Peter Muscutt

Winners were spread across a host of trainers this month. As far as stakes went, Mike and Mathew de Kock headed the table although they only had two winners from their 18 runners. Alyson Wright had four winners from her 37 runners but leading the percentages was Peter Muscutt who was way clear. His four winners came from just seven runners for a 57% winning strike rate with two of those winners coming on the same evening with Nelson Bay’s victory being a particularly special win for the trainer.

Peter Muscutt is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for March

Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson has been in the sport all of his life. Starting out as assistant to Herman Brown Jnr at Ashburton before moving on to Summerveld-based Herman Brown Snr when Brown’s son moved to Dubai. Frank recently teamed up with owner Sid Moodley and the pair have built up a winning relationship. Robinson saddled seven winners from just 17 runners at an impressive 41% winning strike rate.

Frank is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for December.

Stuart Ferrie

Stuart Ferrie rounded off January with a double at Hollywoodbets Greyville to take his monthly winning tally to five.  The number of winners was evenly spread between a host of trainers, Mike Miller saddling four and notably Mike de Kock, now resident in KZN, with three along with Louis Goosen, Michael Roberts and Frank Robinson. But Ferrie’s runners struck at a 31% strike rate and a R1 bet on his each of his 16 runners came with an overall profit of R10.30.

Stuart is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for January.

Nicolette Roscoe

There was congestion at the top of the local trainer’s log with three trainers recording four wins, Gareth van Zyl, Paul Lafferty and Dean Kannemeyer. However, Dean’s four wins came from just nine runners at a healthy 44% strike rate. With Dean mostly in Cape Town for their season and scoring a memorable treble on Splash Out Cape Derby Day, accolades should probably go to his KZN assistant who holds the Summerveld fort, Nicolette Roscoe.

Nicolette is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for February

Barend Botes

Barend Botes, who recently relocated from the Highveld, has a relatively small string at his new Summerveld yard and only had two wins to his name this month. However, those two were significant as they belong to star filly Quid Pro Quo who, barring some anomaly, will be crowned Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. Although the Gr1 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship fell outside of this month, Botes steered Quid Pro Quo to victories in the Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Gold Slipper on Hollywoodbets Durban July Day and the month ending victory in the Gr1 Douglas Whyte Stakes for an unprecedented treble.

Barend is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for July.

Sean Tarry

Sean Tarry has made Champions Season a happy hunting ground, particularly Hollywoodbets Scottsville where he holds the record of 20 Gr 1 wins, unseating the now retired Dennis Drier, Lucky Lad winning the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint and Gr1 Gold Medallion winner Proceed adding to his tally this month. Tarry is also a staunch support of KZN-bred horses, particularly as he was the trainer of the smart KZN-based sire Willow Magic whose progeny have done well for him. He ended the month by sending out Mrs Geritrix to win the KZN Breeders Mile at a meeting where his runners have dominated over the years.

Sean is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the month of June. 

Gareth van Zyl

Alyson Wright took the lead in the tight race for KZN’s Champion Trainer with a rare five-timer at Hollywoodbets Greyville putting her three winners ahead of closest rival Gareth van Zyl. However, Gareth was only one behind her with five winners to Alyson’s six for the month but he took a calculated gamble in supplementing Flag Man for the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July off his 96 merit rating. After running hot favourite Green With Envy to a head in the Gr1 Daily News 2000, Flag Man took a massive 34-point hit in the ratings, one pound less than the ruling July ante-post favourite but also catapulted Gareth’s runner into a live runner for Africa’s greatest horserace. 

Gareth van Zyl is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for May

Alyson Wright

There is a tight race for KZN Trainer’s Championship with all of Alyson, Mike Miller, Gareth van Zyl Wendy Whitehead and Garth Puller within four winners of each other. Alyson and Gareth van Zyl are currently tied on 39 winners each but Alyson’s 44 second places gives her a narrow lead. Alyson was the leading trainer in April with seven winners and with Athandiwe Mgudlwa now part of the stable things are looking up.

Alyson is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for April.

Tienie Prinsloo

Tienie Prinsloo is the only former Kimberley-based trainer to stay the distance when Flamingo Park closed and some moving to KwaZulu-Natal. It has been a struggle and Tienie currently has one of the smallest strings in Summerveld but he saddled eleven runners for three winners and two seconds in the month at a 54% win/place strike rate.

Tienie is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for March

Wendy Whitehead, Alyson Wright and Gareth van Zyl dominated the leader board as far as winners went in the month and the trio paid to follow with a R1 bet on Wendy’s runner realizing a R11 return on investment. However, veteran Dennis Bosch has scaled down his operation in recent years and only saddled eleven runners in the month. Three of those were winners with three runner-up placings for a 54% winning strike rate.

Dennis is Gold Circle’s trainer of the month for February.