CHRIS GERBER

The Gold Circle Owner of the Month Award has been bestowed on Chris Gerber
For Chris racing has been “a sickness inflicted on my family”, a love for racing that was sown by his father Mickey Gerber during the 70’s and 80’s and which he has “taken to another level.”
Since embarking on his own journey in the sport in 1995, he has increased his stake substantially being also involved in the administration of racing on the Highveld and in breeding at his Moutonshoek Stud in the Cape.
His investment in horses he says is “more than enough” and his successes are in excess of 200 including victory twice in the Summer Cup, in the Derby and other feature events.
During June Chris had three winners in KwaZulu-Natal with Kingmambo’s Legacy, Bezanova and Euphoria and as a serious member of the racing world, many more can be expected.

Well done Chris.

BRAAM VAN HYSSTEEN

Braam, the founder and award winning boss of the highly successful Cape-based company Tekkie Town, is an extraordinary man who has built his racing string in a similar way to how he built his business, starting small and growing quickly to be one of the biggest thoroughbred owners in the country with 130 horses in 22 stables throughout the industry.

In the relatively short time as an owner, he has had “well past” the 100 winner and had his best month in March with 20 winners – four in KwaZulu-Natal – and 15 places from 54 races. The best horse he has owned was Grey Cossack that won the Grade 2 Gold Vase while Western Movie won seven races for him.

He embarked on his racing ownership path when taking a 50% share with his horse-loving daughter Bianca in Young Caesour in 2009 and thereafter began building a very impressive string with a number of partners, taking the inevitable bad with the good, but enjoying it all.

He has a lot of fun with his racing and says the successes are very special, particularly when they are unexpected. Racing is his “down time” from work and he enjoys racing with his friends and introducing new people to the sport.

And what of his philosophy on life? “The best thing is, if you have had a bad day, tomorrow’s always a new start and you have something to look forward to all over again.”

Well done Braam.

BRETT VAN LAUN

Brett van Laun is Gold Circle’s Owner of the Month for February with two winners. Brett has an interest in many horses but his two winners came with Pure Valor for Lowan Denysschen and Desroches for Greg and Karen Anthony.

Brett has a long history in racing stretching back to the famous Dell family in Colesburg in the Karoo before his family moved to the KZN Midlands where his father set up Carmague Stud. After the untimely death of his father, his mother Carol, carried on but eventually sold up.

Brett still breeds and has mares with Jill Fox and Ken Tort. Desroches is one of his home breds.

Brett has high hopes for Pure Valor, a Dynasty colt bought off the National Yearling sales and a half-brother to the useful Mauritian performer Dustan who finished second to Futura on Met day two years ago. Pure Valor won his maiden very well at Greyville after running into all sorts of traffic from a wide draw and looks to have a lot of potential.

A staunch supporter of racing, Gold Circle wishes Brett great success in the future.

MICHAEL HILTON

The Gold Circle Owner Award for January has been awarded to Michael Hilton.

Working as a wine steward at Turffontein and Gosforth Park to earn pocket money during the last three years of school, Mike got his first taste of the sport of racing. Amongst the many leading owners in racing that he served were the then ‘King and Queen’ of the sport, the late Harry and Bridgett Oppenheimer.

Having grown up in Durban during the 1960’s but now living in Witbank, Mike has retained his love for the City and racing in KwaZulu-Natal and visits Durban regularly to visit family. On one of the visits he met Jane Thomas of Far End Racing in Mooi River who offered him shares in two horses – Mambo Number Five and Precious Royalty – with Mambo Number Five doing him proud with five wins and nine seconds, including a second in the King’s Cup while in the Dennis Drier stable. Mambo Number Five died in 2012 after a successful show jumping career for his daughter Keryn.

Mike now has shares in seven horses with trainer Wendy Whitehead, two of which – Big Ambition and Boom Sheiktheroom – book-ended his birthday on Saturday, January 24. Big Ambition won on the Friday evening and Boom Sheiktheroom on the Sunday which was a wonderful birthday present for him.

Now retired, Mike has decided to stay in Witbank as he knows the town well but prefers to race in Durban saying it’s a lot more fun. On his regular visits to the coast he enjoys spending time with family members and his racing partners watching his horses being put through their paces.

Well done Mike.

BERNIE & HOWARD SCHWEGMANN

The Gold Circle Owner Award for December has been bestowed on the father and son partnership of Bernie and Howard Schwegmann.

From a shaky start with the first two horses they owned having passed away, the Schweggman team is enjoying better luck and a lot more success with three of their four runners winning during the month.

Bernie has been involved in racing from the 70’s when standing as a bookmaker and after taking a break from the sport in the 80’s, he and son Howard joined forces five years ago to buy their first horse together.

Four years ago they joined the stable of Duncan Howells and now own eight horses of which four are in training with three due to make their debut this year and one in 2016.

They dabbled briefly in breeding but their first foal was stillborn and they decided it would be better to go to the sales where they could see what they were getting.

Well done Bernie and Howard.

MORGAN PILLAY

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month of November has been bestowed on Morgan Pillay

An accomplished businessman who manages his finances very carefully, Morgan entered racing as an owner seven years ago with the late trainer Paul Dennyschen by taking a share in the horse Winter Lightning that gave him his first winner.

Then the bug bit and since then his interest in the sport has spread to 20 horses with a wide spread of trainers that have brought his winning tally to 50 including the four winners that he enjoyed at Greyville during November.

The highlight of his involvement was having a hat-trick of wins on the same day at Scottsville with First Answer and Kentucky Guest with Doug Campbell and Candy Moon with Paul Gadsby.

While he has been involved with other sports like football and cricket, he feels a lot more at home among the racing community which he describes as very friendly and helpful. He said he is always made to feel welcome and the experience of winning, irrespective of the standard of the race, is so wonderful it is impossible to describe.

Horseracing is an expensive sport, but Morgan says that if one goes about it in the right way with the right people, it can be rewarding.

Well done Morgan.

DOUGLAS CAMPBELL

The Gold Circle Owner Award for the month of October has been bestowed on Douglas Campbell

A true horseman with a history going back to amateur racing in the early 60’s, Doug has been a licensed trainer since 1978 operating out of his excellent private training centre in the Richmond area of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands which includes a horse swimming pool for horses with leg problems.

Strongly supported and assisted by wife Di, Doug is one of the few breeders, owners and trainers in the country with a background which includes qualifications in physical training which he taught at schools before embarking on a racehorse training career when taking out his colours in 1970.

One of the more popular trainers in the country, Doug has 55 horses in his care and has shares in many of them. During the month he had six winners as an owner of which he bred four including the six-time winner Kingston Boy that Doug will take to the Highveld to contest the Merchants at Turffontein in the near future.

On the breeding side he has 16 mares on his farm but is planning to cut his breeding operation down to about six to relieve some of the pressure.

Following a lean period of about two months, Doug’s racing stable has bounced back and after his outstanding six winners in October, he scored another two at Greyville last Friday to get November off to a flying start.

Well done Doug

MAINE CHANCE FARMS

One of the country’s leading bloodstock breeders, the stud also races a large number of horses with trainers throughout the country and enjoys regular success. During the month their super fillies Pine Princess and La Cenerentola, trained in the Mike de Kock stable, did the stud proud and their winning exploits were worthy of the award.

Pine Princess looks something special having won on debut and then made short work of the opposition in the King’s Pact Stakes while La Cenerentola recorded her third straight victory.

Justin Vermaak, Racing Manager for Maine Chance Farms for the past 13 months, revealed that the stud had 60 horses in training and that Pine Princess would be aimed at the two top juvenile races, the Golden Slipper on Vodacom Durban July Day and the Thekwini Stakes on Gold Cup Day.

He said they would also bring their top Gauteng-based campaigner Tellina down to Durban for the Vodacom Durban July – depending on his rating – or the Champions Cup.

Well done Maine Chance Farms.

BRIAN BURNARD

Although associated for some time in past years with horses and racing through his former wife’s showjumping involvement and through former jockeys, it was not till two years ago that Brian made the decision to own a racehorse.

“I was sitting at home one day and thought I would like to own a racehorse or two. The Summerhill February sale was on at the time and I asked Mick Goss for the names of some good trainers. “He gave me one and when I contacted him he was on his way back from the Cape season and said he would contact me when he got home to Durban.

“That never happened but I had heard about Gavin van Zyl, him being a former jockey, and I contacted him to help me buy a horse at the sale. Well, before the sale he sold me Lady Tatty and we bought some more at the sale.”

Brian has enjoyed considerable success with 28 winners in his first season and 13 so far this season with three during February.

He says racing is a great sport and he and his family love it. “My present wife and my family go to the course when my horses are racing and my wife now owns a couple of horses in her own name.”

Brian now owns a large number of horses – “too many” – he says, and is also involved in a few others horses with partners.

Congratulations Brian and well done.