MARY LILEY

Having been in racing since 1960 and owned some of the really great horses to race in this country, Mary is one of the “grand dames” of South African racing whose passion for the sport is as strong as ever.

“I married into racing,” she said, and after the death of her first husband, the late Herman Brown – father of leading South African trainer Herman Brown senior and grandfather of Herman Brown junior now training overseas – she married the late John Liley who had been involved in jump racing in New Zealand.

They bought New Zealand horses to race in South Africa including great horses like Bold Monarch, Sun Monarch and the horse she believed was the best she ever owned, Be Noble.

After John died Mary sold off her breeding mares and with Tony Rivalland as her trainer continued racing her horses. “I am still racing and still buying horses and still enjoying it” Mary quipped and, as it seems, still having success.

During the month, four of her horses won five races on the polytrack at Greyville which was an outstanding single-month achievement for an owner.

Well done Mary

Thabo Mhlongo

This is a racing fairytale if ever there was one with a first-time owner having a winner with the first horse he has owned in its very first race.

Thabo Mhlongo was a farmer in the Midlands where he became friends with popular owner-breeder Rob Smith who farmed in the same area – a friendship which developed to the point where Rob eventually talked Thabo into buying a racehorse that he had bred – Ishnana.

At Scottsville on March 1 under Mandla Ntuli for Garth Puller, the two-year-old Al Miqdaam colt proved too good for his opposition to win by half a length completing the fairytale.

“Rob was my neighbour when I started farming and he was very helpful, teaching me how to farm properly. He’s a wonderful human.

“It is very exciting and has united the whole family. They are all very excited and we visit Ishnana at the stables as a family, talking to him and reminding him that we remember him as a baby.

“This horse is a start and I hope to have three or four by the time I retire in the next few years.”

Congratulations and well done Thabo.

HESTER KUHN

With hubby Heinrich seriously involved and having so much enjoyment with the racehorses he owns, housewife and mother of young children Hester eventually decided, about four years ago, to “jump on the bandwagon” and join Heinrich and his brother as a racehorse owner – a move that in February saw three of her runners make it to the winner’s enclosure at Scottsville and Greyville.

Currently involved in about 20 horses, Hester has found the racing experience to be intriguing and the interaction with the horses very therapeutic. She has always loved animals and now accompanies Heinrich at times to the stables on a Saturday morning.

“You know how things are with all the daily challenges you face running a home and taking care of the children and there are occasions when, on the way to the stables, you don’t really feel like going – there are too many things on your mind.

“But I love to go into the boxes with the horses and interact with them and no matter how up tight I was when I arrived, after spending time with the animals I come away feeling so relaxed that I would just like to go to sleep.”

With their home in Cape Town, Hester and Heinrich have horses in the Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng and visit Durban regularly in January and July and on other occasions when their horses are competing.

Hester is fascinated by the intrigue of the sport where one never knows just how things are going to develop. “You can have the best horse, the best jockey and the best conditions but it doesn’t mean you are going to win.”

But sometimes you do, so well done Hester and may you have many more winners.

ALESH NAIDOO

Racing stables around the country are benefitting from the generosity and sportsmanship of one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most successful racehorse owners who believes in spreading his support among a number of trainers.

In fact, runners bearing the famous blue, red and white colours of Alesh’s Fire Racing Trust team can be seen lighting up the tracks in KwaZulu-Natal, the Cape, Gauteng and Kimberley.

For Alesh racing is a passion that goes back to his schoolboy days “as a punter”, a “pastime” in which he has done extremely well and which financed his entry into his very successful role as an owner of about 80 horses. It is all about having fun for Alesh and sharing that fun with others and the large investment he has made in the industry in the past eight years has been rewarded with more than 100 winners.

During January his horses again performed well and three of them found their way into the winner’s enclosure – Rockefeller and Roman Emperor at Greyville and Sabre Charge at Scottsville.

Well done Alesh, your attitude and contribution to racing is applauded and may your good fortune continue.

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