‘The real heroes are the horses’
IF YOU were to ask retired racehorse trainer Johnny Nicholson to choose the best year of his life, it would probably be 1980. That was the year his six-yearold champion stayer, Beau Art, at 8-1, won the Durban July on his fourth try. It was a champagne occasion, too, for jockey Freddie Macaskill, who celebrated his 26th birthday the same day, July 5.
There were those who predicted that, with four white stockings, the chestnut gelding had little chance. But the superstitious naysayers were wrong. “There are no words to describe watching the horse you have nurtured and trained win the July,” says this silver-haired doyen of the racing world, who retired from his training establishment in Vereeniging 14 years ago and now lives in Hillcrest. “Every trainer dreams of this moment, but to be one of the lucky ones, wow, it still gives me goosebumps to think about it.”
At 77, this one-time Grand National steeple-chaser and three-time equestrian phaseeventer champion still avidly follows the modern horse-racing industry. He’s proud to tell you he knows the lineage of just about every horse that’s ever entered a race track, but he is also happy to sit back and watch the passing show.
That said, when given the chance to share some of the nostalgia and history that surrounds the July, he was more than happy to oblige.
“First, we have to remember that, in the early days, racing in South Africa was looked upon as a sport and recreation. Today it is a vibrant, multimillion-rand industry, so the dynamics are very different.”
A flip back to the 70s and early 80s and Nicholson opens the curtains on a typical July of yesterday when the likes of Bridget Oppenheimer, fondly known as Mrs O, entertainers like Peter Maxwell, trainers like Terrence Millard, Syd Laird (owner of the famed Sea Cottage) and July fashion photographer Peter Duffy could be seen mingling with the punters, while picnic sites on the other side were a joyous mix of crayfish, champagne and friends getting together for a race-day splurge.
Another well-known personality on the course was Ernie Duffield – binoculars in hand – who did the commentary for no less than 29 consecutive Julys.
“Today you don’t see the numbers of smartly dressed racegoers on course like you used to,” says Nicholson. “They are either tucked away in the boxes upstairs or in VIP tents, which they seldom leave. I do miss that exclusive stylish element and talking to punters on the courses who knew their racing. Of course, there were always the outrageous fashions and those who wore no more than goosebumps, but that was part of the fun. If you asked one of the young models you see these days parading their designer clothes for a comment on the horses, I don’t think they would have a clue.”
But back to the early memories. “Well, the first thing that heralded the big day was the fleet of brown-and-cream of Medwood floats, gleaming in the morning light, transporting the horses from Summerveld to Greyville. The big excitement was when the floats containing the July horses arrived, almost like royalty, with flags and bunting. The owner of Medwoods, Eddie Bath, drove the float himself with a pair of traffic cops leading it.”
Today the dress code is not so strict. Not like the old days, says Nicholson when every lady’s outfit had a gorgeous hat to go with it and the men wore hats, jackets and ties, and carried binoculars.
“Apart from the Jockey Club stipendiary stewards, there were even racecourse detectives watching out for any inappropriate behaviour. We used to refer to the fair-haired ones as James Blondes.”
Today the Jockey Club has been replaced by the National Horse Racing Authority.
“In those days there were lots of rumours about the horses and the ‘juice’ they were allegedly being given to make them run faster,” he says. “But as the racing industry grew, so did the need for a worldclass laboratory to test whether anything untoward had been given to a horse. The testing lab at Turffontein is probably the best in the world.”
If he could, would he like to go back to training?
“No. I had the golden years. I always like to think that the first priority is the welfare of the horse and sometimes that can get overlooked.” On that score he’d like to see a restriction of certain medications for horses under the age of four.
“Oh yes, and what about a return of the flags for the arriving July runners. They are the ones that really need celebrating. They are the real heroes of the day.”
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