We have a chat to Haley and Taryn Crawford of Lola Crawford Racing Stables, situated at Ashburton Training Centre. They are having a cracking new season, currently with 20% winners to runners percentage and 40% places.

How long have you both been training for?

Taryn:  We moved into the Ashburton training Centre in 2013, that’s when I took out my provisional stable employee licence and now I’m working towards my trainers licence.

Haley: Since 2013. I was part time at the stables from 2013-2017 where I was studying towards and completed my degree [B.Comm in Finance]. I’m not technically training as I’m just a stable employee. I have started riding work again on our horses, which has added a nice bit of excitement to my mornings.

 What is the most rewarding part of your work?

Taryn: Seeing the horses win races is defintely one of the most rewarding aspects of the job but I also really enjoy seeing the horses improve in their daily work. There is something very special about seeing horses you’ve literally known since day one, grow into the amazing animals that make it to the race track.

Haley: Definitely having the horses we have bred and worked with from day one run well in their races. Not just to have them win, but for the places too and mostly just to see them do their best and run with heart and with a good attitude. (People often comment on our ability to shout the horses home in a race – often asking if we have won, meanwhile we’ve just sneaked a 5^th place. As long as our horses run well we are happy- the increase in stakes is just a big bonus!)

You both have degrees – what keeps you training horses?

Taryn:  A lot of passion mixed with a little bit of insanity. It’s a tough industry from the breeding all the way through to the end of a racehorses career but helping the animals we’ve breed live up to the hopes we as breeders place on them is great, stressful, but great.

Haley: Apparently it’s in our blood. And I’ve never quite liked the idea of an office job!

How many horses do you have in training?

Taryn: We have 15 in the Ashburton yard at the moment

Haley: 15 Currently in the yard with some babies still on our farm in Lidgetton.

Which horses have you bred yourself out of the yard (and winners) ?

 Taryn: At the moment there are 4 of the horses I bred in the yard and one of them is a winner, Silver Cent.           Hopefully one or two more of them will make it onto that list soon.

Haley: None of my own at the moment (I seem to claim some of my parents horses once they come into the yard), but I have two 2 year olds of my own that will be coming in soon.

You have horses related to Chimichuri Run whose dam was bred at your parents farm. Tell us more about who and their prospects?

Taryn: At the moment we have Silver Cent. He is out of a half-sister to Spiced Gold, who is the Dam of Chimichuri Run. To date Silver Cent is a 4-time winner and has done us very proud. He is his Dam’s 1^st foal and we look forward to his half-sister by Crusade coming into the yard next year.

Haley: We also have a Crusade colt out of Spiced Princess (who is also half-sister to Spiced Gold) due into the yard next year.

What do you do in your off time?

Taryn: Mainly more horse related things and a few craft hobbies. I’m bringing on a few OTTB’s for their second careers at the moment and that takes up most of my free time. I also enjoy reading when I get a gap for it.

Haley: Off time??  Mostly ride and try squeeze in a few show jumping, showing or eventing shows on our OTTB’s. Otherwise try and relax with friends and family.

Which is your favourite track – Greyville or Scottsville?

Taryn: Greyville, both the poly track and the grass track. We do more racing on the poly track and I much prefer it to the Scottsville grass track.

Haley: Greyville. Scottsville is much more convenient, but our horses seem to prefer Greyville and most of them seem do well on the poly track as well as on the grass.

 You have achieved a winners to runners percentage of 20% which puts you in good company for the new season. Horses to look for the in the future?

Taryn: We have some exciting 3 year olds that have come into the yard in the last few months and we have some nice older horses coming back from injury that we are very keen to get back to racing fitness. It will be interesting to see how they can do for us.

Haley: We don’t want to give too much away as “horses make fools us all”, but as Taryn said, we have some nice 3 year olds that have just come in as well as the horses coming back from injuries to look out for.

Congratulations and long may the success continue!

KZN featured on Gold Cup Day with #kznbred Spiced Gold producing Gr3 Umkhomazi Stakes winner, Chimichuri Run, whilst Summerhill-bred Railtrip finished second in the Gr1 Thekweni Stakes, with Noble Tune’s Play Another Tune fourth in the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes. Another interesting results for Rathmor Stud was Will Pays – a half-brother to Rathmor broodmare Rattled, the dam of Gr2 winner Harry Lime.

KZN opened the eLan Gold Cup day with the first two winners on the card – a flying finish by Irish Flame juvenile gelding Perpetual Flame under Muzi Yeni for Nathan Kotzen. The gelding bred by Bruce Le Roux is out of Case Stated by London News, has placed second on three occasions and had the much deserved win by almost five lengths from Podcast, and enjoyed the length in trip over 1900m.

Irish Flame stands at Bush Hill Stud and is bringing home the winners, the handsome and classy son of Dynasty is currently boasting almost 32% winners to runners for the season.

Top Classman looks above average and followed through with a third career win in the second race. the Mogok has placed five times previously and earned over R250 000 to date from 13 starts for Frank Robinson and breeders Scott Bros.

Chimichuri Run, who recently was sold at the BSA Super Sale to dissolve a partnership for R1,6-million, rewarded owner Chris Van Niekerk with a facile win by almost five lengths in the Gr3 Umkhomazi Stakes. The handsome chestnut Trippi juvenile colt is out of Greenhill Farm-bred Gr1 winning mare by Kahal, Spiced Gold, bred by Drakenstein Stud. He has won twice and placed three times from all of his starts.

Another Trippi to impress came from Summerhill Stud, as Railtrip, beautifully bred out of a Galileo mare, finished a length off Return Flight in the Gr1 Thekweni Stakes. The filly trained by Chesney Van Zyl is sporting an impressive race record with a win and three seconds and a place from all of her starts.

Play Another Tune for Gavin Van Zyl, out of Another Goat, ran fourth in the Gr1 Premiers Champions Stakes over 1600m. The consistent juvenile gelding has won and placed from five of his six starts and was only three lengths off the winner Soqrat (AUS) who has been hailed as a future stallion prospect.

Another added result for Rathmor Stud was that of Will Pays – the six year old by Imperial Stride won the Gr1 Mercury Sprint by a length and is a half-brother to Rathmor resident broodmare Rattled.

Rattled has already done Rathmor proud by producing Gr2 winning Var gelding Harry Lime, and Eightfold Path 2-time winner, Mbali.

Will Pays has won 11 races and placed 11 times and earned over R1,8-million in stakes. Rattled and Will Pays are out of the speedy dam Rattlebag by Jallad.

Rattled sold her Ideal World filly in Session 1 of the National Yearling Sale earlier this year for R250 000.

Well done to the winning connections of the following horses and once again KZN has done itself proud with big results from small numbers.

Bombs Away, by Horse Chestnut out of Greenhill Farm’s Gr1 winning Kahal mare Spiced Gold, won well on debut for the stable of Mike Bass, bred by Witzenberg Stud and owned by Messrs M W Bass, R A Flanigan, Paul Marks & B Riley.

The two year old gelding won by a neck at Kenilworth over 1000m. He is the first foal for Spiced Gold, out of Greenhill’s Complete Warrior mare, Little Legend.

The fourth dam is non other than Majorca. Spiced Gold won the Gr1 SA Fillies Classic and placed nine times, including the Gr1 Golden Slipper and Gr3 Fillies Mile.

This damline also includes the likes of Studio Fiftyfour, Freedom Fortune and Naan Khataay. Congratulations to Lola and Stuart Crawford of Greenhill Farm.