In honour of August being Women’s Month, 4Racing celebrate the life and achievements of Dr Marianne Thomson, a trailblazer in South African breeding.
Dr Marianne Thomson – veteran of SA racing (Pic – Supplied)
Charl Pretorius writes that though she shuns the spotlight and might not embrace the title, she is undeniably one of the elder stateswomen of the industry. Her long and vibrant career serves as an inspiring example for others to follow.
Marianne reckons her mother suspected she’d given birth to a daughter that was not going to adhere to conventional ways.
A bit of a rebel, no doubt. She named her after the symbolic figure representing the French Republic for values of liberty, equality and the spirit of the French Revolution. Young Marianne had a love for animals that deepened as she grew older, leading her to pursue a career in veterinary science.
Her success as a veterinarian was matched only by her passion for thoroughbreds and her decorated career as a breeder under the banner of Ambiance Stud.
At 84 years of age, Marianne is still as sharp as they come, with her trademark ready wit that endeared her to many, over many decades.
Both of those traits were revealed in a rare letter she wrote to Sporting Post in September, 2014, at the height of the Markus Jooste era.
Addressed to the late Jooste himself and entitled ‘Liewe Markus’ (Dear Markus), she said (translated and shortened), “I am writing this as an older, small breeder and in our language, Markus, because this is our war. If I phoned you, I’d be overwhelmed by business jargon within a minute. What makes you so angry that you don’t care what you are doing to our shaky industry? How do you deal with this in your inner, quiet self? I say to myself, we’ve survived Hurvitz, Gardiner and Ross, Sydney Press, Hilda Podlas and many others, we’ll survive you, too!”
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