Turf Talk Newsletter – 04 August, 2026

Picture: Kommetdieding

David Mollett

Around the world we’ve seen wild fires and earthquakes – now in South Africa – get ready for a stampede.

On August 10, top owners, trainers, breeders and bloodstock agents will hit the road to Klawervlei Stud at Bonnievale in the Cape for the stud’s dispersal sale. To say the menu is enticing is an understatement.

Try this on for size. Eight shares in Vercingetorix who is as popular as England footballer Jude Bellingham, the pin-up boy after the World Cup.

Then you’ve got four shares in Kommetdieding, two in One World, two in Rafeef and 89 broodmares.

Grant Knowles – the jack-of-all-trades in Cape racing – has a huge history with the stud and has witnessed the highs and lows. Six breeding championships is the obvious high.

“The quality and depth of the broodmare band is exceptional,” says Knowles.

“These mares have formed the backbone of Klawervlei’s success and I’m confident they will continue to reward their owners.

“Every year a few quality lots slip through the cracks – Kommetdieding is the perfect example as he was sold here for just R55000 in 2019 and went on to win the Durban July and is now a promising young stallion.

Unlike Vercingetorix, One World and Rafeef, the jury is out on Kommetdieding as the few progeny that have been offered haven’t been overly popular with buyers.

It will be interesting to see which breeder takes shares in this well-performed horse home.

In a landmark deal, Klawervlei has been purchased by businessman and leading owner, Laurence Wernars.

“We are purchasing a beautifully equiped farm, but not the existing stock. We currently have 54 mares spread around the country and most of them will be relocated to Klawervlei,” said Wernars.

John Koster, who has held the reins at the famous stud for many years, said: “Laurence is a man with huge energy and a deep passion for horse racing, breeding and people.”

He also has a great sense of humour. He quipped: “Can you imagine a businessman in a suit and gumboots trying to look after quality thoroughbreds.”

It has to be said its been another reasonably successful season for Klawervlei – statistics to July show them in sixth place behind Varsfontein, Wilgerbosdrift/Mau, Drakenstein, Maine Chance and Ridgemont.

However, one has to applaud both Varsfontein and Wilgerbosdrift/Mau with stake earnings of R36,1m and R34,3m respectively.

Molly asked Grant Knowles. who will be conducting the Sale, a few questions:

1. Presumably all roads lead to Bonnievale for top owners, trainers, breeders and bloodstock agents – could this me the stud’s biggest party?  FOR SURE. KLAWERVLEI  HAS ALWAYS KNOWN HOW TO HOST A PARTY, AND THIS IS NO EXCEPTION. THIS WILL BE A FITTING START TO A BRAND NEW CHAPTER.

2. What could be the highlight of the Sale. Possibly the sale of the shares in boom sire, Vercingetorix? SHARES IN BOTH VERCINGETORIX AND RAFEEF WILL PROVE TO BE VERY POPULAR. BUT MARES IN FOAL TO BOTH WILL ALSO BE ON  MANY A BREEDERS RADAR.

3. What is your view on Kommetdieding whose few progeny haven’t really taken off. I WOULD’NT SAY THEY HAVEN’T TAKEN OFF. HE HASN’T THROWN A PARTICULAR TYPE OF YEARLING, SO WE EAGERLY AWAIT HIS FIRST RUNNERS

4. Is there a particular broodmare set to make a big price. THE PROLIFIC KLAWERVLEI FAMILIES WILL ALL BE WELL SOUGHT AFTER. ESPECIALLY THOSE IN FOAL TO LEADING SIRES. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CANDIDATES TO BE WELL SUPPORTED IN THE SALES RING.

5. A few lines on your long involvement with the stud. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SPEND 16 YEARS WORKING AT KLAWERVLEI WITH JOHN KOSTER . WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT WAS TO LEARN FROM ONE OF THE VERY BEST HORSEMAN ON THE PLANET. WE ENJOYED BREEDING THE LIKES OF VERCINGETORIX  ONE WORLD, AND WILLIAM LONGSWORD TO NAME BUT A FEW.  THE FONDEST MEMORIES THAT I COULD EVER TAKE WITH ME.

 

No Need For UK Racing To Launch The Lifeboats

Justin Snaith’s comment – quoted on racing websites – that in order to survive UK racing needs to take a leaf out of SA’s revival will have caused raised eyebrows both here and in Britain.

“I think Britain would have to look at what’s happened in SA,” said the champion trainer. “We were bankrupt and racing here was absolutely done here five years ago.”

“We were lucky that people came forward – where is the change in Britain?”

One thinks that Mr Snaith is getting a bit ahead of himself.

I cover UK racing every day and the Cape trainer is probably right that “UK racing levels are falling behind.”

Certainly there is a case for midweek meetings getting more prizemoney, but a crisis it is not.

One only has to look at the success of the big days – many more than here – such as Royal Ascot, the Grand National (1m pounds prizemoney), the Derby and recent King George (1,13m pounds).

The Ascot meeting really got the pulses racing with top horses, owners, trainers and jockeys and, yes, excellent prizemoney throughout the five days.

Felicity Barnard, CEO of Ascot racecourse, said “It’s been a fantastic week, a real feast for everybody that has been with us whether you were here for racing, fashion, food or music.”

“We knew we had momentum coming into the meeting because the racing promised to be fantastic and we expected crowds to be up.”

When the sums were completed it showed a total of 294 541 people had attended over the five days – a 2,8% increase on 2025.

“The main thing for us is delivering the best possible experience for those thar come,” concluded Barnard.

One will get the same enthusiasm for the Grand National, Derby and York where Ombudsman should draw a bumper crowd in three weeks time.

This hardly suggests that British racing is calling for the lifeboats.

While Justin Snaith must be applauded on another memorable season, his advice to a country with a huge racing history will have fallen on deaf ears.

*Editor – all true racings fans love British racing, but Justin Snaith might have a point when considering Betfred are set to close 132 shops due to British tax challenges. An ex-pat South African living in a small town called Truro has also sent in a comment that when he moved there earlier this decade there were three Betting shops in the town and there is now only one left. British horseracing is supported by a statutory 10% levy on bookmakers’ gross profits, so the closure of so many bookmaker shops is dire news for the health of British racing.

Laurence and his two daughters Montana and Teneille lead in Quickstepgal after her Gr 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes win. The other part-owner Harry Willson is on the lead rein on the other side. (Picture: Race Coast)  

The 2025/2026 season was a groundbreaker for one of the country’s most popular industryman, Laurence Wernars, who once admitted, “I live to watch and participate in the game. An incomplete day is one without talking, watching and punting horses. ”

The Gr 1s are the races every owner wants to win and Laurence almost doubled his career tally in just one season, a thoroughly deserved achievement.

His previous individual Gr 1 winners were Hero’s Honour, Mighty High, Temple Gratin, Puerto Manzano and Proceed and last season he added Quickstepgal, Tin Pan Alley, Questioning and Erik Dubois.

Between those four they won five Gr 1s in the season.

Laurence races under the name Wernars Family nowadays.

The Wernars Family were the leading Gr 1-winning owners of the 2025/2026 season with their tally of four individual Gr 1 winners being the leading number and their five Gr 1 wins put them on top of the number of Gr 1 wins count too.

They own Erik Du Bois outright and own the other three individual Gr 1 winners of last season in partnership.

Quickstepgal (Vercingetorix) won the WSB Fillies Guineas and the Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes.

Tin Pan Alley (The United States) put in one of the performances of the season when slamming six Gr 1 winners, including Horse Of The Year elect See It Again, by 3,75 lengths in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m.

Questioning (Querari) had a magnificent season and followed his narrow defeat in the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate with four high class victories, including two Gr 2s and the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge.

Erik Dubois proved himself an exciting prospect when winning the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes

Laurence was rewarded for keeping Quickstepgal with small yard trainer Tienie Prinsloo after buying him in training.

He was also rewarded for keeping Erik Dubois with Louis Goosen, who had initially bought the big horse as a pinhook opportunity.

All four of Laurence’s Gr 1 winners were with different trainers with Tin Pan Alley trained by Sean Tarry and Questioning trained by Vaughan Marshall.

The Wernars Family own Quickstepgal in partnership with Laurence’s regular racing partner Harry Willson, they own Tin Pan Alley together with Dayalan Chinsammy and they own Questioning together with Greg and Gina Bortz and Mukund Gujadhur.

The Owners Championship can be a bit skewed because partnerships are counted as separate entities.

The Wernars Family finished sixth on the national log with horses they own by themselves with 37 wins at a strike rate of 12.6% and earnings of R5,457,273.

However, they also featured in the top 20 two more times in partnerships.

It is exciting times for Laurence and his family and the success of this season coincides nicely with their pending take over of Klawervlei Stud.

Laurence is famously publicity shy, but in one of the moments of the season his daughter Montana shared with the public that her Dad had made a pledge early in life that if she were ever on course to witness him winning a Gr 1 then he would speak in the post-race interviews.

Visiting British stalwart presenter Nick Luck was on the mic at that moment and followed the command.

There look sure to be more Wernars’ family moments in the coming seasons as the bug might have bitten his two daughters Montana and Teneille as they were back to lead in Erik Dubois when he won his Gr 1 on World Pool Gold Cup day.

Gr 1 World Pool Cape Flying championship winner Kingdundee was the end result of a meticulously researched breeding plan that took years to come to fruition (Picture: Wayne Marks) 

Owner Clive Murphy’s recent success is not due to him just being a lucky owner or breeder as the like of the Dean Smith-trained Kingdundee and the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Princess Of Gaul were bred on the back of in-depth scientific research.

Kingdundee is on his way overseas after showing how good he was by easily winning the Gr 1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship over 1000m.

Clive explained, “Kingdundee’s campaign has been driven on the comment of Craig Zackey who said this horse will win the Cape Flying and the Computaform Sprint and will win anywhere in the world. He had been putting up great times before the Cape Flying and Dean had him 100% ready. Craig Zackey is contracted to Dean Kannemeyer, so we got Calvin Habib to ride Kingdundee. Previously we used to sit with the horse and come and win, but Dean made a great call in the ring. It being a Gr 1 and as competitive as it could be, he said to Calvin ‘Let him stride, let him go … it’s not 1200m it’s 1000m. He’s got the speed and he’s badly drawn so stride him out.’ A winner had not come out of that draw (14 out of 14) for a crazy number of races, I think it was 489.”

He continued, “Kingdundee (who is by the Galileo sire The United States) just ran his own race out in front. The dividends it reaped are very much a hallmark of Galileo. The English guys say you should never work a Galileo upsides another horse, because they are so competitive and so masculine they don’t want to lose. Kingdundee knocked them sideways against the wind from the worst draw. Buffalo Bill Cody could not match him, so to my mind Kingdundee is the champion sprinter of the country and there is no point in staying in South Africa when you’ve got a horse like that, he is a dream horse, a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Kingdundee departs for England today (Wednesday) after completing his 14 day vector protected quarantine requirement at the Kenilworth Quarantine Station.

His ultimnate destination is the Dubai Carnival early next year, but Clive might run him in England if the ground is fast enough.

Clive said, “He’s got to run on firm ground as he’s got that action and he’s got that speed. He is able to fetch a horse in PE, but if you go to England and are up against highly rated horses, you have to be handy.”

Clive explained how he bred Kingdundee, “The best genetics that existed in South Africa was Northern Dancer and I wanted to find a mare with Northern Dancer as close as I could get him. We found the ideal mare, Pas De Basque. She was in a showjumping stable at the time but we offered money and got her.”

Pas De Basque is by the Northern Dancer stallion Rambo Dancer and is in fact the dam of the Champion broodmare Halfway To Heaven, a Jet Master mare whose first three foals were famously the multiple Gr 1 winners Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam and Golden Ducat.

However, an inkling of how intuitive Clive’s research had been was that when this breeding project was being planned, Rainbow Bridge, Hawwaam and Golden Ducat had not even started racing yet.

Pas De Basque won eight races herself.

Clive continued, “She had breeding problems but we sent her to Wynnholme Stud who were really good with her and got her in foal. We sent her to Byword first.”

Clive admited that was a mistake, but he then identified Duke Of Marmalade. In his research he discovered that a pin used to repair a pastern injury Duke Of Marmalade had suffered as a two-year-old had been causing him discomfort and restricting his movement. After this pin was removed Duke Of Marmalde won five successive Gr 1s as a four-year-old and was named European Horse Of The Year.

Furthermore, Duke Of Marmalde was from the Northen Dancer line via the legendary Danehill.

The resulting foal from Duke Of Marmalade was a filly called Miss Marmalade, although sadly Pas De Basque passed away from colic shortly after the birth.

Clive, as a follower of the X-factor (large heart) theory, was convinced Miss Marmalade had a large heart.

Her hooves grew unusually quickly and he reckoned this was due to the superior metabolism provided by her large heart. She also had the small, curly ears that are associated with progeny who carry the large heart gene passed along by Buckpasser.

Then when it became evident she possessed tremendous speed it provided more evidence. When she won on debut over 1000m it confirmed it.

He sent Miss Marmalade to stud after just one more run, because she was not correct and she was going to be way more valuable as a broodmare.

She had the genetics he was looking for i.e. the dual copy of Northern Dancer and a large heart.

However, he points out that, in fact, environment contributes 70% to breeding success and genetics only 30%.

The 70% consists of food, water and weather, and the quality of the horsecare and environment of wherever the horse is raised and trained.

He always ensures the right environmental factors are in place.

One reason Clive chose the United States to cover Miss Marmalade was because he is by the peerless Galileo, who is from the Northern Dancer line.

He added, “Galileo and Danehill Dancer is the premier mix in world pedigrees. Miss Marmalade has the Danehill and The United States has the Galileo, plus The United States has the best damside pedigree of all the stallions in the country.”

When Kingdundee was the same colour as his mother Miss Marmalade, he knew he had inherited his X gene from her and not from the father and he was thus confident he would have a large heart too.

The X-factor theory of Mariana Hahn identifies double copy broodnares i.e. those which carry the large heart gene on both X chromosomes.

The theory has been debunked, according to some, but the principles of passing on the female genes from generation to generation remain the same.

Clive said, “A family’s genetic strength can be broken in one generation with just one poor mating.”

The Vercingetorix filly Clive bred, Princess Of Gaul, is also out of Miss Marmalade and she has already won two Gr 2s and a Gr 3.

With two stalwarts on the track, the now five-year-old Kingdundee and the four-year-old Princess Of Gaul, the years he has poured into understanding throughbred breeding have paid dividends.

Cork Bay has been tipped to win the last race

Alistair Cohen

As the new racing season is in its embryonic stage, new life is breathed into expectations, hopes and direction for so many individuals. One man who has taken every direction through his life is Andrew Fortune who starts another campaign with his life clock now reading 59 years old. He has a fair book of rides at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Wednesday, his best coming in race 8 over 1200m aboard Cork Bay.

Cork Bay has done sweet-little wrong in three runs after a 15-month break. He returned with a head-turning victory after a long layoff. A huge training feat by Andre Nel to get this horse back on track as winter dawned and tracks became slightly more challenging to work on. He beat Blind Date by 1,75 lengths over this course and distance. Blind Date has won twice since. It has to be noted that Blind Date is nowhere near the peak of his powers in a sprint and he was also returning from a break but all Cork Bay could do was win and he did so.

His next two runs saw him defeated finishing third and second respectively. Both runs came up the road at Hollywoodbets Durbanville over 1250m but he was clearly not disgraced. His penultimate saw him finish behind Witch Hazel who evidently has some game in hand from the handicapper before his near miss behind Lyrical Gangster last time.

He meets Lyrical Gangster again but he has a kind 2,5kg in hand for 0,75 lengths. That should be enough to turn the tables. Added to that, and this is not scientific until we reach this last race, he has pulled gate No 1. Before racing took a break at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth for about six weeks, the lower the draw, the bigger the advantage.

Lyrical Gangster is by no means disadvantaged by gate No 4. He always struck as an underachiever who just needed a confidence boost and his last win could be what he needs to kick on and find some form and ability which he has always threatened. The weights suggest that he has a bit to find to stay ahead of Cork Bay but he should not be far away. JP van der Merwe had a rough season but he ended it looking like he was getting into gear again. He is carded to ride for Justin Snaith.

The most interesting runner in the race is Gold Dust back down the lane. His first run for Michelle Rix came after a six month layoff. Rix knew exactly what to do for a fresh horse first up for the yard and had him in a sprint which he absolutely dominated. He went over 1400m subsequently where he was not disgraced but now it seems a happy medium is found in sprints for him. The widest gate of No 11 is not ideal but on largely fresh turf, he has half a chance of having things in his favour. He also reunites with Sifiso Bungane who steered him to that 0,75-length victory over this course and distance two months ago.

Athandiwe Mgudlwa makes a rare visit to Cape Town as he takes some attractive rides for Candice Bass. He is aboard the enigmatic Follow Your Heart who is capable of upsetting horses better than him and equally those who have faith in him. He is not the easiest to read but always worth including into wider plays.

El Cohete comes from an in-form yard of Greg Ennion and they could draw first blood in Cape Town this season in race 1 over 1000m with Keagan de Melo up. Probably overdue having her sixth career run with four places to her name. Her most promising run was her penultimate effort when she ran third over this course and distance behind the upwardly mobile One Magic. Keep an eye on the record equaling R9-million purchase Wreath Of Snow. He galloped at Hollywoodbets Durbanville less than a month ago. He gave a very pleasing piece of work but little about him hints that 1000m will be his chop.

Sabre Wing put up a pleasing debut over 1250m last time so he must have the capability to improve in race 2 over 1200m. He had draw No 11 and he made up ground from last. He would be more persuasive over slightly further but he sets the standard on a pleasing debut. Andrew Fortune is up for Ennion. Over My Shoulder is in the race. She also galloped with Wreath Of Snow and she galloped like a star.

Gavin Lerena takes the ride on African Wild Dog in race 3 over 1400m and they look set to exit the maidens. He met his main danger, It’sgood It’snice on 16 June and African Wild Dog had a narrow advantage. Every run of his has been improved which is assuring that he should not go backwards.

Lerena and Snaith have Odds And Evens in race 4 over 1400m. She looks the best bet on the card against this field. Two recent near misses should convert to a win.

Snaith and Lerena are an interesting dynamic in race 5 over 1500m. Una The Unicorn returned from a four-month layoff last time when she hit the line with plenty in hand to finish fourth behind Lady Veritas over this distance at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. If she is not one run from her peak and she can overcome draw No 10, she has a good chance. Hampstead Heath won her most recent start and all she needed is confidence. This is a rise in class but she could give Una The Unicorn something to think about.

Etoilefillante is overdue another win and he could get a reward under Mpumi Mjoka. He hit the crossbar in his last two runs against some uninspiring opposition but Mjoka has brought lots of life out of his horse. He has every chance from gate No 1 and with a soft lead, he must rate as the horse to beat in race 6 over 1800m.

There is not much to be excited about in race 7 over 1200m. A chance is taken on Shifting Path with 50,5kg under Varun Jodhee. He likes the sting out of the ground and he runs his best races towards the end of winter. When those are metrics of tipping a horse, one must know how many moving parts are involved.

Avignon is a hard-knocker who can win the 7th (Picture: Wayne Marks)

Brandon Bailey’s formguides and selections for Wednesday’s Hollywoodbets Kenilworth meeting

RACE 1

1 EL COHETE must have a big winning chance in this field, she is very fast, and she is very consistent, on her best form, she will be hard to beat. 6 RUST NEVER SLEEPS ran a great race behind Another Hero on the 23rd of June, he looks to be improving with every run, provided that he has improved further back at home, he will go close to winning. 7 BOLERO stayed on well late for fourth on debut, he should improve nicely going into his second run on Wednesday, include him into all bets. 2 WREATH OF SNOW oozes class on pedigree, the connections paid top dollar to secure this beautiful colt, the market could tell the story on debut, watch him closely.

RACE 2

2 SABRE WING finished like a train on debut, she was only beaten just under four lengths by Juliet Of Verona on the 18th of July, in hope that she has made further improvement at home, she will go very close to winning this race. 3 MIND OVER YOU ran a fair race on debut behind World Of Secrets, she will love the step up in trip to 1200m, include her into all bets. 6 ROCK THE ROAD stayed on well for third behind Scandalize on the 16th of June, the form of that race has worked out well, she will be right there in the finish late. 11 ROYAL EMULATION jumped at big odds on debut, she caught the eye late when finishing fourth in the same race as Sabre Wing last time, she might be able to sneak into the places at a decent price.

RACE 3

2 AFRICAN WILD DOG looks to be one of the better bets on the card, he has run two excellent races in succession, this looks to be the right race for him to exit the maiden ranks from a good draw. 8 IT’SGOOD IT’SNICE disappointed terribly in the Grade 3 Langerman on the 27th of June, he is much better than that poor performance, in hope that he bounces back to his best form, he could be competitive. 3 ZANFAN MORIS was well beaten by Superhero on the 23rd of June, the drop in trip should help his chances, he will be given the run of the race from a neat draw. 7 BIG DEAL gets the blinkers fitted, he never runs a bad race, include him into all bets.

RACE 4

2 ODDS AND EVENS tried to lead them all the way in her last start behind Spanish World on the 7th of July, she has a big winning chance here, on her best form, she will be hard to beat from a good draw. 11 MACRO GRAVITY showed good improvement stepping up in trip last time, she ran third in the same race as Odds And Evens on the 7th of July, with some luck in running from a bad draw, she will be competitive. 6 BE RATIONAL ran fifth in a decent race on the 16th of June, the form of that race has worked out well, if she builds on her last run, she could sneak into the places at a decent price. 9 MOONSHINE BAY only brings fair form into this race on Wednesday, with the 2.5kgs off her back from the apprentice claim, she could run a place at best.

RACE 5

5 HAMPSTEAD HEATH won a good race on the 21st of June, she was given five points for that win last time, the step up in trip should be no problem for this mare, she will run a big race again. 7 SUPREME FATE changed stables on the 10th of July, she was last seen winning well in PE on the 19th of June, she will be just off the speed early, and she will be flying at them late, watch her closely. 10 UNA THE UNICORN flashed up late to run fourth behind Lady Veritas on the 18th of July, she will be much fitter going into this race on Wednesday, include her into all bets. 1 DREAM SEARCHER never runs a bad race, she has a good place chance here.

RACE 6

3 MASTER COINER stayed on beautifully late for third behind Glenalmond on the 14th of July, he looks progressive, there should be no excuses for this gelding from a good draw, include him into all bets. 1 ETOILEFILLANTE finished second in the same race as Master Coiner last time, he has run two great races in succession, he can be very hard to peg back, watch him closely from a good draw. 10 PHANTOM MAN never runs a bad race, he will be on speed early, on his best form, he has a good place chance in this field. 2 MIDWAY has dropped even further in the ratings from his last run on the 7th of July, his chances must always be respected at this level.

RACE 7

6 AVIGNON could be the value play in this tricky race, he is a big striding horse with lots of early speed, in hope that the apprentice gets his fractions right, he will run a big race. 5 SHIFTING PATH stayed on well late for third behind Peace Of Mind on the 18th of July, he has dropped to a winnable rating, with the right run here, he will be competitive. 7 PRINCE OF TIBET is much better than his last run, ignore that performance on the 7th of July, now that he is back up the straight at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, he could bounce back to his best form at a good price. 4 VERCICAT has been rested for 78 days, in hope that he doesn’t need the run, he could sneak into the places.

RACE 8

1 CORK BAY stayed on well late to finish second behind Lyrical Gangster on the 18th of July, the yard thinks highly of this gelding, top jockey Andrew Fortune gets the ride, he will go close to winning on his best form. 4 LYRICAL GANGSTER won with absolute ease last time, he was given three points for winning a top race at Hollywoodbets Durbanville, even though he has gone up in the weights, he will be very competitive again, include him into all bets. 3 LIKE DYNAMITE could be anything, he quickened away from his field to win super impressively on the 23rd of June, he should improve even further going into this race on Wednesday, watch him closely, he looks like a smart colt in the making. 10 CATWALK KING was well beaten in the Grade 3 Langerman on the 27th of June, he is much better than that, he will be flying at them late here.

By Mike Moon (The Citizen)

Mustangs taught him the non-verbal Equus language.

Monty Roberts, the renowned American horse trainer who died at the weekend aged 91, was a man for his time.

As the role of horses moved from the workplace to the recreational barn in the 20th century, Roberts and his methods reflected the mood and sentiment of the age, introducing gentler, kinder ways of getting horses to co-operate with humans.

What impressed people most was his remarkable success with problem animals. Today, skittish thoroughbreds throughout the world are calmed by the application of the ubiquitous “Monty Roberts blanket” at the start of races.

Other standout moments in a long life were working as a stunt double and riding instructor – while still a child – for actors Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean and buying and selling (for a big profit) a reject yearling called Alleged, who went on to win the Prix de la Arc de Triomphe twice in the late 1970s.

In latter years, Roberts worked regularly in the areas of youth discipline and business corporate strategy, often integrating real-life horses into his demonstrations.

Millions of horsey folk in all equine disciplines – most famously the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II – were and are fans of Roberts’s “join-up” method of controlling horses, which he said used a secret, soundless language called “Equus”.

In a best-selling autobiography The Man Who Listens to Horses: The Story of a Real-Life Horse Whisperer, Roberts wrote of how he learnt this language as a teenager by closely observing wild horses’ behaviour when he was a wrangler rounding up mustangs in Nevada.

The key idea of join-up, which has evolved into an international practice known as “intelligent” or “natural” horsemanship, is recognising that horses are herd animals, always seeking a herd leader. The trick is to assume some of that leadership role and win a horse’s trust and develop a spirit of co-operation with the creature.

History
Monty Roberts was born in California in 1935, the son of a horse trainer, and was an expert rider by the age of four, winning local rodeo trophies.

He obtained a degree in animal science before spending years working on and running stud farms in California. From 1973 to 1986, he was a leading consignor to the Hollywood Park Two-Year-Old Thoroughbreds in Training Sale.

One of the first people to recognise Roberts’s extraordinary talent was the Jacobs racing family of Germany and South Africa. On Sunday, Dr Andreas Jacobs of Main Chance Farms in Western Cape penned a tribute to the American in Sporting Post, saying: “Dear Monty, thank you for your friendship, your wisdom and your generosity. We will remember you always – not only as one of the greatest horsemen of our time, but as a loyal friend who changed our lives and the lives of so many horses for the better.”

Jacobs related how his grandfather Walther invited Roberts to Germany, before the man became famous, to work with the great Lomitas, whose racing future was uncertain because of his refusal to enter starting stalls – even lying down on the turf before the German 2000 Guineas rather than going near the mechanical contraption.

“With endless patience, remarkable empathy and his unique ability to communicate with horses, Monty earned Lomitas’s trust … Lomitas returned to racing, resumed his winning career and went on to become one of the finest racehorses in German thoroughbred history,” wrote Jacobs.

“He later became an internationally influential stallion whose descendants continue to make their mark around the world. That remarkable experience marked the beginning of a friendship that lasted for more than three decades.”

For more than 30 years thereafter, Roberts returned to Gestüt Fährhof stud each summer to work with yearlings – and in 2016 he was in South Africa to run the rule over Maine Chance and then champion stallion, and son of Lomitas, Silvano.

Rave articles, live demonstrations and TV documentaries proliferated, bringing Roberts to the attention of Her Majesty, who invited him over to Windsor to show her horse staff how he did it. She encouraged him to write books – which he did – conferred on him a royal honour and named one of her favourite corgis Monty.

In its obituary, Britain’s Racing Post quoted Newmarket trainer Ilka Gansera-Leveque, who studied under Roberts: “He really understood horses and I learned how to speak to horses non-verbally. He packaged Western horsemanship into something for everybody to understand.

“He was a cowboy, a regular, down-to-earth, straight-shooting kind of guy. It was all about the horse for him.”

Unsurprisingly, Roberts was a firm opponent of the use of the whip in racing and once said: “One day it’ll all be whip-free, because we’re brighter than that. Whipping a flight animal to make it run faster is stupid. It can’t be right.”

Picture: Jim Crowley after winning on Hukum (Sky Sports Racing)

‘Hardest Decision Of My Life’: Jockey Jim Crowley Calls Time On Career

Former British champion, 48, has been slow to recover from a serious fall at York last fall and plans to eventually train

A Paulick Report Press Release

Jim Crowley, Britain’s champion Flat jockey of 2016, announced his retirement at Goodwood Saturday, with the Shadwell-retained rider having been sidelined following a serious fall at York in September.

Through his near 10-year association with the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum and his daughter Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan Al Maktoum, the 48-year-old enjoyed some of his most memorable days at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.

Crowley, who lives in West Sussex, guided Baaeed to success in the 2022 Sussex Stakes, the latest of the jockey’s three wins in the mile showpiece, and notched four straight victories on outstanding sprinter Battaash in the King George Stakes between 2017-2020.

Away from Goodwood, Crowley’s hometown track of Ascot proved particularly fruitful in recent years, with wins on Anmaat in the Champion Stakes (G1), Hukum in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) and Baaeed in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1).

Explaining the decision, Crowley said: “It has been tough, the hardest decision of my life. I had my first ride when I was 17. Time does not wait for anybody, and the injuries I had at York have taken a lot longer than I anticipated. But I feel very fortunate to have come out of that accident because it was a pretty nasty one. On to the next chapter. I only made the decision last night – I thought Goodwood is on, my local track, and it is a nice way to finish.

“I have talked to a couple of my closest friends, whose judgement I really respect, but at the end of the day the decision came from me because I have never listened to anyone my whole life. When I was a jump jockey, people said I would not do any good on the Flat, so that made me more determined. It is just one of those things, and I am young enough to start training now and it is something I really want to get my teeth into.

“There are so many people to thank. Obviously, the whole Shadwell team, Sheikha Hissa and her father, Sheikh Hamdan, who gave me the job. Angus Gold, Richard Hills, everybody at Shadwell. My agent, Tony Hind, who has worked tirelessly over the years. Valets, jockeys, stable staff – everybody has helped me along the way. There are a thousand emotions running through me, good ones and sad ones, but I have had a lovely send-off and there is no finer place, so I am very happy.

“Baaeed was special and Goodwood has always been a lucky track for me. I rode my 2,000th winner here as well, so it is great to finish here. I have had so many good horses and was fortunate to be champion jockey, which got me the position with Shadwell. Baaeed, Hukum winning the King George, Ulysses, Battaash, Mohaather, Anmaat – so many. You would settle for one of those, but to get all of them, I have been so spoilt.

“Training will not be immediate. I have done all my modules, but I want to travel a bit, see some different trainers and spend some time with them. Certainly, over the winter or next year, I will be looking to start.”