Picture: Herman Brown Snr’s trademark was his hats, which he was never seen without, and he is pictured here together with his wife Thelma (Image: Summerhill Stud)
The great much-loved trainer Herman Brown Snr passed away on Saturday at his home near Hillcrest at the age of 93.
Growing up in Johannesburg’s southern suburbs, his father, also Herman, had a small string of horses.
Herman left home at age 18 and after a stint in Port Elizabeth, opened a yard at the Newmarket stables in Durban before moving to his Summerveld “Ups and Downs” yard.
Among the top horses he trained were Foveros, Turncoat, Rock Star, Glenever, Forty Winks, Bold Monarch, Sun Monarch, Wave Crest, Singing Boy, Jet Pilot and others, but he always said the best he ever trained was Gatecrasher.
The first time he clapped eyes on Gatecrasher he viewed him as all legs and so narrow he “looked like two planks put together.”
However, it soon became evident he was “an absolute machine.”
Gatecrasher was unbeaten on left-hand tracks and his finest hour came when winning the J&B Met by 2,25 lengths from Sledgehammer in January 1976.
Ironically, he also provided Brown with his most disappointing career moment.
Gatecrasher crossed the line first in the 1975 July, but his infamous habit of hanging to the left due to a flexor tendon problem had caused him to interfere with the Ormond Ferraris-trained raider Distinctly and a subsequent objection on the latter’s behalf was upheld.
Brown had immense knowledge and had a positive influence on the careers of both jockeys and prospective trainers.
The country’s only Hall Of Fame jockey Michael Roberts attests that the foundation of his success was laid by the education he received from Herman Brown Snr.
Summerveld trainer Frank Robinson, Brown’s long-time assistant, said Herman was also a father figure, who would teach his proteges how to be a gentleman.
Herman always had time for punters and had excellent communication skills with owners.
Little wonder a former apprentice of his Basil Marcus became a many-times champion jockey in Hong Kong, where skills in communicating are as important as riding.
Herman regarded some of his most fulfilling years as those in which he had to provide for his loved ones on a combination of his skills as a horseman and punter. In those days trainers did not receive a cut of the stakes money and relied on betting to survive.
Herman left no stone unturned in his preparation of horses and former Summerveld track manager Ralph Smout attested his yard always had a row of top division horses “lined up like bombs.”.
At Greyville Herman stood high in the grandstand in line with the finishing post for every race as this, coupled with his eagle eye, enabled him to take advantage of the photo-finish betting bookmakers used to offer and he was never wrong.
When rewards became better for trainers, Herman still had to play his part in getting horses in tip top shape for big punting owners.
The probable biggest punter he ever had in his yard was the legendary football pools magnate Robert Sangster of Coolmore stud fame.
Brown was introduced to Sangster at an Australian sale and they “took to each other immediately”.
Brown was soon training strings of between 15 to 20 horses for him.
Sangster’s punts were massive, but he only ever considered a bet if the trainer was able to rate the chances of the horse as at least 8 out of 10.
The first horse that fitted the credentials was a colt called Seat Of Power, whom, Herman rated a 9.
He duly won on debut in Johannesburg with a mountain of Sangster money riding on him.
The ever generous Sangster allowed Brown to keep the stake money.
The best horse that Brown trained for Sangster was the remarkable Turncoat.
Brown won the Cape Guineas and the Gr 1 Mainstay International over 1800m at Clairwood with this horse.
He recalled, “He was small and had one club foot. At first sight you wondered how he could
run at all.”
Brown paid tremendous attention to detail and knew the ins and outs of his beloved horses.
He used to recall how the great Foveros, for example, loved to have his tongue squeezed.
Brown is the only man to have been the Natal champion trainer and champion snooker player at the same time (in 1970).‘ His snooker skills often placed him at the Monaco Club in Field Street.
He thus became the best source of reference for the Sea Cottage affair.
He remembered hearing what sounded like a car-backfiring at the Blue Lagoon three weeks before the 1966 July and recalled the shock of seeing the great horse with the bullet wound in the soft flesh of his hindquarter.
He had also recalled seeing some shady characters he knew of from the Monaco club arriving at Blue Lagoon early one morning a few days before.
It all made sense when it emerged they were behind the dastardly deed.
Herman was a family man and one of his most regular sayings was, “Everything is for sale except my wife and kids.”
His wife Thelma was the backbone of his success.
Herman regarded Herman Jnr’s feat of running second in the 2006 Durban July with Sushisan as one of the finest training feats he had ever witnessed.
The Australian-bred won his maiden less than five months before the July.
He was also extremely proud of Herman Jnr’s success overseas.
Herman Snr’s kindness was shown one year at the Australian sales when he stumbled across his ex-jockey George Davies, who was battling as a trainer out there in his homeland.
Herman’s budget was intended to cover horses being brought back to his yard in South Africa, but he changed the plan slightly and sent one to George. Deservedly, it turned out to be a good horse.
Herman Brown Snr was simply a legend whose legacy has lived on for many years since his retirement and will continue to do so.
