James Crawford Ready to Hoist the Family Colours Higher

Danie Toerien

Crawford Racing is alive and well, and looking forward to a golden era of growth on local soil.

That’s the word from James Crawford, who will be taking over the South African family operation when his father Brett departs for Hong Kong later in the year.

Since the news broke that Brett will be taking up a trainer position in Hong Kong next season, speculation has been rife about the future of the Crawford-yard here in South Africa, especially as the father-and-son team a few years back established a satellite yard in Randjesfontein on the Highveld, where James has been flying the flag – with distinction.

With his father’s imminent departure, all eyes will be on James to keep the ship afloat, but as he says, he has been thrown in the deep end before.

Starting up the Randjesfontein-yard was a sink-or-swim experience, says James, “but that’s perhaps the best way to find out if you have it in you”.

Taking over the Crawford-yard in Cape Town and maintaining the satellite yard, is a different kind of challenge, but one James is looking forward to.

“I’ve done it by myself once before,” says James. “I’ve had Mike (de Kock) and my father’s help whenever I needed it but for the most part I was on my own. It’s no different now with me coming to Cape Town.”

James did spend three months shadowing the legendary trainer Mike de Kock before the Crawfords opened their Randjesfontein stables.

“Obviously I did most of my learning from my dad.

“After that I went to Mike de Kock for three months shadowing him before the Joburg branch opened.

“From there, Mike and my father were just an arm’s length away in terms of a phone call or a walk across the road, so whenever there was anything I struggled or battled with, or something I didn’t quite understand, I would just pick their brains a little bit.

“For the most part I have been doing the hard graft on my own.

For a young man to take over the “family business” while maintaining a secondary yard might seem a daunting task, but James is confident that it is very much within his ability.

And closing the Randjesfontein operation is not negotiable.

“We are looking at a couple of options assistant-wise right now,” says James.

“It’s looking fairly good and we are positive that the Joburg yard will remain open.”

Asked about a time-frame to appoint an assistant, his answer was straightforward: “The sooner the better.”

“I will be based in Cape Town, with the assistant in Joburg but I will be doing a lot of travelling in between.

“There are one or two horses that I will be looking to bring down to Cape Town with me. Probably some of the old guns that I have known for a long time. But for most, the stable will stay the same,” said James.

“We have a couple of clients who only want their horses to race in Joburg. They are still very keen to be part of Crawford Racing. Because they are based in Joburg, that’s where they want to see their horses compete.

“We have to wait and see how that unfolds.”

According to James the reaction from owners and clients has been very positive after they were informed about Brett’s imminent departure.

“We didn’t let them (owners) know until the news was official, black on white and pen to paper,” says James.

“We couldn’t notify them about something which might not go through in the long term.

“Now that everything is in order, all of our owners have been notified. The reaction has been very positive actually.

“There are in fact a couple of new owners who don’t have horses with us or who have only a few, but they are optimistic and keen to have new horses with me.

“Obviously you are always going to have naysayers, but the majority of our ownership and clientele have come out very positive and supportive.

“There are still many unknowns that I still have to figure out, but all things considered we are very confident that when it comes to numbers, we shouldn’t decrease. In fact, I see us increasing the numbers of horses in training in the short future.

“There are a couple of clients who are looking forward to having me in Cape Town, and giving me a chance with their horses.”

One of the main reasons why the Randjesfontein satellite yard will remain operational, is the success achieved by team Crawford when raiding KZN from the Highveld branch.

“Last season we had two Group 1 wins, three Group 1 seconds, one Group 1 third raiding from the Highveld. It’s a formula that has worked well for us, so we will stick to it.

“If you look at any professional athlete at the absolute top level in any cardiovascular sport, training at altitude is key to success.

“For me, why change a winning formula.”

While James is preparing for his father’s imminent departure, he is also starting to prep runners for the coming KZN season.

“We are currently preparing our Durban horses for their coming season, but some of the horses earmarked for the Durban season haven’t even left Cape Town yet.

“The biggest obstacle is travelling to Durban (from Cape Town). It’s one thing to travel to Joburg, that’s a far enough trip as it is. Travelling to Durban is more taxing on the horses.

“No matter how good the horses are, it takes a lot out of them.”

Moving back to Cape Town, and commuting between the Mother City and Joburg, also brings challenges for James on a personal level.

“I have a girlfriend. We’ve only been together for just over a year now, so it’s still very early days. We will have to see what happens. That’s something else to figure out, but the relationship is good,” says James.

“I am very excited about the future. There’s always the fear of the unknown, and yes, initially I was a bit scared but now that plans are being put in motion and I am starting to understand more about the Cape branch, and how our owners feel about the situation, and the support that we will still be getting, I am very confident about the future.

“I don’t foresee too many changes in the way the operations will continue.

“I still have a very nice transition period before my dad leaves. It will give me ample time to figure out the Cape yard and understand all the horses here. But it shouldn’t take too long to figure this side out.

“I am very optimistic and looking forward to the future.”

This article was originally published on TAB and is reposted here with permission.