ZimFun Racing Club

The Best Ever Winners of the Best Race Ever


Ben Linfoot of the Sporting Life has produced an article which lists his top 40 Epsom Derby winners, I thought you might like to see which were the three he rated as the top 3.

For once I am in full agreement with an assessment not written by me!

Central to this conclusion is my belief that your haven’t succeeded until your successor succeeds. Plenty of horses have won the Derby – 233 since 1787 when the first race was run on Epsoms Downs – but few have proved to be as good as the three Ben lists below – as sires.

My own suspicion is that in the future Galileo will prove to be the best modern day winner of the finest Classic race in the world. Why? Because his immediate and line progeny will outshine those of Nijinsky over time.

What do you think?

3. Galileo – 2001

Right at the start of the 21st century Aidan O’Brien, who hadn’t won the Derby at the time, was preparing a c**t destined for greatness for his racecourse debut. By Sadler’s Wells, out of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, Urban Sea, the strapping Galileo was sent off the Evens favourite for a 16-runner Leopardstown maiden on October 28, 2000. In grand introduction style, he won by 14 lengths. Two Derby trials later and this unbeaten c**t, owned by Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor, headed to Epsom as the 11/4 joint-favourite along with the 2000 Guineas winner, Golan. But Galileo laughed at them in the Derby, Golan included, under a steely Mick Kinane who rode him like a sure thing, just behind the pacesetters, on the outside, before pouncing for the lead two furlongs from home. He extended himself like a machine, imperiously defeating his rivals as if he was from a different species. The king had arrived. The winning distance was three and a half lengths, but it could have been more. The first of a record eight Derby winners for O’Brien (so far), Galileo was the catalyst for a period of dominance of the like we haven’t seen before, for both the Ballydoyle trainer and his Coolmore owners. His achievements as a stallion are unprecedented and more records are sure to come his way in the next few years, with Bolshoi Ballet and High Definition going out to bat for him ahead of a possible sixth Derby success in 2021. His impact at stud has been simply remarkable.

2. Sea Bird – 1965
When you don’t come off the bit in winning the Derby you’re going to go down as one of the best winners in the history of the race. You simply don’t win the Derby in that manner. Yet, in 1965, Sea Bird gave Australian jockey Pat Glennon the ride of his life around Epsom, with the man from Melbourne not having to so much as tickle the handbrake as his mount sauntered to a two-lengths-could-have-been-10-lengths Derby victory. He is arguably the greatest ever Derby winner, but, while he sired some highly-talented racehorses, including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, Allez France, and the brilliant dual-purpose horse, Sea Pigeon, he didn’t have the impact at stud that our number one did.

1. Nijinsky – 1970
The same old names have cropped up several times in this list of Derby greats. Vincent O’Brien, Lester Piggott and Northern Dancer would be three of the most popular in a document search. In 1970 they combined to win the Derby with Nijinsky, a fabulous winner, who achieved exceptional feats on the racecourse both before and after Epsom. He was unlucky with his afflictions and suffered from a bout of colic two days before the Derby at Epsom. You wouldn’t know watching the video of his Derby win, with Piggott sitting motionless until he asked the son of Northern Dancer to go and win his race in the final quarter mile. Nijinsky soon got to Gyr, a son of Sea Bird, and showed supreme acceleration to win by two and a half lengths in 2m34.88secs, the fastest winning time in the race in 34 years on ground that wouldn’t have been as quick as it was for Mahmoud’s Derby. O’Brien called him the most brilliant horse he ever trained. As a stallion he was supreme, siring 155 stakes/Group winners including three Derby heroes in Golden Fleece, Lammtarra and Shahrastani. -IRC.

MAYBE IT’S BEST TO KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR POCKET!
Saturday 5th June sees the running of the 234th Epsom Derby in the UK and what a stellar line up we have again. There are currently nineteen runners with probably only four “no hopers” – what a staggeringly good field for this challenging mile and half on turf – on a proper racecourse.
I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to find the likely winner – but with no confidence that I have.
Consider the sire line up…
Galileo – 5 runners with Bolshoi Ballet and High Definition topping the boards
Sea the Stars – 3 runners with the best being Third Realm
New Approach – has Mac Swiney, winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas – out of a Teofilo mare – should stay. Jim Bolger in charge of affairs – don’t ignore this one.
Teofilo – has Gear Up from the Mark Johnston yard – it beat Bolshoi Ballet last year but disappointed in the Dante at York
Camelot – 2 runners – with Sir Lamorak the better of the two – out of a Giants Causeway mare, it should be tough
Dubawi – no Derby would be complete by something from this great sire. One Ruler is out of a Sharmadal mare and thus will be tough.
Australia is the son of Galileo and the great race mare Ouija Board – but Seattle Sound is badly performed and should not be in the race
American Pharoah – top dog from the States – but despite my feelings about US blood, this sire was selected by J Magnier – where the J stands for Jenius! Van Gogh, out of a Sadlers Wells mare must have a great chance – and is the most experienced horse in the field with 9 runs under his belt
Frankel – finally – 4 runners – all with some sort of chance. Whilst this sire gets all the best mares he has yet to sire a Derby winner – could this be the year? Of his runners, I have to say Mohaafeth as the credentials for me. His dam is French Dressing, a Sea the Stars mare which is what I think Frankel horses need to get them beyond 10 furlongs (2,000m) But there again there is John Leeper, son of Snow Fairy that won the proper Oaks at Epsom in 2010 – more staying blood.
So there you have it. I am no help to you at all!
Look to see which one Ryan Moore choses to ride and have a bit on that. Then for places… well I think Mark Johnston will definitely be trying (remember Dee Ex Be) with Gear Up at 33/1. Van Gogh at 16/1 is a good bet and finally, Third Realm at 12/1 might give this Sea the Stars c**t some glory.
Or use a pin.
The Oaks
Fourteen fillies line up for the Oaks – I strongly fancied Santa Barbara for the 1,000 Guineas and she disappointed me. I expect her to make amends on Friday 4th June.

With the possibility of racing at Borrowdale this weekend under threat from Covid related issues, at least we have some great racing at Epsom to make up for anything going wrong here

TRAGEDIES
Very sadly, every now and then we are reminded, in brutal manner, of our own mortality. In the last few days two great guys have been taken well before their time.
Nooresh Juglall was champion jockey in Mauritius last season but was well known around the globe, especially in South Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The Mauritius born jockey was rounding the bend for the home straight on Rule The Night when the horse fell at Champ de Mars racecourse on Saturday 15th May.
Nooresh was racing in last place when the fatal incident occurred
The 29-year-old was greatly respected by other jockeys and Britain's champion rider Murphy was one of those paying tribute to him (Credit: The Sun)
Nooresh hit the ground heavily and his mount brought down another horse nearby who then appeared to land on top of the jockey.
Reports claimed Juglall was rushed to hospital unconscious and 'bleeding profusely'.
He then fell into a coma before sadly succumbing to his injuries.
Reports stated a track crossing the course was spooking horses, leading them to falsely believe they had to jump to clear it.
The commentator calling the action said 'they will have to do something about that road' and four jockeys fell in all on the opening day of racing.
He is believed to leave behind wife Chaaya and two young sons.
Juglall is survived by dad Satanand, mum Kavita, sister Sweta and younger brother Tajesh, also a jockey in Mauritius.
Let us not forget that being a jockey is a bloody dangerous business – travelling at 60 plus kph on a beast that can weigh up to 600kg – next time you feel like giving your jockey a bollocking for a bit of poor race riding, just r emember what I have said – and temper what you say.
Also remember Nooresh and what happened to our own champion Dewi Williams – may they Rest in Peace in a better place.
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It is with an equally heavy heart that I report the passing of Zimbabwean pal and businessman, Mark Tunmer – taken years before his time – following complications with a blood disorder.
Mark was a much respected member of Sunmark Syndicate – famous for Ipi Tombe but also a multitude of other good horses down the years. He served as a Steward of Mashonaland Turf Club where his business acumen and other contributions assisted the Club immensely through difficult times.
Mark was Group Chief Executive Officer of Imara Capital Zimbabwe, the highly regarded Trust and Corporate Services company based on Samora Machel Avenue, Eastlea.
He is survived by Trish – one of the most genuine and considerate ladies on the planet – and their daughter Sarah and son Ian.

What is it that we can draw from these untimely tragedies? It’s is not easy but maybe it’s about making sure we appreciate our friends more – and from now on, maybe it’s about making sure we fill our days, as much as possible, with things we like doing and perhaps it’s about remembering that “everything is sooner than we think”
Rest in Peace Mark

I JUST DON’T BUY IT

Just what else can be wrong with American racing? Their persistent history of drug abuse is both worrying and totally reprehensible – and those involved seem to be able to get away with it.
The latest incident involves Bob Baffert and his Kentucky Durby (not a Derby) winner Medina Spirit which failed a post-race drug test. The c**t was found to have 21 picogrammes of the steroid betamethasone in its sample – twice the legal threshold in Kentucky racing.
Surprise surprise that is the same drug that was found in the system of Gamine, another Baffert trained horse that finished third in the Kentucky Okes (not an Oaks) last September.
Of course Baffert denied any wrong doing! I am not the one etc. etc. He said he didn’t know how Medina Spirit could have tested positive since the horse had never been treated with betamethasone and called it a “complete injustice”
OK…. occasionally a horse can be got at – usually to stop it – that is easier to do apparently – but Baffert has megastars in his yard and thus one must assume security is tight, very tight at all times. If there had been an incident in the past then the whole security issue would have been comprehensive. How then can Baffert explain away 29 failed drug tests over the past four decades – almost one a year?
Give me a break – I don’t know what you might conclude but I know what I think. It stinks and is symptomatic of a much bigger doping problem across America. The bigger issue is that these are not just isolated incidents, failed drug tests are endemic and at the highest levels. They even find their way oversees – even to Meydan.
Fancy lawyers get their clients off the hook – another typical American irritation for me – whereas instead, those caught out need the severest of punishments - short of gelding.
I am not going to bang on further about this but until proper action is taken, racing round the world will be tarred with the same shabby brush – our global industry has enough challenges of its own without the Yanks shooting us in the foot.

HOOFNOTE 1
A proper Derby. Yes Zimbabwe stages its Derby at Borrowdale Park on Sunday 16th May over 2,400 metres over a mile and half.
For a whole variety of reasons – a big one being handicapping consequences – the field is very small, just four runners. The very elegant Sibongile Moyo will most likely be leading her star c**t, Diesel and Dust into the winner’s enclosure but anything can happen in this true Classic race. Centaur Syndicate will be trying to win the race again but whether Magnus Maximus is quite in the league of The Toff or Glen Monarch remains to be seen. The dark horses are Only Him and Rocquette.
One day we will find a sponsor for the Triple Crown but until then, it’s hats off to all generations of MTC Stewards for staying true to proper racing – keeping these great Classics going for current and future generations of racegoers at Borrowdale Park – traditions lost are impossible to replace. Well done.
HOOFNOTE 2
There is still plenty of opportunity to join ZimFun Racing Club – just US$100 for a share and no further regular charges. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] to make a pledge or plan to hand over your dollars.
And now there is even more to enjoy – not only do we have two horses in Zim – with Karoo Winter scheduled to run on OK Grand Challenge Day – Saturday 5th June – we now have a share in two horses racing in Australia! ‘ Streuth! In return for consultancy services rendered or to be rendered I have been given a share (Au$4,000) in AusFun Racing Club – to be operated on the same basis as ZimFun by ex Zimbo horse trainer Mark Ford. No worries mate.

OOZING WITH QUALITY – DRIPPING WITH CLASS
For true racing enthusiasts, the 2,000 Guineas to be run over a straight mile on turf at Newmarket on 1st May 2021 is mouth wateringly exciting.
First run on 18th April 1809 for the said sum (a guinea being 21 shillings in old UK money) and won by a c**t called Wizard, ridden by Bill Clift and trained by Tom Perren for Christopher Wilson, the 2,000 Guineas, (along with the 1,000 Guineas for 3 year old fillies) was the brain child of Sir Charles Bunbury who had earlier co-founded the Derby at Epsom. These three races – together with Oaks and St Leger - became known as the Classics and have provided a format for other racing centres throughout the world – though few have much clue about maintaining rigorous adherence to the distance principles – but you know my feelings on this subject!
This year’s renewal is oozing with quality and dripping with class. Before final declarations were known, I spotted Sayf Al Dawla quoted at 66 to 1. It hasn’t had a run yet! But look at its breeding, gob-smacking in the extreme. It’s by Frankel who won the race in 2011 – out of Attraction the four time Group 1 winner which won the 1,000 Guineas for Mark Johnston in 2004. Sadly he was not in the final acceptors – but look out for him soon.
That is just the tip of the quality mountain – everyone with a legitimate claim for participation. Colts by the stellar stallions Galileo, Siyouni, Dubawi, Zoffany, Dawn Approach and even Starspangled Banner plus all the usual owners and trainers. Where to begin to find the winner? All complicated by the paucity of form, something which is common amongst this class of horse – they don’t run too often.
A good pointer to future Guineas winners is the Darley Dewhurst which is run at the back end of the two year old season, over 7 furlongs (1,400m) and last year was won – on soft going - by the Aiden O’Brien entry St Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni) with other entrants, Wembley (Galileo) second and Thunder Moon (Zoffany) in third place. But these three finished in the exact reverse order a month earlier at the Curragh – on good going – so I am not sure if this form helps us much. Maybe the extra furlong of the Guineas will help St Mark’s Basilica who ran on well in the soft going of the Dewhurst. There again, Wembley will appreciate the rising ground in the last couple of furlongs. Not easy – and at the time of writing we don’t know which one Ryan Moore will elect to ride!
Van Gogh is an interesting sort – by American Pharoah – one of those American sires I just would not give the time of day. But as it was chosen by maestro/genius John Magnier then that’s good enough for me. At 12 to 1 it’s not a hot property but it’s won two of its seven starts, most recently over a mile in heavy ground at St Cloud in France – so should not be written off.
Charlie Appleby has three Dubawi (now aged 19 years) c**ts entered. Pundits do not require me to sing the praises of this sire – from the Mr Prospector line – through Dubai Millenium. To me he is right up there with Galileo (aged 23 years) and how blessed we are to have both stallions standing at the same time - though both are getting very long in the tooth and may soon be retired.
Quite whether Guineas entries One Ruler, Master of the Seas or Naval Crown will come up to the standards of Ghaiyyath, Too Darn Hot or Monterosso remains to be seen – but they might. Of the three, I think I favour One Ruler out of the Sharmadal mare, Fintry a five time winner in England and France. I like Sharmadal mares which carry his courage and fortitude – in his kind of distance races, a mile.
Having said that, Naval Crown has some considerable appeal. Out of the Dansili mare, Come Alive, this c**t has already run three times this season – so will certainly be fit. Significantly for me, he has already won a race over a mile on turf at the toy track that is Meydan, beating Master of the Seas – and he did it in 1 minute 36.5 seconds – that is just the sort of time the Guineas is typically run in when the going is good – as I expect it to be this coming weekend. If you want a good outside bet – at 66 to 1 - this might be the one.
There is more money for Master of the Seas which recently won the Craven Stakes over a mile at Newmarket on good to firm going (15th April). However, despite the fast going his time was not too clever – 1 minute 38.8 seconds – to me that is just not good enough.
Finally I draw attention to Mutasaabeq (William Buick) – supplemented into the field for £30,000 on Monday! He recently creamed a 7 furlong race at the Craven meeting – and in a very fast time. By Invincible Spirit out of 1,000 Guineas winner Ghanaati (Giants Causeway) this c**t must be in with a big chance – especially as Jim Crowley has the mount.
I am pretty certain the winner will come out of those I have mentioned but trying to narrow the options to a serious tip is not easy. I tend to favour Aiden O’Brien – just on his own pedigree with the Guineas – and of his runners I am going to tip Wembley to score, purely because Galileo still has what it takes. For the minor places I am going to suggest One Ruler, Mutasaabeq and Naval Crown. However, I might tweak my decision when I know which O’Brien c**t Moore decides to ride
And for the 1,000 Guineas on Sunday, Aiden will almost certainly make it a double on the weekend with Santa Barbara – has to be a nap selection.
History will be made this weekend at Newmarket – the first two Classics – oozing with quality, dripping with class – horse racing at its very best – if you can’t be there, WATCH.

THE NATIONAL YEARLING SALES
15th and 16th April sees the next National Yearling Sales at Gosforth Park in South Africa – where dreams begin.
As race horse owners we all know that our sport is a sport and not a business proposition – there is an outside chance of making a profit but that can never be the reason to invest.
Owning a race horse might be an expensive sport but those involved are always people of substance or groups of people of substance who can spread the cost and share the immense fun of ownership.
As we have seen with ZimFun the pleasure of involvement – even amongst single $100 shareholders - is immense. And what about the Wentzels R30,000 champion, War of Athena? Awesome…. probably more so than Malmoos because of the modest story that goes with it – which is you don’t have to be a billionaire or a millionaire to own a champion. That is what everyone bidding at the Sales this week are hoping to find – an affordable champion.
All sports have costs but there is – in my mind – nothing quite like the thrill seeing your horse, wearing your colours, being shouted home from the stands in Group 1 Feature Race and then leading it into the winner’s enclosure – you can’t put a value on that.
But not every horse can win a Group 1 or even a Maiden Plate – and when it becomes clear that you haven’t bought a champion there is considerable merit in looking at how you can make the most of what you do own. If you are a South African owner could I suggest sending your horse to be trained and raced in Zimbabwe?
The facts are clear – you simply have a much better chance of finding races to win at Borrowdale Park and the ratio of purses to costs – at 50% - is the best in Southern Africa as a whole.
Training costs in Zimbabwe are $400 per month – call it R6,000 – which must be about half what it is in South Africa – and whilst it might cost around $800 to get your horse there – that is covered in just two months of training cost savings.
Zim produces great public trainers currently including Kirk and Debbie Swanson, Bridget Stidolph, Thomas Mason, Noeline Peech and recently returned from SA, Gokhan Terzi. South African owners who know ex Zimbos Paul Matchett, Roy Magner, Brett Crawford and the late Neil Bruss can be confident that their horses will be well cared for and trained.
Local and South African jockeys are readily available so finding riders I no big deal.
OK purses maybe modest at circa R27,000 per race but as indicated, chances of being placed in the first four are considerably higher than in South Africa – and there is work in progress to see a substantial increase in purses.
Lester Piggott opined that Borrowdale had one of the best turf courses in the world – he used to ride there at the Jockey International meetings – and it remains true today, ask the SA jockeys who ride at Borrowdale today.
Two of the big things about going to the races are the atmosphere and hospitality. Zimbabweans are legends in both fields – everyone has a great time in the well positioned Owners and Trainers facilities – I have raced a lot in the UK and only York comes anywhere close to Borrowdale on all fronts
Getting to Zim at the moment is a bit of a pain – but that is going to be a short term issue – Covid is getting beaten and Harare is only an hour from Joburg and it’s on the up. There are plenty of cracking lodges to stayover in and the restaurant scene is about to buzz – notably with Wombles return from Joburg. Duncan and Yvette Barker have opened up at Amanzi on the Enterprise Road and are every bit as good as they ever were. Fishmongers is another legend, now also to be found on the same road.
So where am I going with this? Well the message to those bidding at the sales is, rather than cull your strings to make way for your new purchase, send some of your horses north to Zimbabwe – you will never regret it and we will be most grateful for your help and support.

BORROWDALE PARK – INTO THE FUTURE – POSITIVE HORIZONS
I don’t normally do post mortems on race meetings but Guineas Day was a bit special. Not only did we see a return to normal pre and post-race activity in the parade ring – after a very long break – but despite fields being decimated by a virus sweeping all the yards there were some very good races and tight finishes – not least being the Guineas itself.
Whilst I wouldn’t want to put a “columnist curse” on Dindingwe, I have to say that this is a special filly – as is True Beauty. I had thought the boys might give the girls a run for their money but this proved not to be the case – and this despite them being ridden by SA jockeys and notably the champion Gavin Lerena. Local lads, Satombo and Derere drove their charges to a very tight finish, way ahead of Jubilee and Magnus Maximus – with Dindingwe securing the honours. She now heads for the Silver Slipper, the Triple Tiara and the Triple Crown.
I know we don’t have the depth of quality that we used to have years ago but should Dindingwe pull off the Double Triples then she should go down in legend and become a big draw card for all racing enthusiasts at Borrowdale Park in the future. And living legends are important for racing – as well as for the noisy boys who own the great filly!
International interest in Borrowdale – i.e. Tellytrack time – increased on Guineas Day and I put that down to the involvement of Gavin Lerena. Whilst he didn’t ride a winner (Calvin Habib from RSA rode four!) he is clearly a jockey who prompts punters and media moguls to leave the pub to watch him ride.
In our efforts to put Borrowdale back on the map, these are the sort of jockeys we need to attract again. To do that, we need to persuade the SA racing authorities to allow Zim winning rides to be included again in the log of the South African jockey championship – that this is not currently the case is a bit of a disincentive to the likes of Gavin Lerena – especially at a time when copious volumes of paperwork are needed in this Covid era in order to travel to Zim.
We also welcomed Arnold Hyde and his team to Zimbabwe on Guineas Day. Mr Hyde is the NHRA Racing Control Executive whose responsibility is to ensure the integrity of racing in Southern Africa – at all levels. My guess is that this is a tough job and one which does not attract too many friends. Such is the integrity of the man himself that I doubt if this downside element is of much consequence to Mr Hyde – and that is a very good thing indeed.
I have often spoken about the essentiality of racing being squeaky clean and it being perceived to be so – without that, all will be lost. Not only would punters and betting melt away but so too would owner numbers.
How blessed are we to be part of the southern Africa racing community as managed by the NHRA. This stamp of authority is vital to the credibility of racing at Borrowdale Park both now and in the future. But it’s more than that. The NHRA sorts out key racing elements for us such as colours, the Merit Rating system (handicapping), horse registration, Stipendiary stewarding, rules, regulations, disciplinary affairs and dope testing – to mention just a few issues. What a complete dog’s breakfast it would be at Borrowdale Park without this valuable input.
The good news for me, the Board of Stewards and all racing enthusiasts at Borrowdale Park is that the NHRA sentiment about us is strongly in favour of continued close involvement in the years ahead.
Be in no doubt about how important that key bit of information is.
For me, the NHRA involvement is one of the cornerstones of the long term viability of racing at Borrowdale Park – there are other cornerstones which the Board of Stewards are busy crafting and casting but it is good to know that the essential, long term backing of the NHRA is firmly in place. Thankyou Mr Hyde and the NHRA.

THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

Despite the many economic challenges which have plagued Borrowdale Park for the past twenty years or so, successful generations of Stewards have carefully navigated a way to ensure the survival of both the Triple Tiara for fillies and the Triple Crown in which both fillies and c**ts can compete. This achievement is all the more laudable as neither series has had any material sponsorship for some considerable time – and still doesn’t.
Both the Tiara and the Crown are races confined to three year olds and run over 1,600, 2000 and 2,400 metres – true Classic distances. The races in each group is set about four weeks apart giving every participant plenty of opportunity to win all three races and hence claim the highly esteemed title/s. Contenders carry the same weights but in the Crown, fillies get a 2.5kg edge. This means the races are true tests of excellence on the part of the horses, but the three distances also require skills sets on the part of both the trainers and the jockeys.
Whilst winning the Tiara is no mean feat, winning the Triple Crown is, in my view, the ultimate challenge for race horse owners in Zimbabwe.
The jewel in the crown of these six races is undoubtedly the Derby – run over 2,400 metres – scheduled for 23rd May 2021. Not only do runners have to be supremely fit and distance suited – this is where the trainer must do her/his bit – but in the running of the race, the jockey needs to be a master tactician and a superbly talented horseman – position and knowing when to press the “GO” button are vital.
(Just as a by the by – any race run over less than 2,400 cannot be called a Derby – but often
There has been racing in Zimbabwe for well over a hundred years – but if my memory serves me correctly, there have only been seven Triple Crown winners. Readers are invited to name them.
Sunday sees the running of the first leg of the Triple Crown – the Guineas – a mile Classic. I will leave other fundis to provide you with tips on the race but this year there are six most worthy contenders thus making it a truly exciting contest and rather unpredictable in terms of outcome.
To add even greater excitement and tension is the presence of South African Champion Jockey (2014/15 – 221 wins) Gavin Lerena – retained by Centaur Syndicate to ride their Jackson gelding, Magnus Maximus in the Guineas and Bugatti Blue in a Merit Rated 90 Handicap over 1,800 metres
Gavin is a hugely talented jockey with 1,865 wins to his name including 13 Group 1s, 33 Group 2s and 29 Group 3s. In recent times he rode the great Hawaam – now exported from South Africa. He has won big races around the world, from Hong Kong to the UK, and is well loved and respected in Zimbabwe where he used to ride with much success for Lisa Harris, partnering such stars as Earl of Surrey.
In different Covid free circumstances, he is the sort of jockey all racing enthusiasts would leave their sofas for to witness live at Borrowdale Park.
But there should be other opportunities to see a star jockey in action, Centaur has retained Gavin for all three legs of the 2021 Triple Crown, the ultimate challenge at Borrowdale Park.

ZimFun is back
Following the exploits of Tricky Business, ZimFun has had a bit of dry spell but now its new filly, Karoo Winter has accepted to race at Borrowdale Park on Sunday 21st March in a Maiden Plate over 1,800 metres.
Thomas Mason has had the task of preparing “Roo” for the race and has opted to bring up SA jockey J Gates to ride her.
Karoo Winter (Futura – Arabian Winter) came up from the Cape at the end of 2020 and settled in well. This will be her first run – and first on a clockwise track.
The meeting takes place behind closed doors to a degree - which means no ZimFunner can enter the parade ring before or after the race – and max fifty to attend the balcony gathering. Don’t be tempted!
Should she win!? Well, there is a draw on the ZimFunners WhatsApp Group – one lucky number between 1 and 100 will give the picker the right to lead her in – go there and learn how to take part.
It’s going to be great to see those fun silks back at Borrowdale – but will the imogi be a smiley one or a sad one? Obviously a smiley one would be much preferred.

HOOFNOTE 1
If you would like to get in on the ZimFun action, there are plenty of shares left in the pot.
E mail your pledges to either [email protected] or [email protected]
It’s just US$100 per share – a paltry price for the ZimFun to be had.