Louis Goosen

Training racehorses can be equated to a game of snakes and ladders. No sooner have you climbed the ladder than the dreaded snake swallows you and it’s all the way down. Some snakes are shorter than others but Louis Goosen has been swallowed by a few snakes in recent months with his relatively small string hardly hitting the boards. But you can’t keep a good man down and it all change for the good last month as his 20 runners produced five winners. Louis is climbing the ladder again with his string having turned the corner and his ‘Barbie’ colours to the fore.

Louis is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for September.

Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson has been in racing for most of his life starting out as stable employee to Herman Brown Jnr at Ashburton before moving to Herman Brow Snr at Summerveld after Junior left for Dubai. Frank has mostly had a small string of horses but he turns them out immaculately. He also has a knack of keeping them on the boil long after many of his colleagues would have cried enough. Frank had one of his best months in some time when he saddled 6 winners from just 16 runners at a 37.5 percent strike rate. He also looks to have two smart horses in his yard, in Sovereign State and Mexican Pete, both owned by Sid Moodley.

Frank is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for August

Sean Tarry

The Gold Circle Trainer of the month award is generally reserved for resident KZN trainers but South Africa’s Champions Season attracts the full spectrum of the country’s trainers for three months of brilliant racing and it would be remiss not to honour Sean Tarry as trainer of the month. The Randjesfontein-based Tarry had a phenomenal Champions Season and a strong late run on World Pools Gold Cup day pushed him to within a feature race of overtaking Justin Snaith in the National Trainer’s Championship. Outside of the features, Sean won ten races in KZN in July, two more than Gareth van Zyl and a R1 win on each of Sean’s runners will have yielded a tidy profit of R21.50.

Sean Tarry is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month of July.

Peter Muscutt

After hitting something of a ‘flat spot’ a couple of months back, Peter Muscutt has got his stable back on track and firing on all cylinders. May was a month to remember as he saddled 11 winners, three more than KZN Champion trainer Gareth van Zyl, at an impressive 35 percent winning strike rate.

Peter is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for May.

Stuart Ferrie

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.

Trainer of the Month – March 2023

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.

Trainer of the Month – February 2023

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

Wendy Whitehead

Tony Rivalland’s winners came at an impressive strike rate of 38%, five of his 13 runners finding the winner’s enclosure. However, Wendy Whitehead was leading trainer by number of winners, five of Wendy’s seven winners coming in one afternoon, a feat just good enough to edge out Tony for Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for January.

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

Carl Hewitson

There were a few trainers in good form over the festive season. Kom Naidoo led the charge with six winners closely followed by Garth Puller on five with Mike Miller and Carl Hewitson tied on four. However, given the relative size of his string, being one of the smaller yards in Summerveld, Carl’s strike rate was far superior to any of his rivals with a 22% winning percentage and 44% of his runners in the money from just 18 runners. Also, a R1 winning bet on each of his runners will have yielded a R9 profit.

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

GARTH PULLER

Garth Puller was streets ahead of his rivals last month as his horses visited the winner’s enclosure on 14 occasions with Alyson Wright his nearest rival with eight winners. Puller’s winners came at a 22% strike-rate and yielded a profit of R5 for a R1 win bet, a fine return considering that he sent out 63 runners. Puller also mentors Gold Circle’s Jockey of the Month, apprentice Siphesihle Hlengwa.

Garth Puller is Gold Circle’s Trainer of the Month for November.