Gareth van Zyl

Gareth van Zyl is no stranger to racing – the second of Gavin and Shannon van Zyl’s five children and his father’s longtime assistant, racing is more or less in the blood.

On Friday, 28 October 2016 Gareth saddled his first horses under his own name. His very first runner was a winner when Northern Storm and Anton Marcus came home lonely 1.75 lengths ahead of their maiden field and a little over an hour later, Celtic Captain won the card’s feature, the Listed Jonsson Workwear Michaelmas Handicap under Warren Kennedy. Gareth has firm ideas on his career and where he wants it to go and has his sights set at the top.

Background

Having grown up in a racing home, Gareth says he has had a keen interest in racing for as long as he can remember. “My brother Chesney and I took every opportunity to go to the races as valets for my dad and any of the other jockeys whenever we got the chance. Racing form was probably the first literature I could read, so from a young age I guess I was doomed for the sport.”

He admits that his dad tried to keep him out of racing and after a brief stint with Tony Rivalland after matric, Gareth did try his hand at medical repping and selling insurance, but didn’t enjoy either and says, “Ultimately I ended up in racing – where my heart had been all along.”

Gareth has been working side by side with his father since 2009, handling horses like Slumdogmillionaire, The Apache, Franny and Along Came Polly. With the backing of Brian Burnard, Gareth has taken the plunge and officially struck out on his own, with Monday, 24 October 2016 being his first official day at the office.

How did it come about?

Gareth explains, “Brian has brought two partners into the yard and I also train a horse for his wife, but essentially I am Brian’s private trainer. Dad set me up with Brian just over a year ago, so I’ve been training Brian’s horses as the assistant trainer for just over a year, so it’s been a natural progression – the only difference is having my name in the race card.” Asked how it feels to have his name in print he says, “It’s something I respect and feel a little in awe of – I just hope to do it justice. I do feel a greater mantle of responsibility upon me and that responsibility does seem that little bit greater now that it’s my name on the card. You are your name in racing and have got to market yourself through your conduct, appearance and results. There’s no more hiding behind Dad’s name – this is for real now.”

Generous support

Appointing Gareth as his private trainer is a leap of faith by Brian Burnard and Gareth explains, “Obviously I had a good relationship with Brian and he was happy to do a venture with me.” Commenting that Brian must think highly of the young man he responds, “I hope so, but I look at it from the perspective that my dad had advised his biggest client to leave him. I’m not sure how many business people would give away their biggest client – even to their son. It’s some gesture. On top of that, he’s also given me all the equipment, tack and furniture I need, which are costs I wouldn’t have been able to cover on my own and I acknowledge that I have been very blessed. From physical support to intellectual support in everything he has taught me, I have come through a great school and feel I have every opportunity of making a success of it.”

Facilities

Gareth is training out of Summerveld, right next door to his father. “I’ve landed what is historically the nicest yard in Summerveld. My dad acquired it from Tony Rivalland, Tony got it from David Payne, who got it from Ricky Maingard. My dad wanted the yard because of the walker, which Tony installed. When the proposition came up with Brian, my dad asked Brian which of the two yards he’d prefer and it was obvious which one he’d choose. Hopefully I do it justice,” he says earnestly. With his father next door and his brother running the family’s satellite yard in Johannesburg, Gareth is strategically positioned to have everything in his favour and is certainly making the most of the chances that are coming his way.

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“I’ve got 48 boxes and horses for all of them. I’m very fortunate in having established horses to help me get a really good start as trainer. First and foremost is No Worries. He is wonderful to work with such a personable horse – he’s always there to greet you and loves attention. The fact that he’s got ability and has earned a lot helps, but he’s the only horse in my yard that eats carrots and it’s just a pleasure working with him. His win in the KZN mile was a real success for me and most of my plans are hinged around him at the moment. It’s fitting for my hopes and dreams to be pinned on him because he’s a horse that has done so much for us. It is asking a lot, but we really hope he can give just a little more. He will be going for the Charity Mile next Saturday and will then stay in Johannesburg till the Summer Cup.”

“After No Worries, there’s Redcarpet Captain who is undefeated in two starts as a gelding over the 1200m trip. We’ll be aiming him at the Merchants on Summer Cup Day.”

“I’ve also had some success with raiding, including Budapest who won the Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes. The fact that we raided and won in Cape Town was big, so it was a real standout and a fundamental establishing win for my relationship for Brian.”

Dream Start

Gareth feels his family legacy keenly. “My dad started out with four 2yo’s and built a successful business. I’m starting with 48. I’ve got a great start – I’ve got a great yard and a great client, so I need to capitalize on that and it’s important that every decision is a winner, because the first few years are going to be what shapes my career.”

“In racing, perception is everything and you can fall out of favour very quickly. In order to succeed one needs to make a good impression from the start, so it’s key to have good horses early to have success. After all, one can only warrant support by the big races you win.”

“If you look at any of the big name yards, they are brands in their own right and the driving force of the business is established by the type of races you win. My priority will be to get horses good enough to compete in and win Gr races across the country.”

Gareth says he’s not in it to be another number in the training ranks. “I want to be champion trainer and be able to pursue my racing interests abroad and I feel my dad has given me the tools to be able to do that. My ambitions with racing are to end up being able to travel. Although our export protocols dictate that it’s not easy to set up abroad, I hope we can reach a stage where we can raid abroad. It would be great to take on the world without having to take on the unfair rigors of quarantine that we’re currently under.”

Ultimately that would really satisfy my dad. His goal has been to get us on our feet and he’s happy to see me taking the opportunity Brian has given me. Obviously he now looks forward to seeing Chesney in a similar situation and then, in time, he can start taking a back seat and let us carry on and have success.”

Key strengths

Gareth makes soundness his priority. “Any fool can gallop a horse and get it fit, but you also need to keep it sound, make sure it eats well, goes to the start, jumps from the pens well and so on. Soundness is first and foremost for me and it’s something I monitor closely. My assistant Jessica von Niebel checks legs and trots my horses up regularly. I’ve had success with unsound horses, resting and rehabilitating them and winning with them again. Obviously the sound ones are better and easier to train, but it’s the nature of the game that they’re not all sound.”

“This leads on to one’s perspective in buying horses. We’ve had success with horses that haven’t been top end buys, but one has to acknowledge that the horses you buy are what will differentiate between success and failure. I try and look at as many good horses as I can to develop my eye, but you can refer to bloodstock, or specific aspects of the specimen, but usually they make fools of us. One can only hope that if you buy enough of the right stock, you will eventually end up with a few good ones.”

Philosophy

Racing can be a pretty unforgiving environment and at 30 years old and with a young family to support, it is a bold choice and shows confidence in both himself as well, perhaps most encouragingly, in the future of the sport. Gareth says, “One of the reasons I chose a career in training – apart from the fact that I love working with horses – is being able to work with people that I might never otherwise have the opportunity to meet. For example, when my dad had his job with Mrs Oppenheimer, we had the opportunity of dining with her – the fact that racing can bring you into circles like that is amazing. It is a privilege to be able to reference champions such as Slumdogmillionaire and The Apache, but at the end of the day, it’s the relationships one builds that enrich your life and dictate your failure or success.”

“I am grateful to have had a strong grounding. First and foremost, my dad has brought us up on strong Christian values and I have embraced the values that he’s raised me with. Dad always taught me, and I agree, that horses are going to come and go, but you need people to stay. One can’t do it alone. You need relationships and you need those relationships to be enduring, which will hopefully ultimately be fortified by success, but at end of the day, racing is going to happen and the odds are that racehorses are going to disappoint, so you are left with your relationships with people. You can’t guarantee the results, but you can hope to be left with good relationships and good memories.”