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News & Events
Welcome Leo Kokkes
News travels fast with the assistance of modern technology. It was not long after the launch of the South African Harness Racing Association that the Chairman, Dean Latimer, was hit with a number of inquiries from interested parties throughout the world.
One such person, harness racing trainer from Holland, Leo Kokkes, learnt about the introduction of harness racing to South Africa via a German website and was immediately attracted to the forecast initial stakes (R28,000) of the proposed races in this country.
Visiting South Africa for the first time recently, Leo accompanied Dean on a tour of the horseracing and equestrian facilities in the Summerveld and Pietermaritzburg areas. He was highly impressed with the training establishments, the friendly people and Durban's magnificent warm climate.
Classic Achievements
While speaking to Leo you realize that he is a man with a wealth of experience in horsemanship and the training of trotters. During his 30-year training career he has had the privilege of being associated with some of Holland's great harness racers. Having trained three winners of the Fillies Breeders Crown (the harness racing equivalent of our Cape Fillies Guineas), most recently in 2006, Leo states this achievement as being a highlight of his career. "I have been fortunate to train the winners of many prestigious races. There are trainers who wait their whole career to win just one of this type of races. I have been very lucky indeed," he said.
Based 40 minutes out of Amsterdam in a rural and beautifully wooded area, Leo has a stable of 30 horses, of which he owns 5 himself. The stable number varies as he also specialises in the pre-training and sale of trotters into Sweden and Norway. With the recent reduction in winning stakes of harness races in Holland, mainly due to the dwindling support of the punters who have many other types of lottery and soccer options on which to wager, Leo and other Dutch trainers travel weekly across the border to compete in the more lucrative and nearby German races.
Street Racing
Although harness racing in Holland may be flagging, a less formal style of racing continues to thrive in popularity. Kortebaan racing originated in the country 152 years ago and still attracts large crowds to the 26 different regional racing venues - usually a town high street. These race meetings require a pool of only 24 horses, and are run in heats of two horses per race over a distance of 300m. Losing horses are eliminated and the eventual winner goes home with a cheque for the full €5,000. One can't help but wonder if this type of racing would be a good starting point for South African Harness Racing - Durban's Golden Mile would prove to be an ideal location, especially during the July holiday period. The festive and carnival atmosphere surrounding these kortebaan meetings would provide the perfect complement to Africa's premier horserace, the Vodacom Durban July.
Standardbreds are the key
Firstly though, emphasizes Leo, South Africa needs the correct type of horses for the sport. "It is important to obtain a base of Standardbred fillies and mares that could compete in the country's initial races before entering into a later breeding programme". Dean confirmed that there are exciting developments in this respect with plans to bring in a first batch of 60 later this year.
"When South Africa has the tracks and a pool of Standardbreds to compete against, I will definitely bring my horses from Holland" promised Leo, who certainly won't be the only international trainer to venture south in pursuit of harness racing glory.
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