Frank Robinson

For a good part of his life FRANK ROBINSON has been known as Herman Brown’s assistant. Things have, however, changed dramatically for Frank since he has been made a full partner in the business. As a normally introverted person Frank is now noticeably more outgoing and willing to talk about his horses. At the same time the stable is turning out a steady string of winners. This Saturday the Brown/Robinson combination sends out a couple of fancied runners in the features at Scottsville and with a bit of luck, racegoers could see him in the winners enclosure. Frank is a testimony of how patience and loyalty can be rewarded. This, plus his great love for the horses he trains looks sure to make Frank Robinson a name to follow in the future.

What is your name and age? Frank Robinson and I am 43 years old.

What is your star sign and birthdate?  Pisces, 1 March 1969.

Where were you born?  Durban.

Where do you live? Winston Park.

Tell us about your family?  My father recently passed away. My mother’s name is Doreen and I have a sister, Shelley.

Do you have a ‘nickname’? Frank Millard after the Legend. I was really obsessed with Mr. Terrance Millard.

Favourite food? I eat most things. Probably prawn curry.

Favourite drink? Whisky.

Favourite music? Most types, enjoying the Parlotones at the moment.

Favourite sport? Football.

Which is your favourite sporting team? Manchester United.

What is your favourite holiday destination?  The UK – London and Manchester.

Until recently you were best known as the assistant trainer to the Brown’s. Before you joined the Brown training yard what were you doing? I worked for Gail Thompson and Johnny Nicholson . Then I went on to work for Mr. Brown (Snr).

Before joining Herman (Jnr) when he got his trainer’s licence you worked for his dad, Herman (Snr). When did you start with Herman (Snr) and describe your time with him? I worked on a pre-training farm for him breaking in and schooling his babies. I travelled between the farm and the main stables.

What were the more important lessons you learnt from Herman (Snr) that have stuck with you all these years? Patience and not forcing horses as they can make you wait longer. Also, the importance of good quality food and attention to detail.

As a schoolboy you would go straight from school to Johnny Nicholson’s yard where you watched him work with his horses and simultaneously study for your matric finals. What would you say was Nicholson’s best attribute with horses? He would change their attitude towards work with unconventional methods.

You were lucky, or clever enough, to have been associated with top trainers like Reg Passmore (Jolly Drummer and Intellectual), Johnny Nicholson (Beau Art, Gerald Boy, Count du Barry and Red Bishop) and Gail Thompson when he saddled Jamaican Rhumba to win the Durban July. What would you say was their biggest influence on you? They all trained very differently and they all got very good results.

You have said that you consider Johnny Nicholson to be the greatest horseman you have ever worked with. What sort of things did he do which impressed you so much? He worked very hands-on with each horse and paid a lot of attention to detail. He did things very differently to other trainers.

Herman Brown (Snr) had a great influence on you. What are you still doing today that he taught you to do? Patience, giving horses time and paying attention to detail.

Terrance Millard was another great trainer you watched and learnt from. What particular things did he do which you might still do today? He showed us all how much more work a horse can take. He alone, transformed training in this country.

In 1984 Herman Brown (Jnr) took out his license and you became his assistant trainer. You remained his assistant for many years until just recently you became Herman’s full partner in the business. With all the experience and knowledge that you had acquired the question people ask is ‘why did you not train on your own’? I am a very loyal person and was approached a few times by people within the yard but I didn’t want to do things that way. I always thought it would work out this way.

How did you feel about making partner? It’s very rewarding.

Down the years you have been involved with many top horses. Do you still rate Eldoriza as the best horse you have worked with? Yes, definitely.

What made Eldoriza stand out in your memory? Great acceleration and the will to win. He was unsound at times but still always tried his best to win.

Herman (Jnr) had a few near misses in the Durban July. Tell us about them? He ran second with Sleek Machine, a head behind London News. He also ran second with Sushisan. In 2010 Orbison ran third, behind Bold Silvano.

Right now do you have any horse in your care that could change the pattern for you guys? Not at the moment as we seem to have a lot of top sprinters.

The stable has recently recruited Keagan Latham as their stable jockey and the partnership has done very well since its inception. How is Keagan’s feedback on the horses he rides? His feedback is good as he has international experience.

Tell us about the rest of the team that assist you in the yard? My head boy is Khaya and there are lots of good old grooms we have had for many years. My secretary is Beverley Spies who is Brian Cherry’s daughter. My farrier is Gareth Howells.

ANTIOUS had brilliant form until fluffing his lines at Clairwood two weeks ago. He was reported to have been making respiratory noises on that occasion and was coughing. How is he doing now and will he be contesting the Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville this weekend? If yes, how do you rate his chances?  We have worked on him and he is working well and looking good. He had a slight respiratory infection, but it seems okay now.

Your filly CHOCOLICIOUS bounced right back to her best at Greyville recently. Her next mission is the SA Fillies Sprint. How has she taken that run and what are her chances? She has taken that race well and has a good winning chance. I think PRINCESS VICTORIA will be hard to beat.

In the Allan Robertson you send out COUNTER RIDGE who has been defeated just once in three outings. How is she doing and tell us about her chances in that race? She needed her last run, but is doing very well and will be involved in the finish.

In the Gold Medallion the stable sends out GO AGAIN. Tells us about him and his chances? GO AGAIN also needed his last run and will be very competitive. He is a very good horse.

The KZN Winter season is now in top gear. From what you have observed which do you think would be good horses to follow? Variety Club, Jackson and Taipan.

Have you any idea of how many Grade 1 winners you have been involved with? At least 10 that I can think of.

How many winners have you had in association with the Brown’s? Over 1000…

How many yearlings did your stable buy at the National Yearling Sale this year and what was your top price? We bought 7 yearlings and the top price was R650 000.

How do you go about selecting the horses you wish to purchase at the various sales? Firstly, breeding then conformation. I like the yearling to look like the dams sire if you are looking for value.

You have mentioned how many of the top trainers you watched in the early days were very particular about how and what they fed their horses. Is this still the same or have the ready mix formulas taken over? I am afraid so. Food is hard to source so everyone basically feeds the same from food companies.

What would you say are the major changes which have taken place in training horses since you first started out in the business? Horses are much softer and have more problems. Training tracks have too much traffic on them.

Who are your favourite jockeys’ locally and internationally? Locally Piere Strydom and Ryan Moore internationally.

Who do you think will be crowned South Africa’s champion jockey for this season? Anton Marcus or  Anthony Delpech.

Have you ever travelled with Herman to Dubai? No.

What role do you play in the international yard, and where is the yard based? Nothing, in Dubai.

Has the international yard acquired any new and exciting horses lately that we should keep an eye on? Not yet.

Who is the stable jockey for the international yard? Ryan Moore.

How did it come about that your stable acquired President Ramzan Kadyrov, as an owner? His representatives approached us in Dubai.

Were you there when Mourilyan ran third in the Melbourne Cup in 2009 for the stable? Does the international success filter through the yard locally? No, I was not there. International exposure is always good for a yard.

How do you keep your local and international owners up-to-date with their horses? My secretary keeps them well informed.

Has the change from being an assistant trainer to being the ‘boss’ changed your life in any way? More grey hair.

From what you have seen and experienced do you think racing is ‘straight’? Yes, it is well policed.

The cost of practically everything is going through the roof. Do you have any ideas as to how the cost of keeping a racehorse can be kept down? Stakes must be increased.

Do you think your training fees are reasonable and how do you keep them competitive? Yes. They are in line with everyone else.

Do you ever advise any of your friends to have a punt on any horse you are training, when you believe it has a really good winning chance? Yes, when they are at good odds.

Those who know you well say it is difficult to know whether you will actually be backing one of your horses as you wait until the last minute to put your money on. Are you still like that? Yes definitely. I don’t like exposing horses. It can put too much pressure on me.

By your own admission you are not really a people’s person but love your dogs, cats and birds. Now that you are training in your own right has it become easier for you to open up and speak to people? It’s something I’ve had to do as it’s very important today.

Have you any ideas as to how to bring more people, be they owners, punters or generally just those who like to watch horses racing, back to the racecourses? Yes. Work on the youth and have rock concerts at the races etc. Improve the restaurants.

The saying is “Behind every successful man is an equally successful woman”. Does this apply to Frank Robinson? Definitely not, they have only been a hindrance.