nostalgia*
A legend of the
TURF
AFTER A LIFETIME TRAINING HORSES, ENDEARING GENTLEMAN HERMAN BROWN STILL HAS THE THRILL OF THE RACE IN HIS BLOOD, WRITES DAVID KNOWLES
H
e is a legend of horseracing in South Africa, a survivor from the days when trainers wore jackets, ties and a hat, and he recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Even people not associated with the sport will know the name Herman Brown, a man who was involved in the game for decades. Herman now lives with his daughter Louise and his wife of nearly 70 years, Thelma. Walking into his lounge, it’s clear to see he has fond memories of his racing days. Pictures of some of the horses he trained hang on the wall and there is a cabinet of trophies. One photograph is his favourite, a picture of the great Gatecrasher, with Michael “Muis” Roberts in the irons. “I had some incredible horses in my string – Foveros, Turnocat, Rock Star, Glenever, Forty Winks, Bold Monarch, Sun Monarch, Wave Crest, Jet Pilot and others, but Gatecrasher remains the best horse I ever trained,” says Herman. “He had big, loping strides but had trouble with his legs. I had to bandage his legs and treat them with ice every day.” Although Gatecrasher was his favourite, like a child, it provided Herman with the most heartbreaking moment of his career. Every South African racehorse trainer wants a Durban July win on his CV, but it was the one race to
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ABOVE: Early morning training for Herman with Michael Roberts and Sun Monarch.
I had some incredible horses in my string, but Gatecrasher remains the best horse I ever trained
elude Herman. “Gatecrasher had the 1975 July sewn up. He was ahead, roaring to the post and I had instructed his jockey, Garth Puller, not to use the whip in his right hand, as the horse would drift and change his running line,” says Herman. “In his excitement, Puller did just that, sending Gatecrasher sideways to interfere with Distinctly on the inside rail. Our moment of joy was cut short when an objection was upheld and we were relegated to third.” Herman bears no grudges, acknowledging that rules are rules, you win and lose – and he lost then. He had seconds in the July with Bold Monarch (1977) and Versailles (1984). “It was a race I wasn’t destined to win, but Gatecrasher and Foveros gave me two Metropolitans, plus I won the Queen’s Plate
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