Eric Sands
Top Cape Town based trainer, ERIC SANDS has been plying his trade for over three decades and he is closing in on the 1000 winners mark in his career. He averages a graded winner per season and his name will always be synonymous with the great sprinting champion, Flobayou. Eric has always been content to house a small but competitive string of horses and he currently trains 35 horses at his Milnerton base. He mentions that he has a promising string of two-year olds and the stable must be closely watched in the juvenile races, this season. He has tasted success in the Cape’s Premier sprinting contest, the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship and he sides with the speedy top class KZN filly, Via Africa to win next Saturday’s event. Whilst he won’t be represented by a runner in the upcoming J & B Met, he has finished runner-up in the event before with his top class, Grande Jete, and he rates the fast-improving, Master Of My Fate as the one to beat in this year’s contest. We wish Eric Sands everything of the best in the future.
What is your name? Arthur Eric Sands but Arthur is a family name so I am called Eric.
What is your star sign and birthdate? Cancerian, 26th June 1956 (57 years old).
Where were you born? Johannesburg.
Where do you live? Melkbosstrand, Cape Town.
Tell us about your family? My father was of Australian decent and my mother Lebanese. I have 3 sisters and 2 children. My son Francis (23) is studying Conservation Genetics and Kylah (20) my daughter is 2nd year teaching. I am divorced.
Do you have a ‘nickname’? Oubie.
Favourite food? Lebanese food or hot curries.
Favourite drink? Beer or wine, otherwise tea all day.
Favourite music? A mixture of Cat Stevens, Sting, Van Morrison, Adele, Louis Armstrong. I enjoy most music except heavy rock or techno.
Favourite sport? I enjoy watching rugby and cricket but only make time to watch international matches.
What book are you reading at the moment? Pockets – The life of Pocket Power.
Which is the characteristic about yourself that you like most? Honestly? Honesty.
Is there anything the public don’t know about Eric Sands that they would be interested to know? Probably not.
Are you interested in soccer and, if so, which is your favourite soccer team? I watch a bit of English soccer and am an Arsenal fan. I trained for the late Sir Robert Bellinger who was Honorary Life President of Arsenal.
Favourite holiday destination? The bush, anywhere, especially where I can’t get mobile reception.
Where did you go to school? Athlone Boys High.
What tertiary education did you attain? Nothing after matric.
Being the son of successful trainer Arthur Sands was it always planned that you become a trainer? My father was not a hugely successful trainer because he did not want to go racing but he was a great assistant trainer. I tried to stay out of the game but my heart pulled me in.
What did you do on completion of your schooling? After the army I repped for Lever Bros and United Tobacco before going overseas to work as a groom/workrider.
You had a stint in Britain before returning to South Africa. Who did you work for whilst overseas? Anthony Johnson and a short stint with Fred Winter in Lambourne. Liam Browne on the Curragh, Ireland, who produced some brilliant apprentices and lastly, the man I most enjoyed working for, Bruce Hobbs in Newmarket.
As an assistant trainer you also rode a lot of work on the horses. Do you think that riding the horses and getting the feel of a really good horse has helped you as a trainer? Yes, definitely but in saying that, there are many good trainers who have never sat on a horse before. I still ride work to keep fit, but very little.
On your return from Britain to South Africa you worked for Duncan Alexander. Duncan was known to do things his own way and not always in the conventional way. Did any of his training methods stick with you? I don’t remember Uncle Dunc being unconventional but a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
Which were the best horses you were involved with whilst with Duncan? Pelion and Shivering Sands.
What path did your life, as a trainer, take to eventually reach Cape Town where you have been for many years? My girlfriend and later my wife, Sharon Puller (Garth and Glen’s sister) lured me to the Cape in the 80’s. I felt that the Cape was also more horse friendly so I moved here.
When did you start training in the Cape? I got my licence in 83, came here for the winter in 84 and again in 85 then never went back.
Where are your stables situated? Milnerton.
How many horses do you have in your yard? 35.
Tell us about the team which assists you in the running of your yard? I have many longstanding grooms who are invaluable. Without them I don’t know what I would have done. I also have Kaylie Hogdson and Helen Hallgreen Pauli as assistants and Felicete Ekermans as my bookkeeper.
Which of your horses do you think will be worth following over the next couple of months? I have some promising 2 year olds who will start racing in the next few months. Of my older horses they are either well exposed or the handicapper likes them too much.
Do you have a stable jockey and who are the jockeys who help you most? I have never had a stable jockey because I have never wanted a string large enough to support one. Wherever possible I use the chaps who ride work for me because they get to know the horses likes and dislikes. If they do the work, they deserve the rides.
You have had a long and successful association with jockey Karl Neisius. How did this start and does Karl ride much work in the stable? He rides work for me 4 times a week and has a work ethic that the younger jocks should take note of. Karl’s first winner with me was a horse for the late Kosie Barnard called Red Phantom in 1985. I think at the time Jehan Malherbe and Alan Hodson were instrumental in getting him to start riding work for me. We have had over 300 winners together and have always had a great strike rate.
You recently won a race with the Silvano gelding, Silver Salver. He won at any odds. Was he completely unfancied by you and now that he has won what sort of future do you predict for him? Silver Salver showed us good work at home but he had had 3 wind operations so I was more concerned about getting him home in one piece. I wasn’t asked about the horse but to be honest if asked, I would have been conservative because I did not know if his breathing would impede his performance. As long as his wind holds he will be competitive. My old friend Nic Claassen was in my office one day when a horse of his won in PE at a 100/1. No sooner had the race been run when he got a call asking if he fancied the horse. His reply: “Of course, who do you think took the 200s?” Same here!
The Cape season is now in full swing. Which of your horses are you hoping could do well for you in the upcoming feature events? Maybe Theme Song and Lady Kelpie.
From what you have seen which are the horses the public would do well to follow over the next couple of months? Jackson’s return run was top class although I am not sure if Brett was restricted in his comeback preparation. He is a good trainer and he knows what to do. Captain America looks to be in a league of his own. Master Of My Fate is very impressive. Don’t rule out the top fillies like Beach Beauty and Via Africa.
Who were your first patrons in the Cape and are they still with you? Sadly most of my earlier patrons have passed on but there are still the stalwarts like the Becks and Malih Albasti of Dubai. Susan and John Kalmanson and the Sarembocks have given me support many times over the last 20 plus years.
What are some of the big changes that have taken place in training since you started out? Tellytrack and Telebetting are most obvious but I do think they have taken away some of the magic of what used to be going to the races. Dope testing has improved dramatically.
On a personal note how many races have you won? I think it’s now close to 900.
How many Grade 1 and 2 races have you won? 30.
How many feature races have you won? Over 50.
Which was the first feature race you won and what horse did you win with? The Jack Stubbs Memorial Handicap with Harry Herson’s Prince Galahad. Glen Puller rode him.
How have you fared in the July, the Summer Cup and the Met? 5th in both the July and Summer Cup and 2nd in the Met.
What do you consider to be the best training feat you have achieved? The Flobayou story and bringing Double D’or back after a year off with both bowed tendons.
Which feature races have you won? The Cape Derby, Cape Flying Championship, Natalia Stakes, Champion Stakes, Cape Fillies Guineas, the Diadem, Natal and Cape Merchants, Sceptre Stakes, Southern Cross Stakes, Peninsula Handicap, Premiers Trophy, Selangor, Chairman’s, Final Fling, Ladies Mile and Diana Stakes – some of them twice or more. And many others.
Which feature races are on the top of your list of races you really want to win? The Met, Queen’s Plate, Cape Guineas and the July.
You have had many top horses but which do you consider to be outstanding? Jungle Warrior, Wexford Boy, Double D’or, Flobayou and Perfect Promise.
What is the highest position you have finished on the South African trainer’s log? 7th.
The Ready To Run sale graduates have huge incentives if they manage to get into that race with prize money for the top 10. Will you be making a special effort to buy from that sale in future? My incentive is to buy quality at value for money prices and if the horse happens to be at one of those sales, yes I will buy there. But it would be stupid to just buy from RTR sales for the sole purpose of the stake.
The cost of owning a horse in training is becoming more and more expensive. Have you come up with any good ideas to cut costs? I offer my clients less 10% if they pay before the 7th of the month. It’s a system used in a lot of businesses.
You are a professional trainer and make your living by it but what else keeps you passionate about being a trainer? The sense of achievement and self-gratification in winning races. The day I stop shouting a maiden home, is the day I stop training.
Outside of racing what are your passions and interests? I enjoy working with my hands and if I have the time I enjoy cooking. Of course as mentioned before, I love the bush and wild animals.
The Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship is run a week before the J&B Met and it attracts the best sprinters around. Tell us who you fancy at this stage? VIA AFRICA has shown herself to be a very smart sprinting filly and I will side with her.
Which horses do you think will fight out the finish of the Grade 1 J&B Met? I think Jackson was beaten by the best miler in the country, Capetown Noir in the Queen’s Plate. This trip is more his game and he deserves plenty of respect. Master Of My Fate and Whiteline Fever are my other fancies but the horse that I think will win is the fast improving, MASTER OF MY FATE.
Who is your pick for the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby? If CAPTAIN AMERICA gets the trip, he will be very hard to beat.
The other Grade 1 race on the day is the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes. Who do you think is the horse to beat? BEACH BEAUTY is at the top of her game and it will take a great horse to beat her.
After being involved in racing for a long time do you have any suggestions as to how get more people involved in racing? Racing is perceived to be an elitist sport. Make it more accessible to the public. Our presenters should personalize trainers, jockeys, grooms and owners for the public to identify more with them. They do in other televised sports so why not in racing? Tell the viewer’s where these personalities were born or what school they went to or where they learnt their trade.
It would be fair to say that you are very interested in breeding and pedigrees. Which of the current South African stallions really excite you? The usual’s like Captain Al, Silvano, Var, Dynasty and Fort Wood but I also like the look of the relative newcomers Seventh Rock and Sail From Seattle. I sent Oratorio a mare. I have seen some outstanding Great Britain yearlings and Pathfork foals.
Do you ever have a bet on a horse or is your enjoyment limited to training the winners? I will have a bet but only on my own horses and only if everything like blood, draw, distance, jockey, going etc is right. If they get beat then fine, I am not afraid to bet on my ability.
What short/long term ambitions do you have for yourself? To build my yard up to what it was in the past. A few years ago I had a catastrophe in the yard and have battled to get back on top. I needed to accept and get on with it. I am ready.
Does the old maxim, “Behind every successful man is an equally successful woman,” apply to Eric Sands? Yes, often!!!
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