A stalwart of the Cape racing ranks, and a trainer who finally called it a day some nine years ago, the Melkbosstrand-based Dolf Maeder celebrates his 70th birthday on Wednesday 21 August 2024.
A horseman, one-time bookmaker, surfer, squash player and coach, Dolf has seen it all and can recount a few racing truths.
The Sporting Post chatted to Dolf when he gave up training – for the second and final time – and his story paints a fascinating picture. We thought we’d republish it for those that missed it first time round.
70 big years – cheers Dolf
Dolf’s late Dad, Carl Frederick Maeder – better known as Fritz – was a Swiss confectioner who immigrated to South Africa with his young wife and set up shop in Long Street selling sweets and chocolates.
Fritz taught himself to cook and eventually took over the landmark Constantia Nek Restaurant where Dolf was born and raised, although in those days it only consisted of the old historic thatched roof barn – Fritz developed the additional buildings.
After several years in Constantia, Fritz purchased the Blue Peter in Blouberg and Dolf explained that his father added on the semi-circular frontage and eventually owned the whole block that the hotel is situated on.
“I should have gone into cooking!” he jokes. “But in the restaurant business you start at 4am and finish at 1am. My father used to hang his trousers up at night and always said that when he got up in the morning, they were still shaking!”
It was during their Blue Peter years that Fritz got involved in racing.
“I don’t know how he got involved, but he got involved. His first trainer was Alex Soteriadis. I was in Standard 9 at Bishops at the time. The bookwork went out the window and I started studying pedigrees. There was not a horse in the country I didn’t know,” he said proudly.
“My dad’s racing colours were the blue and white Blue Peter flag. It’s a nautical flag which means ‘about to set sail’ – they’re the colours Gaynor Rupert races in now. My dad had some good horses in his time such as Lancaster who eventually went to stud with Harry Shepherd, and Red Robe. My dad bought a share in Free Will and we had horses at Klein Dassenberg Stud with Brian Schonwald. Later on we bought a smallholding in Morning Star called White Horse Stud. I bred some nice horses there, including Karthala that I had in training with Greg Ennion,” he reminisces.
Deciding he wanted to be a stud manager, the late Sir Mordaunt Milner arranged for Dolf to learn the trade at Sir Kenneth and Lady Butt’s Brook Stud in Newmarket.
He shared his Newmarket digs with a number of the National Stud students and says he spent most of his evenings helping them with foaling, etc. “I was getting a bit bored because at the end of the season they had me doing things like clipping hedges, picking up manure and painting fences and I thought can do that at home, so I left.”
The National Stud
“I decided to see who was good with fillies and went to work for Michael Stout for 2 seasons. I travelled horses to races and so on. It was fun.” Asked about any good horses he worked with, he says that Shahrastani was a 2yo at the time. “But the best horse I ever saw was one from the Noel Murless yard. One of Murless’ work riders was friendly with Stout’s head lad and he told us to watch a first timer of theirs. It won first time out and I had £20 on – he was called J.O. Tobin. Noel Murless postponed his retirement to keep training him. He won 3 in a row and then they sent him over to France for the Grand Criterium at Longchamp and he was beaten by a donkey called Blushing Groom! After that he went to the US and beat everything.”
“In between the racing, I did yearling prep back at Cheveley – they paid me £20 just to walk them round the ring. After that I came home because I wanted to start training.”
“My old man knew ‘Baby’ Killa, so he gave me some boxes and I started out on his premises. He was a Welshman and hard as nails. I think he was champion trainer with only 6 horses. Believe me, I was in his feed room every day, learning. Another mentor I had was Stanley Gorton, who had a little grey horse with Baby Killa called Palenque. Every morning I’d make him tea in the office. Him and his flipping walking stick. He was banned from Pick & Pay for poking the staff with that stick!”
“Anyway, in those days you had to have 6 horses – I only had 5, and had to use my sister’s riding horse, Honest Penny to make up the numbers, but I wish I had five horses like that today. I had Quarantine, who’d been trained by James Lightheart as a baby and broken down. The only thing that kept him sound was the sea water – oh man, it is medicine. He was my first runner and ran unplaced but my 2nd, 3rd and 4th runners all won.”
Milnerton back then
Included in the group was a 2yo homebred colt called Fernando from Free Will’s first crop.
“Fernando won first time out and then I sent him into the WP Nursery where he was drawn 1 out of 12 and finished 4th, beaten by Horatius, Limnos (who died shortly afterwards) and Sunshine Man. Once you have a few winners, people start coming. Philip Zurnamer (owner of 1991 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Ilifa) was with me right from the start. I won the Langerman for Brian Schonwald with Silent Hero, beating Peter Kannemeyer’s favourite and next thing I know he sold it. I read in the paper ‘sold to Jean Heming.’ He never won another race.” He shakes his head. “I was at Blouberg for 4 years. When Baby Killa sold to Mr Millard I moved to Milnerton.”
Another big name runner was beautiful 1983 Cape Derby winner, Stella Maris.
“He should have won the Met,” says Dolf with conviction. “He ran a nice race in the Queen’s Plate and in the Met, as he came into the straight he clipped heels and went right down. Garth Puller sprained his wrist and the horse knocked its front teeth out and he still finished 6th, 6 lengths off Wolf Power.”
Despite having a sizeable string and some good horses, Dolf gave up training in the early 90’s.
“I’d had enough. People owed me so much money. I wouldn’t have a bond today if it wasn’t for all the money I’m owed. I’ve been out twice actually. The first time I became a bookmaker for a while. I was right on the Silver Ring where people bet in 10c pieces,” he smiles at the memory.
Trainer Dolfie Maeder and part-owner Ash Fortune (nee Panter) lead Celestial Wind (Anton Marcus) into the winner’s enclosure on 25 July 2012 (Pic – Supplied)
“Then a friend warned that it was all about to change, so I sold up and started training again. I started at the farm that time. Some friends talked me into going to Durban and we ended up moving up there, but it was much the same story. People just didn’t pay and so I stopped again. I came back to Cape Town and started a golf driving range at the Melkbosstrand Country Club and then worked for a building firm for 2 years doing property repairs and maintenance. It was quite fun – totally different to what I’d done before and I learnt a lot, but it wasn’t really going anywhere. So I started up training again like an idiot,” he laughs. “I just enjoy the horses.”
So why did he call it a day?
“Training starts in the sales ring – you’ve got to be able to pick a horse. My dad had a terrific eye for a horse. I’ve got a good eye too and I’ve been blessed and picked some good horses for nothing. One year, there was a horse I had my eye on who was about to go through the ring. I saw Mr Millard go to his perch and panicked that he wanted ‘my’ horse, but he bought the one before. Then I saw old man Herman Brown go to his perch, but he bought a Harry Hotspur just after my one for R180k. The Millard horse never won a race and I think the Herman Brown horse won one race. And in the middle was Golden Taipan for R45 000. I’m not saying that price makes a horse run, but these days you need buying power. If you want to be competitive, what you can buy on a budget is very limited.”
Gary Player is flanked by Glen Kotzen and Dolf Maeder
He’s not a fan of the Merit Rating system either.
“In the old days, you didn’t keep moderate horses. Now, they’re quick to put a horse’s rating up and slow to bring it down again, so you end up keeping it in training longer than you might have to try and get the rating down so it can be competitive and earn again. I also think it kills the young horses.”
Then there’s the regulator. “Punters are what keep the game going. I think someone quoted some figures showing how often our Stipes hold enquiries vs other racing jurisdictions and I think that about says it all. Punters see strange rides and the jockeys don’t even get questioned. I know it’s difficult to prove that someone’s done something they shouldn’t, but people should at least be called in. When nothing is done, punters feel they’ve done their money in cold blood. They’d rather spend their money on sports betting because they feel they get more of a fair chance.”
And last, but by no means least, is the culture of non-payment.
“If you could guarantee that you’d be paid up by the 5th of the month every month, racing would be the best game in the world. But some people don’t pay and the minute two or three get behind, you’re in trouble. If it’s a decent horse, you don’t mind as you can try and make it back off the stakes, but if it’s a poor horse and the owner doesn’t pay, you end up being stuck with it.”
Dolf and his wife Heidi
Happy birthday, Dolf!
- Ed – Thanks to Dee Zurnamer for the social images.
