Re:TRAINERS ROAD TO FAME.

Would love to see a thread on which horse changed trainers lives and made them famous.

WOLF POWER started off his career with the great Herman Brown.
Sold under his advice and ended up in the yard of RICKY MAINGARD.
I think it was the best horse he ever had and the WOLF was sold to the USA.

What amazes me is the young trainers or small yards that win big races/Grade 1 and don't attract new owners for some reason.. There has been a few recently

When Paul Peter just started training he had a sprinter called Magico. It was a very speedy horse. Its first couple of runs were really good but it never really reached any heights.

Look at Mr Peter now.

Also Sean Tarry and his brothers were owners with Divided Loyalty their best then. They had green and red colours I think. They won the Gauteng Fillies Guineas with Golden Apple who became the broodmare of July winner Pomodoro when Sean just took out his license.
Alastor the Met winner certainly raised his profile.

I guess its not how you start but how progress.

Joe Soma should have had more horses when he found Special Preview.
Stuart Pettigrew found a horse called Golden Globe I think and should have had a great deal of support after that.
I hope Rix/Crawford get some decent horses after finding the Kommet.
Hollywood should send a couple to Billy Ruiters.

.....correct Naresh....Alastor winning the Met certainly catapulted Sean into the limelight and attracted the attention of what became his biggest patron namely Chris van Niekerk....I remember sitting at a table at the BSA Cape Sales with Sean and his brother Mark....and my female (step) cousin was chatting to Sean and she was asking him about his chances in the Met against Tyson....he quietly told her that even if he runs close in the places it would be worth the trip down...well then with certain other runner/s adopting the usual spoiling tactics on messing with the pace....Garth Puller delivered the win....:S

I actually met Sean way before then when I once owned a restaurant in the mid 90's and he had the company Sir Juice ....I had a problem with some product that had a rather short shelf life and Sean called on me and explained that because it was(at the time) preservative free it had to be consumed rapidly...and he still replaced the product....

.long before Sean became a trainer I saw him and brother Mark at almost every horse sale....they hardly ever bid but were like me studying the inner workings of auctions and gaining knowledge.

When I started marketing nutraceutical feed additives early 2000's, one trainer kept on confusing me with brother Mark and nearly every time I phoned the trainer he would go on and on about breeding and "when am I getting more mares" ..(thinking I was Mark) and I then realized that Mark was a bit of a pedigree fundi.....and it is this event that made me want to learn so much more and really dive deep into the breeding aspect and get much more knowledge as possible...

After that Met win I immediately noticed an elevation of unbelievable confidence and deservedly so in both the Tarry's....as they worked long and hard to get to where they are now....

@ Bob

Drakenstein achieved incredible success in the last 12 months with a number of trainers, big and small yards, across the country and their strike rate has been incredible for all the new yards, especially up north.

Suzette Viljoen is another amazing supporter of the smaller yards, with great success across the country and this is key to the survival of the industry.

The powers that be in the industry and especially the operators and the NHRA need to come up with solutions that promote healthy competition and protect the smaller yards from being marginalised by the bigger yards.

Greg_Bortz mentioned one of his key initiatives is 'helping get the numbers up for smaller yards'. Imho that is the end game or the objective of addressing the anti-competitive landscape that does not benefit the industry in the long term and only benefits a handful of trainers. The starting point imho should be an intervention to gradually reduce the number of boxes that will be made available to the bigger yards and avail these boxes to smaller yards. A more competitive landscape will see bigger field and horses being carded more often.

In Cape Town, the imbalance in the number of boxes held by 2 or 3 trainers vs smaller yards requires urgent redress. A similar imbalance exists at Fairview but is diluted somewhat by the Cape raiders, all to the detriment of the smaller yards in PE.

......Young Joey Ramsden was relatively unknown to many of us Vaalies.... until won the 2001 November Handicap Gr1 with Taupo Retreat....

MDK - Horse Chestnut
Pat Antelme - Gondolier
Buddy Maroun - Golden Loom
Lucky - JJ the Jet Plane
Alec Laird - London News
Grant Maroun - Victory Moon Owner/Trainer
Pettigrew - Tyson
Zietsman - Attie
Dean Kannemeyer - Dynasty

Sylvester wrote:

MDK - Horse Chestnut
Pat Antelme - Gondolier
Buddy Maroun - Golden Loom
Lucky - JJ the Jet Plane
Alec Laird - London News
Grant Maroun - Victory Moon Owner/Trainer
Pettigrew - Tyson
Zietsman - Attie
Dean Kannemeyer - Dynasty

A young Mike de Kock took over the late R Ginsberg stable. In his first year he won a Grade 1 with a filly Evening Mist. By the time Horse Chestnut came around he had already numerous Graded winners including Record Edge. De Kock was destined for great things from a young age due to his horsemanship.

Dean Kannemeyer took over the reigns from his late father who in his own right was a legend. Before Dynasty, Free My Heart, Colonial Girl and others was already winning Grade 1s. Free My Heart win against Fort Defiance in the Daily News was brilliant.

Victory Moon maybe only ran once or twice in South Africa. Maroun had horses with De Kock and ended up in Dubai. Trying to find out who the trainer was when he was in South Africa but I am leaning towards De Kock.

.....I recall that another of the Maroun family also a trainer was involved with MAD Syndicate.....I think DGA Maroun but cannot remember his 1st name....was a big spat between him and MDK and then Frikkie Greying got a trainers license to take over....but did not train Victory Moon....

.....Dean Maroun....:woohoo:

VICTORY MOON TOPS SALE

Dean Maroun left no stone unturned to acquire the best on offer at the De Kock/Maroun Dispersal sale in Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon.

Maroun stopped the show with a whopping R5 million bid for the stallion, Victory Moon. Owned by Maroun and partners, the beautiful Al Mufti horse will remain at Maine Chance Farm where he is currently residing. The farm has purchased 20% of the horse from Maroun at the sale price. Maroun was ecstatic at getting back his pride and joy.