The Bonds Behind Alec Laird’s Comeback

Alec Laird and the owners of Fire Attack — Gary Basel, Grant Cornwall, Lance Clark and Denis O’Driscoll — were honoured with three trophies at the Highveld Racing Awards on Saturday, 17 May.

This was just hours before what would have marked the 60th birthday of Laird’s former top patron, Chris Gerber, who passed away from malaria in 2018.

Chris was widely admired in racing, business, and social circles — not least for his generosity and down-to-earth demeanour.

When his brother Johnny posted a birthday tribute on X, it stirred memories for many who had shared good times in his company.

“It’s hard to believe Chris has been gone for seven years. He was the backbone of my stable, and his sudden passing was a massive blow,” Alec reflected this week. Adding another layer of resonance, Alec is now the same age — 64 — as his legendary father, Syd Laird, was when he passed away in 1988.

Much has been said and written about Syd Laird’s extraordinary horsemanship, his bond with Alec and the rest of his family, his passion for gambling, and his fondness for a puff and the occasional shot of whiskey.

Alec, wisely, didn’t inherit the smoking habit. But he did absorb horsemanship and life skills to forge what has become an exceptional career of his own — now well into its third decade and showing in excess of 2,000 winners, including 20 Grade 1s.

After a few challenging seasons following Gerber’s passing, and with the support of a new group of staunch patrons, Alec has re-established himself among the top ten on the National Log.

With 70 horses in his care at Randjesfontein, the stable is thriving once again.

Alec recalled: “My father faced a few dips in his career too. One of them came when we moved from Durban to Alberton in the early 1980s, after he’d trained Politician, his last of seven Hollywoodbets Durban July winners. We’d lost momentum. He had to break through in a very competitive new centre. Despite the tough times, he stayed cheerful. He was up at the crack of dawn every morning, eager to train his horses at Newmarket. I once asked him, ‘Dad, how can you stay happy when we’re not having winners?’ He simply replied, ‘Son, you must never blame the game. Just keep going, don’t change your training methods. This is a tough game but it’s a good game.”

And, of course, it did. Syd soon found himself back among the big winners — just as Alec has now.

“Racing ebbs and flows, and much of it depends on the owners in your stable. In the early 2000s, I had a good thing going with a group of friends brought together by Iain Catterall. That group included Craig Clucas, Graeme Hope, Gavin Chamberlain, and Mark Currie. They campaigned horses like Hail Caesour (Caesour), American Badger (Badger Land), and Bilboa (Cordoba).”

Alec explained that Catterall was the glue holding the partners together, but over time their enthusiasm waned.

“Iain’s business interests in Australia meant he had to travel more often, and racing gradually took a back seat. They are all stockbrokers, constantly busy striking deals — an intelligent bunch who often had me scratching my head with the way they traded horse shares among themselves and their friends. Out of that association came an introduction to Chris Gerber, which marked the start of a new chapter for the yard.”

Gerber had a deep love for sport, especially rugby. His father, Mickey, was a Springbok player who later became an administrator, and Chris himself played first-team rugby at King Edward VII School (KES) and later for Stellenbosch University.

“Dr Bennie van der Merwe of Moutonshoek affectionately called Chris ‘Sportsman’ — not just because of his passion for rugby, but because he was a true gentleman,” Alec recalled.

“Chris approached life with a sporting spirit. He celebrated his victories in business and racing, but also took the losses on the chin.”

In the owners of Fire Attack and Atticus Finch, Alec said he has found the same camaraderie, friendship, and competitive spirit that once defined his earlier partnerships.

“Gary Basel and Grant Cornwall stepped into the gap after Chris passed away. Lance Clark and Denis O’Driscoll joined later. Phil Gregory has a share in Atticus Finch. They didn’t know each other outside of racing, but they’ve since become close friends who now socialise together. They’ve been inspirational and incredibly supportive in helping me rebuild the yard.”

Alec noted that at auction sales over the last few years, Basel, Clark and Cornwall, with their partners have significantly boosted the stable’s buying power.

Their strategy is to spread the risk through partnerships. Instead of buying one or two individually, they can buy around 10 horses together.

They enjoy the wins just as much if not better while sharing the success with friends.

“It gives us more runners, more often,” Alec said. “They just love their racing. We all get together when we have runners on a race day. It’s a whole lot of fun — and that’s really what it’s all about.”

Through their close involvement with Alec at the sales, the group has also developed a sharper eye for selecting horses.

“We consider and discuss every personal choice together before bidding on selected lots,” he explained.

“There are times when we might decide to go for a more expensive horse. You sometimes have to, if you want a well-bred offspring of Gimmethegreenlight or Vercingetorix, for example. But it’s not the priority.”

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