It is always heartwarming to see a small stable enjoy a rare winner, and trainer Jannie Borman seems to pop up every year around this time with a winner from a handful of battling runners that invariably seem to end up in his yard at the Vaal.
Jannie saddled owner Shaun Potgieter’s Itsnowornever, a problem-plagued five-year-old gelding by Global View, to his Maiden win in a 2400m race at the Vaal on Thursday, expertly guided by title-chasing Craig Zackey.
“I only got Itsmowornever into the yard three weeks ago,” said a jubilant Jannie, who praised Zackey for his well-judged ride and gave compliments to William Kapele, a groom who has worked for him for 15 years.
“I hope I get something for Christmas from a new owner or two,” quipped the affable 73-year-old trainer, a loner since his divorce almost 30 years ago, and a horseman who has survived several hard decades in the game but has yet to find the support he deserves. Only three of his 14 stables are occupied, and Jannie literally holds back tears when he explains what a difference just three or four extra runners would make in his life.
Jannie took out his own trainers’ licence in 1997, starting with 18 horses based alongside Bertie van der Merwe, Mike McLachlan and Kevin Coetzee at the old Bloemfontein track. He was initially supported by the late Stefaan Botha and Faan Mynhardt and got going well with horses like Pounds For Pennies (Shalford) and Enchanted Angel (Dolpour), who won several races between them.
Jannie moved to Kimberley in 2005 and was a regular in the winner’s enclosure with up to 40 horses. “Those were good days because Kimberley was flourishing and there was a spread of horses between trainers. I had winners almost every week.” His best horse was a reject, Beach Flight (Jet Master) a colt bought for just R5,000 at the pre-July Sale in KZN in 2010. “Beach Flight was troublesome, but talented and I got him right. He won four races in a row at Flamingo Park between March and May 2011. He was improving so much I took him to the Vaal on 19 May of that year and he ran away from them, won by five lengths for jockey Marthinus Mienie. Beach Flight won seven of 15 starts.
When Flamingo Park was closed, Jannie moved to the Vaal just before the onset of Covid, and lost horses and patrons as a result. “I am here for the love of my horses and the game, I have a happy stable and I am capable of training a good horse. It’s not easy to train moderate horses, one goes much faster driving a Mercedes Benz than a Tata!”
Even moderate acquisitions are helpful when you’re training downright average horses, and veteran owner Gerald Sadlier has extended a hand – they’ve won four races with Vava Vegas – but one small owner can only do so much. Jannie is the kind of industry faithful we need to assist and protect, for the sake of preserving the hopes and dreams of racing’s remaining ‘ordinary’ folk, people who will give their last drops of blood to stay involved in the game.
“I am not tech-savvy, so I’m also hoping to find someone who can help me to do some marketing online,” said Jannie. “Perhaps we can put a few partners together and find runners that will bring us joy.”
