MARY LILEY

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Mary Liley

One of the most popular, colourful and respected owners in South African racing for decades, Mary is the owner of the famous  Vieux Rose, Cream and Green colours that have been seen aboard some of the more outstanding horses, many of them imports from New Zealand, to race in the country.

With her involvement that goes back nearly 60 years to 1960 and involves three generations of Herman Brown trainers, Mary continues to support the industry and today runs a team of about 30 horses in the stable of trainer Tony Rivalland from which she enjoyed four winners in December – On The Boulevard, Tristful, Desolate Road and On The Bright Side – as well as success in Port Elizabeth with Fantasy Art that won twice from the Gavin Smith stable in the month.

Top horses bearing her silks over the years include the likes of Bold Monarch, Sun Monarch,Be Noble and Diamond King with Be Noble having been favourite to win the Vodacom Durban July in his year before being scratched after suffering an injury in training.

For Mary racing is a passion and her involvement as an owner is inspired by a constant search for “something special”. For her every winner, whether of a feature event or a maiden, is special but finding and owning a champion is what drives every owner.

“But it is not what you pay for them that matters. Sun Monarch in New Zealand dollars only cost the equivalent at the time of R1 800 and there have been so many horses that cost a fortune and have not amounted to much.

“They are beautiful animals and it is a privilege to own and be associated with them”.

Well done Mary

ISHWARLALL JAYANARAYAN

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed ion Ishwarlall Jayanarayan.

Described by his family as “a man with a heart of gold who deserves all the success that comes his way”, Ishwarlall’s love of racing has been a lifelong journey from an avid punter in his early years to becoming a passionate thoroughbred owner with members of his extended family.

With his nephews Sanjeeth and Sanjeev Ramsewak, Ishwarlall syndicated his first horse with the Wendy Whitehead stable which has now grown to partnerships in eight horses which he races from the Whitehead and Mike Miller yards in KwaZulu-Natal and with Duncan McKenzie in Port Elizabeth.

His passion for racing has spread to his whole family and has become a social event shared with his three sons Vishal, Sudhir and Ashvir and his nephews that have enjoyed many entertaining and exciting days at the races.

Ishwarlall has enjoyed about 10 winners to date including with his runners Netanya and Bound By Duty during the month, the latter having followed up with another victory early in December.

Well done Ishwarlall

GEOFF PERKINS

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Geoff Perkins

With a love of horses that was deep in his heart from the time he was a small boy hearing stories of horses and racing from grandfather Donald Perkins who had been deeply involved in horseracing in the former Rhodesia, there was little surprise that at the age of nine he was learning to ride.

Thereafter,when the opportunity presented itself, the next step in his relationship with his favourite species came when moving into his late teens and he applied his riding talents as a work rider for trainer Gary Rich, son of the legendary racing character Des Rich who trained the Vodacom Durban July winner Lightning Shot back in 1977.

Geoff moved overseas for eight years during which he had no involvement in racing at all but when he returned he was encouraged by a friend to take a share in a racehorse. His involvement has grown over the years to the point that he is now involved as a shareholder in a number of horses “with a couple of trainers”.

During the month Geoff had three winners, one being his Curved Ball gelding Hard To Play in which he was the majority shareholder that secured his fifth win under Stuart Randolph for trainer Wendy Whitehead at Greyville.

“It was a good month for me and I have had another couple of wins since,” he said.

Well done Geoff.

DAVE MACLEAN

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Dave MacLean

For Dave, September would appear to be a good month and for the second year in a row the popular owner has bagged the owner of the month award.

A loyal supporter of KwaZulu-Natal’s champion trainer Duncan Howells, Dave has a nice string of horses which includes the winner of the eThekwini Sprint on Vodacom Durban July Day, Procal Harum, and during the month under review he enjoyed four winners.

Well done Dave

FOZIA EBRAHIM

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Fozia Ebrahim

Fozia races her horses with the help of husband Yaseen who has a passion for the sport of racing that has endured from his childhood years – a passion that included winning his first Place Accumulator payout of R3.20 when he was just seven years of age.

Fozia became an owner in 1998 through a friend and since then has, with the support of Yaseen, had many horses with trainers in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Gauteng and won many races. They operate on a basis of rotating their racing stock by culling each year and replacing with new blood to maintain a manageable stable of about 10 horses in training.

One of the best horses Fozia has owned was King Of Corn that won a number of races under Richard Fourie from the Mike Robinson stable in the Cape including three races in a row. During the month under review, Fozia had a double at Scottsville with Dyno Man and Mashari which, according to Yaseen, was a lifelong ambition and “a dream come true.”

Well done Fozia – and Yaseen

SUZANNE & HUGO HATTINGH

Since 1994 Hugo has indulged his “hobby” as an owner of “the most beautiful creatures that the Good Lord placed on this earth”, the thoroughbred racehorse of which he and his wife Suzanne, who he married in 2003, own many in training and in breeding.

It was the racing colours of Hugo that initially graced the horses they raced until Hugo suggested that Suzanne take out her own colours and, according to Suzanne with a little giggle, after horses carrying her colours began winning more than those with Hugo’s, they raced more in her colours than his and during June in KwaZulu-Natal they ended up in the winner’s enclosure on three occasions.

For the Hugo family of Pretoria, which includes daughter Christal and son Gordon, racing is a passionate hobby and after meeting trainer Glen Kotzen at an awards dinner in Cape Town about eight years ago, they moved their racing stock to his private training centre in the Cape with Suzanne being the nominee for the family breeding and racing operation Chrisgor Stud – the name being a combination of the names of their children.

Hugo said they had enjoyed many winners including Grade 1 victories in the Premiers Champion Stakes last season and the Investec Cape Derby, both with their Dynasty colt Eyes Wide Open which Hugo believes can win the World Sports Betting Champions Cup at Greyville on July 28.

With their horses being based in the Cape, Suzanne and Hugo fly from their Highveld home to racing venues in the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal whenever their horses are racing, with the children often joining them and all loving their hobby.

As Hugo says, “If horseracing is not part of your heart, you must stay out of it. Racing requires absolute dedication and passion.”

Well done Suzanne and Hugo

Nic Jonsson

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Nic Jonsson

The son of the late Benji Jonsson, an iconic member of South Africa’s racing community particularly for his support and service to the Jockey Academy, Nic is a member of a South African racing dynasty that stretches back to 1897 when his great grandfather, Frederick Lennard (F L) Jonsson, was one of the 15 founding stewards of the Durban Turf Club.  His grandmother, Betty Jonsson, a farmer in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, was a popular and well-known owner-trainer.

Surprisingly, says Nic, in spite of the Jonsson family’s involvement in racing, “I am the only one of Benji’s children who is interested in racing. He took out his racing colours in 1990 and now has about 50 horses in training in the Cape with Justin Snaith, KwaZulu-Natal with Dennis Drier and Michael Roberts and in Port Elizabeth with Allan Greeff. During the past season he has 38 winners.

But it was in July that he had what he calls “a lucky day” when Do It Again, that was recently declared the three-year-old colt of the year at the Equus Awards, won the Vodacom Durban July and his other runner in the race, Made To Conquer, ran second – an incredible feat that came after the biggest race meeting of the year in Africa had begun with Nic’s Pathfork filly, Township Melody, winning the first race of the day.

To add to Nic’s “month to remember” was the victory in the Grade 2 Kuda Gold Bracelet at Greyville on eLan Gold Cup Day of his Silvano filly Miyabi Gold.

Of the sport of racing and his involvement, Nic’s comment was simply “I love it.”

Congratulations and well done Nic.

ZEYN KIRSTEN

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Zeyn Kirsten

As a little boy Zeyn accompanied his grandfather – an avid racing fan – to the off-course tote where his interest in the sport was born, an interest that grew over the years to become a dream of being a racehorse owner and then a passion that he now enjoys with his family.

“I became an owner when I was 29 years old and had horses with Dennis Bosch. Then about 10 year ago I moved to Johannesburg and when looking for a trainer came across Louis Goosen. There was just something about Louis that drew me to him and we had a wonderful relationship.

“I took a break from racing for a while then when Louis relocated to KwaZulu-Natal I joined him again with six horses and two babies and we have had a great time. For me things have just spiralled and I am living my passion. Louis has just made the racing experience wonderful for me and my family and we are really enjoying it.”

Zeyn, who says he has had many winners over the years, had another two during the month of May and is looking forward to more.

Well done and congratulations Zeyn

ROY MOODLEY

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Roy Moodley

For a leading KwaZulu-Natal businessman involved in security, the phrase “there is safety in numbers” could well apply to Roy who has certainly not skimped in building one of the biggest racing operations in the country.

With scores of horses in his racing string that are spread among a number of trainers, the charismatic character has bred many of the horses he races at his stud in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and has invested in quality overseas stock to boost his operation.

Commenting on the success of his runners, Roy quipped: “They must start winning Grade 1’s. They’ve won Grade 3’s but now they need to win the big ones.”

He said once the programme has been released his trainers will begin formulating their racing plans and when asked about potential big race contenders including the Vodacom Durban July, Roy named two of his Australian-bred horses – Roy Had Enough and Roy’s Riviera – that he races from the Frank Robinson stable.

Both have shown promising ability and along with his many others runners, we wish them great success.

Well done Roy

SABINE PLATTNER

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Sabine Plattner

The Plattner Racing operation runs yards in the Cape and in KwaZulu-Natal with Andre Nel as trainer operating in the Cape and Byron Forster as assistant trainer of the band of horses stabled near Summerveld training centre in KwaZulu-Natal.

Mrs Plattner has a great love of the thoroughbred and has spent a great deal of money on the sport through her breeding and racing operations which have produced many top horses to race in the country.

However, due to her outstanding charity work she has little opportunity to see her horses race and was not present at the events where her runners won five races during the month with the five-year-old gelding Head Honcho winning twice at Scottsville.

Mrs Plattner runs the Sabine Plattner African Charities organisation that operates safety and development centres for children which she visits in many parts of the African continent throughout the year.

A noble cause and worthy success with your horses.