Greg Ennion congratulates Captain Of All gelding Major Apollo, whose shareholders include one of SA’s most famous owners Marsh Shirtliff, whom Greg actually introduced to racehorse ownership (JC Photos)
Greg Ennion took out his license in 1974 so has been training thoroughbreds for 50 years and, despite operating on a shoestring sales budget in the country’s strongest centre, his current 35 strong string is one of the best he has had in recent times.
Training thoroughbreds demands a variety of horsemanship skills, all equally important, and every season that extra bit of experience adds to the trainers’ worth.
It all begins at the Sales and Greg admitted, “I buy the best I can for as little as I can.”
In cricketing parlance it could be said after 50 years of inspecting Sales horses Greg’s eye is in and it shows in the power of his three-year-old string.
Talking about one of them, the Varsfontein-bred Master Of My Fate filly Polynomial, he said, “I bought her at nationals (BSA National Yearling Sale) and paid 100 grand for her. She was an absolutely lovely filly, but she was underdone and very immature, but she caught my eye when she was walking in the ring.”
Greg took a further look at her and another aspect that contributed to his decision to buy her was she is from the family of Master Plan, whom Greg trained to win the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m and the Gr 2 Betting World Derby over 2400m as well as the Gr 3 July consolation race.
On debut over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Polynomial was allowed to go off at 75/1 odds, which is not surprising as the form analysts look at the raced horses first and then consider the first-timers from the big yards.
A small yard first-timer is almost always ignored.
However, Polynomial burst through late down the inside and won by a cosy 1,50 lengths under Corne Orffer.
The first visual impression she gave was of being small and whippet-like and perhaps in the category of an early season horse who had the advantage of precocity.
However, Ennion’s first impression of her as being immature has proved to be the correct one, because in her last start it was obvious she had strengthened up considerably and had that classic look about her.
In her second start over 1250m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville in going that caused the meeting to be abandoned straight after her race, she turned for home way out of her ground and Corne Orffer, under the circumstances, wisely decided to not give her a hard time. However, she made up plenty of ground in eyecatching fashion to be beaten just 4,25 lengths.
Then in her next start on Tuesday last week in a handicap over that same Durbanville 1250m under Grant van Niekerk she once again turned for home way out of her ground, but this time in good going. A notably stronger looking Polynomial ran on superbly and only failed by neck to get there with the rest of the field beaten 2,75 lengths and more.
The run caught the eye of the handicapper, who bumped her up four points from 88 to 92.
Greg admitted he had high hopes for her.
He said, “I am going to nominate her for the Diana Stakes (Gr 3 over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on September 28). The problem is finding a jockey to ride her at 50kg. Otherwise I will just wait for the Western Cape Fillies Championship (Gr 2 over 1400m for three-year-olds at Hollywoodbets on November 9) and then the Fillies Guineas (Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth on December 7) although she will need to win another race to get in there.”
Greg believes she wants some ground and added, “If she really does well my ultimate aim is to run her in the Paddock Stakes (Gr 1 wfa Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m in January).”
He continued, “She is filling out and growing into a very nice filly.”
He said about the intended jockey if she does run in the Gr 1 events, “Whatever decent jock I can get, because it is not easy. I am a small yard and the big yards grab the big jocks, it’s that simple!”
He added, “I use Corne Orffer and Grant van Niekerk as much as I can … hopefully I can get one of them.”
But having said all of that Greg revealed that Polynomial is not even the best three-year-old filly in his yard in his opinion.
He said, “Miss World (One World) is probably my best three-year-old filly. She’s also going to run in the Diana Stakes. She won her second start and then ran second to a good horse (Talk To The Master) and then second to a top horse (Lion Rampart and she beat Talk To The Master comfortably in that race). She then ran fourth in the Irridescence (Listed over 1500m), but did not handle the heavy track that day.”
He continued, “I also have Dixieland Band (The United States), who ran second in the Irridescence … she handled the going a lot better than Miss World did.”
He has other decent three-year-old fillies All Is Green (Captain Of All), who is returning from an injury (she finished five lengths behind Miss World over 1200m).”
Of his three-year-old males one-time winner Surge Of Power (Potala Palace) is merit rated 103 after finising a close up fourth in the Gr 3 Langerman over 1500m and Arctic Wizard (What A Winter) won well third time out on Saturday.
He has a hitherto unraced Master Of My Fate colt called Brigadier Billy, who he believes has a bright future.
He said, “I have a lot of very decent three-year-olds and no expensive horses. I have a lovely crop of babies this year too.”
He concluded, “My clients have been very good to me.”
Greg also landed the R200,000 Winter Country Championship final on the first day of the season with the Rafeef filly Silver Screen.
Greg mentioned some of the best horses he had trained in his 50 years in the game although there must have been many and he is likely to have over looked some.
He said Master Plan was one of the best and he reckoned the best filly he had ever trained was Model Man filly Model School who won the Paddock Stakes as a three-year-old.
He also recalled winning nine feature races with Symbolize, while Karthala won his first five and then broke down.
One of the horses he obviously omitted was Astro News (Silvano), who had various trainers but while with Greg he finished a narrow second in the Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap, was 6th in the Met behind the great Igugu and placed behind the great Variety Club in the KRA Guineas.
Greg was usually involved in Cape Summer season and KZN Champion Season features at one stage and winning the Gr 2 J&B Reserve Summer Stayers two years in a row with Sangria Girl and at least three features in the KZN Champions season in 2012 as well as once running one-two in the Politician Stakes, a black type pointer to the Cape Derby, are memories that spring to mind.
There have been the near misses too, like the time he singled out two horses at the sales for owner John Harrison. One of them was Jay Peg, who was destined to become one of the highest earners in SA history with Gr 1 success in SA and abroad, but they opted for the other one for the simple reason that John wanted a grey.
Greg was responsible for John Harrison being involved in the sport and another big owner he introduced was the top owner Marsh Shirtliff.
Greg hopes some of his best horses ever might emerge from his current crop and said, “We always live in hope … a trainer lives in hope. Horses can’t speak so you never know where you are. You go on a day to day basis and see how they improve. But I am very happy with what I’ve got and I think some of my three-year-olds will match any that I’ve seen so far.”
Greg hails from a racing family and was once the leading rider in the Cape Hunt, so is a horseman through and through.
He invariably has a sunny disposition and clearly enjoys training.
