Scott and Diane De Kock – at Mike’s 50th
If there’s one word which describes trainer Scott Kenny it is “survivor”. He has experienced the roller-coaster of racing with memorable highs mixed with hard-time lows, yet you will find people in the sport who admire him and describe him as someone who “knows the game”, writes Dave Mollett.
It has not been an easy last 12 months for Scott and that has nothing to do with horses.
“I had a heart op in July last year – I was born with a hole in the heart and then they discovered two in the top half so it had to be fixed,” said Scott yesterday.
“This set-back didn’t do me any favours and some owners moved on, but thanks to Timothy Pretorius and Gavin Lerena we kept ticking along and I’m over the moon that last season we had an over-14% strike-rate. That’s quite an achievement compared to some stables with much larger strings.”
Right now, Scott’s thoughts are on the Emerald Cup and he’s hopeful his talented five-year-old, Shadow Line, will get a run in the R1 million race.
However, first let’s look back at Scott’s career which began in 1982 with Michael Azzie . Then came spells with Stanley Ferreira and three years as a semi-private trainer to Henry Devine. In the early 1990′s he looked after Alec Laird’s yard for a while while he was in Dubai and then he joined Sean Tarry.
“While I thoroughly enjoyed working with top livestock at Sean’s stable, the travelling from Alberton to Midrand each day became a problem. Then I got the opportunity to train for Connie Brooks but – to be honest – due to viruses etc it never really got off the ground and Connie decided to spread his wings. It was a huge knock for me but we got by thanks in great measure to my wife, Jean.”
SA’s Equus journalist of the year, Dave Mollett
Scott currently has a team of 18 at his Vaal stable and will be looking for some young stock at the forthcoming sales.
“What we are lacking right now is a financially strong client base – if you’ve got those financial resources then the quality is on-going and it makes all the difference. The game has got expensive with grooms wages due to go up in the near future.”
Scott is no stranger to big race success with Cardinal Sin one of his most successful horses and you have to love his enthusiasm when he says “I’ve no doubt I can do the job as well as anyone.”
This month that job entails his five year-old Toreador gelding, Shadow Line, hopefully making the final field for the Emerald Cup. “I need a couple of horses to come out so I hope to move up (the log) by winning with him at the Vaal on 11 September. It’s a 1450m Pinnacle race and I’ve booked Gavin (Lerena) for the ride.” (For the record, he won that race on his coconut on Thursday 11 September – Ed)
Interestingly, Scott feels there could be a joker in the Emerald Cup pack in the form of one of Sean Tarry’s six entries, his Grade 1 performer Whiteline Fever. “If he pulls a draw and acts on the surface, he’s got the ability to be a real factor.
“Shadow Line is way above average and certainly wouldn’t be out of place in the race,” concluded Scott.
Unquestionably one of the characters in the game, Scott Kenny might have a “dicky” heart but – when it comes to racing – you know it’s in the right place.
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