Warren is one of those, a hard-working and dedicated rider’s whose talents have been acknowledged by trainers in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape where he has steered many runners into the winner’s enclosure.
During the month he showcased those talents by winning nine races and getting another 20 of his mounts into the placings, an effort worthy of the monthly award.
Well done Warren.
ALESH NAIDOO
Owner Alesh, who has an almost life-long association with racing, is a man with an apparent midas touch with punting and ownership involvement that has made him one of the biggest and most successful men in the industry in KwaZulu-Natal.
His love for horses dates back to being a punter “in my schoolboy days” and seven years ago he bought the horse Mentor which was trained for him by Weiho Marwing. Mentor won seven races for him including the Hawaii Stakes and the Post Merchants.
“I retired Mentor and went back to punting and three years ago with the money made from punting I started buying horses. I now have between 75 and 80 horses with trainers in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Cape and Kimberley and have had more than 100 winners.
“I have invested a lot and I am going to investor more to have some more fun,” he said.
His exciting young horse Exit Here has drawn pole position for the forthcoming Million Dollar race in Cape Town.
Well done Alesh and may your good fortune continue.
KOM NAIDOO
Competing against the big stables at any time of the year is a tough task for trainers but Kom has done exceptionally well for his patrons.
During the month he finished joint second on the KwaZulu-Natal trainer list with Dean Kannemeyer behind Duncan Howells by just one winner while a further 14 of the runners he saddled finished in the money.
His runners are always turned out in top condition and his efforts are worth the award this month.
Well done Kom.
ANTHONY DELPCH
Riding the crest of the wave at the moment, Anthony is utilizing all his national and international experience to boot the winners home on a regular basis.
At the end of December he was heading the jockey table in the country and during the month rode 12 winners at an average of 20.69% of his 58 rides. In addition, 28 of his other rides finished in the placings.
In addition to his duties as stable jockey to the Mike de Kock yard, he has been sought after by many trainers and has partnered extremely well with Dean Kannemeyer.
Excellent work and well done Anthony
