Trainer communications

possum thank you for the feedback. i expect a 1 on 1 with the trainer, but it seems that maybe my expectations are too high.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm but Mike............ where is your number??????


No seriously, instead of getting uptight about it, call the guy, tell him your issues and then hopefully he can rise to your standards if not then you take it from there....

Communication is so vital between people and a lack of it just causes unneccessary drama....

Call him MM!!! Good Luck!!

The following is a true story even though it makes me not happy to tell it.

I have a suster in SA and the ONLY time her phone connects 1st time with absolute clarity is when she needs me to send some pounds. When i endeavour to call her on other occasions she does not answer, the phone breaks up, their is no signal etc etc

Now trainers imvho are EXACTLY the same and i speak of all the ones i have used.

M Azzie
D Ferarris
G Smith
G Mazaham
B Warren
L Goosen
A Kotze

I can call them anytime and mostly 99% of the time they answer their calls then we talk kak, but the ONLY time communication flows/ed properly was when it was time to go shopping. Then they all call....


Unless you actullay go to the stables everyday and have breakfast and hang out there you will just be another "brick in the wall"

Best is old man Ferraris..
called him in the 80's..
he had the horse for 3 months..
never met him..
never been to the stables...
Bruce Chalmers did my commissions...

Called him one day...
introduced myself and asked how the horse is doing...
he answered : ask the horse and put the phone down in my ear...

sold the horse to the bookmaker Bill ferguson the next day for about R25k..
got the message from the trainer..

bill raced the horse twice...opened fav each time..unplaced..
send it to kimberley..unplaced...

it's just a question of understanding the trainers...
old man Ferraris did me a fav..will give him horses again..

Bertie Heyden..

Gave him 4 horses and a letter for the jockey club to grant him a training licence..

gave him a unraced horse..about R25k..1988/9..
never heard from him, but on payday...
after 3 months of training the horse suddenly needed knee surgery..
sold it the same day for R25k...

same story...opened fav..unplaced...


Braam Malerbe..

got drunk during 1988..bought 11 horses on some sale..
paid by cheque..and signed the horse over to some trainer..called Braam..


Frikkie Theart did my commissions then..
took him 3 days to trace the horses...
subletting from Uzent or some surname like that.. at Newmarket...

braam did not tell me that he did not have a license yet..

each time I asked when the horse was to run...he showed me how they looked..
each time I asked how the horses looked...he told me that they would run next week....


so after 333 days...the first horse, danger bay could run, braam now had a license...the horse was 40/1...

frikkie did the commissions while I was drinking upstairs at Newmarket...
took the 40/1..
took the 33/1..
took the 25/1..
took the 20/1..
took the 16/1..

took the P6, Jackpot, swg etc..

Paul Whitmore ran 2nd..we won...
then they wanted to disqualify my horse..braam did not pay some R15 fee..


sold all 11 horses the next day to braam..
he had R3,500.00 on him...
now he had to feed them....

I had a 1/4 share with a leading trainer. The first 5 times I went to talk to him at the races he greeted me with " How do you do, pleased to meet you." He proceeded to lie about the horses well being, as the assisant had informed me about problems with this horse. It broke a leg and was destroyed after a grass gallop before his first race. Needless to say no phone call from him.

I would rather throw my money into a fire than support this retard again.

Mad Mike,

Once upon a time many moons ago we had horses with a certain stable in GP. We were lucky in that with our first 10-runs from three individual horses we had 6-wins, including a filly that could RUN!!!
How many times do you think we got told to have a punt??? Zero, nada, nil, nothing. Funny thing that each time one of our new horses stepped out on the hallowed grounds that is Turffontein they opened up favorite or was backed into favouritism. Still waiting for the call to tell us they would win, run, whatever.

I love this game more than anyone else. Here is some advice. Back other peoples horses, don't own your own!!!! (Just my opinion obviously)

Over the years have had horses with Mcmurtry, Azzie, Otto, Lowe, Maroun (Robert),Sage, Lucky, Uncle George, Eudey.

some only shares, however the easiest to communicate with was Lucky, but had no problems with any of the above gents.

Whatever happened to Cliffy Otto, a very pleasant man, was fortunate to be with him during the Divine Act era.

I wanted to be a trainer....
first do it army style...
first 3 months...10 times round the track on a decent gallop...get them fit..
then we worry what skills they have...
sprinter...
mile...
stayers...


teach the jocks to read the computer form...top of the page each race...
1st place R50,000 2nd place RXXXX 3rd Place YYYYY

calculator....8% (jockeys chop) x R50,000 + R20k on the nose...

all the owners (in the ring) and jockeys (carded on the day) on the same horse....all sleep/walk with the horse till the jump....load last at the jump....a few tow truckers to explain the loading process to the starter and helpers...a real commotion at the start...

will punt the bookies out of the country...all the way to the bucketshops in singapore......
will be banned after 4 weeks...
the EPO will be running out their ears...

who cares...

Hi Mike,

I have 14 horses with 2 trainers. The one in Natal - Ivan Moore phones me at least twice a day every 2nd day. What i appreciate is the phone call at 7 in the morning when they finished their work and puts the jockey on the line to tell me how they worked - different jocks every time.

Furthermore i get detailed conversations and that i admire. I'm lucky, he has a small string - about 40 horses - that makes me feel important and he does the same for his other patrons from 10% to 100% partnerships. He actually treated us on July day and i met the other owners in his stable on the day.

He is underrated but he gets his winners, a good horseman, good eye, does,nt punt and let's me know if i got a iffy horse or a serious chance. He let's me choose my jocks and races - HE MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THE OWNER...he's got the authority to act on my decisions...but we do discuss and i listen when needed...

For the other...big stable 4 runners... every 2 weeks i get feedback...but my horses run well...get my monies worth...

Jeeeezzzzz Andre, where do you find the time to write all this shit?????

the topic has had some very good response and I am glad that opinions were given. I am surprised that people think I am to expecting when I say I want to now what is happening with my horse every two weeks or so. I think about why I should do this and one of the reason is that I get vet bills every month showing whatever medicine. should the trainer not say that the horse is sick or needs this for whatever? also as two year olds we like to now how they are progressing. some of the trainers have my now three year old in training for over six months. why do they go in training if they are not running?

i am sorry. i am told that possum is the sister of a trainer. she ask if i will accept sms as a way of communication. that will not be acceptable. will it be acceptable if your owner dont pay? this is a two way street and it seem that from the trainer point of veiw it is only 1 way.