Daunting is probably an understatement but that was the challenge that lay ahead. I was to join the stable of Alistair Gordon in Summerveld as an assistant trainer. Summerveld its self is one of the largest racehorse training centres in the world, full of champions and legends, was to be home to me, a young Englishman a very long way from home. I need not have had a single doubt.

I got to love South Africa and I experienced all that is best. Trips to the best racemeetings; a morning on the tracks; a glorious sunrise over the sugarcane fields and the glistening coats of the thoroughbreds that ringed in front of me.

South Africa is a country brimming with pride and passion, with great support shown to the things which matter to people. This pride could be seen to full effect as the KZN darling and South Africa’s champion mare Beach Beauty said her goodbyes to cries of celebration and admiration for one of the greatest of them all at the eLan Gold Cup meeting. It was an honour to be at the races that day to see a closing chapter of a legend of the turf.

I was able to listen in and pick the brains of some of the greatest in the sport. I totally believe that education is something which is truly necessary for my current generation; to be able to study what our forebears have done and maybe just find the odd twist or adjustment to gain that 1% improvement required to move forward. I am fortunate that my trip was funded by the ‘Fred Packard Scholarship’ run by the British Racing School (BRS) in Newmarket.

The two-day winter lecture program run by Summerhill Stud and The School of Excellence were some of the most insightful days of my life. For me to sit down with undoubtedly some of the finest minds in the global racing industry, sharing their thoughts and their opinions on global affairs which provide the back bone of the industry’s inner core was remarkable and forever unavailable unless sitting in those very boardrooms themselves.

The reason for coming to South Africa was to see what they did, which things were different and which were similar to my experiences in the UK. I wanted to know what, if anything, I could take back from here and apply elsewhere to the same effect. The deep, slow surface of the sand tracks I thought would be incomparable to our fast training surfaces and perhaps a retrograde training solution – it certainly is not. A great man Martin Pipe, fifteen times champion trainer, once told me “speed kills” – now I truly understand. The injury rate is far lower in my opinion as the sand does the work not the speed. You need to do less work for the same result.

The other key point is how nice some of your horses are, some fantastic specimens at a good price, how lucky you are!

– parademag.co.za

The Brett Crawford colt was a totally unfancied 66-1 shot at Kenilworth in a big field on Sophomore Sprint day – all the money was for stable companion Night In Seattle. The favourite duly won but it was the outsider who took the eye, making up a lot of ground late on to finish a highly creditable fourth. He should be hard to beat here with Crawford’s other runner Major Vaughan the principal danger. He has useful Durban form but his nine draw is a major handicap and significantly Corne Orffer (pictured) is on Blow Me Away.

MJ Byleveld, 33 last Saturday, can collect a belated birthday present on South Kensington in the Itsarush Divided Handicap even though the horse has not raced since disappointing nearly three months ago when he was returned not striding out.“It was the heavy going that day – he was as sound as he has ever been,” says Vaughan Marshall who confirms that the six-year-old will be fit enough and is the pick of the stable’s three runners. He opened 3-1 second favourite with Betting World yesterday.

Silver Bluff, the 28-10 favourite, is on a hat-trick but has paid a heavy price for his previous two wins, going up 6.5kg in the ratings. “He is improving all the time but I think the handicapper has caught him now,” says Mike Stewart. “He has galloped well but he is carrying a little bit of condition as I haven’t killed him for this race because I am using it as a springboard for the Cape Merchants.”

The Mike Bass-trained bottom weight African Fish Eagle (4-1) would have been the selection but for coughing when favourite last time and the stable’s concern that he may do so again. “He has the ability but you can’t rely on him at the moment,” says Candice Robinson.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe reported that he felt there was something amiss with Dancing Inthe Snow last time and, while the course vet could find nothing wrong, his mount clearly should have finished closer than fifth. She can make amends in the first even though the Crawford newcomer Skylar Lane opened favourite .

Uncle Jim sprang a surprise under Karis Teetan on debut but he gets in with a low introductory rating of 77 in race three and, with Xavier Carstens taking a further 2.5kg off his back, he appeals at 9-2 and may prove too strong for Kirumbo (4-1). Byleveld’s mount Shinning Day is favourite at 3-1 but he will have his work cut out from stall ten.

Gerrit Schlechter rides the Dean Kannemeyer-trained colt for the first time. Karl Neisius, who partnered stable companion Capetown Noir to a four-length romp 12 months ago, cannot do 53.5kg and will be on stable companion It Is Written.

But the two surprise absentees on what is billed as the start of the Summer of Champions Season are Richard Fourie and Kingvoldt.

The Vodacom Durban July winning jockey had hoped to be back for this but said yesterday: “It is taking a little bit longer than I thought. I am riding trackwork but I want to make sure I am fully fit. I am now looking at possibly October 8.”

Impressive Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winner Kingvoldt had been due to start his classic campaign in the Matchem, the race Joey Ramsden used to launch Variety Club’s season three years ago.

Drakenstein racing manager Kevin Sommerville said: “Kingvoldt had a throat infection and scoped a bit dirty a couple of weeks ago so Matchem plans had to be scrapped.

“We are not in favour of running him in the Cape Classic (Oct 25) because he would be badly weighted and it’s a question of whether Joey wants to give him a run before the Selangor Cup (Nov 22) or go straight there.”

The Matchem will be Dynastic Power’s his first run since his Winter Derby triumph three months ago and Stan Elley said: “I was half thinking of going on to the Betting World Algoa Cup (Oct 26) but I’m not sure that it would be the right thing to travel him at this stage of the season so it will probably by the Green Point Stakes (Nov 22) and the Peninsula Handicap.”

Lanner Falcon, second in last season’s Avontuur Cape Fillies Guineas, heads the eight runners for the Lanzerac Diana Stakes and last year’s Durban July second Run For It will be opposed by Winter Guineas and Classic winner Power King in the Infiniti Insurance Pinnacle Stakes.

Picture: Afrikaburn – Golden Horseshoe (Nkosi Hlophe)

It was five from six rides at Greyville on Friday evening, one at the Vaal on Saturday and another four at Greyville yesterday.

On some forums he has been accused of pinching rides from his weighing room colleagues and not putting in the hard yards but the complete opposite is true. Marcus rides work at Summerveld Monday to Saturday and scurries from one ring to another as if he were a first year apprentice. Catching his breath between rings and promising an anxious Jeff Freedman he would be back to put Rif Raff through his paces but had one more to do for another trainer, Marcus re-iterated. “I’m here every day except Sunday’s. This is my job. The only hassle is that it’s a schlep from Umhlanga to Summerveld,” he grinned before trotting off to his next engagement. But not only is he a hard worker, he’s also an extremely astute judge of the form book and when he phones a trainer for a ride they sit up and take note.

Colin Scott, whose regular jockey MJ Odendaal is laid up with a virus, has gained from the benefit of Marcus’s judgement in recent meetings. “When he phones for the ride you don’t say ‘no’,” said Scott and Marcus landed the odds on both Libertine and Burrwood for the yard this past week.

Marcus has also been quick to work out the Greyville polytrack and judging by his tactics his key would appear to being his judge of pace on the new surface where the early pace can often be suicidal. He is not afraid to make the running as he showed when making most, if not all, on Craig Eudey’s Flyfirstclass in the second, Varbration in the fourth and Bold Inspiration in the fifth. But he is also quite content to sit off the pace if it suits and his mount is capable, a ride that sticks in the mind being Auction King last Tuesday.

There were no mistakes with the Robbie Hill-trained Assimilation in the first yesterday. Although slowly away as is her want, Marcus had her quickly into stride and in a good position to challenge up the straight. However, the odds-on chance was always travelling and the daughter of Dupont won easing up.

Flyfirstclass finished down the field in his first crack on the poly but Eudey’s patience has paid off for owner Keith Young. According to Eudey the gelding has had a host of issues throughout his career but his fifth victory was due reward for consistency.

The polytrack has been put to the “heat” test over the past couple of months and what has become evident is that under these conditions it needs loads of water. Yesterday was the first under wet and cold conditions. Greyville track manager Ralph Smout said that the surface had held up extremely well and although they only had about 5mm of rain it was cold and wet and there was not kick-back. There were also no complaints from the jockeys which bodes well for the future.

Picture: Nkosi Hlophe

CTS boss Adrian Todd said: “We have always prided ourselves as innovative and we believe that this initiative will be well received by both buyers and vendors.”

The horses in this weekend’s Durbanville sale will qualify for the race and those in CTS’s new Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale on 31 October will also be eligible for a R2.5 million race next year.

In the meantime the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup at Turffontein on 1 November will carry total stakes of R3.85 million, making it the richest race run in South Africa so far. At Kenilworth in January 2016 the CTS Million Dollar will be worth R11.2 million, and even more if the Rand keeps falling.

However next year’s TBA Ready To Run Cup will drop back to R2 million. “That is the projected return based on the number of entries for the sale and with Bloodstock South Africa chipping in,” said Peter Gibson yesterday.