Author Archives: Lungile

MUZI MYENI

Jockey of the Month – August 2015

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MUZI YENI

One of the most likeable and popular riders in the country, Muzi is also blessed with plenty of talent and he hit KwaZulu-Natal like a storm during the month riding 11 winners and finishing in the placings on another 23 occasions giving his supporters much to be happy about.

His overall money strike rate was over 50% and those that followed him with a R1 win and place bet would have made a profit of R24.6 over the period.

It was a top-notch performance and a great start for the new season.

Well done Muzi.

Trainer DENNIS BOSCH

Trainer of the Month – August 2015

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DENNIS BOSCH

In his younger days Dennis was one of the leading jockeys in South Africa, a powerful rider whose career in the saddle saw him win many top races. Weight problems eventually saw him turn his talents to training and this popular man has been very successful with a small string.

This was reflected during the month where he saddled five winners with his runners also securing nine placings from just 29 runners, an overall strike rate of just on 50%.

It was an excellent performance and worthy of the monthly award.

Well done Dennis.

BILL LAMBERT

Owner of the Month – July 2015

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BILL LAMBERT

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Bill Lambert

There is no man in South African racing who displays his love and passion for racing more than Gold Circle’s Ambassador for Racing Bill Lambert, a man who has been involved in the sport for 67 years and for who winning the Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes with King’s Knight was as exciting as if he had won the Vodacom Durban July.

“I’m riding on a rainbow” is how Bill described his current feeling about life on being named the owner of the month, a typical attitude of the man who after winning the race commented of his jockey Sean Cormack that he was “like a big chocolate and I could eat him all up.”

Never one to stifle his feelings, when another of his horses William Of Wembley won his response was that he was so excited he could “explode like a trick cigar.”
Bill has given his life to community service and racing and became involved in the sport when his father Frank Lambert gave him a filly called Aromatic for his 21st birthday that ran seven seconds before winning then never won another race.

Bill was a steward at Scottsville – then the Pietermaritzburg Turf Club – for many years and when the three KwaZulu-Natal clubs joined forces to form Gold Circle Racing, he was the first Chairman of the new organisation.

“Racing is my passion,” says Bill who has served the industry with distinction and, to all with a love of the thoroughbred and the sport that has been evident for many years.

Well done Bill.

DENNIS DRIER & DEAN KANNEMEYER

Trainer of the Month – July 2015

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DENNIS DRIER & DEAN KANNEMEYER

Making a decision this month was extremely difficult as there was a very strong case for the award going to Dennis Drier who captured three Grade 1 races among his eight winners in the month. It was an achievement that richly deserved it.

However, there is no greater achievement in South African racing than winning the Vodacom Durban July and Dean’s planning and preparation of Power King for the race and his subsequent victory as the pinnacle of his very successful season gave him a fractional edge in the decision.

Well done to Dean and Dennis

STUART RANDOLPH

Jockey of the Month – July 2015

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STUART RANDOLPH

Winning the Vodacom Durban July is the dream of every owner, trainer and jockey and an honour very few have achieved over the years.

Stuart has been the unsung hero of many races in his career but in driving Power King to the line in the country’s toughest and roughest race after taking a bump at the top of the straight from Punta Arenas then gathering him to fight a bitter battle to the finish was an outstanding display of cool and courageous riding worthy of the award.

Well done Stuart.

OWNER CHRIS GERBER

Owner of the Month – June 2015

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CHRIS GERBER

The Gold Circle Owner of the Month Award has been bestowed on Chris Gerber
For Chris racing has been “a sickness inflicted on my family”, a love for racing that was sown by his father Mickey Gerber during the 70’s and 80’s and which he has “taken to another level.”
Since embarking on his own journey in the sport in 1995, he has increased his stake substantially being also involved in the administration of racing on the Highveld and in breeding at his Moutonshoek Stud in the Cape.
His investment in horses he says is “more than enough” and his successes are in excess of 200 including victory twice in the Summer Cup, in the Derby and other feature events.
During June Chris had three winners in KwaZulu-Natal with Kingmambo’s Legacy, Bezanova and Euphoria and as a serious member of the racing world, many more can be expected.

Well done Chris.

Gold Cirle Horse Racing

Trainer of the Month – June 2015

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JOHAN JANSE VAN VUUREN

Entering the lion’s den of Champions Season in KwaZulu-Natal with the country’s top stables and horses in the province in their numbers is not easy and winning chances are few and far between.

But Johan had an excellent run with five wins and seven placings from just 16 runners, an outstanding win rate of 31% and a win-place rate of 75%.

Top stables of Mike de Kock and Duncan Howells with 39 and 72 runners respectively during the month, each managed only one winner more than Johan which added to the impressiveness of his success.

Well done Johan.

RICHARD FOURIE

Jockey of the Month – June 2015

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RICHARD FOURIE

Richard has made a name for himself as a top class rider and one that is almost in a class of his own as a front-runner rider but this month he showed he can do it from anywhere with brilliant victory rides in two Grade 2 feature races.

He rode four winners from 21 rides during the month but few will forget his brilliantly-timed rides for trainer Justin Snaith in the Grade 2 Post Merchants at Greyville and two days later in the Gold Circle Oaks at Scottsville.

Anthony Delpech and Anton Marcus both had outstanding months but it was Richard’s great rides on Daring Dave at Greyville and Ash Cloud at Scottsville that were the outstanding performances of the month.

Well done Richard.

Owner of the Month – May 2015

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MICHAEL LEAF

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month of May has been bestowed on Michael Leaf.

For Michael racing has been a life-long experience having grown up in a racing family but his venture into racehorse ownership came 20 year ago when he received a call from a friend in 1993 telling him he was half owner of the horse Castleford that also gave him his first winner, ridden by Piere Strydom at 14-1.

Since then he has become seriously involved and now has a string of 40 horses in training with a number of trainers around the country. His first graded race winner – and he has had many – was Queen’s Command that won the Flamboyant Stakes at Greyville on New Year’s Day in 2011.

Racehorse ownership is not easy but through the “blood, sweat and tears” of racing he battled on “like most owners” for the love of the sport and has amassed more than 100 winners to date including three during May for which he was named owner of the month.

His best horse to date has been the unlucky winner of the Vodacom Durban July last year, Wylie Hall, which was first past the post but relegated to second on an objection. “It was one of those things that you get in racing but you learn to live with it and we are looking forward to see him running in the July this year.”

Well done Michael.

SEAN TARRY

Trainer of the Month – May 2015

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SEAN TARRY

It was a very difficult call this month with a number of trainers having multiple successes. Dean Kannemeyer had another good month with eight winners and Dennis Drier had a great day at Scottsville winning two of the four Grade 1 races, the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and the Tsogo Sun Sprint.

But in the end, having saddled six winners including the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and the Grade 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint, Sean got the narrow selection for trainer of the month.

Well done Sean.