Dean Kannemeyer

After a quiet Cape summer season by his own high standards, Milnerton trainer Dean Kannemeyer has set the world alight in the six weeks since setting up his permanent satellite base at the Summerveld Training Centre at Shongweni. He ascribes the change in his fortunes to ’not panicking, sitting tight and the availability of the world-class Summerveld training tracks.’

Labelled the ‘master of the classics’ by the racing media due to his extraordinary record with Classic winners, Kannemeyer said that racing was a game of cycles and that ‘going into denial when you were taking in water in stormy weather was like trying to force the pace with a slipped saddle and with your feet dangling out of the stirrups’.

“As tough as it is when your colleagues are hogging the limelight and sipping the champers after the Gr1 races, you have to remain positive, bite the bullet and be realistic. I have been around racehorses for too long not to know that the wheel will turn.  It obviously helps a helluva lot to have the loyal support of a staunch customer base that have both the grasp of racing and its foibles, and the financial means to stick it out.”

Taking Stock

The man who has been a prolific producer of top horses, including stallions Dynasty, Noordhoek Flyer and Capetown Noir, since taking over the reins from his legendary Dad PK in 1999, added that he had taken his foot off the accelerator when he felt that his string was not at its best during the Cape summer.

“I took a step back and assessed matters. The quality of the ammunition obviously varies from season to season and on top of the fact that I knew that I did not have my most powerful string for a few seasons, I had to pause and think of regrouping in the winter. We are starting to show the dividends of that move now though and I am naturally pleased as punch – although I don’t want to get ahead of myself as there is still a long season ahead of us,” he warned.

Dean has had a great month with 12 winners in the bag.

Top Horses

Asked whether he had any top horses for the big feature races, he said that he had some lovely unraced horses and was hoping for a winning start to the Champions Season feature programme on Saturday.

“I run Real Princess in the Fillies Guineas at Greyville on Saturday and regard her as a Gr1 filly – a fact confirmed by top jockey Anthony Delpech after he won on her recently. And she is a good example of a horse that has benefitted from being given time. She was feeling her shins and experiencing growing pains last year after winning her maiden. So we threw her out and gave her time.”

On Track

Dean confirmed the fact that Real Princess had won first time of asking after ten months was a manifestation of the quality of the Summerveld training tracks.

“I am not a great believer in the second run after a rest syndrome, but this can kick in after an extended rest.  I just hope Saturday’s race hasn’t come too soon as I had to squeeze that next run in.”

On the subject of training tracks, Dean was quick to point out that Summerveld was a paradise to train horses:

“I am not knocking Milnerton as it has been my home forever, but Summerveld affords the trainer a host of options and allows us to fit the need of the individual and apply the solution. So one can get horses fit and ready to win straight off a rest, rather than racing them towards attaining fitness. Anybody who trains out of Milnerton could train horses anywhere in the world. And winter does not make it any easier, believe me,” he laughed.

Fairer Sex

We put it to him that was unusual to see him train a top filly as he had enjoyed more success with colts.

“I am not blowing my own trumpet, but it is a false perception that  Kannemeyer can’t train top fillies. It just happens to be that my customer order book has always been slanted 80/20 in favour of the colts. But there is plenty of urban legend in horseracing, I suppose!” he said with a smile.

Jockey

Karl Neisius will be back on Real Princess on Saturday after Anthony Delpech and Stuart Randolph were aboard at her last two starts. Why the change in jocks, we asked?

“Look here, nobody knows Greyville better than Karl Neisius and Stuart and Anthony have been a great help with the riding of work. But they have their own stable commitments too from time to time and Karl won her maiden on her. Look at that cracker he rode to win at Kenilworth on our first timer Fromafar for owner David Abery on Monday . There really is no substitute for experience,” he said.

Different Approach

We asked him if he was running his youngsters earlier these days, as in the past he seldom ran 2yo’s.

“We have always let the youngsters show us and, whereas in days gone by we would err on the side of caution and give them longer, we now let them have that first run if they are teling us they are ready. Depending how they show at that first outing, we then throw them out and bring them out in the spring. There is nothing that adds more value to a nice horse than patience and time,” he said.

July

Dean has five nominated for the Vodacom Durban July and said that he would not have a runner ‘ just for the sake of having a runner’.

“Solar Star won a lovely little feature race at Scottsville on Sunday but needs to prove some more to the handicapper. I may run him in the Greyville 1900 if that doesn’t come too soon. Power King just missed last year’s Cape Winter Triple Crown and is as good as most of them around. He won a cracker over 1400m last time and is a typical maturing Silvano. He is a lovely horse. Then we have the year younger Balance Sheet, a horse we think the world of and a fellow who has shown plenty of potential. He is also a Silvano, so we are hoping for him to start showing some of that ability. Afrikaburn was a top class 2yo and has been given plenty of time. He could make his way there too. Hot Ticket is more of a Gold Cup horse,” he said.

In The Ring

Dean returned from the sales on Saturday morning, satisfied with his eight strong haul but said that he would naturally have been a lot happier with a ‘few more horses’.

He felt that the sales environment was ‘extremely tough’ and said that racehorses were a ‘luxury commodity’ these days, given the costs of acquisition and upkeep.

“I must say thanks again to my loyal supporters and the new guys that have gotten involved. I got eight nice horses, including a lovely Captain Al colt. But these are my firepower for two seasons ahead and one needs to keep replenishing with quality stock to remain competitive. It is most definitely a numbers game if one wants to compete in the top echelon, even though we have always lived by the maxim of quality before quantity. We don’t waste money and time by racing bad horses either– but we have the new spectrum and opportunity added with our KZN satellite base and that gives us the options to optimise opportunities for every horse.”

Personnel

He recently employed a new assistant for his KZN base in the 23 year old Barbara Badenhorst, whom he said came with an excellent reference from Yvette Bremner in PE.

“She hails from a horseracing family, is young, conscientious and keen to learn. She will be inducted into the time proven Kannemeyer way and has already shown herself to be hardworking and enthusiastic. It is one thing having the good horses, but without great owners and loyal staff you may as well shut up shop,” he said.

 Home Base

The longserving David Lilley and vastly experienced Wendy Michel assist Dean in the Cape where he is still based in the original barn one at Milnerton, where as an eleven year old he rode work with legends of the saddle like Garth Puller and the late Johnny Cawcutt.

In 1999, after he had been his father’s understudy for almost twenty years, PK finally handed over the reins.

Less than 12 months after obtaining his license, Dean trained his first Gr1 winner, Colonial Girl, who won the Gold Cup.

Great Record

Over the next fifteen years, he has saddled over 60 Group winners.

One of his early champions was the gelding Free My Heart, who won three Gr1 races during the 2002 season. To top that, Kannemeyer unleashed an exceptional three year old colt, Dynasty, during the 2003 season.

Dynasty, a household name in SA racing today, won the Gr1 Cape Derby, the Gr1 KwaZulu Natal Guineas, the Gr1 Daily News 2000 and from a 20 draw, the Gr1 Durban July.

“You need a classic miler to win the top three year old races.  To win the Guineas, a horse must have some natural speed.  And once the Guineas is in the bag, you hope he has the brilliance to win the Met and the July,” he said.