Leading breeder Hassen Adams’ lifetime of excellence and passion, and decades of investment in a quest to deliver champions, were swept away in the raging torrent and floods that plundered a path of destruction through Hermanus and the magnificent Hemel ‘N Aarde valley on a black Monday that brought the curtain down on the Heritage Day long weekend.
At the age of 71, and battling multiple cancers, Hassen Adams told the Sporting Post in an exclusive interview on Monday that he was deeply thankful that his staff and some 150 horses had been spared, but that every man eventually reaches a crossroads in life where decisions had to made – and that Monday 25 September 2023 was probably his.
The leading businessman drew parallels with the floods in northeastern Libya last week that led to massive losses of life and widespread destruction.
“I am watching the news and praying that all of the people impacted by this disaster will be saved – even though many lives will be inexorably changed for a long time.”
Former chair of Grand Parade Investments, executive chair of Burger King SA, director of Gold Circle, a director of Cape Town Fish Market and of Afriserve, Hassen Adams has raised the bar at Nadeson Park Stud. The farm has evolved as a force on the racing and breeding scene, and is well advanced as an eco-village of international repute and quality.
The heavy downpours that swept Cape Town and the Overberg came after the SA Weather Service issued a Level 9 warning on Sunday – an indication that the impact of the inclement weather was expected to be severe.
And, as expected, the relentless and strong wind had no mercy.
“I thank the almighty that my staff and horses were spared. Bar my office, legacy library and feed store, the rest is gone. I have one of my best quality drafts ever for the October Sale and the early sales of 2024. They are still just wooly teddy bears as Spring has never arrived. Now we have lost our facilities. I have plenty of land on my West Coast farm – but not the stabling and facilities. There is no way we will be able to prepare them in this environment for the sales. I have some serious decisions to make,” he lamented, as he gazed out of the window at the bleak skies.
The man who brought champion Gimmethegreenlight to South Africa, said that he was not bitter and remained philosophical in the belief that the ‘perfect storm’ was an act of a higher power.
“There is no loss of human or horse life on our farm. And one must think of the suffering of the poorest people in our communities that are homeless and without a hot meal tonight. Somethings money cannot buy. One can make all the paper money in the world, but, think about it – no amount of wealth can buy health or time,” he lamented.
So is this the end of the journey for Nadeson Park?
Hassen says that he has come to terms with, and respects the reality that his much loved children have other passions, like property – and horses were not part of their preferences or plans. So there is no succession plan in place.
Hassen and Riyaan Adams
“My journey in this sport has never been commercial – I have just loved the horses, the competition and the people. And when I look at what happened today, one realizes that nothing in life is permanent. We can make the mistake of thinking we are bigger than life. I had the good fortune to mingle with business and world leaders – with Kings, Queens, Sultans and Emperors. And then got the wake-up call. I was travelling. I did eight countries and three continents in a week. Then I got sick. I started sorting my life out – and Nadeson Park and Karwyderskraal became my focus. Now I see that God has other plans.”
When taxed on where to now, Hassen said that his chief priority would be to ensure that his staff and horses were safe and fed.
“Nobody can get in and those on the farm cannot get out. My managers and staff have been fantastic. Being a long weekend, some of them were away, but I have put them up in accommodation. We will have to assess the situation. Who knows? My immediate thought was a dispersal. Sell up. Call it a day. Maybe keep a handful of horses. I can’t give racing up. But I also don’t have time in my corner. This labour of love will take years to restore. Years that I don’t have.”
