Merry Christmas - And A Working Day For Racing Folk

Christmas day in a racing stable is largely business as usual. Horses have to be fed, watered and exercised. Summerveld veteran Louis Goosen is celebrating a big week – it’s his fortieth 25th day of December in a racing yard, and besides prepping a mean gammon for lunch later on, he also celebrates his 64th birthday on Friday.

Louis was just wrapping up his Christmas eve ‘smorgasbord’ when he chatted to the Sporting Post on Tuesday evening.

He lives with his fiancé of 25 years, acclaimed equine artist Lauren Lee Watt, and their rescue dog, Connor. Apparently the fearsome looking fellow is lengths more welcoming than Garth Puller’s one-dog security platoon, Max.

“Everybody at Summerveld loves Connor – the ‘Hollywood hound’, as we call him. All his accessories, his jacket, and his blanket, are purple,” reflects Louis as he walks down the neat row of boxes, showing us his ‘most exciting string’, all 32 of them, in years.

“We have ten 2yo’s, of which four were bought by us. I am pleased with that mix. I haven’t had such a young string in years. Couple that to the Hollywoodbets-Bortz investment in KZN, and we have everything to look forward to. Improved stakes, appearance monies, a simplified programme – big ups there to Justin Vermaak – and we will all get used to draws after acceptance. Horses can win from wide draws. Let’s get the field sizes up and get the momentum going,” he enthuses as he suggests that anybody who feels the new regime are not the way to go, ‘must be nuts’.

Louis opines that the two regions have similar goals and common passion, but are different in some respects.

“I have told the Richard Burton and Liz Taylor joke before.The Cape have bubbles in their champagne – we have bubbles in our beer. They put apricots of all things in their bobotie – our curry is the real Mccoy. Our Hollywoodbets Greyville Friday night racing, after we lost Newmarket midweek nights years ago, is the greatest buzz one will find on a racetrack in this country. There is something for everybody – families, punters, people looking for a great evening out. The Cape have put on some outstanding summer season racing in recent weeks. The passion is a common thread!”

He observes that night racing, like Sunday racing, admittedly has its challenges logistically.

“We are in the entertainment business. Bloodstock and people are our biggest assets and we have to just work harder and nurture them both,” muses the Hollywoodbets-sponsored conditioner who should know what he is talking about. He was born into a racing stable – his late Dad Danie was a multiple Champion trainer in the Eastern Cape, after his weight caught up with him as a jockey.

‘The Goose’, as some know him, started training in 1994, after a spell as Assistant to Chris Erasmus, then based at Newmarket. The late Buddy Maroun was a longtime friend and the friendship really grew from 1996 onwards once Louis moved his string to Randjesfontein. There, Buddy became a mentor and his death on 18 February 2008 in Argentina, left Louis devastated.

Today he is a seasoned veteran, and a man who weathered the ups and downs of a tough game. He does things properly and runs a tight ship.

“We have half our staff on duty on Christmas day, and then the other half work the New Year shift. It works well and the spirit at our stable braai on Christmas eve exemplified the Goosen Racing Team ‘gees’. Staff, owners, horses – without them – and Hollywoodbets, of course – we don’t have an industry,” quips Louis who admits that as something of a self effacing ‘braai-meester’, he doesn’t need much of a good reason to put on a fire.

He then reminds us that there is racing on Boxing day at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

“I mentioned we are in the entertainment business. This is the holiday province and we will have a nice turnout of locals and visitors on Thursday. So it’s no rest or public holiday – we have just the one runner, War Empress. Include her in all bets,” he adds confidently.

Louis Goosen is the epitome of horseracing’s seasoned ‘been there, got the t-shirt, seen the movie’ passionista.

“Let’s raise a toast to a wonderful and safe holiday season and a very merry Christmas to everybody celebrating it. And here’s to a massive year in 2025 for horseracing in KZN and SA. Let’s get behind the team who are doing their damndest to turn the good ship around. We can do this together!”