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Posted 2017-01-31 09:38:17  
LADIES IN RACING –JANE TROTTER

SA Horseracing recently caught up with Ambleway’s Jane Trotter, and chatted to her involvement with racing, her connections to Beach Beauty –and to Whisky Baron, winner of Saturday’s G1 Sun Met!

Are you from a racing/horsey background originally and how long have you been involved with racing/breeding?

I am not from a racing background but got some of my earlier knowledge from my Dad’s farm(he was a dairy farmer and I used to spend hours getting to know his cows- Jerseys and I learned that quality is better than quantity!) My first involvement with racing started at 14 years of age when I served drinks to Eugene Sanan guests in his box at Greyville,...he was such a knowledgable person and I developed my breeding from him ...he was my mentor!

Tell me a little bit about Ambleway and you came to own it?
I moved to Pietermaritzburg in 1975 to further my studies and bought the property now known as Ambleway. I have lived on the small holding -Ambleway since 1985(where James was born) it has about 25 acres of flat land that I have developed into paddocks. I have ridden myself since I was 5 and played competitive SA level polcrosse until 1989. I stopped riding this last year as I have got busier.


Whereabouts is Ambleway situated and what services do you offer clients?
Ambleway is situated on the Richmond side of Pietermaritzburg and it was purchased so I could play polo cross at Baynesfield nearby-it is about 12 kms from the centre of Pietermaritzburg. I offer spelling and pre training to clients as I am not going to the Ready To Run Sales anymore- I want to focus more on the horses I have here.

 

Do you also breed and if so how many mares do you have?
I do breed and have bred Barbosa (9 wins including the Listed Umngeni Handicap –he also ran third to Carry On Alice in the 2016 G1 Computaform Sprint). He is by Captain Al out of Fine Feather (I don't have her anymore but I have two of her daughters to breed from when they retire from racing- Plume Del Toro (2 wins and 4 places from 6 starts)and Daydream Believer who are by Toreodor and Oratorio respectively.

 

Your son James has also made his career in racing. Is he still working at Drakenstein and do you have other family members involved in the sport?
James still works at Drakenstein stud he has been there at least a year and Rod, my husband, is on the NHA board .My youngest son Michael loves the horses but is not involved as we are.


You personally have been involved as a part-owner of a number of really smart performers such as Barbosa – but who ranks as the best horse you owned/part owned?

Barbosa is the best sprinter I own and Saratoga Dancer is the best stayer. The latter is a horse that I purchased from the National Sales and Duncan Howell bought him and put him together-he has won 6 and placed in the Drill Hall,Champions Cup and Charity Mile....very special horse!

 

Ambleway was also famously involved with the great mare Beach Beauty –how did you get involved with her?
She was sent here to be pretrained and by Dennis Drier her trainer.


What made Beach Beauty so special –and what was she like as a horse to deal with –ie did she have any quirks et al?
She had no quirks but she was smaller and obviously had a big heart!

What is the latest re Beach Beauty?
Beach Beauty is at Drakenstein Stud in foal to Duke of Marmalade.She has a Trippi colt that is smaller -like her-and will probably go to Trippi again(according to Kevin Sommerville).


What other notable graduates have emerged from Ambleway and do you notice any similarities that top horses have?

Other horses that I have had through Ambleway include championsYoung Rake,Palace Line and Forward Filly ( I used to work a lot for David Ferraris). More recently I have had Whisky Baron -winner of Saturday’s G1 Sun Met!

 

 

 

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