GARY CUMMING

When someone tells you he or she has been involved in such and such an activity all their life, one tends to see it as being all their adult life or at best from their teenage years.

But in Gary’s case that statement is as close as one is likely to get to being true. From the age of five he was a regular visitor “with my folks” to the race track in Zimbabwe where there were no age restrictions and the thrill of the sport and the beauty of the thoroughbred became his passionate love.

Since moving to South Africa his love of the horse and the sport has continued to grow and since the early 90’s he has been involved in partnerships with many horses and has had the occasional dabble into breeding.

Today he races in partnership with Clint Larson and Ian Horsefield and is involved in about 17 horses with Tony Rivalland and Mark Dixon and has expressed his great thanks to them and a special thanks to Mark’s wife Hayley that have all contributed to his enjoyment and success.

During the month of December Gary had three winners together with Clint and Ian and is very excited about the prospects of his last winner, Wynkelder, that he says “could be anything.”

Well done Gary

BRUCE LE ROUX

From an early age, growing up with the legendary South African stud manager and breeder John Slade, horses became the focus of his life and after completing his military training Bruce travelled to America where he worked on quarter horses and other studs.

Returning to South Africa and with help from John Slade he worked on studs in the Cape, including the Valley Stud, learning as much as he could before moving to the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands where he worked at the Rondebosch Stud before becoming the owner of the Spring Valley Stud in the Mooi River area.

Today he runs about 35 of his own mares with another 20-odd boarders’ and the A P Indy stallion Just As Well. He races some of his fillies and others in which he has a partner before they are ready to go to stud and has had some success over the past few months including with Well In Flight and Silver Inspiration which won on the Greyville Polytrack during November.

Together with his partner, Bruce has recently invested in a number of well-bred fillies to improve his breeding stock and a number will be coming out to race as juveniles early next year.

His commitment and contribution to the industry is applauded and worthy of the monthly award.

Well done Bruce

ROY MOODLEY

Roy is one of South Africa’s leading owners and is flying high as his runners continue to win races including six during the month of October.

And with an ever increasing influence on the sport, including his growing breeding establishment where he has the son of Warhorse, Royal Navy Ship, now a resident stallion, the Moodley footprint on racing in the country can be expected to grow.

With “a lot more” than the 100 horses he owned a year ago, Roy’s current band of trainers is to be increased. “I believe if you haven’t got a ticket you haven’t got a chance and trainers need the horses to show their potential. So I will be sending horses to another 10 trainers to help develop the industry.”

Roy indicated he had some “very exciting” young horses coming out in the next few months, both from his own breeding programme and imports.

His involvement and support of the industry is applauded.

Well done Roy

DR NIC LABUSCHAGNE

Affectionately referred to by many as “Doc”, Dr Nic Labuschagne is one of the most loved, respected and charismatic members of South African racing with roots in the sport that go back decades and includes years in the administration and control, provincially and nationally. He was a steward and chairman of the Durban Turf Club, a member and chairman of the executive of the Jockey Club of South Africa and a director of Gold Circle.

But above all was his love of the thoroughbred and the hundreds of very close friendships he shared, and still enjoys, among all ranks of the racing community.

“I have been involved in racing for about 40 years and have been fortunate to have had in excess of 350 winners. My first trainer was great friend Tony Furness and my first horse was Peri Peri which we bought along with another horse called Johnson at the Johannesburg sales for R4 000. Peri Peri won about 14 races including the Durban Merchants and we put him to stud where he covered the mare Cosy Rosy who produced another top horse Chili Bite that won about 14 races.

“I have had a wonderful career in racing and made many wonderful friends. I have been privileged to have great friendships with trainers and my main trainers now are Michael Roberts, Dennis Drier, Alistair Gordon and Wendy Whitehead.

Dr Nic, who was awarded the Anita Akal Personality Of The Year Award at the recent KZN Racing Awards function, had three winners during the month and has had another since.

Well done Dr Nic

DR MANFRED ROHWER

A leading equine veterinarian and chairman of the SA Equine Veterinary Association, Manfred is a partner in the Baker & McVeigh veterinary organisation which has practices in South Africa, the United Kingdom and France and has been involved in racehorse ownership for many years mostly in partnerships.

Having been involved with horses in many stables he says there have been stories surrounding most of the horses and generally they have been animals on which he has worked where for various reasons a share had become available. “I have never gone out with the intention to buy a horse,” he said from England where he was attending a conference.

During the month three of the horses in which he has a share, Speedjet, Saber’s Beads and Swakopmund, found the winner’s enclosure but he has no offhand recollection of the number of horses in which he has been involved or how many winners he has had.

Well done Manfred

DUNCAN HOWELLS

Described by a leading racing personality as “the hardest working trainer I have ever seen”, Duncan was destined for a career in racing with his father and uncle having been in the game either as trainer or jockey and, from an early age, he has loved being around and working with horses.

“As I couldn’t become a jockey the obvious alternative was to be a trainer and with a stable of 100 horses I have been very lucky.”

He said being voted the owner of the month placed him in a very difficult position as far as his owners were concerned. “Some might think I keep shares in horses that I know are good but it is not like that at all. Every year I take shares in five or six horses and that is before they have run. We only know their potential once they have run and I have just been very lucky.”

It was also the case that having purchased a horse, like other trainers, he was forced at time to retain a share.

During the month Duncan had shares in three horses that won and was chosen by Gold Circle as the owner of the month.

Well done Duncan

Lady Christine Laidlaw

Lady Laidlaw, who races some horses in Europe, entered the South African racing scene in 2008 under the Khaya Stables banner when purchasing the subsequent dual Guineas winner Noordhoek Flyer at the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sales and selected Cape trainer Dean Kannemeyer to take care of his future.

Since then, through her local racing manager Jean Malherbe of Form Bloodstock, she has invested in a number of horses and has had considerable success in Graded races including the Grade 1 Vodacom Durban July and the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and has won the Guineas both in the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

She buys horses on a regular basis and according to Kannemeyer, normally runs a stable of about 10 selectively chosen quality horses.

Lady Laidlaw spends her summers in the Cape and last year made her first and only visit to Durban where she was on hand to lead in her Vodacom Durban July winner, Power King.

During the past month Khaya Stables runners won five races in KwaZulu-Natal operating out of the Kannemeyer satellite yard at Summerveld, an achievement well worth the monthly award.

Well done Lady Laidlaw

MRS SABINE PLATTNER

A great lover of the horse and former competitor in various equine disciplines, Mrs Plattner ventured into racehorse ownership about 20 years ago with a few Cape trainers before setting up her own training centre with a personal trainer at George in the Eastern Cape.

She has enjoyed success at many levels in racing including wins in about 20 Grade 1 events. She now has about 100 horses in training of which about 30 are two-year-olds with trainer Andre Nel in charge of their racing preparation.

Mrs Plattner operates her stud with the purpose of producing 20 to 25 “viable” foals every year, a policy that has produced considerable success.

During the month Mrs Plattner’s horses won four races in KwaZulu-Natal which, according to Andre Nel, has boosted the viability of the stable’s private centre at Summerveld.

Mrs Plattner has invested large amounts in South African racing and has produced many top horses from her breeding establishment.

Well done Mrs Plattner

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.

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.