Athandiwe Mgudlwa has always been a talented rider but with limited opportunities. That has all changed since he has teamed up with Gareth van Zyl and his fortunes have turned for the better. Success brings success and ‘Tandy’ as Garth Puller calls him, has become increasing in demand by other trainers. He visited the winner’s enclosure eight times in May, equal to S’Manga Khumalo.
Athandiwe is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for May
Stuart Ferrie may have ‘inherited’ a well-oiled operation from his former boss Dennis Drier but as an assistant for the majority of his career the increased responsibility and pressures of running a yard in its entirety is a new challenge. Stuart got off to a flying start in his first month, saddling three winners from his 13 runners and a R1 bet on each of his runners will have yielded a profit of R33.40.
Stuart Ferrie is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for April.
Ashton Arries
It has taken Ashton Arries time to mature from sheltered apprentice to fully fledged jockey but the talented rider appears to have settled down and it shows in his recent results. His achievements have not gone unnoticed and apart from getting regular support from leading trainer Glen Kotzen, both in KZN and the Western Cape, he is getting regular calls from local trainers. Rachel Venniker led the April winners table with seven from her 50 rides while Ashton rode six winners from 29 rides in KZN at an impressive strike rate of 20% and a R1 bet on each of his mounts will have yielded a tidy profit of R53.70.
Ashton is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for April.
Gold Circle is thrilled to announce the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) as the new title sponsor of the Gold Cup race meeting. “Over the past two years this race meeting has been classified as a World Pool Event which has generated significant revenue for Gold Circle and this has coincided with HKJC World Pool becoming the sponsors of the Grade 1 Champions Cup. We can now confirm HKJC as the title sponsors of the day and we are excited to launch the first HKJC World Pool sponsored race day worldwide” said Michel Nairac, CEO of Gold Circle.
The Gold Cup race meeting represents one of the highest quality race days in South Africa. The 10-feature race card (the last 9 races being part of World Pool) boasts the premier race for stayers as the title event along with four Grade 1 races, three Grade 2 races and two listed races. Added to this, the race meeting falls on the last weekend of the South African racing calendar and with R6million in stakes on offer it is often a significant opportunity for Horses, Trainers and Owners to secure their respective status as EQUUS Champions of the year.
This year the Gold Cup will be run on Sunday 30th July and will be part of a double header World Pool weekend, with racing from Ascot on Saturday.
“There has always been a strong connection between the Hong Kong and South African racing industries, particularly when it comes to participants, so it is exciting to collaborate with them. Gold Circle have been wonderful supporters of World Pool and they recognise the benefits of a having a robust pari-mutuel offering. And Hong Kong customers are quite fond of the product as well. In fact, the 2022 Gold Cup meeting produced record turnover in Hong Kong for a simulcast meeting of HKD 394.7M,” said Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products of the HKJC.
The stakes on HKJC World Pool Gold Cup Day have been increased by more than 25% and features the R1m World Pool Gold Cup and the R1,25m HKJC Champions Cup. Former South African Jockey, Douglas Whyte, who went on to secure 13 consecutive Hong Kong Jockey Titles and is now a successful trainer, will be recognised by having the Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Stakes (formerly the Thekwini Stakes) named in his honour.
Douglas Whyte said “I feel privileged to have this race named in my honour and want to thank Gold Circle and the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the recognition. It is a great race meeting and Durban has always held a special place in my heart. World Pool has been a great initiative and a much needed boost for the South African industry.
The race program is listed below:
R1: Tabgold Darley Arabian (Listed)
R2: World Pool with Gold Circle Stakes (Gr2) formerly Debutante Stakes
R3: @WorldPool Twitter Stakes (Gr2) formerly Umkhomazi Stakes
R4: Douglas Whyte Stakes (Gr1) formerly Thekwini Stakes
R5: World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes (Gr1) formerly Premiers Champion Stakes
R6: Mercury Sprint (Gr1)
R7: World Pool Gold Cup (Gr3)
R8: The HKJC Champions Cup (Gr1)
R9: Riding High Together Gold Bracelet (Gr2)
R10: HKIR in December Handicap (Listed) formerly Umgeni Handicap
John Buckler
Assistant trainers seldom get the recognition they deserve but two of the best that run satellite yards at Summerveld are Byron Forster and John Buckler for two Western Cape-based trainers Andre Nel and Glen Kotzen respectively. Both Summerveld stables were in good form in March with five winners apiece but John just shaded Byron in the stats, John’s five winners coming at a 26% strike-rate and Byron’s at 25%. However, a R1 win on John’s runners will have seen a R6.40 profit.
John Buckler is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for March.
Robert Khathi
Title-chasing Keagan de Melo is the usual suspect at the top of the KZN jockey log for March. He has enjoyed a super month with 18 winners on his march to the national title. Rachel Venniker also had a productive month with ten winners but it was Robert Khathi who had his best month since relocating from the Western Cape with seven winners. Joint third on the monthly log with Tristan Godden, the majority of his winners were for Byron Forster, Andre Nel’s KZN assistant for leading owner Sabine Plattner. Robert’s talents are starting to be recognised by other trainers and we wish him well during Champions Season.
Robert Khathi is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for March.
Paul Lafferty
Paul Lafferty managed five winners from just 19 starters last month at a strike rate of 26%, four of those winner’s coming for owner John Finlayson. John has been a staunch supporter of the sport for many years, mainly in Gauteng, but has thrown his lot in with Lafferty who has done him proud. All four of his winners were at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
Paul is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for February
Sean Veale
Keagan de Melo once again topped the list by number of winners in KZN last month, scoring 15 times at a healthy 33% strike rate. But Sean Veale had one of his better months, visiting the winner’s box on seven occasions at a 22% strike rate in spite of traipsing back and forth from Cape Town where he was in support of his boss, Dennis Drier. Dennis boasts a long string of loyal assistants and jockeys and Sean, who took over from Sean Cormack, will no doubt team up with Stuart Ferrie who takes over the stable reins on April 1.
Sean Veale is Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month for February.
“Gold Circle sent a team to accompany Coastal Horse Care Unit to the Harry Gwala Municipal District over the weekend of the 24th to 26th February. The areas that were visited during this clinic were. Kokstad , Matatiele and Umzinkhulu. More than 300 horses were seen during this visit.”
For more information on the Coastal Horse Care Unit click here – https://www.youtube.com/@coastalhorsecareunit3279/playlists
