Picture : The first leg of a double for Kinmount Stud homebreds as Malcolm’s Dream, ridden by Cole Dicken, is led in by owners Keyan and Mary Carlisle (right) and Hayley Dixon (left) (Picture: Candiese Lenferna).
The Kinmount Stud of the late Avison Carlisle and his widow Mary is a KZN racing fairytale that has seen a family who knew little about racing taking the plunge into ownership and after immediate success in that field they started breeding one day partly due to a poor performance by the Proteas on the cricket field.
From small beginnings the small stud operation had produced 50 wins by the time of Avison’s passing in August three years ago.
On Sunday at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Kinmount scored in two successive races with Malcolm’s Dream and If You Say So, both trained by Mark Dixon.
It was Kinmount’s first ever double.
Malcolm’s Dream, a five-year-old mare by Master Of My Fate, is named after one of the Carlisle’s good friends Malcolm Phillips. Malcolm raced the dam of Malcolm’s Dream, Misty Morn (Go Deputy).
The owners of Malcolm’s Dream are Estate Late Mr A E Carlisle & Mrs M J Carlisle & Mr A K & Mrs C M Carlisle.
Malcolm’s Dream lay handy on the rail under Cole Dicken having jumped from pole position in the 1400m fillies and mares handicap event. She ran on very well to win by an easy 3,70 lengths, her third career victory.
Keyan Carlisle, son of Avison and Mary, was fittingly on course with his mother to lead her in and to speak for the winning interview.
If You Say So is also a Kinmount homebred five-year-old mare and has exactly the same Carlisle family owners as Malcolm’s Dream.
Craig Zackey showed outstanding professionalism in this 1950m fillies and mares maiden. He had picked up from those who had ridden her before she can be vey lazy if covered up. He failed to find the lead as planned and when she dropped the bit with cover, he opted to pull her one out. The plan worked as she then began traveling again. She found plenty in the straight from the one out and one back position to win by 1,50 lengths from the Cole Dicken-ridden Gary Rich-trained Free Will. It was the Flying The Flag mare’s 14th career start. She was named after an incident at the Sale. Mary had shown somebody one of her homebreds called News Stream at a Sale and asked whether he thought he was a nice horse and the reply was, “If You Say So.”
The Kinmount Stud fairytale began when Avison and Mary were introduced to racing by Scotch Ferrie, father of trainer Stuart Ferrie. Scotch was the assistant headmaster at Keyan’s school Weston Agricultural College. Three years later the Carlisles bought their first horse Rebel Patriot for R75,000 at the Yearling Sales in Durban.
Duncan Howells trained this Exclusive Patriot gelding to six wins.
His success was the beginning of the Carlisles love affair with the sport.
In 2002 Howells notified them that Rebel Patriot’s dam, Rebel Qui, was up for sale together with her weaning at a dispersal sale at The Dargle in KZN.
They were not really interested but on the day of the sale Avison needed to escape the frustration of watching the South African cricket team losing, so he and Mary decided to go and have a look.
They returned to announce to the family the purchase of Rebel Qui for a paltry R1,200 and her foal for R14,000.
Rebel Qui thus became the foundation mare of Kinmount Stud, based on the Carlisle’s farm, which is situated between Howick and Nottingham Road.
The weanling was Ravenscraig, who won three-in-a-row early in his career and was good enough to be entered in the Grade 2 KZN Guineas. He went on to win one more race.
The Carlisles sent Rebel Qui to Winter Romance and she was soon in foal.
In 2003 while holidaying in the UK and traveling on the Flying Scotsman headed for Edinburgh Avison and Mary received an SMS from their daughter Kristy to let them know Rebel Patriot was running that day.
Later, upon arrival at a quaint hotel recommended by a taxi driver, the phone beeped again and this time the SMS said simply, “He won!!”
They were standing at the time on the front mat and after a joyous celebratory outburst they looked down and read the words “The Howard.” In an instant the name of Rebel Qui’s pending foal was decided. The Howard won a 1600m race at Clairwood and later added another win at Flamingo Park. He was no great shakes but gave many people a lot of enjoyment including the owners of The Howard Hotel in Edinburgh who posted regular reports of his progress on their communications billboard. Such was the infectious enthusiasm for the sport the Carlisles have.
Rebel Qui’s next foal was Rebellious Streak, a Deep Sleep gelding who won five races and was placed 12 times.
The next two foals were both by the disappointing stallion Requiem, one being unraced and the other unplaced.
However, the unraced one, Quinarius, produced a four-time winner and two-time winner both by Lion Tamer.
Rebel Qui then produced one time winner and seven-times placed filly Yet Again by Muhtafal. Yet Again went on to produce a twice winner by Toreador.
Then came a windfall when Rebel Qui’s next foal, Patriotic Rebel was purchased for R100,000 by Brett Crawford.
This Stronghold gelding went on to win twice and finish placed in two stakes races, including the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby, before being bought into the Mike de Kock yard, for whom he finished a narrow second in the Grade 3 Mango (Campanajo) 2200. However, he was destined to only win one more race.
At around the same time of Patriotic Rebel being sold at the Ready To Run Sale, the Carlisles bought Rebel Patriot’s full-sister, Polish Rebel, who was in foal to Silvano, for a bargain R60,000 at a Cape mare and weanling sale.
The resulting foal was Regal Eagle, who won five of her first eight starts and later finished fifth in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint.
Rebel Qui’s also produced the three-time winner Crystal Ball by Visionaire.
The Carlisles appear to stick to successful lines so it is not surprising If You Say So is out of a Muhtafal mare.
Avison and Mary’s passion for racing has not only rubbed off on to their children but also on to their grandchildren.
Avison’s passion for the sport led to him being the long-time chairman of the South African Jockey Academy.
It is also well documented how the Carlisles have often gone beyond the call of duty in their racing endeavours to help others less fortunate then themselves.
