MAYESH CHETTY

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Mayesh Chetty.

Developing an interest in racing through his brother and friends who loved the sport and bet on the horses, Mayesh got a lot more involved in the industry when he bought his first horse, Butane, at a KwaZulu-Natal sale back in 2007.

Butane won first time out and since then Mayesh’s involvement has grown to include breeding and having six mares – one in KwaZulu-Natal and five in the Cape – and a racing team of about 25 horses located in stables around the country.

“I have horses here in KwaZulu-Natal, in the Western Cape, Port Elizabeth, Gauteng and Kimberley.”

Over the years Mayesh, who was elected a director of Gold Circle in January, has enjoyed 135 winners – two during the past month – and says he finds the breeding side of the industry “very exciting”. His relatively small current involvement in breeding with six mares has done very well with 13 of his home-bre.

Well done Mayesh!

MICHAEL DE HAAST

A relaxing sundowner and chat with his racehorse training neighbor Alec Laird 20 years ago set Michael de Haast on a mission that today runs an international racing operation that controls 37 horses in England and Ireland and a growing stable of horses in South Africa.

“I was never interested in racehorses. My wife Laura was, having been involved with horses for many years including back to when she rode work for trainer Henry Eatwell of Welcome Boy fame. But Alec was saying there was one horse he had not been able to get rid of, the filly Proud Peyton and I bought her for R80 000.

“I became hooked on racing and when we emigrated to the UK and Ireland I formed the International Racing Club and built a syndicate that today has 37 horses there and 14 or 15 here in KwaZulu-Natal. My wife and I also run a number of horses outside the syndicate here with Louis Goosen and I have just bought a number of horses including runners for

Mike Robinson in the Cape and Paul Peter in Gauteng. I also have a horse with Gavin Smith in Port Elizabeth.”

Since starting out in 1998, the International Racing Club together with Michael and Laura, have won 161 races which includes the three at Greyville during March that contributed to Michael being the recipient of the Gold Circle Owner of the Month award.

Well done Michael!

KINMOUNT RACING SYNDICATE

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on the Kinmount Racing Syndicate where the nominee is Avison Keyan Carlisle.

The syndicate, formed quite recently, includes Keyan’s parents Avison and Mary along with other family members and friends and operates from the family’s Kinmount Stud just north of Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

Avison senior recalled how he and wife Mary became involved in racing through farming friends in 1996 and three years later bought their first horse, Rebel Patriot, that went on to win six races. A while later they bought Rebel Patriot’s dam, Rebel Qui, which became the foundation mare for the Kinmount Stud.

During February the syndicate had two winners – News Stream at Scottsville and Alfonso Spagoni at Greyville – the latter being the son of one of the daughters of Rebel Qui and, happily for three members of the Kinmount Racing Syndicate, a win first time out for the first horse they have ever been involved with.

Kinmount Stud is run by Avison senior and Mary with Keyan running the overall farming operation where the stud has produced a number of good horses that have contributed to the 47 winners they have enjoyed over the years.

The family is also involved with the welfare of the apprentice jockeys in the province with Avison senior being the chairman of the SA Jockey Academy at Summerveld for the past 10 years – a position which is very close to his heart.

A truly inspirational story of a family dedicated to the thoroughbred and those that celebrate its existence and purpose.

Well done.

MARIO FERREIRA

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month has been bestowed on Mario Ferreira.

The thoroughbred racehorse is a unique breed and for the past seven years since buying his first horse, Mario has dreamed of owning or breeding the individual specimen that stands out as a champion or, as it has been termed by many, “the special one.”

Building a string of about 50 horses over the years with a few being in partnership with others, Mario races most of his horses in KwaZulu-Natal. He has horses with various trainers around the country and the three winners he enjoyed at Greyville during the month took his winner total to 149.

Fully supported in his hobby by his family, Mario also has a considerable involvement in breeding in his passionate search for that “special” individual.

Well done Mario

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