“We bought him off the farm. Dr Crohin came down from South West Africa with a big suitcase, opened it up in front of Granville and he couldn’t refuse! He was an absolute champ – he won the Nursery, the Guineas, the Derby and the July – you can’t ask for more.”
They tell you all those stories, but the truth is it can be done by a small owner, and you can have a tremendous amount of satisfaction.
Hurvitz said he wanted me to go to Cape Town and have a crack at the Met and I said ‘I’m not going to Cape Town, nor is Furious – he’s having a holiday.’ Those were my very words to him, so he knew who he was dealing with!
It’s important to look after your image. It opens doors to other countries and it’s a way of getting your name out there, even in places where you don’t know anyone
I’m happy. It doesn’t happen often in life, but I worked for so long to find a horse like this – it’s hard to explain, but it gives you confidence
Ever since I arrived, I’ve felt comfortable here. Sometimes you go somewhere and you don’t feel comfortable – here I wasn’t even sitting on a horse, but I felt good.
We stand a good chance, I think. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed.
At 85, Reggie Knight is one of the fast disappearing legion of the racing fraternity’s ‘old guard’. From small premises on Milnerton racecourse he produced the likes of 1970 July winner Court Day and 1977 Queen’s Plate winner Bold Monarch. We chat to him about racing, Noreen Stud and his life with horses.
Harold Crawford may not have big, powerful owners or a string of fancy horses, but you’ll always find a shy smile, a hot cup of coffee and some fascinating conversation.
Duncan McKenzie is the sort of guy who prefers focusing on the job to worrying about how he got there, but the affable PE trainer has a fascinating history in the sport.
With horses you’ve got to dream, haven’t you? If you stop dreaming, you’ll never realise much. You’ve got to keep dreaming – and work hard.
SplashOut-sponsored Apprentice Savanna Valjalo broke the ice at Hollywoodbets Greyville at her 11th ride under rules on Wednesday
A springboard for top horses over the decades, the R500 000 Gr3 Langerman throws up its share of drama and Saturday’s renewal stayed true to form with an objection by the rider of the 50 to 1 runner-up
Sean Tarry’s scratching of SA Derby winner Legend Of Arthur has reduced the Hollywoodbets Durban July queue to 27 entries
