natal trainers fail to win a group one since outcome last july

Mike de Kock's main yard is in Natal and he only has raiders and babies in JHB - surely he qualifies as a Natal Trainer...

There were only 32 Grade 1s last season and the only trainers to win one were De Kock (6), Kotzen (5) C. Laird (4), Woodruff (3), Bass (3), Ramsden (2) Snaith (2), Ferraris (1), Kannemeyer (1), Marcus (1), Tarry (1), Zaki (1), A. Laird (1), Marshall (1).

Tipster - That Grade 1 stat is frightening if you are a 'local boy'. It means the locals are NEVER getting a bite at the cherry atop the cake.

Alcaponee - happily we are not having an argument - just examining some unkind facts!

The flaw in your premise of comparing a rugby team to racing is best summed up in one of the oldest adages in racing : 'Money cannot buy you a good horse'. (Unless, of course, you buy a proven horse-in-training which is effectively what Natal rugby did in poaching largely from Free State ). As stated earlier - it is a mathematical impossibility not to fluke a couple of good horses out of any group purchased - which is what this centre has managed to do.

If it were that simple and only dependent upon purchasing power the July field would comprise a small band of Western Winters, Fort Woods, Jallads, Jet Masters etc. You only have to go through the winners to see that the reality is completely different with many unfashionably bred horses winning. The great Politician was a case in point - costing about R4500 as a yearling - cheap even in those days. In Full Flight was another cheapie. In fact the race has probably been won by more 'cheapies' than expensive horses. So money is definitely not the primary issue.

My expressed opinion is not rendered with any glee. Having three ruthlessly competitive centres excites me far more than just the two we presently have - particularly as that competitiveness is further diluted by the present reluctance of coastal trainers to regularly raid Gauteng. When I started racing in the 70's Natal trainers used to make hay during the Cape Summer Season through Syd Laird, Herman Brown Snr, David Payne etc. They also raided Jhb with regularity and success.

So something clearly is wrong and precious little seems to be being done to address it. I know that if I were a local trainer I would find it downright embarrassing to be nothing more than an interested onlooker or 'field filler' during the Durban season.

The only surprising aspect of this whole affair is that this centre is not also raided by PE as I fancy many of the horses racing there would beat the locals as well!

I'm very provincial and more talking sh1t than stating facts. i must admit that it is qute concerning that we do not have a strong centre with some of the finest breeding houses being just up the road from our tracks. we have the facilities the horses and pretty much everything we need bar a few serious investors.

Perhaps one of the many KZN trainers who probably read this site could tell us why their performance has been "sub standard" in context of what has been written here.

We must also realise that special horses come along once in a while. Special horses win the July. PP is a special horse DD the same BCL may turn out to be super special. maybe KZN has not had that special horse yet (Lord London - maybe)Perhaps the fact that BCL is trained by a Cape trainer tells the story especially considering the story of the owner changing the number boards at Greyville in his youth, you would think that this horse would be trained locally!

I cannot speak with any authority on what goes on outside of Natal as I have not travelled, but the big diffrence between trainers nationally and KZNites is where they place themselves in the market. The outside of KZN trainer markets himself better outside of KZN. MDK, Mike Bass have decent websites and the results sell the product.

I strongly believe that there are encouraging signs for KZN trainers though as I have mentioned in posts above. I am sure they read these comments and I would rather encourage and be positive than sit write them off on this site as being no good. the signs are there and the tide will turn.

The tide may turn. But will our grandchildren be alive to see it?

one more quick point - if we apply the theory of fluking a good horse then why do the not so prominant trainers in the other centres not fluke a good one and win the July? Answer - bank balance

no that is not true al

lucky houderlakis - jj nothing else
joe soma - special preview nothing else
george scott - mr peerson and maybe fair brutus nothing else

just some examples

Fair enough Mike - I did say fluke a good horse and win the July though

Dunford left KZN as a one time winner...but obviously the July is hard to fluke. It's only one race after all.

i think you can list any gr1 al not just the july al

Mike - the only reason why I selected the July was as reference to Garricks comment about the July being the pinnacle.

Clairwood today:

Race 1 - JHB
Race 2 - JHB
Race 3 - JHB
Race 4 - CPE
Race 5 - KZN
Race 6 - KZN
Race 7 - JHB
Race 8 - KZN

All horses have their ratings bar the maidens. Nothing wrong with the results and there are raiders left over from the Cape to pick up minor prizes.

Perhaps a provincial competition should be launched with an incentive for trainers in all areas to raid eachothers provinces for a grand prize at the end of the year. This will make racing interesting

Alcaponee wrote ;

one more quick point - if we apply the theory of fluking a good horse then why do the not so prominant trainers in the other centres not fluke a good one and win the July? Answer - bank balance

Sorry, mate, but you are wrong again! With respect to the trainers listed hereunder - none of them were 'leading lights' in their respective provinces with big budgets and all of them won the July!

1980 - Beau Art - J Nicholson
1981 - Big Charles - L F Naude
1982 - Jamaican Rhumba - G Thompson
1985 - Gondolier - M Antelme
1987 - Bush Telegraph - B Abercrombie
1994 - Space Walk - M Maingard

Most of the above trainers populated the BOTTOM half of their respective trainer logs yet won the July!