JIM JOEL : A RICH LEGACY

Isaac ‘Jack’ Barnato Joel, Barnett (Barney Barnato) Isaacs and Harry Joel ‘Jim’ Joel
(Photos : Chilwickbury Trust Archive)

“If there is more than one man who’s owned both
a Derby and a Grand National winner, we don’t know him.”

What we do know though, is that Jim Joel did. We’ll come to the horses that made it happen, but first about his legacy.

Jim Joel was a son of Jack Barnato Joel, whose connection with the turf came with his acquisition of Childwickbury Stud in England’s Hertfordshire in 1906. Though Jack Joel knew very well the poverty and hardships of 19^th century East End London, by the time of his acquisition of Childwickbury, he was a very rich diamond and gold merchant. His great grandfather was a rabbi, his grandfather Isaac Isaacs a dealer in old clothes, and his father Joel Joel had run the “King of Prussia” public house. Jack’s mum Kate, was the sister of the founder of the Joel fortune, Barnet Isaacs, more popularly known in South Africa as the pugnacious Barney Barnato, who borrowed £50 from his mother and travelled to South Africa in 1873, intent on making his fortune.

From Cape Town, Barnato journeyed to Kimberley, and through his sheer hard work, cunning and the good luck of being in the right place at the right time, he quickly accumulated a vast fortune. He founded the family business Barnato Diamond Mining, and in 1880 he was joined by his nephews Jack (Jim’s father) and two brothers, Wolff and Solly. When Jack Joel died in 1940, his son Harry “Jim” Joel, inherited the estate and carried on the family interests at Childwickbury, joining his father among the most successful British owner/breeders of the 20^th century. His colours, the black shirt and scarlet cap we see aboard the Mary Slack runners these days, were carried to Classic victories by the English Derby hero, Royal Palace, the St Leger ace, Light Calvary, and the serene heroine of the English 1000 Guineas, Fairy Footsteps. To explain the Slack connection, Mary we all know, was born Oppenheimer, and we know that De Beers, the greatest of the world’s diamond mining businesses, was an amalgam many years ago between the family of Barnato and those of Cecil John Rhodes, headed up for four generations by male members of the Oppenheimer family.

We did say we’d come to the Derby/Grand National double once we’d discussed the legacy, but since the identity of the Derby winner is already out of the bag, we may as well recall that, when he was well into his 90s, Jim Joel was virtually blind. That didn’t deter him from his regular holidays to South Africa, and it was on his flight back from one of his trips, that he was famously advised by the captain of the aircraft that his Maori Venture had carried off the laurels in the world’s greatest steeplechase.’

Mr. Joel was an extraordinary man, respected as much for his grace and sportsmanship as an owner, as he was for his generosity as a philanthropist. He never forgot where he came from, and he never forgot the role South Africa had played in providing his family with the comforts of life. In 1985 a foundation of substantial proportions was established, and his charitable causes in this part of the world are supported today by the Childwick Trust.

Among the Trust’s more noble causes, is their support of the work done by NGOs whose primary interest is children of five years and under. A couple of years ago, when two of the five trustees, Anthony Cane and John Wood were taking a short sabbatical at Hartford House from their arduous travel through our rural plains, they were introduced to our School of Management Excellence. To explain their interest, these are two sporting men, and Anthony Cane happens to be the present Chairman at the home of England’s most famous horserace, Epsom.

We think they liked what they saw at our school, and they offered to assist with a scholarship for the top student each year at the English National Stud, aimed principally at a graduate of our disadvantaged community. It has to be said, Jim Joel would’ve been proud of the work his trustees are doing: one of the objects of the trust reveal his keen personal interest in the people involved in the racing industry, and the welfare and breeding of thoroughbred racehorses. They’re the embodiment of the things he stood for, gentlemanliness, decency and generosity, and their gesture in providing this scholarship to the English National Stud has paid immediate dividends. Those who follow these columns, will know that in its very first year, our top graduate was Thabani Nzimande, who as one of twenty-six students from around the world, became that august institution’s outstanding practical student of 2012.

The trustees visited again recently, to touch base with those of our team involved in their project. There’s plenty going on in the world at the moment, and much of it is not pretty. These men represent the prettier side. The Trust has distributed in excess of £52 million (more than R700 million) since 1992.

THABANI NZIMANDE GRADUATES FROM THE NATIONAL STUD

Thabani Nzimande - National Stud Best Practical Student Award
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

“Opportunity, sooner or later,
comes to all who work and wish.”
Lord Stanley

There was a time, when literacy and learning was the right of the pious and the privileged. We’ve come a long way, and whilst South Africa’s youthful democracy avers that all have the right to an education, training and the transfer of knowledge remains a challenge for the majority of our population.

The School of Management Excellence is an extravagance for a Zulu farm, but Summerhill and the School’s scholarship sponsors, Investec, the Cape Breeders Club, N3 Tolcon and Phumelela, have risen to the call to educate and were vindicated by the success story of one of its graduates this week.

A young man, whose dream was to become a paramedic once he had completed high school, was recruited some five years back by the Pre-training & Sales division at Summerhill Stud, starting out as a stable cleaner. Thabani Nzimande graduated as the top student at the School of Excellence in 2011, and was awarded a scholarship through the Childwick Trust to the English National Stud. To explain the connection, the Trust founder was the late Jim Joel, nephew of the diamond legend, Barney Barnato, and whose racing colours “black, cherry cap” are adorned these days by Mary Slack’s runners.

At the fabled stud in Newmarket, England on Friday, Thabani and fellow South African, Mathew de Kock, graduated from the course with distinctions, and Thabani won the Best Practical Student Award.  Courage, hard work and making the most of every opportunity has earned him a hero’s welcome back in South Africa.

The Winter Workshop, hosted by the School next week (Monday 9^th to Wednesday 11^th July), promises to be every bit as good, if not better than last year’s Winter School, with a supporting cast of 5 professors, economic and racing gurus, an international equine geneticist, and the country’s leading racing and breeding celebrities among them.

Last year’s inaugural Winter School was a runaway success, and this year’s programme is crammed with “two-year-old” potential. Please click here to get full details of the full panel of lecturers, their topics and the programme right away.

The Memorial Theatre’s capacity is limited though, so if you’re an aspirant attendee, please get in touch with Heather Morkel on heather@summerhill.co.za, as soon as you can. There is accommodation available at Hartford House, though the organisers can arrange alternatives in the district once Hartford is fully booked. The daily rate includes a luncheon prepared by Eat Out’s Most Popular Restaurant of 2011.

Heather Morkel +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email heather@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

BRITISH NATIONAL STUD UPDATE : MAY 2012

Making The Days Count :
And Counting The Days

“Forty-three days to go, and I’ll be back in full force”, writes Thabani Nzimande of his tenure at the English National Stud.

In an earlier update, we mentioned that Thabani graduated top of the Class of 2011 from the School of Management Excellence at Summerhill last year, and was selected by School Governors, Judge Alan Magid and ex-Jockey Club Chairman, Ronnie Napier, as the recipient of the Childwick Trust Scholarship to the National Stud. He was especially fortunate to be attending in the same year as Mathew de Kock, under whose tutelage Igugu initially “grew up” at the races.

Thabani had quite a few visitors earlier this month, including Sarah Frost, whose father worked for Jim Joel at his famous Childwick Bury Stud, which was the nursery to such famous horses as Royal Palace, Light Cavalry and Fairy Footsteps. Born and raised on Jim’s farm, and a teacher by profession, Sarah has worked for the Trust for a decade. Anthony Cane, trustee and chairman of the home of the Investec Derby, Epsom, has also spent some invaluable time with Thabani, and we are told that 5 members of the Trust will be in attendance at the graduation ceremony, which takes place on Friday the 29^th June. For those who are new to this scholarship, we should recall that Jim Joel was a nephew of the storied Barney Barnato, who with Cecil John Rhodes, founded de Beers, the world’s biggest diamond company. The Joel brothers, Jim and Solly, were plucked out of the obscurity of London’s east-end, and recruited by their enterprising uncle into the diamond business, where they made their considerable fortunes.

A wonderful, warm, “feel-good” success story, Thabani has paid regular tribute to our School Of Excellence in the glowing yard reports that we’ve received. We wish the Class of 2012 luck for the forthcoming exam, and finalisation of their major projects. Looking forward to having you home Thabani and Mathew!

Heather Morkel +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email heather@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

CELESTIAL HOPE

Mary Slack
(Image : Sporting Post / Mike de Kock Racing)

CHAMPIONS DAY AND
THE NATIONAL YEARLING SALES

There were a few spots in racing’s firmament that shone brightly this weekend. One was the excellent competition at Turffontein on Saturday, where Group events kicked off with a David and Goliath cameo in which, of course, David comes out on top. It was the Juvenile Fillies Nursery, in which an unknown Kimberley trainer of an untried horse by an unproven (or supposedly failed) stallion, knocked over the hitherto unbeaten daughter of the sire of the moment, belonging to one of the nation’s most celebrated owners. We’ll post a choice piece on that and the Colts Nursery in tomorrow’s script, but for now we don’t want to detract from what was as good a day as Mike de Kock and Mary Slack have enjoyed at the races in careers which recall some of the sport’s stellar moments.

De Kock saddled no fewer than five Group winners on the day, four of them sporting the Slack’s black silks and cherry cap originally made famous by the diamond magnate, Jim Joel. Looking at the margins of victory, it was as if De Kock had instructed his jockeys to avoid the traffic (and the objection hooter) by staying well clear of the field.

There are emerging parallels between the performances of the Slack string and those of other larger owners, and the dominance abroad of Coolmore over Godolphin, which remind us again of the glorious uncertainty of the turf, and the sheer democracy of it all. Money is undoubtedly a major factor, but the one thing you can’t do without in this game, is the intuition of the great horseman.

For sure you’ll have your “on” days, but in the end, all the money in the world can’t alone guarantee your success. Mary Slack was born into the game, and in De Kock and the other two “wise men”, Jehan Malherbe and the “lion tamer”, Dr John McVeigh, she has surrounded herself with a team to take on the world.

We were in De Kock’s box which gazes out appropriately across the gold mines of early Johanneburg, when the world’s number one trainer turned up once the business was done. I asked him if he’d like a drink, “or is that a silly question?” It was a silly question.

The other bright spot was the level of activity at the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, where the trade was undoubtedly more bouyant than on the opening Friday. Whether it was the catalogue or the public holiday that influenced outcomes, there was certainly more emotion in the ring from bidders, and while that didn’t necessarily convert itself into bigger statistics, it was a sign that the smaller players were getting in a stab, even if it was at lower levels. Vendors were game in lowering their sights and in the end, given the foreboding with which so many approached the sale, it had to be seen as a satisfactory result.

We’ve been saying it for a while now, but we’ve felt it since the Ready To Run in November and again at our inaugural sale on Summerhill in February, that the worm is definately turning. With stakes increasing in KZN and the prospect of R100,000 maiden prizes next year in that jurisdiction, there’s new hope out there for a steaming up.

OUR MAN THABANI

THABANI NZIMANDE
The National Stud

When our man Thabani Nzimande took a flight from the warm climes of Sunny South Africa on his way to The English National Stud, he didn’t know what he was in for. It’s cold in Mooi River in winter, and sometimes very cold, but nothing prepares you for knee-deep snow, rain and ice, particularly when it’s your first welcome at Heathrow airport.

Thabani Nzimande was the recipient of the Childwick Trust Scholarship to the English National Stud as the top graduate of our School of Management Excellence last year. Selected in a tight contest by the school’s governors, Judge Alan Magid and ex Jockey Club Chair, Ronnie Napier. A chance visit to Hartford House at the end of an arduous odyssey through the back streets of rural South Africa, led Anthony Cane, chairman of Epsom racecourse and home to England’s most famous horse race, and John Woods to our School of Excellence and to an understanding of what it represents. As trustees of the Childwick Trust, they immediately saw an opportunity to benefit a segment of disadvantaged community in South Africa in a sphere closest to the heart of the original benefactor, Jim Joel. As it happened, Anthony Cane was also a trustee at the English National Stud, and there was serendipity in the three connections, Epsom racecourse, where the Derby is sponsored these days by a South African company, (Investec), The National Stud and the School of Excellence.

Anthony Cane is no ordinary trustee though. He’s serious about his work, and he has a deep and sincere interest in the outcomes of the trust’s activities. He was in contact recently with Tabitha Smith, training director at The National Stud, and she copied us on part of the report she had directed to Anthony.

“Stephen Wallis mentioned to me that he had seen you and that you spoke about coming to meet Thabani. We would be delighted to introduce him to you and any of your fellow Trustees if they are available. Thabani is continuing to be a great success; he has received his first formal feedback on his yard rotations and his time on the Stallion unit. From both he got a glowing report and that is no mean feat from our Head Stallion Man! He has formed a really good friendship with Mathew de Kock and gets on extremely well with the rest of his peer group and staff alike”.

Thabani and fellow South African Mathew de Kock, son and assistant to South Africa’s most famous racing couple, Mike and Diane de Kock, is part of a group of new recruits from across the world, where they are attending the National Stud’s globally acclaimed course in horse stud management.

Heather Morkel +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email heather@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za